There is a high likelihood you have noticed golf courses have been under more stress than normal this year. We are lucky to have Dr. Adam Thoms, Associate Professor – Turfgrass Management and Sports Turf from Iowa State University help shed some light on what our golf course superintendents have been dealing with.

SPECIAL REPORT FROM DR. ADAM THOMS, Associate Professor – Turfgrass Management and Sports Turf from Iowa State University

This past year has been full of challenges for golf course superintendents. As I have traveled and visited with superintendents, I have seen many of the problems they are fighting. Depending on where you live in the state, you might feel that course conditions are a little less aesthetically pleasing this year compared with other years. Weather has thrown many curveballs at golf course superintendents, making it hard to manage turfgrass here in Iowa.

We have seen extreme conditions from January to the present day across the state. This winter, we had record-low temperatures without snow cover, which caused some golf courses to experience winterkill of turfgrass. Normally, snow acts as an insulation layer to prevent low temperatures from freezing the growing point of the plant. Turfgrass species such as perennial ryegrass, Poa annua, and tall fescue are not as cold-tolerant as creeping bentgrass or Kentucky bluegrass. Direct exposure to cold temperatures caused many plants to freeze and die.

Moving into the spring, drought conditions developed across large parts of Iowa. Whenever a plant is breaking dormancy and starting to grow, it needs water. We also rely on water to incorporate preemergence herbicides to prevent weeds, such as crabgrass. Without adequate water, these herbicides are much less effective. The lack of water during this critical time also limits root growth, which is necessary for summer survival.

Summer has provided little relief from the early-season challenges across large areas of Iowa, especially in western and central Iowa. Many parts of the state have received a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours. Flooding, coupled with high temperatures and humidity, has caused additional stress on turfgrass plants.

When humidity is elevated, creeping bentgrass often experiences an increase in thatch. This increase in thatch can cause scalping from mowers, and superintendents may need to topdress more frequently with sand or vertically mow more often to combat the problem. These practices can disrupt the putting surface, but they are necessary to prevent scalping and the potential loss of creeping bentgrass.

Additionally, elevated humidity and temperatures have increased disease pressure across large portions of the state. Fungicide applications that normally last 14 days may only last 7–10 days before disease breaks through due to the high disease pressure. This can strain the superintendent’s budget because of the need to reapply fungicides so quickly.

Finally, all the rain this summer has also shortened the efficacy of preemergence herbicides, and we are starting to see crabgrass and other annual weeds in areas where they are normally prevented from growing. The rain speeds up the breakdown of herbicides in the soil, allowing weeds to move in. With limited budgets, these weeds are often not treated this late in the season, as that money is instead spent on fungicide applications to limit disease damage.

Please give your golf course superintendent some grace this season as they continue to battle the weather and challenging conditions while trying to provide you with the best playing surface they can. Also, know that no two courses will respond exactly the same during a growing season because of differences in soil and microclimates on each course.

This fall, some golf courses will be reseeding areas, while others will be aerating and topdressing putting greens in an effort to recover from this summer’s stress. Allow superintendents time to address these issues so they can provide you with the best course possible next year.

Continue to support your golf course superintendent, and know that they see the problems and are often more frustrated by them than you are.