Golf Course Management - August 2014

INSIDE: Improving your own bunker mentality PAGE 60, 72

Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

The mosquito wars 38

Major golf reaches the wire in thoroughbred country at Valhalla Golf Club PAGE 46

A Poa predicament 80 Putting greens and weeds 92

Golf Course Management Magazine www.gcsaa.org • August 2014

™

Chapter 5

BUDGETS CAN’T HAVE PINPOINT ACCURACY UNLESS YOUR EQUIPMENT DOES. Effciency and proftability go hand in hand. You need equipment that’s engineered to be precise and to perform the way you need it to both today and down the road. Equipment like Toro.®

It’s simple Turfonomics.

toro.com/multipro

TOP LINE THINKING You need to do jobs correctly, accurately and effciently. The new Toro Multi Pro® 1750 175-gallon sprayer helps on all fronts.

Its tank is engineered to virtually eliminate wasted chemicals while ensuring the proper application rate every time. Its oversized pump

The oversized six-diaphragm pump satisfes the highest spray rates while simultaneously supplying generous agitation fow.

satisfes the highest spray rates.

REAL WORLD THINKING

Plus, with its QuickFind™ Console,

We understand the challenges you

operators can fnd boom and

have to face every day. That’s why

actuator switches without looking.

we make equipment with innovations that deliver the best overall course

About Turfonomics The challenge today isn’t simply to maintain a beautiful golf course.

It’s to maintain it on a budget.

To succeed, you need to work smarter, more effciently and more economically than ever before.

conditions combined with a lower cost of ownership over time. Then we back every product we build with our industry-leading support network. No one delivers more value than Toro.

The QuickFind Console intuitively helps the operator fnd boom and actuator switches without looking at them.

BOTTOM LINE THINKING Money saved on spraying is money

It’s simple Turfonomics.

That’s why Toro equipment is engineered to give you not only great results, but also a lower cost of ownership over time.

With Toro, beauty and fnancial sustainability don’t have

Multi Pro 1750 • Productivity • Precision • Ease of Maintenance

to be opposites.

It’s simple Turfonomics.

you can use elsewhere on your course. That’s one more place where the Multi Pro 1750 excels.

Its tank is elliptically-shaped and features side agitation nozzles, which helps ensure accurate applications, prevents costly chemical waste and reduces cleanup time.

When this unique design is combined with our optional automated rinse accessory, tank-cleaning time is reduced by up to an hour compared to conventional methods.

Learn more at: toro.com/turfonomics

Think people don’t notice the accessories?

On a golf course every detail is important. So make sure your accessories work as hard as you do to enhance the image of your golf course.

Wherever golf is played.

The right accessories improve course conditions and make golfers want to come back for more.

More than ever, you have to wow golfers with your golf course. That’s because the No. 1 reason golfers give for not returning to a golf course is “poor course conditions.” But there’s more to course conditions than greens, tees, fairways and bunkers. Consider accessories – something golfers see, touch and feel on every hole.

Having well maintained, proper golf course accessories is a crucial part of course conditions.

They make an important and lasting impression on golfers and reinforce the course’s (and your) reputation. Quality accessories from Par Aide can improve course aesthetics and playability while saving you time and money. Find out how we can make your accessories budget work harder than ever.

P A R A I D E . C O M

8 8 8 - 8 9 3 - 2 4 3 2

Coming soon: The new A Model Mowers from John Deere.

Now your presence can be felt on every part of your course. That’s the control you get with the new A Model mowers from John Deere. Thanks to our TechControl display, no matter who is operating the mower, you can easily program these mowers to mow and turn at exact speeds, to transport at preset speeds, and to lock in fuel savings. You can also plug in service reminders and get diagnostic feedback quickly and accurately. And all of your operators can now perform in a more consistent fashion.

The power to control your course is now in your hands. To fnd out more about our new A Models, contact your local John Deere Golf distributor today.

Trusted by the best courses on Earth.

Control like this has always been out of reach. Until now.

Our exclusive, password-protected TechControl Display lets you program commands for your operators.

JohnDeere.com/Golf 57970

46

Scout’s honor

Valhalla Golf Club superintendent Roger Meier, ready for the PGA Championship, was a Boy Scout in his youth. Judging by tough decisions he made on the job, it certainly looks like he learned long ago what it takes to be a leader.

Howard Richman

Hazard a change for the better A golf course designer — and longtime superintendent — offers seven keys to a successful bunker renovation.

Jerry Lemons

60

• On the Cover:

72

Save the sand

An enhanced drainage method eases the pain of bunker maintenance.

Mark Leslie

The Poa predicament An experiment with a new herbicide at Pennsylvania’s Centre Hills Country Club proves that “easy does it” is an effective approach.

Chip Fogleman

80

Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., is the site of this month’s PGA Championship. It is the third time (1996 and 2000) that the event has been held at the course, which opened in 1986. This photo, courtesy of the PGA of America, features the par-4 ninth hole.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

INSIGHTS Turf Endophytes: The friendly fungi Garett Heineck

Shop

32

38 Environment

34

40

36

42

Winning the mosquito war with Bt Pamela C. Smith, CGCS

Chain grinder: an essential tool Scott R. Nesbitt

Advocacy

Memo to GCSAA: The ‘New Washington’ is here to stay Bob Helland

RESEARCH Is the grass really greener?

Pigmented products provided inconsistent health benefit.

Bert McCarty, Ph.D. A.W. Gore J.R. Gann

86

92

Weed management options on golf course putting greens Significant weed infestations are not common on creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass putting greens, but when they are, help is available.

J.T. Brosnan, Ph.D. G.K. Breeden, M.S. A.J. Patton, Ph.D.

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100 Verdure 102 Product news 106 Industry news 108 Climbing the ladder 108 On course

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

109 Coming up 109 New members 110 In the field 111 Newly certified 111 On the move

Water The A-List Teresa Carson

Cutting Edge

99

Teresa Carson

ETCETERA08.14 16 President’s message 18 Inside GCM 20 Front nine 30 Photo quiz 84 Through the green

Tech

Irrigation access on the go Bob Vaughey, CGCS

114 In memoriam 120 Final shot

L! RO S T Y’ ON TR E C US DG ND SE EI R TH E FO C OI CH #1

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But Dismiss also makes a visible difference the following season by reducing future sedge populations. That’s because Dismiss herbicides penetrate the soil and work to control sedge tubers underground. With Dismiss, you’re getting the industry’s fastest visible results and fewer sedges next season, saving you time and money.

For more information on Dismiss herbicides, contact your FMC Market Specialist or local FMC Distributor.

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FMC and Dismiss are trademarks of FMC Corporation. ©2014 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Super food in a bottle

Golf Course Management Magazine Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

GCM MISSION

Golf Course Management magazine is dedicated to advancing the golf course superintendent profession and helping GCSAA members achieve career success. To that end, GCM provides authoritative “how-to” career-oriented, technical and trend information by industry experts, researchers and golf course superintendents. By advancing the profession and members’ careers, the magazine contributes to the enhancement, growth and vitality of the game of golf.

GCSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Immediate Past President Directors

Chief Executive Offcer Chief Operating Offcer Chief Business Development Offcer

KEITH A. IHMS, CGCS JOHN J. O’KEEFE, CGCS PETER J. GRASS, CGCS PATRICK R. FINLEN, CGCS RAFAEL BARAJAS, CGCS DARREN J. DAVIS, CGCS JOHN R. FULLING JR., CGCS MARK F. JORDAN, CGCS BILL H. MAYNARD, CGCS J. RHETT EVANS MATT SHATTO J.D. DOCKSTADER

GCM STAFF Editor-in-Chief Sr. Managing Editor

TurfVigor 9-3-6

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Microbial and micronutrient blend for healthier turf

Sr. Science Editor Associate Editor Sr. Manager, Creative Services Manager, Creative Services Traffc Coordinator Traffc Coordinator

SCOTT HOLLISTER shollister@gcsaa.org BUNNY SMITH bsmith@gcsaa.org TERESA CARSON tcarson@gcsaa.org HOWARD RICHMAN hrichman@gcsaa.org ROGER BILLINGS rbillings@gcsaa.org KELLY NEIS kneis@gcsaa.org SHELLY URISH surish@gcsaa.org BRETT LEONARD bleonard@gcsaa.org

GCSAA This Week/Turf Weekly Editor

ROOTS® TurfVigor is the ultimate blend of high impact microbial strains and biostimulants along with macro and micronutrients. TurfVigor is designed to increase turfgrass tolerance to stress associated with temperature, drought and physical injury. Call or visit our website to learn more.

