I would like to share some rainfall stats with you to help put into prospective the challenges we have faced this year, both during the summer months and through the fall overseed.
2013 was the driest calendar year in recorded history. The normal rainfall is 13.98 inches and this year we only had 3.60 inches. That's .5 inches less than the previous lowest year in 1957. In December alone we only had .23 inches on a monthly average of 2.76 inches.
Nothing is as good as rainfall. All the irrigation in the world will not deliver the same results as natural rainfall. Irrigation water is full of minerals and salts that can become harmful to turf grass health unless we get rainfall to help flush and cleanse the soil.
The pictures below were taken today, December 31, 2013. It may not have the same look as it did last year at this time but it does show that my golf course maintenance crew are doing a great job even with all the challenges mother nature throws at us.
Happy New Year and I look forward to a great 2014.
