5.9.23
Arizona Traditions Guests,
The following is a quick look into course maintenance for the next 30 to 60 days.
GREENS-
All greens will be verticut weekly to remove the Poa Trivialis (overseed on greens) in turn promoting the Bermuda to fill in. The Poa Trivialis cannot withstand the high summer temperatures causing it to wilt and die back from the high humidity that comes with July and August.
We will be topdressing greens every 3 weeks to give the Bermuda a growing region and to control thatch.
Aerification will be completed on the greens when there is 85 percent Bermuda coverage throughout each one. Currently the greens are roughly 20 percent Bermuda (roughly the end of July or August). We will continue to give updates as the Bermuda progresses so everyone can plan accordingly. A greater Bermuda count means a quicker recovery time.
TEES, FAIRWAYS-
We are entering the part of the year where we transition from the winter ryegrass to summer Bermuda grass. As the daytime temperatures rise the ryegrass begins to stress and die back the Bermuda begins to “wake up” and become active. To aid in the transition process, course maintenance will be conducting the following tasks.
Aerify hot spots- All dry and stressed areas starting with the fairways will be aerified to allow water and sunlight to penetrate the soil and promote Bermuda growth.
Spot fertilizing – All aerified locations will be spot fertilized and watered to jump start or push the Bermuda recovery and growth in those areas.
Irrigation- From now to the end of summer we will be conducting an irrigation audit to identify all issues with programming and any mechanical challenges.
ROUGH-
The expectation is to go into overseed at the end of summer with turf wall to wall in the roughs. We will fertilize throughout the summer to accomplish this.
BUNKERS-
All bunkers will be stirred and tilled to create a more consistent playing surface. Fairway bunkers will be kept at a 1” depth of soft sand per USGA recommendations.
Bryan L. Riek
Golf Course Superintendent
