For me the Dog Days mean it is usually around August 1 and I can really see the wear and tear on the golf course turf. This year all of that wear and tear has been exacerbated due to the higher than normal rainfall and an average daily high temperature almost 10 degrees higher than last summer!
A few gentle reminders as we head into state fair time. Putting greens really show the ball marks this time of year. We have to work very hard to find that ball mark and make sure you are repairing it properly with the Pitch Pro ball mark repair tool.
Divots and Green Sand, we have now been using the green sand for 4 years to fill around our divots once they have been replaced. Funny thing is there seems to be a lot of golfers that forget to “Replace the Divot” first before we use any green sand! Just to prove a point, I took this photo of #1 South on Sunday morning, August 1st after a full Saturday of play. You can see this is a huge disappointment and very few of the divots have been replaced and many are ignored. If you look closely very few of them have any green sand around them.
We have to do a better job of retrieving the divot, replacing it and then topdressing around that divot with the green sand.
Dog Days of August also mean that we will be doing some tee aerification prior to Labor Day. We try to get tees done before the end of August to help them recover fully and to also lessen our work load during the September aerification.
I hope you are able to come out and enjoy the golf course this fall. Fall is a great time to play and temperatures are usually much more comfortable. To help us all enjoy the golf, please remember we need your help and your efforts in maintaining an enjoyable playing surface.
Thank you.
Rick Tegtmeier