Recently, we discussed the impacts cool and cloudy weather have on growing conditions and the role this plays on turfgrass wear. When grass experiences foot and cart traffic the death of old leaf blades is accelerated. This isn't an issue when the weather is conducive to turfgrass growth. However, when it's cool and cloudy the grass can't grow fast enough to produce enough new leaves to replace the old. For this reason, we must make an effort to disperse our traffic, both on foot and by cart.
Many of you have commented on the excessive number of ball marks on the greens this winter. While it's possible that fewer people are fixing ball marks this winter compared to years past, it is more likely that golfers have always done a poor job repairing ball marks but the weather was favorable for the turf to recover on its own. This winter has brought us many cold fronts resulting in numerous cool, cloudy days. While we have also had some warm periods, they have not sustained long enough to kick the grass into full-growth mode. The fact that the grass is growing slower this winter compared to others results in natural recovery not covering up our golfers' lack of ball mark repairs.
The following video is my first attempt to use video in my blog as a way to better communicate or demonstrate a topic. The video will discuss in much greater detail the severity of the ball mark problem but also show the proper method of repairing a ball mark. Keeping my fingers crossed that this video works!
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