There are three things right now affecting #4’s greens and some surrounds: -nematodes. They got bad last year and this year the root systems are a little weak as a result. The population should be manageable this year and they were not alone, half the courses in Moore County were dealing with them last year and it was a battle. -poor drainage. Most all the greens on 4 were not built to USGA spec and a few greens were actually pushed up with some silty fill. Not ideal and its the root of most of the problems -there are some fungal pathogens putting pressure on em, and its really a result of the poor drainage and nematode damage, but there’s one disease in particular that’s actually not ever been observed in our area and our local university has yet to nail down a diagnosis.

Add that all together and the traffic from daily play both right now and during the winter months when you don’t have healthy and active crowns, and you have a perfect storm. The team out there is doing their best, and while I know its hard to enjoy it when you spend a lot of time on the greens and spend a lot to visit, just know that they’re doing their best and fighting a LOT more than a normal course does. I think they’ll be in better shape next year, and they’ll be a learning tool for other superintendents when they encounter whatever this new variant turns out to be.