Rain At Last!

After the extended period of extreme drought over the last few months the rain that we received seemed almost surreal.  Golf course maintenance staff members beamed with smiles as we received 1.3" of rain over the last twenty-four hours.  The first rain of the season created a sense of confusion for first year employees as they were unprepared lacking rain gear and a proper course exit strategy, returning to the maintenance facility completely drenched.  For veteran employees, the highly anticipated rain meant a reprieve from weeks of daily hose dragging and hand watering in temperatures that have been consistently above 90 degrees, including 5 days above 100 degrees.  The relief to the turfgrass was evidenced by its increasingly green color.  The most satisfactory factor of the rain was the fact that the rain event was followed by cloudy skies and two days that will struggle to reach 80 degrees for a high.  These cooler temperatures will allow for turf recovery with minimal risk for turf scalding, suffocation, and disease.  Happy rain day!