A Letter from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New England
After a snowy winter, a lot of people wonder how we could possibly be in a drought. Well our storms this past winter were mostly of the light and fluffy variety and for those it actually takes about 26 inches of snow to equal just 1 inch of liquid precipitation. As the snow melted and spring arrived, the rain did not arrive with it, and at least in the Northeast Region, we are about 8-10 inches below normal for total precipitation. This has all set the stage for what is now a record setting drought in Massachusetts. The latest drought monitor was released this past week with most of the state in a significant drought status and the northeast portion now in a critical drought.
Each golf course has a unique water supply for their irrigation system. Some rely on city or town water, some have deep wells or reservoirs that they draw upon, others shallow wells that can run dry in situations like these. Finally, some courses have none of these and have to rely on trucking in water and filling their ponds that way. In all these scenarios, the supply is strained. Cities and towns are restricting water usage and there’s only so much to draw upon in other scenarios.
In these situations, superintendents will always adapt and overcome. Planning irrigation events and monitoring water levels becomes of paramount importance. Priority will always be on greens and tees and water will not be spared in those areas, but fairways and roughs will suffer. Hand watering, raising mowing heights, restricting carts, and the application of wetting agents to hold moisture are a few ways we will try to hang on to turf in these areas.
On the bright side for golfers, conditions are fast and firm and there have been very few rained out golf days. You should know that dormant turf does not necessarily mean dead turf and most will recover when the rain returns.
Obviously weather anomalies like this are out of anyone’s control and those storms that pop up always seem to miss your property when you need it. These stretches can really wear on the grounds team so keeping spirits up is so important. Just know that having patience and giving a guy pulling a hose a smile and a thumbs up goes a long way.
Colin Smethurst, CGCS
Director of Agronomy
Golf Facilities Management, Inc.
