Fairy Ring on Greens

If you've played the back 9 in the last week you may have noticed the few dark green rings that exist on holes 14, 15, and 16. Yes, this is fairy ring, but no, it is not cause for alarm. Fairy ring is very common on young sand based greens as they are naturally quite nutrient deficient and hydrophobic. We treat the greens for various diseases, including fairy ring, with a preventative program, but inevitably, a few rings may show up.

There are 3 types of fairy ring, we have type 1. Type 1 is benign and only an aesthetic problem. This type of fairly ring is truly only visible when the turf is nutrient deficient, which the greens have been the last week. We have been fertilizing greens every 14 days, but with as hungry as these greens are, we will move to fertilizing them on a weekly basis, which will mask the visual effect of the type 1 fairy ring and darken the overall appearance of the green.

In conclusion, there is no cause for alarm...I have just been asked the question a few times and wanted to get the message out that everything is under control.