USGA:Bermudagrass Winter Injury On Tees, Fairways and Rough

Weekly practice tee growth status.

Weekly growth status of L-36 Bermudagrass at the practice tee. These pictures will show recovery on a week by week basis. The long cold winter we had with the cooler spring so far has retarded the spring green-up of this warm season grass. Once the temperatures warm up the recovery will hasten and we will experience the benefits of this turf on our practice tee. 

Rain on Friday causes concern about Spring Derby..... Still get's played on the weekend.

As of 3:30 pm Friday , 2.7" rain

How things don't change between 1927 and 2014.

I have no words!

Back to the future.

9th hole at Whitemarsh Valley CC as pictured in "1927's Golf Architecture in America" by George C. Thomas Jr.

Present day at the same hole.

Waste not, want not! Using old bunker sand as topdressing for fairways.

Even though the two fairway bunkers on the 1st hole are not being completely rebuilt, we will be replacing the sand. There are many different layers in these two bunkers ranging from bunker sand from 12 years ago to multiple layers of flood silt. When the new sand is installed the appearance of the bunkers will all be similar on this hole.
We will be using this sand as topdressing on the 1st fairway. We have had silt contaminated bunker sand tested in the past and it is acceptable as a fairway topdressing. Just trying to "kill two birds with one stone".

New bunkering at the 9th hole.

What golfers see on a couple of fairways.

                       

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Figure 1. Yellow patch on a golf course putting green.

Yellow patch, also referred to as cool season brown patch, is caused by Rhizoctonia cerealis, a fungus closely related to the pathogens that cause brown patch and the Rhizoctonia large patch of zoysia grass.  Symptoms on putting greens can be striking (Figure 1).  They generally include small- to medium-sized patches or rings (6 to 12 inches in diameter), usually with yellow margins. Sometimes margins are reddish brown. In severe cases, patches may be distributed uniformly over putting surfaces.  In my opinion, yellow patch causes only cosmetic damage to greens height turf.  However, on surrounding turf, yellow patch infection can thin the grass, temporarily resulting in a “tight” lie that may unnerve mid-high handicap golfers.  Yellow patch occurs most often on creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass.  Symptoms are most common on putting greens collars, and surrounds, but they may appear on fairways now and then.
Yellow patch is a cool season disease.  It is the first disease problem to appear after the snow molds. Outbreaks will most likely occur under overcast, cool, wet conditions. In the spring, symptoms often disappear after a few days of warm, sunny weather. Deliberate attempts to control yellow patch, with or without fungicides is normally not recommended because the disease has only cosmetic effects and symptoms are usually very short-lived.

Ahhhh..... It must be spring!

The snow has melted, the temperatures are rising and now the sure sign that spring has arrived. A pair of baby foxes (kit's, cub's or pup's) have been posing for photo's on a sunny day in April behind the 15th green. As the spring turns into summer you should be able to see these youngsters playing on the hillside in front of the 16th green.