Every year around October 15, Southwest Florida's rainy season unofficially comes to an end. While the date isn't exact, the change can be remarkably quick. I often describe it as someone simply turning off the faucet.
Throughout the summer, we receive the vast majority of our approximately 60 inches of annual rainfall. Those almost daily showers, combined with intense heat, high humidity, and long days, create exceptional growing conditions for bermudagrass. During these months, the grass grows at an incredible rate, often faster than we can mow it.
As we move into fall, temperatures cool, the days get shorter, and rainfall decreases dramatically. While bermudagrass continues to grow well, it simply doesn't grow at the same rate as during the summer. By winter, growth can slow to a crawl.
Interestingly, this change coincides with the beginning of our busiest golf season. Our seasonal members return to enjoy cooler temperatures, lower humidity, and beautiful, dry weather. Unfortunately, those same conditions make growing bermudagrass more challenging.
Beyond providing moisture, our almost daily summer rains help flush salts and other unwanted materials through the soil. I often refer to rainwater as "liquid gold" because of its tremendous benefits to our turfgrass. When the rains stop, we become increasingly dependent on irrigation water from our lakes, which has a higher pH and higher levels of bicarbonates than rainwater.
Another challenge is the variety of soils throughout our fairways. Unlike our greens and tees, which were built using a consistent mixture of sand and peat, our fairways contain several different soil types. Some areas have heavier soils that hold moisture longer, while others have sandier soils that drain much faster. Frequent summer rains help minimize these differences, but maintaining consistent moisture becomes more challenging once we return to irrigation.
What many members may not realize is how much attention goes into managing our irrigation system. We have more than 1,298 individually controlled sprinkler heads, and each night we adjust their running times based on the moisture needs of the turfgrass. One sprinkler might run for 60 minutes, while another may run for a minute or less. We also have 191 quick-coupling valves that allow our team to hand water specific areas needing additional attention.
Our team hand watering a dry area on the 18th fairway to provide additional moisture exactly where it's needed
Even with this level of control, balancing moisture takes time. Areas that hold more moisture often continue to have thick, lush bermudagrass, while areas that dry out quickly may appear thinner or less vigorous. Sometimes these differences are visible within the same fairway.
This year, we experienced an additional challenge. As the rainy season was winding down, we received nearly 15 inches of rain over six weeks. While rain is certainly beneficial, excessive amounts can wash valuable nutrients from the soil, particularly nitrogen, which is essential for healthy turfgrass growth.
Several of those heavy rains also washed grass clippings into narrow lines throughout the fairways. Because the golf course was so saturated, it took our team several days to clean them up.
The combination of nutrient loss, changing moisture conditions, and slower seasonal growth has made the differences in our fairways more noticeable this year.
As we do each year, our team has made several adjustments to restore consistency. We are applying small amounts of nitrogen fertilizer three times per week to encourage healthy growth, along with a fertilizer blend throughout the golf course to replenish essential nutrients.
In areas where the soil has become especially dry or has difficulty absorbing water, we are applying wetting agents that help water soak into the soil more evenly. We are also hand watering these areas to provide moisture exactly where it's needed without overwatering other portions of the fairways.
We've temporarily stopped using brushes on our fairway mowers, replaced the grooved front roller with a solid roller and slightly raised the mowing height. This leaves more leaf surface on the grass, allowing it to capture additional sunlight and produce the energy needed for healthy growth.
The good news is that we're already seeing improvement each day.
I expect the fairways to become increasingly consistent as we continue making adjustments. This seasonal transition is something we manage every year, and our team is focused on providing the healthy turfgrass and quality playing conditions our members have come to expect.
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