ADVERTISING 800-472-7878 Managing Director Marketing and Business Development Sr. Manager, Business Development Lead International Developer Account Development Managers

ANGELA HARTMANN ahartmann@gcsaa.org

MATT BROWN mbrown@gcsaa.org JIM CUMMINS jcummins@gcsaa.org ERIC BOEDEKER eboedeker@gcsaa.org BRETT ILIFF biliff@gcsaa.org KARIN CANDRL kcandrl@gcsaa.org SHELLY URISH surish@gcsaa.org

The articles, discussions, research and other information in this publication are advisory only and are not intended as a substitute for specifc manufacturer instructions or training for the processes discussed, or in the use, application, storage and handling of the products mentioned. Use of this information is voluntary and within the control and discretion of the reader. ©2014 by GCSAA Communications Inc., all rights reserved.

Best of All Worlds® www.LebanonTurf.com 1.800.233.0628

You spoke. We listened.

In answer to feedback from superintendents worldwide, our four new Country Club MD greens grade fertilizers contain phosphorus for those golf course managers who need to include P in their greens nutrition program.

Ask your sales representative for more information about Country Club MD.

www.countryclubmd.com

Best of All Worlds速 1-800-233-0628

(president’s message)

Paying it forward I have mentioned this before in this Keith A. Ihms, CGCS forum, but much of what I have learned in keithai79@gmail.com my life about the value of service and of giving back to others came from the example set by my parents.

That’s no great revelation, I realize. All of us look upon our parents and those who cared for and raised us as our primary role models for all that we become in life. But the lessons my parents taught me and my siblings about charity, about helping others and about doing the right things tend to be the ones that resoAs you probably nate most clearly and most frequently for me, know, Rounds 4 especially as they relate to my service to the GCSAA Board of Directors and the role I’m Research offers privileged to play in many of our association’s most philanthropic endeavors. rounds of golf Most recently, I was reminded of those valuable lessons as GCSAA and the Environand unique golf mental Institute for Golf ramped up the 2014 experiences edition of the Rounds 4 Research auctions.

Because whether consciously or not, those for auction with participating in the auction were helping an effort to give back to the game we all love in proceeds benefting a way that would have made my folks proud.

As you probably know, Rounds 4 Research turfgrass research offers rounds of golf and unique golf experiefforts. ences for auction with proceeds benefting turfgrass research efforts. The frst round of auctions for 2014, which took place in June during the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, sold more than 600 rounds of golf and netted $115,000. That’s a 7 percent increase over last year, meaning that much more fexibility in the pursuit of turfgrass research efforts on both the local and national levels.

And in the spirit of charity beginning at home — another virtue instilled in us by my parents — most of that fexibility will be enjoyed by Rounds 4 Research’s fundraising partners. These local GCSAA chapters and turfgrass organizations have assisted in the solicitation of rounds for the auction, with research efforts most important to their local golf communities being the primary benefciary of their efforts.

This month provides another opportunity to help our industry help itself as the second Rounds 4 Research auction of 2014

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

takes place during the PGA Championship (for more information, visit www.rounds4 research.com). It also helps to shed some light on the myriad other ways GCSAA and the EIFG give back to the game of golf and why your contributions to these efforts are so necessary and so valuable.

For example, one of the prime benefciaries of monies raised by the EIFG are scholarship efforts, which have been a focus of GCSAA’s philanthropic organization since its original founding as the GCSAA Scholarship and Research Fund in 1955. Programs such as the GCSAA Student Essay Contest, the Dr. James Watson Fellowship Program and the GCSAA Legacy Awards, for example, all offer stark proof of how the work of the EIFG directly benefts the golf course superintendents of both today and tomorrow.

Advocacy and GCSAA’s government relations efforts also see direct benefts from the funds raised by the EIFG. Much of this work might go unnoticed by many members of our association, but I can assure you that by taking steps to defend the industry and superintendents against proposed expansions to the scope of the Clean Water Act or supporting reasonable immigration reform that takes the needs of small businesses into consideration, for example, your association is ensuring that you and your colleagues receive a fair shake among local, state and national legislators. It’s work that wouldn’t be possible without the resources of the EIFG. So whether it’s your support of Rounds 4 Research or the simple writing of an annual donation check to the EIFG, know that those actions are making a difference and helping to ensure the future health and vitality of the game of golf, not to mention making your parents very, very proud.

Keith A. Ihms, CGCS, is the golf course maintenance manager at Bella Vista (Ark.) Village and a 33-year member of GCSAA.

(inside gcm)

Picking up a few new tricks Scott Hollister shollister@gcsaa.org twitter: @GCM_Magazine

Later this month, we’ll unveil this year’s winner and pay a visit to his course to make an offcial presentation of the award.

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The old saying about not knowing what you don’t know is defnitely applicable to the career paths that each of us choose in life.

Most golf course superintendents were attracted to a job on the golf course by a love of the game of golf, the opportunity to work outside or maybe even by the simple joys of mowing greens while the sun rises over the horizon. I’m sure duties like budgeting or personnel management or attending greens committee meetings never factored into the decision-making process, yet those things become vital parts of the job the further along the career path a superintendent travels. It’s just a fact of life.

I’ve experienced similar things in my career. What frst attracted me to a career in publishing wasn’t the opportunity to dive into annual operations budgets or attend a bunch of meetings or give a lot of presentations, things that take up considerable amounts of my time now as editor-in-chief of this magazine. No, what got me interested in this business was writing, which aside from this column, is something I do less and less of as my career progresses.

Still, branching out the way I have during my career has had its perks, a sentiment I’m sure more than a few superintendents would share with me. It’s allowed me to try things I never thought I’d try and master skills that certainly were never covered by my instructors in journalism school.

In my case, that’s meant learning more than I’d ever thought I’d know about outftting a team of folks in golf apparel (pro tip: a men’s large and a women’s large are vastly different things). It’s meant mastering the art of the trade show booth and helping to create the GCM exhibit that you see each year at the Golf Industry Show (another pro tip: the fewer oversized plants in your booth, the better).

And it’s also meant becoming fuent in the language of contests and awards programs.

When you see notices in the pages of this magazine about efforts such as the Most Valuable Technician Award or GCSAA’s Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards, for example, you can rest assured that the role played by the magazine staff in all of those programs

was far more extensive than any of us ever bargained for.

I bring this up because we’re getting very close to announcing a winner in the 2014 version of the MVT Award. This is the ffth year that GCM has partnered with Foley United to recognize golf course equipment technicians and shine a little more light on the important role they play in the golf course management industry. Later this month, we’ll unveil this year’s winner and pay a visit to his course to make an offcial presentation of the award. Then, you can read about the winner and all three fnalists in next month’s issue of the magazine.

Because of all we’ve learned about things such as contests, we’ve come to know a little bit about what works and what tends to fall short when putting these things together. That’s why in addition to learning about the winners of some of GCSAA’s and GCM’s 2014 awards in the coming weeks and months, you’ll also be hearing about some tweaks to these popular programs, tweaks that will manifest themselves in the way we cover these awards in the pages of GCM. Trust me, these changes aren’t being made to make things easier on a few magazine editors charged with managing these contests (although that would certainly be a pleasant byproduct). Instead, we’re freshening things up in an effort to make these programs more relevant, more representative of the industry we’re honoring and more rewarding for those who take the time to participate in them, whether those are the folks doing the entering or the folks being entered.

