Bill Schweitzer sat in the pro shop at Pittsburgh’s Clover Hill Golf Course early last week,’ … Bill Schweitzer sat in the pro shop at Pittsburgh’s Clover Hill Golf Course early last week,’ staring out the window at rain pounding on empty fairways. Most courses wouldn’t get much traffic this day, as the sight of rain to a golfer is as ugly as can be. It soaks the greens, floods the fairways and keeps players away from another chance at breaking 90. But to Schweitzer, the greenskeeper at Clover Hill, the sight is one of the prettiest he’s seen in weeks. The National Weather Service reported lower-than-average amounts of rainfall, along with a cooler, dry climate in the months of July, August and, until Tuesday, September in the Pittsburgh area. It reported an average high temperature of 82.2 degrees in July and 80.2 in August. The humid weather means more traffic on local courses. But it also means that without help from Mother Nature, Schweitzer and other course maintenance crews are out on the course with a lot more than just their 9-irons. Pat Quinlan, also a Clover Hill worker, said an increase in business shot through the course recently. But he added that the increased traffic brought with it trouble managing the course and keeping it up to par. ‘We’ve had very sunny, dry weather,’ said Quinlan. ‘That’s why most people’s lawns look so dried out and brown. It affects every golf course in that exact way.’ While homeowners might not worry as much about keeping their front and back yards bright and green, workers at golf courses don’t have much of a choice. Ken Waldron, who owns Buffalo Golf Course just north of Pittsburgh, said keeping the course in its best possible condition is a high priority to keep the golfers happy. ‘We have to do more and more watering every day, which takes a lot of time,’ said Waldron. ‘Doing watering by hand is simply about man hours.’ Those man hours were up because The National Weather Service reported that in the month of July, Pittsburgh took in 2.58 inches of rain ‘mdash; 1.38 inches less than the July average. ‘About the last eight weeks have been extremely dry,’ said Waldron. ‘The higher number of rounds means more divots, harder greens and much more wear and tear.’ Waldron and Schweitzer said that the most important things to look out for on the courses are called hot-spots, which are dried-out brown spots on the green. When these spots are scattered throughout, a green might need as much as 40 minutes a day of watering. At many courses, this is done by hand. If the watering isn’t done, it can cause balls that regularly stay on the greens to bounce off and into the rough. And when weather isn’t helping, that water can add up quickly. ‘We have to do more and more watering every day, but we spend water like it’s money,’ said Waldron. ‘We’re very cautious because it’s an expensive thing to do, and we don’t have unlimited resources.’ Waldron added that he’s looking forward to some rain in the forecast. ‘Nothing is better than a nice, full day of soaking,’ said Waldron.