On Monday, August 24th and Tuesday, August 25th, we will do some maintenance on the greens at Bald Mountain, and it will mark the end of a labor-intensive grind that has spanned the 90 days of summer. It is the day that bent grass superintendents look forward to the most because it marks the day when improvement begins and the fear of the next day ends. I’ll be frank: from June to aeration in August, bent grass declines, and you never know what the next day will bring. Before we talk about what we will be doing during the maintenance days, let’s discuss the weather of 2026. 

Rumbling Bald Almanac and Weather Highlights:

  • January 24th-26th Winter Storm Fern – 2” of sleet and freezing rain; course closed for five days. 
  • January 30th-31st Winter Storm Giana – 5” of snow, sleet, and freezing rain; course closed for six days. 
  • January 1st-May 24th – Severe drought developed in the area with only 15.58” of rain during this time. 
  • 34 days in the 90s for the year.
    • There were two in May, five in June, 17 in July, and 10 so far in August, with the hottest stretch occurring from 7/1-7/5 with high temps reaching 95°,99°,97°,95°, and 95° during these five days.
  • Heavy rain has been the trend lately, with the property receiving 15” of rain in the past 6 weeks and 5” the week of 5/24. 

Drought conditions are bad for a lot of things, but it is great for bent grass greens in the south. Controlling moisture is crucial, and keeping things dry and firm in the spring allows roots to dig and search for water and nutrients. This makes the root systems longer, stronger, and more robust, allowing the turf to handle the stressful summer months.

Small tine aeration has had major impacts on the golf industry in the last few years because it provides a channel for air and moisture to move through the soil profile while providing minimal impact on the way the golf ball rolls. Another thing that we do in the summer to combat stress is raise the mowing heights on the greens, which gives the turf more leaf surface for photosynthesis. This slows down the speed of the greens, which does not make anyone happy. I am a golfer as well as a superintendent, and I hate slow greens, so when we punch greens in August, have shorter days, and cooler nighttime temperatures, we can start dropping the mowing heights and start rolling more often because we are not as worried about day-to-day survival of the turf. 

We will punch the greens with a 3/8″ tine and will blow all the debris off and away from the greens and surrounds. We will roll the surfaces after, lightly top dress, and put out amendments to stimulate root and soil recovery. This will provide the turf with the things it needs to push through the last bit of summer and give us great green surfaces for the fall golf season.