Merion Plays It Safe, Closes Early In Anticipation Of Amateur

By Ken Klavon, USGA

Ardmore, Pa. – Merion Golf Club officials chose to close the famous East Course early not because they wanted to, but more so as a preventive measure. It's not as negative as it sounds, though.

In anticipation of the U.S. Amateur that begins Aug. 22, Merion took a conservative approach to ensure that the course is in premium shape when 312 players begin stroke-play qualifying. The course was closed to its members July 31, three weeks earlier than originally scheduled.

Foot traffic is virtually non-existent after a bout of Pythium blight – also called cottony blight – reared its ugly head in June. The fungus, called mycelium, takes on a cotton-ball appearance when excessive heat and humidity mix together, according to Stan Zontek, Director of the U.S. Golf Association's Mid-Atlantic Region for the Green Section.

"It's a water mold," said Zontek, adding that the affected area can mirror that of a cobweb.

The end result of discolored grass eventually leads to splotchy, gray areas that can be a superintendent's nightmare. One of the most visible signs occurs shortly after the roots and canopy have been attacked. Reseeding becomes the only option.

The disease usually strikes when a region reaches its threshold for holding water. Older courses, such as Merion, that can't boast of an internal drainage system are high targets for the blight. Abnormal night-time temperatures don't allow the soil to effectively cool down; excessive day-time heat, coupled with humidity, essentially causes the affected vicinities to sizzle like an egg in a frying pan.

"There's an old axiom in turf that when a temperature and the humidity adds up to 180, you're going to get Pythium," said Merion superintendent Matt Shaffer.

"It's like growing grass in a bathtub but the cork won't come out."

Fortunately for the course, the blight has only affected about "10 to 15 percent of the turf," said Zontek, who is advising Merion. "It's not as bad as it could have been. … They did the right thing. They said, ‘We have the Amateur coming up,' and they took proactive measures."

True, Shaffer and staff determined that fewer rounds equal less wear. Less pitch marks and divots, particularly, as well as less foot wear. Up until July 31, Shaffer estimated that close to 2,000 rounds of golf were being played on the East Course per week. Taking caddies into account, that's roughly 240 people walking on the greens each day.

Merion's case isn't an isolated incident. Courses ranging from Virginia Beach, Va., to the Poconos in Pennsylvania have suffered through an abysmally soggy and hot summer. A key factor, Zontek said, is that stretch is also considered a transitional grass zone in the country, making many courses susceptible to disease.

Worse, it doesn't discriminate either. Greens, fairways and rough areas can be affected. Merion has endured Pythium on all of the aforementioned, but it's now under control. Stressed out and grayish areas on the greens of holes one, two and 12 could be seen recently. Other than that, the course was in pristine condition.

"All these greens are like Petri dishes," said Shaffer. "They're all full of disease. It's just when you get the right threshold and the right atmospheric conditions, you have an explosion."

When Shaffer and crew suspected they might have the blight, they wasted little time. They started applying a spray, which can run somewhere around $4,000 per application, in June. The dose lasts approximately 12-14 days, but Shaffer said it's not unusual to only get five or six days out of it. As a precaution, Merion will spray through September.

Because of the expense, superintendents often have to make tough choices whether to spray preventatively figuring it could occur, or curatively, after it's been concluded that they are a recipient of the disease.

"I think if we wouldn't have closed, we would have some incurred some serious damage," said Shaffer. "The greens would have been infinitely weaker than they will be going into the championship."

So the question begs: How will the course be when the Amateur rolls around?

"All superintendents are non-realists or they wouldn't do this for a living," said Shaffer. "I'd like it to be 98 percent. I'd say right now we're 85."

Mother Nature, of course, will have the final say. If the humidity can dissipate, Shaffer and other superintendents will breathe a collective sigh of relief. That's a mighty big if, considering that it's felt like the sauna timer has been stuck on high for most of the summer.

"This isn't recovery weather," said Shaffer, pausing. "This is hang-on weather."

Ken Klavon is the USGA's web editor. E-mail him with questions or comments at kklavon@usga.org.