The one area of the golf course that must be causing the most comments is the rough. The comments are fairly typical from the past several springs but I will try to go farther in depth with my explanation of the factors that are the root of the situation.
Even though the past several days have been HOT, the growing conditions for cool season turf, (ryegrass, bluegrass, and fescue) have been almost perfect starting in late March through now. Abundant moisture and normal to above temperatures have allowed those grasses to flourish. At the same time, the rainfall has been one of the key factors in limiting the staff's ability to keep the turf cut. The rough (which normally takes about 4 days with two mowers to completely mow) was cut on April 18th, 19th and 20th. On the 21st because of overnight rain, staff went two mower widths around each hole. That process was repeated on the 29th with no mowing taking place on the 22nd through the 28th because it was too wet. The next time it was dry enough to mow was May 4th when the cutting height was raised 1/2 inch on the 2 main mowers to cope with the extended interval between mowings. On the 5th and 6th, the two backup mowers, set at our normal height, were deployed to mow 6 times around each fairway while the main mowers were finishing mowing at the higher height. On the 9th the main mowers were reset to normal height and we have been there the past three weeks. To say we are still playing catchup is an understatement of how far behind the 8 ball Mother Nature put us.
A second factor in the equation is the equipment we have to mow rough with. In 2006 our two primary mowers were in need of replacement as was one of our fairway mowers. With only a finite set of money available, we chose to replace both rough units and wait a year for a fairway mower. Again because of funding and the condition of both rough units, two new units were selected. The units were not the best fit for the course but their cost allowed us to get two instead of only purchasing one that year and waiting a year or two for the other one. It was a stop gap measure hoping that the financial picture would brighten in three to five years. Unfortunately, the economy worsened and those two mowers purchased as short term replacements are still the primary mowers entering their sixth season. One of the negatives of these mowers that we knew going in was they were belt driven instead of hydraulic which is not as reliable and causes frequent repairs. They are of the age now that breakdowns are becoming a constant. The two backup units are from 1998 and 99. One is sacrificed to mow the practice area rough and the other we hope to use on slopes that our current mowers do not do well on and as a backup when one of the others is down.
Another comment that has been expressed is the lack of an intermediate height rough adjacent to the fairway. This operation was abandoned last year in a cost saving measure. With no capital expenditures for the last three years, it is obvious that the golf course operation needs to run as lean as possible to hopefully save money that can be used for equipment replacement. When this mowing pattern changed last year, the intermediate rough which was bermuda was converted to fairway thus widening them. Going back to intermediate rough in most cases would narrow the fairways. The goal for this year is to mow the first pass of rough adjacent to the fairway twice per week versus once for the rest of the rough. To date because of one less staff member and equipment breakdowns and the weather, this has yet to happen.
The last factor is the seed used in the fall to strengthen the rough. When this program started in the late 90's, we chose ryegrass because it germinated faster and made a better stand, quicker. About five years ago, the switch was made to fescue seed to see if would perform better. In the spring of 2010, it was obvious that the quality of the rough using fescue had dimenished and last fall we switched back to using ryegrass. The advantages are that it starts quicker, actually helps control winter broadleaf weeds, and makes a thicker stand of turf. The disadvantage is that it makes a thicker stand of turf because more seed makes it to a maturity.
In summary, the height of cut has not changed the last few years. The fertilization program has remained the same or lessened over that time period. The seed used to improve the rough did change last year and Mother Nature has caused the mowing frequency to lag as has the reliability of equipment and the staffing levels which were reduced by one this year. It is not a perfect world but I will be suprised if once summer weather is here for several weeks and staff gets caught up on mowing if the rough continues to a major topic of interest. But then again if it is, that will mean the greens are doing wonderful. See you on the course.
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