Stay tuned. I think you’re going to like the changes you hear about in the weeks and months ahead.

Scott Hollister is GCM’s editor-in-chief and the director of publications for GCSAA.

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The scenery alone at Prince Golf Club on the Hawaiian island of Kauai makes for experiences usually seen in watercolor paintings or on the big screen.

There is a rain forest on the property. Jungle. Rivers. The waterfall that comes out of a lava tube behind the 13th green (pictured here) by itself is breathtaking. For director of agronomy Derrick Watts, being able to work at a location most others would call a vacation destination is quite the perk.

“It is unbelievably beautiful and an architectural marvel,” says Watts, a 14-year GCSAA member. “For those who play the course, it is more a journey than a round of golf.”

Prince GC, on Hanalei Bay in Princeville, may look familiar. More than 50 years ago, its beauty was amplifed in scenes shot on location for legendary duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s musical “South Pacifc.” If anything, the flm served as a launching point for the island being viewed as the place to be for romance and charm.

In his own way, Watts has helped make the golf experience a land of enchantment.

Photo courtesy of Prince GC

49.55 To the Beach Height of world’s tallest sandcastle (in feet), completed on July 4, 2007, in Myrtle Beach, S.C.*

1/8-1/4 Typical thickness (in inches) of crusting layer in a golf course bunker†

A player development program at Prince GC has been a success. Photo courtesy of Derrick Watts

3%

The threshold for clay content in bunker sand before drainage is impeded†

90-120

20 Minimum infltration rate

(in inches per hour) for sand being considered for bunkers†

The number of days (plus plenty of rainfall or irrigation) it takes for new sand to set up properly to prevent buried lies in bunkers†

22

A player development program that was initiated 16 months ago at Prince by a combined effort from the management team has been a big hit. As of June, more than 600 people have tried the program, which consists of a six-hole pitch and putt. Each afternoon, the driving range is cleared to make way for the Mini Prince Par-3 that opens at 4 p.m. Holes on the family-friendly course range from 48 to 91 yards and include an 8-inch-diameter cup to try to increase playability and enjoyment. It takes about 30 minutes to play, allowing each guest a chance to play six, 12 or 18 holes.

Watts and his crew mow the fairways twice a week and the roughs once weekly; they also verticut and fertilize the six-hole facility to keep it in top condition. He is thrilled by the response.

“This has come out 10 times better than I had hoped,” Watts says. “The beneft for me is in the afternoon, driving up there and seeing so many people, families, enjoying it.

For $15 you can play it as much as you’d like. That’s a pretty good deal. I think we will see more children take up the game because of something like this.”

Watts isn’t a native of Hawaii, but has spent more than a decade off the mainland, having gradually worked his

One grain of sand contains as many atoms as there are grains of sand on a beach* *www.coloredsandstore.com/sand-fun-facts † USGA Green Section Record

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

way west. He grew up in the small town of Berthoud, Colo., located about halfway between Denver and Fort Collins.

He developed a passion for golf, frst working at Grand Lake (Colo.) Golf Course. Watts laughs when recollecting the beginning.

“My frst day they asked, ‘Do you have any questions?’

I said, ‘How do you keep the grass so low?’ They said, ‘You’ll fnd out.’ I was given a walk mower real soon,” says Watts, who earned a degree in horticulture with a specialty in turfgrass management at Montana State University. He served as superintendent at Kapalua Resort from 2007 to 2011 before coming to Prince, where the course was undergoing a renovation.

On a course that features ocean views and is perched on a 70-foot cliff, Prince GC’s main challenges for Watts include dollar spot on paspalum and maintaining an ever-encroaching jungle year round. They receive 85 inches of rain annually, much of that coming December through February.

Challenges aside, Watts talks like Prince GC is exactly where he wants to be. People ask him all the time if he is interested in leaving Hawaii and returning to Colorado or someplace else on the mainland. For now, he has no plans to leave. The Mini Prince Par-3 is one of the reasons why he is pleased to remain part of an initiative that he feels is much needed at a spot in which exotic choices abound.

“We have an activity for the whole family that lets them have fun and get in touch with the game,” Watts says. “I’d never really been involved in something like this. We have something important to offer. I’m proud of that.”

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

Match play in the heartland

Chris and Jessica Thompson at Lawrence CC in Lawrence, Kan. Photo courtesy of the Thompsons

411

When Jessica and Chris Thompson married, their wedding gift for those who attended the big event was, in golf terms, a birdie.

“We gave them multi-colored golf tees with our names and date,” Jessica says.

The Thompsons’ journey through the fairways of life — which features a GCSAA twist — continues nine years since they exchanged vows. They both are employed in the golf industry, which certainly has been good to them in the past year.

Jessica Thompson works at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan. In November, she was promoted to manager, tournament and meeting planning. Lately, her husband also has scaled new heights. In May, at age 37, Chris Thompson fnally notched a career breakthrough. He qualifed and played in his frst PGA Tour event, the HP Byron Nelson Classic. He did better than simply get there; Thompson made the cut, eventually fnishing tied for 64th.

That, however, was only a beginning for Thompson, whose road since turning professional in 1999 mostly has seen him grinding through mini tours, more recently the Web.com Tour, as he seeks a regular spot on the PGA Tour, which would qualify as the ultimate dream come true.

In June, Thompson took another step toward his goal.

He qualifed for his frst U.S. Open, held at Pinehurst No. 2. Although he missed the cut, Thompson thinks he is on the right path. His experience in the Sandhills of North Carolina truly was one to remember. Not only did Thompson fy there on a private jet with friend and PGA Tour player Gary Woodland, he also played practice rounds with Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson.

Thompson senses he is on to something.

“More than anything, I’ve been able to build confdence in myself. I’ve tried for 14, 15 years to do that,”

HAZARDOUS DUTY

18,163 acres SOUTHEAST

14,287 acres NORTHEAST

17,122 acres NORTH CENTRAL

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Thompson says. “Once you get a taste of that (playing in PGA Tour events), you know that’s where it’s at.”

He has come close to reaching the top. In 2006, Thompson advanced to the fnal stage of the PGA Tour National Qualifying Tournament. Twice he was an All-American at the University of Kansas, where 15 years ago he helped the Jayhawks record their frst conference title since 1950.

In 2004, the night before he headed off for the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, Chris proposed to Jessica.

She says she knew what she was getting into when she said yes, knowing that her future husband had plans to pursue a career in golf, a lifestyle that means lots of nights and weekends away from home, sometimes in small towns that are far away.

Yet their home is solid. They now have two children.

Henry is 6; Landry is 3. And, as long as Chris wants to chase that dream, Jessica is nothing but supportive.

“I tell him as long as he’s happy, keep doing it,” she says.

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

A BREAKDOWN by region of the estimated 74,382 acres of bunkers on U.S. golf courses

13,471 acres TRANSITION

5,562 acres SOUTHWEST Source: EIFG Golf Course Property Profle (2007)

The Thompsons’ journey through the fairways of life — which features a GCSAA twist — continues nine years since they exchanged vows.

2,197 acres 3,580 acres PACIFIC UPPER WEST/ MOUNTAIN

Here’s the buzz on Operation Pollinator Golfers aren’t alone on the links these days.

On a growing number of U.S. courses, native bees and other pollinators are fnding a variety of nutritious wildfowers planted in out-of-play areas. That’s not only good for pollinators; it’s also good for golf courses.

Developed by Syngenta, Operation Pollinator is a research-based initiative that restores native pollinators in landscapes such as golf courses and farmland by creating essential habitats.

