As I'm sure some of you have noticed, select areas in our fairways have gone dormant over the past few days. In the hope of avoiding any confusion, I thought I would explain just what's happening out there.
I have spoken before about the many different types of turf that have invaded our course. The spots you are noticing are a species called Poa trivialis, generally known as Rough Bluegrass. Poa trivialis has a far lower tolerance to heat and drought, and given we are experience quite a bit of both it has gone dormant.
Unfortunately, there is not much we can do about this. The amount of moisture we would have to apply to keep the Poa trivialis healthy would pose a danger to the Bentgrass that surrounds it- Bentgrass that you will notice is still going strong. Once temperatures have grown mild once again the dormant turf should return with time, but until then our only viable option is to wait.
I'm supplying links to articles that discuss this subject in depth, one was published by Ohio State University, the other by Purdue University. This latest (and by far most severe) stretch of heat should come to a close this weekend, with the forecast showing Sunday's high as a frigid 82 degrees. Until then, we thank you for your patience as we drag hose and pop on heads. We're in the home stretch!
See you on the course!
Elliott Dowling
