Lake Tansi Village Golf Course News

The golf course received 4.1 inches of much needed rain on August 27^th and 28^th. The course had become very dry in places where the irrigation system didn’t reach. Beneath trees seemed to be the driest areas. The irrigation system reaches most of the tree lines on the course but it cannot supply enough water to replenish what the trees use during a hot day. Low humidity through the middle part of August caused the soil to dry extremely fast as well.

The golf course has been in fairly good condition this summer. This years club championship participants enjoyed some nice golfing conditions. August is usually the toughest month at Lake Tansi for golf maintenance. Hot weather, sparse rainfall, and fungus contribute to unhealthy turf and course conditions that are not up to expectations. This summer, however, has been one of the better years for August golfing conditions at Lake Tansi. This can be attributed to several factors such as better fungicides, low humidity, cool nights, and an awesome irrigation system.

Despite heavy rainfall at the end of August, the drought continues. In June the course received 2.71 inches of rain (1.69 inches below normal). In July the course received 2.76 inches of rain (2.34 inches below normal). August precipitation will likely end up near normal although the course went without substantial rain for 26 days. For the year, the golf course is nearly 9 inches below normal.

The irrigation water sources (Lake Tansi and Lake Hiawatha) have held up better this year than last even though the rainfall deficits are about the same. Lake Hiawatha bottomed out last summer, dropping as much as 4 ½ feet below full pool. The installation of a water well to supplement Hiawatha has paid off. With similar conditions as last year, the lake level has only dropped about 2 ½ feet. The well supplies about 100,000 to 120,000 gallons of water per day.

The golf maintenance department is near completion on the irrigation connection under Dunbar road project. The connection of the front nine system with the back nine system will afford the maintenance staff several options during times of irrigation emergencies. If the front nine pump malfunctions we can use the back nine pump to water the front nine or visa versa. If we run out of water on Lake Hiawatha we can use the front nine pump to water the back nine. The connection has been long awaited and much needed. The options it provides give the maintenance staff one less thing to worry about.

Fall is probably the best time of the year for golf at Lake Tansi. Cool, crisp nights and comfortable, sunny days provide some very nice golfing conditions. The maintenance staff will complete aerification on September 8^th and 9^th and work towards getting the course back into top notch condition quickly. The greens should heal very fast at this time of the year.