This week the PGA Tour splits up for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at TPC Blue Monster at Doral in Miami and the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular at Trump International Golf Club’s Championship Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. GCSAA Certified Golf Course Superintendent Tom Trammell, director of agronomy for Doral’s five courses, has had an interesting few months leading up to this WGC event with record heat in the fall followed by record cold temperatures in the winter. Falling back on 26 years of experience as a GCSAA member and a turf science degree from Penn State, he has the Blue Monster in great shape. PGA Tour officials and returning players are raving about the bermudagrass tees and fairways being in their best condition ever and the density of the bermudagrass greens. New tees were added on No. 2 and No. 7, adding 74 yards. The bermudagrass rough, zapped by frosts this winter that were also hard on the native plants and wildlife, is 2 ½ inches high. TPC Blue Monster is a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.

GCSAA member David Russell, golf course superintendent at Trump International Golf Club Puerto Rico, received 5 ½ inches of rain advance weekend and was unable to mow an already thicker than usual bermudagrass/paspalum rough, which will probably reach 3 inches in height by the end of the tournament. With the typical 20-25 mph winds there this time of year, Russell expects the Championship Course to continue to dry out and firm up throughout the week, unless more rain arrives. This is the first year he hasn’t made any changes to the golf course, but he did endure record rainfall in January, as the facility has already received 20 inches this year. Trump International is grassed in salt-tolerant paspalum and uses effluent water for irrigation.