August 19th

Chipping green sodding completed yesterday

Today Environment Canada is calling for it to be sunny today with fog patches dissipating this morning. High 27. UV index 8 or very high. Tonight: Clear. Low 14.

Today is a routine mow/course setup day in prep for the weekend.  Greens were brushed AND mowed this morning.  The brush stands up any bentgrass leaf blades laying over before cutting to provide a smoother truer putting surface.

Things are starting to dry out again as there has been only 7 mm of rain in the last week.  Golf carts ARE permitted today.  Green speed is 10 feet.

The turf disease Dollar Spot is prevalent this time of year with optimal growth between 21° and 27°C, combined with relative humidity greater than 85% and heavy dew at night.  Our fairways do not receive preventative treatments of fungicide to combat this disease.  Instead, a combination of cultural practices and nutritional inputs (fertilizer) is applied to combat this disease to try and avoid the use of chemicals.

Aside from thatch removal, another method to culturally manage Dollar Spot is dew removal.  We have been dragging the fairways first thing in the mornings using the Fairway Snake to minimize the turf's leaf wettness period to help minimize the conditions favourable for the disease.  Added benefits are that the grass that is laying over on the fairways is 'stood up' before mowing to provide a tighter fairway playing surface, and golfer's aren't walking through the dew!

Fairway Snake dragging dew off fairways to help control Dollar Spot

A reminder that greens will be verticut (groomed) and topdressed this coming Tuesday August 23rd.

For more in-depth information check out our Course Management Blog at www.mlgccgreens.blogspot.com/