Over the past 9 days, the golf course has received 5.1" of rain, and it took from April 14-July 17 for the same amount of rain to fall. So much for all of that drought talk. As you've probably noticed, the rough areas have gone from slightly brown and barely growing to vibrant green and growing like crazy. For weeks on end, part of my morning routine involved moving portable sprinklers to rough areas that were drying out in an effort to keep them alive until the next rainfall, and it's safe to say that the effort was worth it. Looking at the course today, it's hard to imagine that we just emerged from one of the hottest, driest periods on record.
Speaking of the heat, it still hasn't left us, and by my tally, we have now had 29 days where the high temperature was at least 90 degrees. Looking at the extended forecast, most days are predicted to have highs in the upper 80s and lows in the mid to upper 60s. Given that our average daily high temperature never exceeds 82 degrees in Madison, it's strange to think that the forecast is a break in the weather. However, at this point, the turf (and its caretakers) would certainly like to see a much more dramatic cool down. I commented to Chad last week that we're learning how to grow Poa annua in Texas this year, and I'm not sure that that's too far from the truth.
All told, the playing surfaces are holding up very well. With the rain, the greens won't be very fast, and you won't be getting that extra roll on your drives. But, the forecast looks to be a little more on the dry side and things will return to "normal" before long.
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