“Operation Pollinator helps tell our story,” says Scott Bender, CGCS, director of grounds at Griffn Gate Marriott Resort & Spa in Lexington, Ky., and a 13-year member of GCSAA. “It shows golfers and anyone who sees the Operation Pollinator sign that Marriott is a company committed to doing what’s right for the environment, not just the company. It’s a program we’re proud to be part of.”

Operation Pollinator adds a diverse and colorful array of regionally selected wildfowers planted in out-of-play areas to attract native bees and other pollinators, provide nutritious forage and boost bee numbers. At the same time, Operation Pollinator is enhancing course landscapes, increasing biodiversity and establishing low- to no-maintenance natural areas for superintendents.

Syngenta launched the program in Europe more than 10 years ago. The program has now gone global, and the company has been working with several U.S. universities the past four years to establish Operation Pollinator sites in this country.

Griffn Gate was part of the pilot Operation Pollinator with the University of Kentucky that began in fall 2011. So far, Syngenta has signed up more than 50 courses across 20 states in the program.

“It defnitely attracts lots of bees. Our course is alive with activity,” says Bender, whose facility was among those participating earlier this summer in National Pollinator Week, an effort to highlight concerns about declining bee populations. Loss of habitat and lack of nutrition are among the factors that affect bee health, according to a report by the USDA. “With Operation Pollinator, we’re raising awareness about the pressures pollinators are under and how we can proactively help their foraging efforts,” says Stephanie Schwenke, golf market manager for Syngenta. “And we’re helping superintendents tell the story of how a golf course is positive for the landscape environment.”

Managing habitats for bees and other pollinators signifcantly increases biodiversity and also contributes to one of six commitments Syngenta made in its Good Growth Plan — helping biodiversity fourish. The company has promised to enhance biodiversity on more than 12 million acres of farmland worldwide by 2020.

Additional information about the program can be found at www.GreenCastOnline.com/OperationPollinator.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Photo courtesy of Syngenta

PGA of America’s oldest member passes away Samuel Henry Ball, best known as Errie Ball, died July 2. He was 103.

Ball was the PGA of America’s oldest and longest-serving member. Ball, elected to PGA membership on June 20, 1931, also was the last living inaugural player in the frst Masters in 1934.

A native of Wales, Ball launched a career in golf, thanks in part to encouragement from legend Bobby Jones. Ball appeared in 25 major championships. As PGA Professional Emeritus at Willoughby Golf Club in Stuart, Fla., Ball often gave lessons well past his centennial birthday.

How did he get the name Errie?

“My father’s name was William Henry Ball. Back in those days, Henry became Harry,” Ball told the PGA of America at his 100th birthday party. “My mother, from what they tell me, didn’t like the fact that they would be calling my father Old Harry and me Young Harry. We had a French maid at that time, and she said, ‘Why don’t you call him Errie?’ And I’ve gone by that ever since. I wouldn’t turn around if you call me Sam.”

Rounds 4 Research reaches round two Part II of the 2014 Rounds 4 Research campaign is under way this month.

Now through Aug. 10, online bidding is available at www.rounds4research.com. The program, administered

by GCSAA’s philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf, allows golf facilities to support turfgrass research by donating rounds of golf for two or four. Miscellaneous golf experiences and trips are also included in the online auction.

In June, GCSAA announced Part I of this year’s Rounds 4 Research produced $115,000, a 7 percent increase over 2013’s frst phase. More than 600 rounds of golf were sold during the auction June 9-22.

The Carolinas GCSA led the way with more than $35,000 raised among the 45 fundraising partners that donated rounds. The top bid was $1,800 for a stay-andplay package offered by French Lick Resort at West Baden Springs, Ind. The high bid for a tee time for four golfers was $1,508 for the chance to play East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

All in the family The inaugural recipient of GCM’s Most Valuable Technician Award enjoyed a memorable week in June at Pinehurst No. 2.

Ramon Salas of Azusa Greens Country Club in Azusa, Calif., received the honor in 2010. He got time off, though, to go watch his daughter, Lizette Salas, play in the Women’s U.S. Open. She notched her frst LPGA triumph in May, so it’s been a special year for the Salas family. Lizette says she remembers being in her dad’s shop and watching him do his daily tasks.

“He knows how to make machines come alive again,” Lizette Salas says.

Tweets

RETWEETS Kevin W. Frank@MSUTurf Skunk party will likely resume tonight as grub buffet is open for business. pic.twitter.com/1FsQdJS2bM Mike LoPresti@CGCturf 2x brush mow in preparation for M/G this week

Chris Cook@brgcsuper Bunker team has done it again! Great job! pic.twitter.com/Ed8AtDmGTH

Tim Connolly@timconnolly__ More storms moving in. Humidity is stifing right now. pic.twitter.com/ GckOz2iJvo Ryan Howard@TWRyanHoward Course looks great! Phosphates getting a workout down here this last week

Bruce Constable@supr_bruce A nice addition to the @woodsidegc feet. pic.twitter.com/M1Kn6Eubd5

neil radatz@hawksnr Little old school sod knife edging today. pic.twitter.com/5crgtnXTFf

Frank Wong@turfpathology Come for the education @UConn Turfgrass Field Day; stay for the Dairy Bar Ice Cream @UCONNturfpath @GCSAA_NE pic.twitter.com/zN3PwxhjZ0

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

TPC Harding Park hits major trifecta Without a doubt, TPC Harding Park has come a very long way since it was used as a parking lot for the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club.

You can see the two golf courses, TPC Harding Park and The Olympic Club, from one another in San Francisco — they are that close. Fourteen years ago, though, they seemed worlds apart. The Olympic Club had the golfng world’s attention; it did so again in 2012 by hosting its latest U.S. Open.

TPC Harding Park, a city- and county-owned municipal course named after the 29th president of the U.S., Warren G. Harding, has had its share of moments, such as when it became a PGA Tour stop from 1961 to 1968 (called Lucky International).

Now, TPC Harding Park is on the verge of arguably the most signifcant stretch of golf in its history.

In June, it was announced that TPC Harding Park will

be the site of three major events starting in 2015. Next year, the World Golf Championships’ Match Play Championship is going to be held there. That isn’t it, however.

Not even close. In 2020, the PGA Championship is coming to TPC Harding Park, which marks the frst time a major championship will be played at a TPC property and the frst time a PGA Championship will be staged in San Francisco.

Oh, and in 2025, The Presidents Cup is scheduled there. TPC Harding Park had that event on its property in 2009.

TPC Harding Park superintendent Kevin Teahan welcomes the opportunities that are coming down the road.

“We love to be challenged, put our abilities to the test,” says Teahan, a four-year GCSAA member. “It’s very fattering. To go from a parking lot in 1998 to this says something in itself.”

TPC Harding Park reopened in March following a renovation that included new 007/Tyee mix bentgrass greens.

Also, bunker renovations featured the removal of the old sand and replacing it with Pebble Beach white sand.

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

Maynard, Crall named to board Bill. H. Maynard, CGCS, and Darrell Crall, chief operating offcer of the PGA of America, have been appointed to the board of trustees for the Environmental Institute for Golf.

Maynard, a member of the GCSAA Board of Directors, is director of golf course management at the Country Club of St. Albans in St. Louis. He and Crall join the seven-member board headed by GCSAA President Keith A. Ihms, CGCS.

