Topics of the Day - Leaves and Droughts

 Fall Foliage and Leaf Drop

The fall scenery and colors this year have been the most vivid I can remember here in Greensboro. The leaves are rich with deep color, almost waiting for the weather to finally bring them down. Because we’ve had so little wind and rain, they’ve managed to hold on longer than usual. Today’s incoming system should change that—the moderate winds and hopefully measurable rain will likely bring plenty of them to the ground.

While approximately 75% of our labor is dedicated to leaf cleanup and removal during November and December, there will be days when the rate of the fall far exceeds our ability to keep up. On these heavy days, we ask for your patience and understanding. Our team is working incredibly hard to stay on top of the course conditions, even while knowing Mother Nature is sometimes impossible to beat.

To help, we are experimenting with a new program this year: we are providing up to 12 small, handheld electric blowers to golfers on a first-come, first-served basis. These are available to assist you on windy days when the staff is either stretched thin or off-duty.

Additionally, please remember to discuss the "Leaf Rule" with your group before teeing off. If your group agrees, you may treat piled leaves as Ground Under Repair (GUR), allowing for free relief even if a lost ball cannot be found. Please note that this casual agreement does not apply to tournament play, where a committee must formally enact Model Local Rule F-14 for such relief to be taken without penalty.

Water Restrictions Escalate to Stage 2

It has been nearly 20 years since a major drought last threatened Greensboro and the wider North Carolina water supply, but that dry cycle has officially returned. Stage 2 water restrictions are back in place—and for good reason. So far in 2026, our region has received only 60% of its normal rainfall, leaving us with a staggering 13-inch year-to-date deficit. In fact, the past 12 months have officially marked the driest period on record.

Fortunately, the timing of these restrictions mitigates some immediate impact, as golf course water consumption naturally drops during the winter months from November through February. However, the current winter forecast does not predict enough rainfall to fully replenish our reservoirs. As a result, these restrictions will likely remain in place heading into the 2027 growing season. When spring arrives, the compounding effects of these—or potentially even harsher—mandates will significantly impact the Irving Park course, which relies solely on city water for its irrigation.

September Heatwave: A Tough Stretch for the Greens

Managing Bentgrass greens through a tough summer is always a balancing act. Interestingly, pure heat isn't actually our biggest troublemaker. The real issues start when intense heat pairs up with high humidity and heavy, poorly timed rain. Because this summer was drier than normal, we were actually able to keep the turf quite manageable. We made it all the way to late August and completed our aerification during one of the most perfect, moderate weeks I can recall, with daytime highs in the mid-80s and nighttime lows in the 60s.

As a Superintendent, if you hit the end of August with healthy greens, you generally feel great about the season. But the battle isn’t over until autumn truly arrives, and September has been incredibly tough on our Bentgrass this year. According to the National Weather Service, this September has started out as the third hottest on record.

6 Green

The month started with brutal weather—temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s all week and heat indexes hitting 105+. That heatwave wrapped up with a 3.5-inch Friday evening downpour. Within a few days, the trapped moisture forced the greens into an anaerobic (oxygen-depleted) state, leading to some yellowing and thinning. The hot weather didn't let up either; the next week and a half brought more 90 degree days, another inch of rain and severe winds that knocked down trees throughout the neighborhood.

The difficult to swallow news is Member Guest starts tomorrow and it is not the product we worked so hard for all summer to present in mid-September. The hopeful news is that the greens have stabilized. However, they have thinned and are still in a very fragile state. To fully turn things around, we just need some classic fall weather: daytime temps in the low 80s and crisp 60-degree nights. This drop is crucial to lower soil temperatures significantly, which will give the plants the opportunity to initiate new root growth. When the roots are happy and growing, a great playing surface is never far behind.

How You Can Help Us Protect the Turf 

While we wait for Mother Nature to cooperate, the greens need a little extra care from all of us. You can directly help their recovery by following these quick practices during your round:

• Fix ball marks carefully: Thinned, fragile turf takes much longer to heal from impact. A clean repair helps prevent bare spots.
• Watch your step: Avoid twisting your cleats or dragging your feet on the green surfaces, as the weak root systems can easily tear right now.

