Under Pressure

Ask any turf manager when the most challenging time of year is to grow healthy turfgrass, and they will consistently say “mid-summer”.  Not-so-lovingly referred to as “The Hot 100”, the hundred or so days from mid-June through mid-August are the make-or-break weeks for the health of a golf course.  This is the time of year when disease pressure, weed pressure, insect pressure, and golfer traffic are at their peak, putting a turf manager’s plans, pesticide programs, irrigation systems, and determination to the test.  Illini Country Club is certainly not immune to these challenges, but the key is in how they are managed and mitigated.  Here are some specific ways in which the Greens & Grounds Department is handling the pressure…  

 

• For the 2022 season, Superintendent Cody Hutcherson created a comprehensive fertilizer and pesticide program that is based on plant health and pest prevention (including a specialized program to combat pond algae), which is proving successful. 
• Despite last week’s storms (which dumped more than five inches of rain within four days), current climate data still classifies Sangamon County as “moderately dry” with counties directly to the east experiencing “moderate to severe drought”.  Careful water management (including many labor-hours of localized hand watering) are helping to supplement rain events.
  
• Recent weather patterns are also contributing to extremely high weed pressure, specifically in the form of notoriously difficult to control summer annual grassy weeds such as crabgrass, goosegrass, and sedge.  In addition to an effective preemergent herbicide program, the following are some steps that are being actively taken to help stay on top of affected areas:

• Pulling weeds in bunkers as part of raking process
• Biweekly spraying/pruning landscape beds
• Ongoing fence line pruning
• Post-emergent weed control in turf areas

 

Finally, it’s worth noting that over the past two seasons there has been a consistent and compounding trend of improving the integrity and aesthetic appeal of the ICC grounds. Here are just a few photographic examples of improvements throughout the property.  Unless otherwise noted, “before” photos are from July 2020 and “after” photos are from July 2022.  Through the hard work and tenacity of the Greens & Grounds Department, with the support of the ICC Membership and Leadership, there is a clear trajectory of continued improvement and success at Illini Country Club!