In the

NEWS

Big plans to upgrade Colorado course

New Jersey course celebrates anniversary

Thorncreek Golf Course in Colorado has gone to great measures, including crossing state lines, to determine how to improve their situation, according to a story in the Denver Post that features GCSAA Class A superintendent Doug Fisher, a 23-year association member. www.denverpost.com/adamsco/ ci_26024968/thorncreek-golf-course-thornton-wayup-after-years

As Oak Hill Golf Club in New Jersey celebrates 50 years, they recall the rock-picking parties way back when that helped get it all started, as reported in the Newark Star-Ledger. Oak Hill’s superintendent is Joel Jacquemot, CGCS, a 33-year GCSAA member. www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index. ssf/2014/05/oak_hill_golf_club_celebrates.html

Floods ravage Minnesota facilities West Coast fre traced to golf course A fre in California that burned 600 acres and destroyed homes and apartments began on a golf course, as reported by NBCSanDiego.com. www. nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Detective-PoinsettiaFire-Not-Caused-by-Cigar-262630251.html

An extremely rainy spring and summer in Minnesota has taken its toll, and golf courses have paid the price, according to CBS Minnesota. They report on two courses that were hard hit — Hiawatha Golf Course and Meadowbrook Golf Course, both managed by the Minneapolis Park Board. http://minnesota. cbslocal.com/2014/06/26/fooding-closes-2-mplsgolf-courses/

By John Mascaro President of Turf-Tec International

(photo quiz)

(a) Turfgrass area: Putting green

Location: Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

PROBLEM Several deep dents and tears in turf

Grass variety: 007 creeping bentgrass/Poa annua

Turfgrass area: Fairway

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Grass variety: Poa annua/ryegrass mix

(b) PROBLEM Three lines across turf with footprints

Presented in partnership with Jacobsen

Answers on page 116

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

5 COURSES. 81 TOTAL HOLES. 365 DAYS A YEAR.

ONE BRAND OF TURF EQUIPMENT

To keep its 81 holes of world-class golf in flawless shape every day, Pebble Beach uses only Jacobsen turf equipment on every inch of every hole.

For more than 90 years, Pebble Beach has been a national treasure. Its five breathtaking courses contain some of the most iconic golf images known to the game. Six major championships helped create an indelible image of majestic beauty and striking contrasts.

For more information about Jacobsen or to find a Jacobsen dealer near you, visit jacobsen.com.

.

1.888.922.TURF | www.jacobsen.com Pebble Beach Golf Links ® is maintained by Jacobsen equipment. Pebble Beach ®, Pebble Beach Resorts ®, Pebble Beach Golf Links®, The Lone CypressTM, The Heritage Logo and their distinctive images are trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. Use is by permission. ©2014 Jacobsen division of Textron. All rights reserved.

Garett Heineck heine237@umn.edu

(turf)

Endophytes: The friendly fungi Now more than ever golf course superintendents are looking for ways to increase turfgrass quality with fewer inputs. Increasing productivity can come from improved genetics, more effective and effcient cultural practices and endophytes.

Endophytes, as they pertain to turfgrass, are intercellular fungi that form mutualistic relationships with many turf species. Turf species that commonly beneft from endophytes are perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fne fescue. Kentucky bluegrass is not compatible with endophytes, which are specifc to particular host species. Endophytes survive within the plant by using energy produced by the plant; in return, the endophytes provide the host plant with numerous benefts. Toxic compounds produced by endophytes — chiefy the alkaloids peramine and loline — can deter insect herbivory in turfgrass stands (1). Endophytes have also been shown to increase drought tolerance in tall fescue and perennial ryegrass (2). In fne fescues, endophytes are associated with reduction in the incidence of the common fungal pathogen dollar spot (3).

These benefts generally come with little expense to the plant because it is not in the best interest of the endophyte to take more than its share of the available energy since the endophyte relies on the plant for survival and reproduction. Endophytes also produce several mildly toxic alkaloids that can deter insect and animal feeding. In pasture or hay production systems, this can be of some concern,

Presented in Partnership with Barenbrug

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Endophyte-infected seed can produce turfgrass plants that are more resistant to heat and to certain fungal diseases than plants that do not beneft from endophyte infection. Photo by Kari Hugie

but these alkaloids should not be a problem in other situations.

Symbiotic fungal relationships can be benefcial to turf managers by allowing them to reduce inputs such as water and pesticides.

However, not all turf species are compatible with endophytes. Furthermore, not all varieties that beneft from endophytes are infected with viable (alive within seed) endophyte. There are a few things to keep in mind when using endophyte-infected grass seed.

• Check to see if the species you intend to use can be infected with endophytes (that is, tall fescue, fne fescue and perennial ryegrass).

• Check the variety bag or label for the phrase “endophyte enhanced,” as this is a good indicator of endophyte infection.

• Use the seed as quickly as possible to retain its viability, or store it at appropriate temperatures. Research has shown that viability can be retained for over two years when seed is stored at temperatures below approximately 40 F (4 C). Poor seed storage will drastically reduce endophyte viability, so make sure the seed source is reliable (4).

Scientists at the University of Minnesota are developing turfgrasses that require fewer inputs while continuing to provide important functions and to retain acceptable aesthetics.

For example, breeding in perennial ryegrass has focused on improving traits such as win-

ter hardiness and disease resistance. Developing a better understanding of how endophytes affect these and other traits will greatly beneft our program and result in improved low-input turfgrasses for use on golf courses and other turf areas.

Garett Heineck is a research assistant in the department of horticultural science at the University of Minnesota– St. Paul.

Literature cited 1. Bush, L.P., H.H. Wilkinson and C.L. Schardl.

1997. Bioprotective alkaloids of grass-fungal endophyte symbioses. Plant Physiology 114(1):1.

2. Kane, K.H. 2011. Effects of endophyte infection on drought stress tolerance of Lolium perenne accessions from the Mediterranean region. Environmental and Experimental Botany 71(3):337– 344.

3. Ruemmele, B.A., L.A. Brilman and D.R. Huff.

1995. Fine fescue germplasm diversity and vulnerability. Crop Science 35(2):313–316.

4. Tian, P., T.-N. Le, K.F. Smith, J.W. Forster, K.M. Guthridge and G.C. Spangenberg. 2013. Stability and viability of novel perennial ryegrass host– Neotyphodium endophyte associations. Crop Pasture Science 64(1): 39–50.

Exclusively From

Scott R. Nesbitt ORPguy@windstream.net

(shop)

Chain grinder: an essential tool

Top: A falsely labeled “universal” chain grinder only allows adjustment of the vise angle and has too much soft plastic to frmly grip the few chains for which the fxed wheel and tilt angles are correct. But the vise is OK for setting the depth gauges.

Middle: Proper grinding requires setting the vise angle, at the front, tilting the table to 10 degrees for certain chains, and setting the wheel angle using the index at the back of the machine.

Bottom: An electric grinder can be affordable and competent when properly operated. Photos by Scott Nesbitt

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Trees and woody shrubs defne much of golf’s beauty. Chain saws defne the trees.

Keep your chain saws sharp, and the course looks sharp. All it takes is a decent electric chain grinding machine, and at least one technician willing and able to learn and apply the details involved in keeping your woodcutting quick and safe.

It is very easy to waste $50 to $100 on a chain grinder that cannot properly sharpen your chains, even though it is billed as “universal” or “perfectly sharpens all chains.” Bunk.

Our orange grinder mistake is useful only for holding chains while their depth gauge is set.

You can spend $300 to $500 or more on an elegant professional grinder. They are beautiful, a joy to touch and use. After 30 years I still miss the purr of my Italian Tecomec.

In the great middle range, you can spend $150, plus or minus $20, and get a competent Chinese-made grinder that works pretty well out of the box. It can work even better with a little fne-tuning and modifcation.

My black-painted “Laser” grinder came with two wheels, a dressing stone and gauge to maintain the round-nose profle of the wheels and the Allen wrenches needed for assembly.

The same grinder is found in red, blue, green, orange, yellow and perhaps puce. One online merchant asks $926.95 for what appears to be the same grinder we bought for $139.99 (no sales tax, no shipping charge).

It appears that all these “clone” grinders come with the same instruction book, which includes a nice table of sharpening angles for many models of chain from six chain producers.

The details contained in this and other chain-spec tables are what sets apart a chain that sings fast and safe on the job, and the technician who can make that happen.

All chain saw operators should carry a round fle to clean up the cutters in the feld.

