GCM's Scott Hollister traded messages with Congressional super Mike Giuffre yesterday afternoon when th heat index was hitting 106 in Washington DC and the club's 2-year-old Penn A-1/A-4 putting surfaces were doing fine.
His crews have been hand-watering the course on an almost constant basis this week, Giuffre said, and to date, the only real signs of any stress problems in the turf have been minor and limited to some of the collar areas. With the heat expected to break in the next few days — this forecast is showing temperatures in the low to mid 80s by early next week — Giuffre doesn't expecting any lasting effects from this heat other than the slightly elevated stress level its brought to the maintenance facility this week.
The forecast for early next week is looking pleasant, but the tournament days appear more uncertain.