Page 9 - January 2022 Newsletter

C O U R S E U P D A T E

F R O M D I R E C T O R Y

O F A G R O N O M Y

N O A H G E S S L E R

Course Maintenance in the Desert

I think we can all agree that the desert is a unique area, and it is no different when it comes to golf course
maintenance. The variances in seasonal maintenance in different regions are driven by the contrasting climates.
The desert is different because we essentially grow two different crops of turfgrass on the same site every year.
Colder regions have a shortened golf season, due to weather conditions that do not allow for golf to be played all
year round. Therefore, minimal course maintenance is performed in the winter. Transition areas, in between
cold and warm climates, may remain open at times in the winter, but there is still only the need for one type of
turfgrass and maintenance is reduced in the winter. Desert golf courses are active with maintenance all year long
and truly have no off season.

In the desert, where overseeding takes place, most consider our year to be more like a fiscal year than a calendar,
with the year starting at overseeding. Overseeding can be considered a fresh start with the rest of the year, all
working back to the seeding process in the fall. Overseeding is essentially growing in a new golf course with
perennial ryegrass to provide a playing surface for the winter months. From there we move into our busy golf
season and perform routine maintenance.

As the busy season winds down and late spring arrives, we move into the process of transitioning the golf courses
back to our base crop of bermudagrass. During this time, we do certain mechanical processes to encourage the
re-growth of the bermudagrass and typically apply specialty products that are made to remove the ryegrass
without harming the bermudagrass. Fertilization, aerification and verticutting also assist with this transition,
however the real difference maker is the presence or lack of summer rain. Most years, the courses are only full
bermudagrass for a couple of months, before we get back to the overseeding process.

For a desert course with bentgrass greens like ours, re-planting is not needed every year, but lots of attention is
required during the summer months. To many, this is a better scenario than the overseeding and transitioning of
bermudagrass greens each year.

The winter months, while busy with golf, are a slower time of year for the maintenance staff and we are busy
with more routine maintenance, mowing and detail work. In the summer when golf is slow, we are busy
managing the bentgrass, working on transition and aerification, and of course starting the process over again
with overseeding in the fall.

Thank you,

Noah Gessler
Director of Agronomy
ngessler@gcdovemtn.com