Andrew Bailey circled the green slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the ground, searching for wilt.
The 25-year-old college student is a "wilt watcher" at Plantation Golf Club, one of five golf courses in Olive Branch. His job is to fight the heat and humidity of August, which can quickly zap grass, costing thousands of dollars in damage.
This time of year he's usually pretty busy. Sometimes he's so busy that he takes responsibility for nine holes and someone else looks after the other nine at the course off Germantown Road.
"Some days it gets bad when it's dry and we hadn't had rain in a while," Bailey said Tuesday as temperatures hovered around 80 degrees, cooler than a typical summer day. "You can lose a green in 30 minutes to an hour."
Three years ago, Bailey was looking for a job to pay for courses at Northwest Community College. He wasn't a golfer, but since signing on for the "wilt watcher" job, he's begun to play.
Now he enjoys the golf course so much, he's studying turf grass management instead of music business and technology.
"Started out here and just fell in love with it," Bailey said. "I love being outdoors."
Keeping on top of the condition of a little more than three acres of greens is a nonstop job some days. Wilt crops up as the heat spikes, usually between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The greens are particularly vulnerable because of the type of grass used. Plantation Golf Club uses Bent grass on its greens (and Zoysia and Bermuda on its fairways and rough). Bent grass is liked by golfers because it grows uniformly and provides a smooth, carpet-like area for putting. It stays green through winter and it loves water but its soft, lush carpet hates heat.
Bailey has learned to spot wilt, a precursor to death, partly by recognizing the discoloring. It gives the grass a sort of purple tint.
Wilted grass also isn't resistant to footprints. It won't spring back.
When he finds wilt, Bailey unwinds a garden hose in the back of his golf cart and hooks its nozzle to the irrigation system. Each of the 18 holes has a connection to the system nearby.
He sprays the greens with water, but must be careful not to over water. Too much water can damage the grass also.
Golf course superintendent Heath Hall, who's been with Plantation 10 years, holds a degree in agronomy from Mississippi State University and studied turf grass management. He's teaching Bailey everything he knows.
"There's a lot of technical stuff to it," Hall said. "There's a lot more than a lot of people realize."
Source: The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.)