News from the Course Superintendent

The wet weather that plagued Belmont in May continued the first two weeks in June, causing a number of issues with course maintenance.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that the greens have remained soft and slow, and the rough thicker than usual.  The wet conditions have restricted our top-dressing schedule – one of the reasons the greens are not in mid-season form.  As for the rough, we normally are able to mow the entire course, including the rough, twice a week.  Through mid-June, we were only getting to about 75 percent of the course twice weekly, meaning that one-quarter of the course was not being mowed on schedule. 

Looking ahead, if July turns hot and dry, then the greens will return to their more speedy ways, and the length and thickness of the rough will be reduced.  However, if July is anything like May and June, there will be issues.

Turf diseases such as Brown Spot and Pythium Blight flourish in hot, humid and wet conditions.  Controlling these diseases is difficult in the best of times.  With our budget tightened, we aren’t able to spray as often as we would like.  That includes controlling other frequent summer pests, such as Dollar Spots and Summer Patch. 

Our first priorities are the greens and tee boxes, so those always will remain in good shape – weather permitting.  You might notice a difference in the fairways if we are unable to control some of the diseases, in particular Dollar Spots, which are known to spread.

All-in-all, we’ve done the best we can under difficult weather conditions.  Let’s hope for some sunny weather and less humid conditions as we move towards the middle of summer.  Hot and dry we can handle.  Wet and humid is more difficult.