This was our most-read lawn care tip of 2021

Your lawn, as with your golf game, requires constant upkeep.

If you want to have the fullest, greenest lawn in town, you’d better be prepared to work to keep it in that shape from April through November. And if you aren’t prepared to work? Well, as with your golf game, sometimes you get what you deserve.

At GOLF.com, we’ve tirelessly covered the keys to proper lawn care, from the tools you need for landscaping success to the hacker plants you can use to boost your growing success.

But what happens when your lawn is already down bad? Is there anything you can do to stop brown (or otherwise dead) grass? What’s the best way to turn the tide?

As it turns out, that was the subject of GOLF’s most-read lawn care story in 2021, our investigation of the seven easiest fixest for unhealthy yards.

There are myriad issues that face a true lawn care pro in maintaining their yard, and as Josh Sens’ investigation found, myriad potential stumbling blocks, too. The biggest of which, in Sens’ estimation, was using the wrong type of grass for your lawn. Perhaps you were tricked into thinking bentgrass — a popular strain for putting surfaces — would also serve your lawn well. Or maybe you’re attempting to grow a type of grass that is better suited in climate far different than your own. In either case, your finest efforts might well be thwarted by an issue outside of your control: the grass you’re growing just isn’t a good fit.

Another common issue faced by green thumbs is fungus – a culprit capable of unseating even the finest lawn. For those running into microscopic issues, there are a variety of fixes (including fungicides) — but perhaps the best action is to let the fungus run its course.

These are just two of the seven issues outlined in Sens’ story, which utilized the expertise of a turf doctor named David Phipps. To read the rest of them, check Sens’ entire story about the seven easiest cures for unhealthy looking yards. And perhaps most importantly, start thinking green for 2022.

James Colgan

Golf.com Editor

James Colgan is an assistant editor at GOLF, contributing stories for the website and magazine on a broad range of topics. He writes the Hot Mic, GOLF’s weekly media column, and utilizes his broadcast experience across the brand’s social media and video platforms. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow, during which time he cut his teeth at NFL Films, CBS News and Fox Sports. Prior to joining GOLF, James was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from.