Yet Taylor was able to hang out a sign and exchange his turf for the surf .
Taylor owed his “ first summer vacation in forever ” to Bermudagrass . Specifically , the strain of ultradwarf Bermuda produced by Champion Turf Farms that Independence ’ s new ownership installed in 2014 .
In Virginia and across the United States , varieties of bentgrass remain the overwhelming standard for golf greens . They have cool-season characteristics that tolerate low mowing heights and are relatively inexpensive to maintain , although they struggle in excessive heat .
But with Bermudagrass , the hotter , the better .
“ It ’ s changed my life ,” Taylor says . “ June to August , we ’ re here at 5 in the morning till 5 in the evenings most days , including weekends , having to watch the greens for wilt . We ’ re not under that pressure anymore .”
As the new golf season approaches , superintendents wonder whether last summer ’ s drastic circumstances were a perfect environmental onslaught that defied prediction and precaution .
Weather warming trends charted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration mean similar and even more severe summer conditions should now be considered par for the course .
And given Virginia ’ s presence as a climate transition zone — where the plusses and minuses of warm- vs . cool-season grasses present a classic toss-up — supers wonder whether Bermuda is the way for their clubs to go .
“ I think people are putting more thought into Bermuda ,” said Jeff Holliday , president of the Virginia Golf Course Superintendent ’ s Association . Roughly five percent of Virginia ’ s courses have taken that leap to 18 Bermuda greens , at a ballpark cost of $ 120,000 or more , he said .
“ I think everybody ’ s looking at Independence right now ,” Holliday said . “ If it succeeds there , it would succeed most anywhere from Richmond east .”
Taylor ’ s club actually enjoyed an extra busy summer . Local golfers who were temporarily unable to play in July and August at such courses as Salisbury Country Club , where Holliday is superintendent , Richmond ’ s Willow Oaks Country Club and
“ the Federal Club in Glen Allen migrated to Independence .
“ I ’ ve been in the business 25 years and I ’ ve grown to hate summers , just because it ’ s so stressful ,” said Holliday , whose membership endorsed an 11-day closure in late August to save the greens . “ It takes a lot of time out of your day for those two months when you don ’ t spend a lot of time with your family .”
Upon reopening , Salisbury used 15-minute tee times to help manage the foot traffic on and around bentgrass greens approaching 20 years old . Through segregation , the blending of different seed varieties over time , the grass grows more vulnerable to environmental changes with age , Holliday explained .
I think everybody ’ s looking at Independence right now . If it succeeds there , it would succeed most anywhere from
Richmond east .
”
There was plenty to be vulnerable to last summer . Multiple weeks of 90-degree days followed by night temperatures no cooler than the 80s literally kept the heat on non-stop .
The trouble started with an unusually wet spring that prevented the bentgrass from establishing its normal deep roots , said John Marshall , director of agronomy at Ford ’ s Colony in Williamsburg .
The harsh heat and humidity that followed prevented the soil from cooling or the grass from recovering , despite typical seasonal precautions as venting , raising mowing heights , less frequent cutting and hand-watering .
Ford ’ s Colony ’ s Blue Heron course , which has Bermuda greens , thrived . But its Marsh Hawk bentgrass greens struggled with nematodes , which are microscopic soil parasites that feed on roots and are difficult to expunge . That forced limited play and the use of some temporary greens .
“ It was so hot for so long the bentgrass basically shut down ,” Marshall said . “ It wasn ’ t able to sustain itself no matter what we did to it .”
Marshall said he and his staff used the trauma to re-evaluate their maintenance programs going forward . “ We want to make sure we stay ahead of the issues we think we ’ re going to see .”
In Virginia Beach , Cutler Robinson , director of golf course operations at Bayville Golf Club , saw average daily temperatures close to Richmond ’ s last summer , according to NOAA figures . A saving difference was Hampton Roads didn ’ t get belted with the number of mid-day thunderstorms as the Richmond metro area .
“ Our greens are notoriously as nice as you can find ,” Robinson said . “ When it ’ s hot and humid and wet , we have to do things to help the grass get through that period . Green speed is the first thing we need to give up on .”
Superintendents agree that ’ s a small sacrifice for players to make during the time when “ you can literally lose your greens in the blink of an eye ,” said Independence ’ s Taylor .
Bermudagrass hasn ’ t necessarily relieved Taylor ’ s 12-hours a day pressure , it ’ s just shifted it . He ’ s found monitoring Bermuda for potential winter kill is no day at the beach . He and his crew cover their greens and close the course when the forecast calls for a run of 25-degree days .
That ’ s a labor-intensive chore that involves five hours to lay the covers and three to remove them . It ’ s a tradeoff Taylor believes affords his club the best playability options and surface year-round .
“ We have firm , fast greens all summer ,” he said . “ And you don ’ t have to have a crew out hand-watering greens at 6 o ’ clock every evening .”
Holliday said he ’ s seen more clubs employ more fans on their wettest greens over the last decade to provide critical air flow . Proactively , mowing heights can be raised earlier , he said , and venting of the greens performed more frequently .
But sometimes , the latest turf strain or technology method notwithstanding , golf courses are simply at the mercy of the skies .
Tom Robinson is a Virginia Beach-based freelance writer .
vsga . org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2017 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 17