Spring 2016 - 123
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maintenance?
Jon Heselwood
Buffalo Hill Golf Course
Kalispell, Mont.
A. The climate changes every day. We
adjust accordingly. Is it warmer now
that it has ever been in the past? No, it
is not.
We are coming out of a mini-ice age
so temperatures will continue to warm
until the planet decides it will no longer
warm and we go back into a cooling
period.
How does this affect maintenance?
Warmer weather raises ET which can
require additional irrigation water.
Warmer weather will also increase the
likelihood of insect pest problems in our
area. And warmer weather is changing
the diseases we contend with to those
fungal pathogens that require warmer
temperatures. We also seem to be
experiencing more windy weather than
in the recent past. This results in frequent
tree damage and clean-up efforts as
well as increasing ET.
Keep in mind that we operate in a
location that is "cold" most of the vast
majority of the time, so warmer weather,
when it happens, is appreciated.
Joe Wachter
Glen Echo Country Club
Normandy, Mo.
A. The summers have been a little bit
milder. This summer was an average year.
It's those extremes that you have of 15-20
days in a row over 90 or 6 days in a row over
100 or 80 degree nights with rainfall. Those
are the kind of extremes … As long as I can
control my water I can have a healthy golf
course. But when I have heat and can't
control the water that's when all of us are in
trouble.
impact in my region, on a scale that's recognizably
area in 2007, we had 40+ consecutive days of over
That was tough. We haven't had anything nearly
with chemicals and water, daily weather fluctuations
and taken advantage of as frequently as one can.
and be prepared for the exact opposite.
You have to have a realistic overall outlook of your
can be. Plan accordingly.
Email your response to allen@turftrends.com.
NEXT ISSUE'S SUPER QUESTION
What's your most useful go-to tool on the course and why?
