The Arrival of a New Pest at HP

Recently, we have had a few questions about shifting the green tee markers to the lower tee on 7 as well as utilizing the back tee. We are not trying to make the game of golf more difficult, unfortunately we have identified turf damage on the tees on 7 from a new pest at HP; the Annual Bluegrass Weevil (ABW). ABW is a small black beetle that lay eggs  and the larvae feed on closely mowed creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass on greens, tees and fairways. (Zoysia grass is not impacted!) 

Close-up of ABW of Larvae and Adult 

Close-up damage of Annual Bluegrass

Damage to the middle tee on 7 

ABW has been a longterm problem for much of the Northeastern states however, they have slowly made their way to the Mid-West. ABW has multiple generations and requires close monitoring utilizing salt and soap flushes to determine if these pests are present. So far, we have only seen damage on the 7th tees and the back collar on the 6th green. We are applying curative insecticides, increasing nitrogen applications and inner seeding of bentgrass to these areas. 

Utilizing salt water to bring larvae to the top of water

In the meantime, we apologize for the inconvenience of shifting traffic from the green tee to other tees on 7 to help aid in recovery of the turf. We will continue to monitor closely and pass along updates to the membership.

Thanks as always for the questions and feedback.

Pat O'Brien 

Grounds Superintendent