Page 13 - Gallery August Newsletter 2021

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

F R O M

N O A H G E S S L E R

This year’s monsoon season has been drastically different than last year. Monsoon rain can be very
sporadic around town and even on property.We have five rain gauges spread throughout the courses
to monitor rainfall in different areas. For last year’s entire monsoon we only received three quarters
of an inch of rain. As of July 26 this year, we have already reached 6.8”.

The rain and humidity from the monsoon is of great benefit to the courses. The clean rainwater

replaces the irrigation water that comes with unwanted salts. The bermudagrass in the fairways and
roughs thrives with high humidity. With these conditions the bermudagrass is able to use its lateral
growth habit to fill in thin areas. While it tolerates the heat well, it really begins to grow aggressively
when the humidity increases and this July has been very favorable for its growth.

The high temperatures and high humidity can pose a challenge for the bentgrass greens.Bentgrass is

a cool season grass that faces a challenge during the summer months. They have to be closely
monitored for proper moisture during the summer. Our irrigation techs spend a large portion of their
day measuring the water content of the soil and handwatering to keep them at a balanced moisture
level. An instrument is used to quantify the amount of moisture present and then areas that fall below
a certain threshold must be watered by hand to give these areas the proper amount of moisture while
avoiding overwatering areas that don’t need it.

As the humidity increases, as has been the case in July, we see a big surge in growth in the
bentgrass.The warm and wet soil is favorable for the release of Nitrogen which leads to the excess
growth, even with the removal of Nitrogen from our fertility plan. This thick top growth combined
with weak roots due to the heat makes the plant delicate. In order to protect the greens from
damage, we must increase mowing heights to prevent scalping of the turf canopy. This combined

with the additional water needed to help with the heat creates a soft and often slow surface. Daily
grooming to aid in removing some of the lateral growth and light topdressing will help reduce the
extra growth and protect the canopy.

In a summer such as we are having with heat and rainfall, protecting the turf is the main priority until
we see a break in the weather. This usually starts as the days become shorter and nighttime
temperatures come down in early to mid September. Until then we have to do whatever is necessary
to help. Our summer fertility plan is created with this in mind with certain nutrient levels adjusted to

aid in this process.