Thank you for your patience and support as we guide the course through this difficult stretch of weather!

September is Finally Here

Welcome to September! Our daylight is now shortening by about two minutes a day, and the shifting angle of the sun is making its rays a little less intense. Put it all together, and we are looking forward to cooler days and some truly ideal golfing weather.

A Challenging First Week of September

Unfortunately, last week did not go entirely according to plan. We faced a few unexpected hurdles across our courses:

Hydraulic Leaks

We started the week dealing with two separate hydraulic leaks. The first occurred on a brand-new fairway mower at the Farm, where a factory fitting worked loose and left a thin line of fluid across two and a half fairways. While you might assume factory quality control ensures all fittings are properly secured, experience has taught us otherwise. Our mechanics check every fitting on new mowers before they enter service, but this leak still managed to happen. One of our most senior and experienced operators was running the machine, but the leak was so faint it was impossible to see from the driver's seat. Fortunately, a fellow worker riding down the fairway noticed the oil, inspected it closely, and quickly flagged down our operator.

The second leak happened at Irving Park on an herbicide sprayer. Unlike mowers that travel back and forth—allowing operators to spot issues on a previous pass, a sprayer drives around spot-spraying, making it difficult to see what is happening directly behind the machine. Because of this, the leak went a lot further than we would have preferred. Equipment leaks are never welcome, but suffering two in the same week was highly unfortunate.

Aerification on the Farm Greens

It is not uncommon for us to aerify greens this time of year using small, solid tines that golfers rarely notice. This is done to unseal the turf surface and provide a better root-growing environment during the shoulder season, much like the non-disruptive aerification we perform in the spring.

However, unlike Bentgrass, which thrives during these transitional months, Ultradwarf Bermuda roots naturally slow down their growth at this time of year, making them susceptible to disease. Over the past several years, we have struggled with a disease on the Farm greens called Take-All Root Rot. As the name implies, this fungus attacks the roots in mid-spring and late summer when warm-season grass slows down metabolically. While past spray programs were only moderately effective, we recently upgraded our protocol and had been seeing great results. Unfortunately, during the last week of August, a few symptoms began to reappear.

To get ahead of it, on the first Monday in September, I decided to mix a few small coring tines in with our solid tines. This allowed us to apply our fungicide and water it deeply into the soil, which is the most effective way to treat the issue. With temperatures forecasted near the high 90s, I anticipated the holes would close up within 7 to 10 days. Today marks day 8, and while they will not be fully healed in the next two days, progress is being made.

With the 1909 Member-Guest right around the corner, I know many of you are concerned about the quality of the greens. Please rest assured that I am confident we have enough time to get the greens to the elite level you expect for this flagship event.

Nearly Back-to-Back Storms

As many of you who live nearby know firsthand, the Irving Park course was hit by two significant storms just three weeks apart. The storm on August 9th took down five trees on the course and dropped 1.25 inches of fast, furious rain. Last week’s storm did not fell any course trees, but it brought down an enormous volume of limbs and debris and 3 additional inches of rain. Sadly, several neighborhood homeowners experienced trees falling on their homes during both events. Clean-up for both storms has been highly labor-intensive. We still have lingering repair work at Irving Park, getting us a late start as we pivot our focus toward tournament preparation.

Summer's Here and Everything That Goes Along With It

Summer Begins

Following the summer solstice on June 21st, a significant heatwave is headed our way. Next week’s forecast includes four days hovering near 100 degrees. This intense heat, coupled with the persistent drought conditions that began this spring, will place considerable stress on both our turfgrass and our grounds staff.

Additionally, Monday night’s fast-moving storm brought radar-indicated winds of 60 to 80 mph, causing measurable wind damage across both courses. While both properties are covered in debris, the Farm took the brunt of the storm, losing four trees around holes 16 and 17. Because of this, a large percentage of our manpower has been temporarily redirected to storm cleanup. Despite these unexpected demands, we also successfully took delivery of a truckload of sod at each course for scheduled installation, making it an incredibly busy week for our team.

