PHOTO A: The holes in this grass bunker face were made by a non-native species of lizard called northern curly-tailed lizards or Leiocephalus carinatus armouri (which translated, I believe, means “tastes bad on a stick”). These lizards usually hold their tails up, curling toward their bodies as they run. The northern curly-tailed lizards were introduced into Florida as pets from the Bahamas in the 1940s and now thrive mainly along the eastern coastal areas, from Cape Canaveral all the way down to the Florida Keys. These troublesome lizards can grow up to 11 inches long and live up to 10 years. During the day they sun themselves on the nice green grass or the warm sands of this bunker and when scared, they retreat to their burrows. The superintendent reports that this only happens on the newly rebuilt 18th hole on the golf course. He has not tried any eradication techniques yet, but if they gain in numbers, he will probably have no choice but to see what type of remedies are available.

Photo submitted by Mark J. Henderson, Class A Superintendent at Gulf Stream Golf Club in Gulfstream, Fla., and a 28-year member of GCSAA.

PHOTO B: The yellow squares of turf were caused by something you probably wouldn’t have guessed. I too thought that something may have been left on the grass. As it turns out at this golf course in South Africa, they grow Kikuyugrass, a warm-season grass, on their fairways. In the winter, after some heavy rains, the superintendent was having some pooling of water on his fairway and instructed his assistant to remove some sod to see how extensive the problem was. After inspection, the same sod was replaced. When the summer came around, the turf turned brown in the same areas where the sod had been removed, creating these almost-perfect one-meter square areas. Apparently because the shallower roots, as well as these areas, have less root mass, the turf turned brown during the hot, dry summer. The surrounding root zone was obviously more established and could handle the heat stress better.

Photo courtesy of Gregor Leckie, superintendent at Erinvale Golf Club in Somerset West, South Africa, and a 15-year GCSAA member.