Importance of morning sun on turf

This is a small scale adjustment to help my backyard green obtain more morning sunlight. The back portion of the green was really struggling because it did not receive sunlight until about 11 am in June and July. As a result, the turf in this area became infected with disease, mostly dollar spot. Without the morning sunlight, the grass plant remains wet for an extended period of time making it more prone to disease.  By mid July, this section of the green was in very poor condition and I came to realize that at least one tree had to come out and the others limbed up. Below is a picture before any work was done.

In the fall I removed the smaller Austrian Pine and limbed up three others that were further back as well as take out the bushes for a better visual from the back end of the yard. The second picture shows the result after the work was done, the back portion now receives morning sunlight. Because it was late in the fall, sunlight to the front is blocked by a shed, but in the summer months this is not an issue. 

Those changes were made in 2012. In 2013 the turf showed major improvement. Below is a picture of the green in late August 2013 at around 10am. It is more open in the surrounds behind the green, allowing not just for morning sunlight, but for better airflow as well. It is also important to note, if turf has too much shade, it provides a better growing environment for Poa Annua. However if shade is reduced or eliminated, its gives a much better chance for bent grass to compete.  

Link:  http://bentgrassdoctor.com/maintaining_greens_in_a_hot_climate