Divot Patterns

Over the last several weeks I have begun to notice divot patterns changing in the fairways and even in the first cut of rough. This is largely due to the fact that the fairways are now playing firmer with more ball roll off the tee shot.

We are now seeing the benefits of the new irrigation system which allows us to keep the rough green with out over watering the fairways. The end result has been numerous balls running through the fairways into the first cut and even into hazards that were not in play before.

Over the last six weeks of consistent irrigation I have been closely tracking our water usage and the numbers are confirming what i have been saying all along. Bentgrass has gotten a bad rap for a lot of years that it is a heavy water user, when in fact it uses less water than the surrounding Bluegrass rough. Statistically for the last six weeks the fairways have received 33% less water than what has been applied to the rough. Keep in mind these numbers are being realized during the "fine tuning " process and i believe there will be additional reductions in the future once i have a better grasp on what the new system can and cannot do.