Fore the Golfer
How Does Summer Heat Stress
Affect My Game?
R
egardless of the weather, superintendents
frequently are asked to push putting green
turf to its limit to meet player expectations.
Superintendents face a real dilemma during hot
summer weather: continue pushing for fast green
speeds and risk turf damage, or err on the side of
safety by raising mowing heights and risk complaints
about slower green speeds. Superintendents walk
a fine line between these choices in an effort
to provide quality summer playing conditions.
However, when conditions dictate, they must be
22 | CSGA Links // July, 2017
prepared to make adjustments that protect long-
term health and playability of the putting greens.
One adjustment superintendents make to
protect the putting greens during hot weather is
raising the mowing height. Mowing at low heights
is a common practice to achieve fast green speeds.
Unfortunately, low mowing heights also leave very
little leaf area available for photosynthesis. During
periods of hot weather, turfgrass that is mown
extremely low will struggle to produce enough
energy and can quickly decline.
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