Water Woes

I don't know about the rest of you but I am getting tired of the oppressive heat that we have been having on the Island. It seems as though it has cooled off now but not until we have suffered through a few weeks of temperatures in the 30's.

I can tell by the condition of the golf courses I drive past or visit on my travels that Superintendents must be getting tired of the heat as well. With irrigation ponds reaching lows that don't usually come until the end of August it is difficult to keep turf alive, much less green.

If this is going to be the way summers are to be from now on, golfers are going to have to get used to the fact that golf courses are going to have a fair amount of brown in them for much of the golf season. I don't think this is a bad thing, in fact it is probably a good reminder that golf can be played on any type or colour of turf.

In reality, what we used to see near the end of summer was home lawns and parks looking terribly parched while the golf courses were remarkably green. Those days are behind us now as Superintendents have learned to deal with less and less water and hotter, drier summers. The only solution really is to let out-of-play areas and rough dry out and turn brown. The turf is not dead, it's sleeping (dormant).

Golfers, be thankful that you have a superintendent who is wise enough and cares enough about the environment to swallow his pride and risk criticism by letting his (her) golf course look less than spectacular. This is a very difficult time of year for Superintendents and they should be commended for the long hours they have put in, so golfers can enjoy the sunshine and the game they love.