Autumn Report

 Fall In

As we begin to close out another another successful season, it's time for a quick look back at 2024, then set our eyes on what adventures lay ahead.  

Before that, I want to take a minute and recognize one of the many friends of the Grounds Department as he exits from his service on the board. Ben Kilmartin has worked towards the betterment of Tuscarora GC, specifically with grounds, for the last 10 years. His love for the game, as well as the property and what makes it special is hard to match. We've had 3 greens chairs in the last 25 years with Ben being the last and I'd be remiss to not thank him publicly for the support, and for being the champion of this department whenever folks grew restless. Greens chair is a universally thankless job whether its done at Inverness, or Tuscarora. It's not an assignment for those with thin skin. Its done best by people that believe in what they're doing and know why they're doing it.  Ben is one of those people. Thanks, Ben.

Not homeless, just un-housed

   

Heat Miser

If it's hot for you, it's hot for the turf

For all the heat experienced this year, we maneuvered through it, as usual, with good results.  Heat itself isn't the big concern as much as the duration of it.  Small breaks in temperature or rainy periods help and from the end of June through the end of July, we saw none of that.  

The turf management style at Tuscarora during those types of weather patterns hinges on balancing the factors of green size, amount of play, and grass type.  It requires conservative manipulation of water, fertility, mowing height and frequency which reduces risk. There's no return whatsoever on risking the health of our greens by pushing for speed through prolonged heatwaves. Tuscarora remains a popular course to play because of its affordability and consistent conditions due to responsible management. Meeting the goals of a full membership while keeping costs reasonable is just one way to measure if that's a winning strategy. 

The Speed Demon

You might know one...heck, you might BE one.  It's only a minority of players so don't fret, we're here to help you get over this timeless ailment that afflicts the egos and minds of the slightly-better-than-average golfer.   

It takes some understanding of what goes into making that ball move the way it does, and why that can't be the same on any given day. Pull up a log and gather 'round for storytime, or, if it cuts too close to the bone, just hit this link and read an article from the USGA green section.  

Firstly, fast greens can be good times. We like them because they make golf more challenging and makes putting more maddening than it already is.  You'll get no argument from most superintendents that it's what we strive for.  Most modern practices are designed to make greens tough and push them to the highest maintainable speed that's reasonable for the property.  

The $64,000 question is: What's reasonable? with a follow-up question of: when is it reasonable?   It's often that second question that causes consternation among Superintendents.

         

Getting greens fast isn't the issue..

Anyone can have fast greens, at least for a while anyway.  

Greens are changeable because it's an outdoor game played on an ever-changing surface. Dialed-in maintenance is achievable for special events and major tournaments for a limited time. We've all played on super fast greens at a course and wonder if they're like that all the time...

Spoiler alert: they aren't, because they can't be. 

What's more realistic is the greens are going to be managed with sustainability in mind and fall within a reasonable range for their needs and expectations.  Like most average golf courses of the same caliber as Tuscarora, that range is between 10' and 11'.  The reasons for that are myriad with not the least being small green size and high rounds.   

During drier cooler periods speeds may creep up to 11-12' and during the hottest most humid times it may get down to 9-10'. This is normal and is nothing to resist or change. 

 

The take home lesson is there's no wrong speed, there's just "what they're rolling today". There's never a guaranteed speed and posting a stimp number on the first tee stating what greens 'are' today is only good for the moment they were measured - not 2, 6, or 8 hours later. The only parameter we care about is whether pace of ball roll is consistent from green to green. Good Superintendents spend more time keeping that locked down than chasing how fast they can get them day to day and week to week.