It’s a nice break for the operator, and reduces stress on the saw engine and bar. But few humans can precisely hit the angles with a fle.

Only a machine can effciently do that, and make each cutter the same length, so each takes the same bite of wood on each pass.

A real grinder allows angle adjustment, and locking, for three parts of the machine

— the wheel, the vise and the tilt table. There are many different names for these angles, depending on who you talk to or what you read.

The wheel angle is what grinds the underside of the tooth’s top surface to form the cutting edge. This is usually 50 or 60 degrees.

Useless machines don’t allow adjustment.

The vise angle produces what you see looking down on top of the tooth — it’s the angle between the cutter’s side and the cutting edge.

This is usually 25, 30 or 35 degrees on chains designed for cross-cutting. Chains for ripping or cutting frozen wood can be as blunt as 5 or 10 degrees.

The tilt table leans the tooth at 10 degrees off vertical. This is needed on square-shoulder “chisel” chains. “Chipper” chains, with a round shoulder, usually require a 0-degree angle. But the tooth shape is not what you need to know the settings your chain requires.

For this, you get the brand and model number off the side and drive links, and fnd the angles on a chart. Pay special attention to the tilt angle. It makes a huge difference in cutting performance.

You can’t properly sharpen a chain if your grinder has no adjustment for the wheel angle and doesn’t allow the table to tilt. Grinders to avoid usually have a plastic frame that’s too fexible for accurate grinding.

Your new grinder will have adjustments for tooth length, and perhaps for setting the distance between the tooth’s cutting edge and the top of the depth guide that precedes the cutter into the wood. Next month, I’ll list some tips for maximizing cutting tooth life and getting through wood straight, smooth and fast.

Scott R. Nesbitt is a freelance writer and former GCSAA staff member. He lives in Cleveland, Ga.

Bob Helland

(Advocacy)

Memo to GCSAA: The ‘New Washington’ is here to stay Whenever I discuss regulatory and legislative developments in Washington with golf course superintendents and other clients, I stress how partisanship and gridlock have changed federal decision-making. It’s what I call the “New Washington”: a place where brinksmanship and political grandstanding lead to little consensus within Congress on the issues that impact our lives; those decisions that are made come at the eleventh hour and the rest are pushed off to regulatory agencies, who keep fnding new ways to make your lives miserable. This would discourage anyone, but GCSAA must remain vigilant and politically active in order to make sure golf’s voice is heard by decision-makers.

A word or two on how we got here. One big reason is that few people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so. That increases the importance of those who vote and gives infuence to any group that can promise to bring large numbers of those voters to the polls. Experts at George Mason University looked at voter turnout for the presidential election of 2012, for example, and found that only 58 percent of eligible voters actually voted. That’s just over 130 million people. Looking at it another way, 42 percent of eligible voters (about 91 million), did not do so. (McDonald, Michael P. 2012 General Election Turnout Rates, United States Elections Project, http://elections.gmu. edu.) Those are the high-water marks. In the midterms, voter turnout drops further.

Change in campaign fnance puts the average citizen at a disadvantage in getting the ear of his or her lawmaker. In the 2010 ruling Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Photo by Orhan Cam/Shutterstock.com

to direct corporate spending in elections. Prior to Citizens United, corporations, trade associations and labor unions had to form a Political Action Committee (PAC) to solicit funds and give them to candidates. Now they can advocate directly for candidates, and pay for political advertising that expressly supports them, provided they do not coordinate with the candidate or political campaign. Citizens United has given rise to the “Super PAC,” which raises and spends unlimited amounts of funds on behalf of political candidates. Additionally, this year the Supreme Court removed the aggregate limits facing donors in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. Before McCutcheon, those amounts were capped so that an individual could only donate $48,600 to all candidates and $74,600 to all PACs and party committees for 2013-2014 (www.fec.gov).

Now those aggregate limits are gone. The last two remaining (and attractive) campaign fnance restrictions are the ban on direct contributions from corporations and the individual limit on campaign donations (currently set at $2,600 per candidate for each primary and general election). Expect lawsuits challenging these restrictions to come soon.

Now, look at Congress: It’s a midterm election year. The entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for re-election, and that colors every vote and every committee hearing that you read about. While the House is not likely to change hands, Republicans have a very good chance of taking control of the Senate. But don’t expect anything to happen on immigration reform, energy effciency, transportation infrastructure and other important bills. Instead, expect to see more

oversight hearings and showdowns over how the next round of sequestration cuts will impact government spending.

Don’t let the political environment I refer to scare you. And don’t worry so much about who is in power at any given time. To use a golf analogy, we need to think of our long game here, not our short game. Government relations work never ends for the golf industry, as for all other industries impacted by federal decision-makers. If golf’s voice is not heard, expect decisions to be made that will impact the bottom lines at your courses.

GCSAA has answered the call. Year after year on National Golf Day, GCSAA sends a large contingent to lobby Congress. GCSAA also lobbies year-round on a number of issues such as fnding relief through the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Pesticide General Permit, preserving the H-2B visa program and assuring product availability. GCSAA now has the EPA’s new “Waters of the U.S.” proposed rule to add to the plate. We are here to help GCSAA navigate through these diffcult issues and challenging times.

Together, let’s educate those members of Congress and the executive branch who do not understand how laws and regulations can impact an industry that generates $176.8 billion in total economic output, including 2 million U.S. jobs. That’s how we win in the “New Washington.”

Bob Helland is government services advisor with Reed Smith LLP, the Washington, D.C.-based frm that helps GCSAA advance its federal advocacy agenda.

Unparalleled weed control.

Now you have two loyal companions.

Follow us on Twitter @BayerGolf The BackedbyBayer app is available for download at the iTunes store.

Specticle® herbicide can’t offer unconditional love (or, can’t jump in the cart for a ride) but it can offer unsurpassed weed control in warm season turf, so you can maintain top course conditions that impress golfers and owners alike. So, if you’re looking for things to depend on, look to Specticle.

Your other loyal companion.

For more information, visit BackedbyBayer.com

Bayer CropScience LP, Environmental Science Division, 2 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 1-800-331-2867. www.BackedbyBayer.com. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, and Specticle are registered trademarks of Bayer. Not all products are registered in all states. Always read and follow label directions. ©2014 Bayer CropScience LP.

Pamela C. Smith, CGCS Greenskeeper99@yahoo.com

(environment)

Winning the mosquito war with Bt Twilight. The best time of day to play golf.

The air is cool, the wind is calm and the sun is mellow. Friends leave work and meet for a leisurely nine. Tag-along kids like to work the ball washer and rake out bunker footprints.

The sun sets a little lower and then a tiny sound like razors across an overtuned violin threatens to cut the evening short. One swat, then a slap and splat, and eventually the evening belongs to the mosquito.

Mosquitoes can become a threat to revenue as well as to the health of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. So why is it so hard to control a wisp of an insect no bigger than a dandelion seed? Sheer numbers are on their side. However, it also may be due to the fact that this pest goes unnoticed until the adult stage. Synthetic pesticides used to control adult and larva are generally nonselective and, as such, can negatively impact benefcial insects. Effective biological control can be a less lethal alternative to achieve control early in the mosquito’s lifespan.

Bacillus t ingienisis (Bt) is a biological control that acts upon the mosquito larva before becoming an adult. The mosquito undergoes complete metamorphosis: egg, pupa, larva and adult. During the larva stage, the mosquito feeds and lives in water. It is only during this larva stage that the mosquito is susceptible to Bt control. The Bt bacteria paralyze the digestive system of the larva and effec-

Presented in Partnership with Aquatrols

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Bacillus thuringienisis (Bt) products for controlling mosquitoes come in several forms, including little pucks. Photo by Pamela Smith

tively starve it to death (Cranshaw, W.S. 2008.

