Hyannisport Club in Hyannis Port, Mass. Photos courtesy of Epic Creative
Editor's note: The following article was created in partnership with Tee-2-Green. All product claims, research cited and other information is directly from the company.
Golf course agronomy is a game of managing variables. From unpredictable weather to water usage to disease, it’s a moving target to keep your turf healthy. Greens, in particular, can be the most susceptible—and scrutinized—part of your course. So in different climates, seasons and extremes throughout the year, how do you make sure your bentgrass is in the best condition possible?
Cool vs. warm season challenges
Bentgrass management changes significantly between cool, humid climates and hot transitional climates because the plant’s stress levels, disease pressure, and recovery potential are very different.
For cool climates, the top challenges include excess moisture, high humidity, disease pressure, reduced air movement, and softer playing surfaces. To combat this, your priorities are disease prevention, moisture management, growth regulation, and winter preparation.
Warmer and transitional climates have different obstacles to overcome. Specifically, heat stress, root decline, and limited recovery during stress windows are some of the most pressing factors to consider with bentgrass management.
In the warmer environments, the goals are to limit heat stress, protect the root zone, manage airflow, and engage in conservative practices that don’t overwhelm the turf.
Common mistakes
Beyond managing variables, superintendents also need to manage budgets and expectations. That leads to difficult decisions regarding course maintenance, but there are ways to prioritize the health of the turf without sacrificing budget or playability. Here are some common mistakes that courses make regarding bentgrass health:
Mowing too lowMany patrons are enamored with fast, challenging greens, but not every course needs to play like Sunday at a major championship. Furthermore, new bentgrass varieties are bred with such fine blades of grass, that you can still achieve a desired speed without mowing too low. Also, when many courses were designed decades ago, their undulating greens factored in slower greens, so mowing too low can actually make greens too difficult. But most of all, especially in high heat, mowing too low can contribute to heat stress and burn the turf.
OverwateringMany turf managers panic in heat and keep greens constantly wet. Wet soils trap heat, reduce oxygen, weaken roots, and create ideal conditions for Pythium and brown patch. Ways to avoid this include watering based on plant need—not a fixed schedule—and monitoring soil moisture and canopy temperature closely. In many cases, bentgrass declines faster from prolonged ‘wet heat’ conditions than moderate drought stress.
Ignoring airflow and rootzone oxygenPoor air movement is one of the most overlooked causes of summer decline. High humidity prevents evapotranspirational cooling and keeps canopy temperatures dangerously high. Similarly, compaction and excessive thatch create oxygen-poor rootzones. During summer, bentgrass roots naturally decline, so restricted oxygen makes recovery even harder.
Overfertilizing or mismanaging nitrogenHeavy nitrogen applications during heat can create lush, weak growth that is more disease-prone and less stress tolerant. High salt levels also increase root damage.
Getting to the root
Across the board of bentgrass management, the two most important factors for turf health and performance are root health and water management. The same bentgrass variety can perform very differently depending on how well the rootzone balances air, water, temperature, and rooting depth.
Water management impacts the health of the turf in two foundational ways. First, overwatering keeps the roots shallow, because they don’t have to grow down to search for moisture. Shallow roots then are much more vulnerable to extreme temperatures and disease. Speaking of disease, standing water is a breeding ground for a wide variety of diseases, so keeping moisture levels moderate will help with both root strength and disease prevention.
Best practices for extreme weather
Regardless of the climate, weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable, so staying agile and strategic is the key to success. The following practices are the foundation to a successful long term operation, no matter what Mother Nature throws at you.
Precision water managementFrom hand-held moisture meters to soil moisture sensors, it’s critical to get specific about your moisture levels. When you understand your plants’ needs better, you can have a more precise approach to irrigation, rather than blanket scheduled applications.
Improving drainage and soil oxygenModern bentgrass programs focus heavily on improving air and water movement through the soil profile. Focus on expanding subsurface drainage systems, increasing sand topdressing, and doing strategic aerification. Healthy oxygen exchange in the rootzone helps bentgrass survive both extreme rain and heat stress.
Prioritizing root healthMany superintendents are backing away from overly aggressive conditioning practices during stressful weather. Instead of pushing for maximum green speed all season, they are raising mowing heights during heat, reducing rolling frequency, and allowing slight reductions in firmness or speed during stress periods. The mindset shift is toward preserving roots and plant energy reserves rather than chasing tournament conditions every day.
Heat stress mitigationExtended nighttime heat is becoming one of the biggest bentgrass challenges. Newer practices include syringing greens during peak heat, using fans for air movement and increasing venting and gas exchange in rootzones. Courses in transition-zone climates especially are building entire summer survival programs around minimizing canopy temperature.
Flexible disease managementUnpredictable weather has made disease pressure harder to forecast. Superintendents are increasingly using predictive models, shortening fungicide intervals during volatile weather, and being more active in monitoring microclimates and chemistries. Heat plus excess moisture can rapidly increase diseases like anthracnose, Pythium, and brown patch. Recent seasons have shown that traditional spray schedules often need adjustment based on real-time conditions.
Turf resilienceRather than maximizing short-term aesthetics, many programs now focus on long-term resiliency. This includes focusing on deeper rooting, reducing excess nitrogen, and incorporating stress-tolerant cultivars.
Data integrationData helps superintendents make the best, most informed real-time decisions. This means using weather stations, ET tracking, GPS sprayers, drone mapping and more. Data-driven decisions help courses respond faster to sudden weather swings and reduce unnecessary inputs.
Focusing on strength and resilience
Modern bentgrass management is becoming less seasonal and more reactive. Many superintendents now maintain contingency plans for extreme events throughout the year because “normal” weather patterns are becoming less reliable.
Ultimately, the best long-term strategy is creating a bentgrass system that is resilient, adaptable, and stress-tolerant rather than simply optimized for ideal conditions. By focusing on water management, soil health, and root strength, your bentgrass will be able to withstand nearly any weather condition and thrive for the long term.
Lew Sharp is an agronomist and consultant with Tee-2-Green who uses his decades of experience to consult on construction, design, renovation and club management.