Protecting Our Bentgrass Greens: Understanding "Syringing"

The recent U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills brought a lot of discussion around a vital turf management practice called syringing greens. Back in 2004, several Shinnecock greens dried out so severely that green speeds became unmanageable, and the USGA was deemed to have "lost control" of the course. Learning from those windy conditions and sloped surfaces, USGA agronomists took the highly unusual step this year of pre-planning a syringing schedule during active play. This proactive strategy successfully prevented a repeat of the 2004 incident. 

While this tournament may be the first time much of the public has heard the term, syringing is a daily, vital tool for those of us managing Bentgrass putting surfaces in the South. 

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What is Syringing?

Syringing is the process of applying light amounts of water to cool the turf canopy. It prevents excessive wilting during extreme heat or abnormally low humidity, when the plant loses water faster than its roots can absorb it. 

• The Goal: Cool the leaf blades, not soak the soil. 
• The Danger of Excess: Heavy watering does more harm than good. It can trap heat and effectively scald both the leaf surface and the root system.
• The Species: Unlike resilient Bermudagrass, Bentgrass is a delicate, cool-season turf. It is not physiologically designed to survive repeated 100-degree days with 75% humidity. 

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What to Expect on High-Stress Days

On most summer days, our staff can easily work around your play, causing little to no disruption to your round. However, when high-risk conditions collide with a busy course, our crew does not have the luxury of waiting for golfers to clear the green.

For syringing to save the turf, it must be light and frequent. On extreme days, you will see the following protocol:

• Crew Footprint: We will deploy up to five staff members dedicated entirely to cooling the greens.
• Frequency: Teams must spend 5 to 10 minutes lightly watering a single green, returning to repeat the process every 30 to 45 minutes.
• Play Interruptions: Occasionally, a crew member must temporarily pause play. They will remove the flagstick and quickly cool the surface before letting you putt.

We kindly ask for your patience and cooperation with our agronomy team during these weather events. A 1–2-minute delay for a light misting ensures our greens stay healthy, smooth, and alive for the rest of the season.

Farm Aerification July 6-10

Summer Aerification Schedule: Preparing Our Courses for Peak Performance

Annual aerification is a labor-intensive but crucial process required to keep our playing surfaces healthy, vibrant, and smooth. Once a year, our team pulls out all the stops to aerify all short-cut areas, including greens, tees, approaches, and fairways. Because our two properties differ in size and turf type, each requires a distinct timeline and strategy to ensure full recovery. 

Here is what you need to know about this year's schedule and the logistics involved:

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Property Timelines & Recovery

• The Irving Park Course: Being slightly smaller, we can complete the entire aerification process across all short-cut areas here in four days.
• The Farm Course: Because this is a much larger property, it requires a full five days of intensive labor to complete.
• Turf Considerations: The greens at The Farm consist of Bermudagrass. The ideal window to aerify Bermuda turf is during the hot summer months. We target this timeframe to allow the greens to fully recover by early August. 

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Holiday Logistics & Scheduling Changes

We typically schedule this heavy maintenance in late June to avoid conflicting with major club events. Historically, this places the work right before the 4th of July holiday, which is generally a quieter weekend at the club due to summer travel.

However, our schedule must adapt when the holiday changes the calendar dynamic:

• The Holiday Shift: When July 4th falls on a weekday, we aerify before it. When the holiday falls on a weekend, it does not take away the weekdays we need to complete the work. Therefore, we push the schedule until after the holiday.
• This Year's Dates: Since July 4th falls on a Saturday, we will officially begin our aerification process on Monday, July 6.
• Looking Ahead: You can expect a similar post-holiday schedule next year, as the 4th of July will fall on a Sunday.

Thank you for your patience and support as our agronomy staff works around the clock to protect and improve our courses.

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