Colorado State University Extension, Bacillus t ingienisis Fact Sheet No. 5.556, www.ext. colostate.edu/pubs/insect/0556.pdf).

Bt is not a silver bullet. The same principles of turf pest management must be applied to achieve mosquito control. Understanding the biology and habitat of the mosquito is essential to developing a multi-pronged control strategy.

The superintendent must monitor pest levels and properly time Bt applications. Developing an integrated pest management approach enables the manager to achieve success with biological controls.

Eliminate mosquit abitat. The most basic management strategy is to identify and eliminate stagnant water and overgrown vegetation.

Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant and slow-moving water. They thrive in areas where excessive vegetation provides moisture and cover from predators. Mosquito larvae live in abandoned tires, poorly drained ditches, potholes, plugged drains, water-holding bunkers, etc. Be certain that no areas are regulated as wetlands.

Do not drain wetlands.

Mosquito biology. Mosquito life cycles can vary due to climate and species. Check with a local Extension offce to gain a clearer understanding of species life span in your area.

Generally, adults can live up to 14 days. The larva stage spans about seven to 14 days. Some mosquito species are daytime biters and some bite only at night. Daytime biters can come from several miles while nighttime biters are from shorter distances (Biological Notes on Mosquitoes, www.mosquitoes.org/LifeCycle.html). Check with an entomologist for identifcation if adults are present while your monitoring of nearby water bodies indicates no larvae activity.

Monitoring and timing. Bt applications need to be done during the larva stage. If stagnant waters cannot be drained, weekly monitoring should begin in spring. A white dipper is used to remove about a cup of water. Inspect the water for the dark-colored wiggler larvae.

If no larvae are present, check the label to see if preventive applications are allowed. When larvae are present, treat according to label recommendations. Check for larvae after rain events in addition to weekly monitoring. Rain events can move Bt-treated waters, leaving an area ripe for new larvae.

To test Bt effcacy, place a few grains of product in a container with stagnant water and several larvae. Larvae should expire within one to three days of being exposed to Bt. Read t e label, record and report. There are several commercially available Bt pesticides.

Bt products can be granular or in the form of dunks (little pucks). Bt products are labeled as pesticides and should be treated as such. Read the label and apply only according to label directions. Check the local, state and federal application and reporting requirements prior to using any pesticide on or near a body of water.

Some application sites may require a permit to apply to waters regulated by private and governmental agencies.

Bt biological control can be an effective control of mosquito pests. However, Bt use requires diligent monitoring and understanding of mosquito biology and habitat. Proper use of Bt can eliminate the reliance on nonselective synthetic pesticides and, in turn, protect benefcial organisms essential to a balanced ecology.

Pamela C. Smith, CGCS, is the director of agronomy for a large city and a 23-year member of GCSAA.

We fix relationships.

Are water repellency issues driving a waxy wedge into your soil/water relationships?

Probably. Statistically speaking, there comes a time in every soil’s life when water just doesn’t fnd it as attractive anymore...

Aquatrols soil surfactants help re-establish the bond between soil and water, making water-repellent areas attractive and receptive to water once again. And with a full line of formulations, we can help you solve a wide range of relationship issues.

Aquatrols. We bring back the

Watch the video!

.

scan the QR code with your smartphone or visit YouTube.com/Aquatrols

www.aquatrols.com

Bob Vaughey, CGCS bobbyslo@me.com Twitter: @rollinghillsgcm

(technology)

Irrigation access on the go

I have found this remote access to be extremely useful, and it can be used to access many common features on your irrigation system.

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Most irrigation systems found in the golf course industry, whether from Toro, Rain Bird, Hunter or others, will allow for remote access. As long as you have some sort of central control system and Internet access at the irrigation computer, you should be set. And whether you’re in the feld or eating dinner at home, you can access your irrigation computer from any smartphone, tablet or home computer.

I have found this remote access to be extremely useful, and it can be used to access many common features on your irrigation system. You can turn individual heads on or off.

You can turn the rain-hold function on and off.

If you have soil moisture sensors, you can monitor moisture levels, salts and the temperatures of your greens, tees and fairways. On more than one occasion, I’ve turned the system off from home or simply logged in to make sure settings were the way I wanted them. Taking fve minutes of time to put your mind at ease for the rest of the day is time well spent, in my opinion.

At Rolling Hills, we have a Toro Site Pro system that uses a program provided by Toro called NSN, but many of the features available there can be found through any Internetaccessible central control system. GoToMyPC is used to connect remotely with NSN. NSN is provided free of charge with membership, but can be purchased as a stand-alone product through many providers, which is something I cover in a short video available on GCM’s blog (http://gcm.typepad.com). Some free mobile apps offer similar features, as well, but these require a great deal more setup and have not proved as reliable as some of the paid programs, in my experience.

At the end of the half-hour setup process, you will have the ability to access your offce irrigation computer from almost anywhere at any time as though you were sitting in front of it. I must note, though, this functionality is limited by the device you are using. A smartphone is limited by the screen size and keyboard. A tablet is a bit easier, while a home computer offers an experience almost identical to the one you enjoy while sitting in the offce.

Whatever service you choose or device you choose to access it from, I have found this

remote access saves a tremendous amount of time, provides you with real-time information from the feld and gives you the ability to monitor the weather, soil conditions or anything else that may be tied in to your irrigation computer. In essence, this allows you the ability to take your irrigation computer and all its information with you wherever you may be.

In the video mentioned above, I discuss how to set up remote access to your irrigation computer. I also discuss some of the good and bad of these features. For example, I spent days convinced that control from my iPad out in the feld would drastically change the way we made adjustments to the system. From differences between touch-screen control and using a mouse with the irrigation computer itself, as well as the lag time created by relying on our wireless service, this proved to require more work than it was worth.

Many other tasks related to our irrigation system are still handled through our offce irrigation computer. But our department still uses many key features of remote access. One in particular proved to be a job-saver last year.

Our irrigation was set to start one evening at 9 p.m., which would have been a problem after I received a call from my general manager informing me of a kids’ camping night that was taking place on the 16th fairway. While I calmly informed him it wasn’t going to be an issue, I reached for my smartphone so I could turn on the rain-hold feature until I could make broader adjustments to our scheduled run times.

Remote access provides many advantages and a few diffculties. For the cost and ease of setup, however, I feel every superintendent should at least have it as an option and evaluate it.

Bob Vaughey, CGCS, is the director of agronomy at Rolling Hills Country Club in Palos Verdes, Calif., and a 10-year GCSAA member.

(water)

Teresa Carson tcarson@gcsaa.org twitter: @GCM_Magazine

F O R LO W CE

AI

RF

SU

ST

PUT

ALLI

IN

AN

The A-LIST

U NABLE T

In Southern California, Baird underlines the importance of developing lowinput turf cultivars.

“The drought is the worst I’ve ever known it,” he says.

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We all know who the A-listers are: Angelina Jolie is an A-lister, and so is Derek Jeter.

They make the big bucks and they have skills or good looks (or both) that are the envy of the rest of us.

But what about turf? Which cultivars are the A-listers? What are the characters of an A-lister, and which grasses outshine all the others in looks and sustainability?

The Alliance for Low Input Sustainable Turf (also called A-LIST) was formed by several seed companies — Mountain View Seeds, Seed Research/Pickseed/DLF and Lebanon Turf — “to foster development of sustainable turfgrass varieties” that require fewer inputs and thereby beneft the environment. John Zajac of Mountain View Seeds is the executive director.

Murray Wingate, international marketing and sales manager for Lebanon Seaboard, explains why the companies have joined forces: “New turfgrass varieties will beneft consumers who face the challenges of growing turf under drought and low-maintenance conditions.

Using less inputs overall will help (turf managers) maintain grass economically over the long-term.”

To identify cultivars that are potentially more sustainable, the members of A-LIST will place some of their cultivars in trials alongside highly rated older cultivars for comparison purposes. These trials will test for characteristics such as drought, heat and stress tolerance, and the turf will not be treated with fungicides or insecticides.

