Hot and Humid... This place never lets up

Working on the golf course has been very interesting lately. We have a rare bacterial infection in the greens. It forms inside the veins of the plant and causes the leaves to thin and elongate. The elongated leaves then turn chlorotic (yellow) and shortly after die. The dying leaves result in weak, thin turf. Symptoms can be observed on every green, but the 4th, 8th, 10th, and 13th appear to be the worst greens. Friday night I had to go in and turn on the fans and was able to take a few pictures of the tenth green.

The thin turf is being invaded by algal growth. This is not just happening in the bacteria infested areas but also in old ballmarks. I think that the problem is caused by the amount of water we put on the greens. To cool the greens we apply small quantities of water, called syringing. We due this when soil temperatures reach a certain level to prevent the turf from becoming overly stressed. During the heat wave we have been experiencing, the greens have been syringed 2 to 3 times a day and watered at night. I also believe we are not using high quality irrigation water. The water has a horrible smell. It almost smells like it is coming from a swamp.

The heat, humidity, and the quantity of water being applied to the course is making for interesting playing conditions.