With the US Open underway right now at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, weather safety is unlikely a major concern for the participants and attendees at this four-day event. Although severe weather and lightning are always a public safety concern for golf, the weather focus this week will be for what is on the ground, not in the sky. Weather forecasts play a daily role in course management, green maintenance and operations, but major tournaments have a more pronounced emphasis on surface conditions, and hole and tee placement.
San Diego in June offers ideal conditions for an event like the U.S. Open. The weather at Torrey Pines throughout the event looks like picture-perfect Southern California conditions with highs in the mid-70s, along with some morning marine layer “June gloom” and sunny afternoons.
At Torrey Pines and the other 15,000 golf courses across the country, course maintenance is highly dependent on weather conditions, including the daily tasks required to keep the course in top performance. For example, irrigation is a must to keep greens lush, but when and how often is a balance of cost and maintenance while minimizing water wasting.
Superintendents encounter the same challenge with chemical application. Courses rely on applying treatments on a scheduled basis that include various types of fertilizer and chemicals. Many of these treatments only have a 14-28 day window of effectiveness and must be applied under ideal weather conditions. Temperature, wind speed, humidity and precipitation all have a major impact on a chemical’s effectiveness. For example, some chemicals need one-quarter inch of rain to activate, but if it rains more than one inch, there is a risk of it being washed away. Other chemicals are most effective in certain temperature ranges.
Furthermore, hot and humid weather conditions have impact on the growth rate of turfgrass and susceptibility to disease or stress If these growing conditions occur, then it can quickly become a staffing concern as more time and resources will be spent to mow, water, or treat the grass than in a typical week. If a forecast calls for a hot and humid stretch, a superintendent may manage the man hours of the staff in preparation to avoid paying overtime. Anticipating and using a high-quality weather forecast can save a golf course hundreds of dollars in both employee wages, water, and chemical costs.
For courses like Torrey Pines, where they recently completed a $14 million renovation of the South Course that included installing a modern irrigation system with more than 2,500 sprinkler heads that can each be turned on or off individually, weather insights to inform those decisions makes the best use of that investment.
At Torrey Pines, the maintenance team has moisture level is at the top of the list of concerns in terms of course maintenance. The team conducts regular soil moisture readings and adjusts watering schedules and amounts to make sure turf health is maintained to an optimal level.
In addition to course management, decisions related to the tournament play likely take weather conditions into account. Understanding wind speed and wet conditions can make a difference for both tee markers and hole placement. For example, course setters need to account the distance of approach shots to the green and how the day’s weather conditions — particularly wind and moisture — can impact play. The weather’s impact on the turfgrass from which shots will be played and the holding quality of the green will drive decisions for hole and tee placement at major events like the U.S. Open to ensure a fair but difficult test for the world’s best players.
As one of the few municipal courses on the PGA tour, the Torrey Pines crew is prepared for the heavy traffic and resulting course implications that the U.S. Open brings. In fact, a typical day on those courses see nearly 200 rounds of golf — far more than the 156 player field of this weekend’s event.
So, while we typically think about the severe weather and public safety impacts in regard to golf, the daily operations of a course are also a constant reminder that golf is truly a weather-dependent sport. Even golfers who are willing to play through all types of weather conditions know that using high-quality weather data to make informed turf management decisions is good for the course and the sport.
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June 17, 2021 at 08:00PM
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For Golf Course Superintendents, Weather Is More Than Public Safety - Forbes
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