Why Does Turf Die in the Summer?

Below is a interesting video that explains why cool season turf struggles and even dies in the hot summer weather. The video was done by PACE TURF which is a  turf grass consulting and information firm that conducts research and makes available its conclusions to its member clubs which includes Granite Bay.  Dr. Larry Stowell, a plant pathologist and his wife Dr. Wendy Gerlanter, an entomologist are based out of San Diego and  the principles who own and operate this widely respected and utilized service throughout the golf industry. 

The golf course maintenance department at Granite Bay has embraced many different strategies to mitigate the effects of heat and drought including those mentioned in the video above.  Strategies have included irrigation infrastructure additions and enhancements, utilization of hand watering and deficit irrigation scheduling including daily detailed adjustments to the automatic irrigation system. The total effect of all of these strategies have created some success in recent seasons and so far this season we are doing well with a minimum of soft and overly wet areas as well as the absence of total dry areas.

In our next course update I plan to go into detail on how Granite Bay is irrigated for those interested members who like the behind the scenes details. Additionally I hope to continue to add videos from PACE TURF from time to time and perhaps make some of our own. As always the GCM department thanks our members for their support as we strive to make this great course better one week at a time.