Golf Course News

Rainfall shortage presents problems for golf maintenance staff

By Todd Mathews
Golf Course Superintendent

The lack of precipitation this year and especially this fall has the golf maintenance staff at Lake Tansi scratching their heads. The course received 1 inch of rainfall in September and is currently in 25 day stretch, which began on September 15th, with no rainfall. The course is already 11 inches below normal for the year and there seems to be no relief in sight. This years rain deficit will likely match or surpass last year’s record drought as the long term prospect for rain is bleak. Rainfall is extremely important for turf management at Lake Tansi and the lack thereof makes the task of providing a top notch golf course more difficult.

Fall is a very crucial time for cool season courses such as Lake Tansi. Aerification, fertilization, and seeding are 3 practices used to heal the course from a long summer and to lay the ground work for the next year. None of these three cultural practices are beneficial without one key element, water.

Oxygen and nutrient rich rainfall is by far the best medicine for healing the golf course in the fall and getting ready for the upcoming season. Lake Tansi golf course is truly blessed to possess a state of the art irrigation system. The installation of the system has drastically improved turf and golfing conditions. It is an invaluable tool and the maintenance staff would be lost without it. But there is nothing that can match natural rainfall when it comes to maintaining golf course turf. Irrigation water from a pond or a lake is perfect for supplementing soil moisture between rainfalls but it is not so well suited to sustain soil moisture for 25 to 30 day periods. The soil and the turf need natural rainfall.

When Lake Tansi golf course is deprived of rain for a long period and depends solely on lake water for moisture, the turf seems to be just living but not thriving. The revitalization that takes place immediately after a rain shower is amazing. Rain at Tansi is like spinach for Popeye.

Despite the lack of rainfall the course is in very nice condition. The greens, tees, and fairways healed quickly after aerification. Fall is one of the best times for golf at Lake Tansi. The temperatures are perfect, the air is crisp, and the golfing conditions are enjoyable. An occasional drop of rain would be nice though.