Learn how to identify and manage the most commonly faced turf diseases on your course.
Yellow Patch
Yellow patch affects turfgrasses from fall to spring during cloudy, cool, wet conditions and can be identified by small to medium-sized patches with yellow or reddish-brown margins.
Red thread can infect turfgrass at any time of the year but is most common during extended periods of humid, rainy weather in late spring and early summer.
Brown patch is one of the most common turf diseases affecting cool-season grasses, appearing as burnt-looking patches with a distinct ring around their edges along your fairways and on your greens.
Leaf spot is caused by the fungi Drechslera Spp and Bipolaris Spp, which affect turfgrasses during the spring and fall months when the ground is cool and wet.
Anthracnose is a fungal disease that attacks the basal or foliar system of turf and other course greenery, causing foliar blight and/or basal stem rot. Disease appearance varies depending on the area of infection as well as the type of turfgrass.
Dollar spot affects all turfgrasses and can occur anytime between spring and late fall. On close-cut golf turf, dollar spot appears as bleached white or straw-coloured softball-sized patches.
Pink and gray snow mould are among the most invasive turf diseases in Canada, affecting cool-season grasses and developing when cold temperatures are accompanied with excess moisture.