Leah Brilman, Ph.D., director of research for DLF, explains the rationale for the new trials: “Turfgrass breeders and seed companies have made considerable investment in improving turf quality. However, many of our current trials evaluate cultivars under optimal, non-limiting growth conditions. As we move to preserving the benefts of turf for all users, we want to defne the minimum levels of fertility and water to achieve functional turf, and the best cultivars for this.”

The A-LIST project is in its early stages, but trials are under way at three universities in distinct geographic regions across the United States. The cooperators supervising the trials are Jim Baird, Ph.D., University of California–

Riverside; Grady Miller, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, Raleigh; and Bill Meyer, Ph.D., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. Trials including tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass were planted at all sites in fall 2013.

Miller says, “We are screening A-LIST material for performance under low inputs (no pesticides after establishment and no water after establishment). We are early in the second year of evaluation at this point. These studies are not part of NTEP evaluations; (they are) completely separate and managed very differently.

The NTEP (trials) try to replicate ‘typical management situations.’ The A-LIST trials are low-input.”

In Southern California, Baird underlines the importance of developing low-input turf cultivars. “The drought is the worst I’ve ever known it,” he says. “All we hear about is turf reduction and turf removal. Part of the water puzzle is having the right species, the right cultivar. We need new cultivars that are drought-tolerant, and we need to provide information so that superintendents can make better choices.”

In early July, both the North Carolina trials and the California site were in the midst of the dry-down period when the turf receives no water after establishment. During this period, the turf quality is evaluated digitally and visually. When the green cover is reduced to 25 percent (50 percent in California), the water is turned back on and the ability of the turf to recover from the dry-down period is evaluated.

Future plans call for a rainout structure and facilities for testing cultivars’ salt tolerance. Cooperators will also be added in the Midwest.

Looking ahead, Miller says, “Coming off the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, where the world was given a golf course with lower water and management inputs, it seems important that we consider what the future may be like in turfgrass management. Having grasses that can survive (with) little to no pesticide intervention and under drought situations may become the new normal.”

Teresa Carson (tcarson@gcsaa.org) is GCM ’s science editor.

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Scout’s HONOR

Valhalla Golf Club superintendent Roger Meier, ready for the PGA Championship, was a Boy Scout in his youth. Judging by tough decisions he made on the job, it certainly looks like he learned long ago what it takes to be a leader.

Howard Richman

Meier, 18-year GCSA A member, is the golf course superintendent at Valhalla, where he already has put his leadership skills to the test. Here he is with his golden retriever, Bailey Photo by Howard Richman

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Long before it catered to golf’s finest, Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., was known more for being situated in a flood plain. It also just happened to serve as a Boy Scouts of America camp.

Roger Meier participated in the Boy Scouts. He even proudly indicates that fact on his LinkedIn profile. Meier achieved the highest honor in the Boy Scouts by earning the title of Eagle Scout when he completed a service project that called for the individual to plan, organize, lead and manage it.

That Boy Scouts camp no longer exists at Valhalla. If it did, there would be no reason to look very far for their leader.

He’s on the property.

Meier, 18-year GCSAA member, is the golf course superintendent at Valhalla, where he already has put his leadership skills to the test. He didn’t have a whole lot of time to prove it, either. Less than three years since Valhalla closed its course for major renovations, Meier appears to have earned what amounts to a merit badge for his effort on the brink of something kind of big that happens there this month.

“Roger did a wonderful job with a marginal golf course,” says former Valhalla greens committee chairman Mike Thorp. “At one point, you could tell that our course was on its last legs.”

As the final leg of the 2014 major championship season arrives, the world’s best players can see for themselves what Meier has accomplished in such a relatively short window. The PGA Championship, which is scheduled Aug. 7-10 at Valhalla, is the setting for Meier’s handiwork.

His brush strokes are recognizable throughout the distinctly different front and back nines at Valhalla, which could be considered young at 28, having opened in 1986. Still, it already has a rich history, hosting PGA Championships in 1996 and 2000, and The Ryder Cup in 2008.

Three years later, the Senior PGA Championship came to town. Within weeks of its conclusion, a mammoth renovation was launched. Meier, in the eye of it, needed to make crucial choices.

One of them focused on what type of grass would be chosen to regrass the greens.

In fact, it arguably was Meier’s toughest decision of them all.

This would be the second time in seven years that the greens were going to be regrassed. In 2006, Valhalla switched from Penncross to a Penn A-1/A-4 bentgrass blend. In the summer of 2011, heat and humidity had taken their toll, and action was in order. There was no time to dawdle, particularly since this PGA Championship was less than 36 months away. That may seem hardly ample time to restore greens that had become, in a word, unacceptable.

“Literally, you were putting on sand,” Thorp says. “The PGA of America was concerned.

Members were disheartened.”

Scott DeBolt, director of JacklinGolf at Jacklin Seed Co., was perfectly blunt when asked the importance of Meier’s greens grass decision.

“If he made the wrong choice and those greens failed, he’s looking for a job,” DeBolt says.

Meier, 36, had been on the job less than a year when Valhalla reached a crossroads. Although it hasn’t been in existence nearly as long as nearby famed Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, it sounds as if Valhalla had a thoroughbred in the form of Meier to guide such an important project.

“He is the workhorse, the every-down running back,” says Valhalla PGA club professional Chris Hamburger. “He doesn’t need my help.”

Yet when Meier set out to create the course he envisioned for Valhalla, he leaned on others rather than becoming a loner. If anything, Meier was thorough in his approach to getting it right.

Whether he visited other golf courses to collect ideas, spoke to endless industry members that he felt he could trust or bounce ideas off the course designer — none other than Jack Nicklaus — Meier showcased the resourcefulness of an Eagle Scout.

“This course is a fagship of the PGA of America. The whole plan for Valhalla during this renovation was to ensure it was one for the ages,” Meier says. “We wanted to set this place up for a long, long time.”

If anyone can make it happen, David Beanblossom knows it’s Meier. “If you’re going to build a golf course on the moon, he’s your guy,” says Beanblossom, superintendent at Chariot Run at Horseshoe Southern Indiana. “He can get grass to grow anywhere.”

Left: Meier and assistant superintendent Joey Downard conduct Stimpmeter tests. Photo © Montana Pritchard Right: Valhalla GC is ready for its third PGA Championship.

Photo courtesy of PGA of America

“He is the workhorse, the every-down running back. He doesn’t need my help.”

— Chris Hamburger, PGA club professional

A son finds his niche Judy Meier’s son fooled her — a couple of times.

After she and Roger Meier Sr. had two girls, everything changed June 10, 1978. They were expecting their third child, and Judy assumed it would be another girl. She got a surprise at birth.

It was a son.

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

49

Left: Installation work at Valhalla GC. Right: The 18th during the renovation process at Valhalla.

Photos courtesy of Valhalla GC

“We seeded and I did some night watering, doing laps around the course with a hose and roller base. I even played in a night league there. It was my second home.”

— Roger Meier

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“I even said to the nurse, ‘Are you sure?’’’

Judy Meier says with a laugh, still sounding surprised to this day.

In time, her son, whom they named Roger, threw Judy another curveball.

“He didn’t want to cut the grass at our home, but he was very dedicated to doing his work at the golf course,” she says.

Trumansburg (N.Y.) Golf Club was down the block from the Meiers’ residence in this bedroom suburb near Ithaca. Young Roger Meier learned to play golf there and discovered a fondness for the entire facility, frst washing golf cars until he was presented with a bucket and a screwdriver and told to pick rocks out of the 16th fairway.

It was the perfect time to be at Trumansburg. Meier was there when it evolved from a nine-hole facility into 18 holes, a key moment in his development when it came to shaping a golf course.

“I got to be part of the construction. I used an old topdresser that was belt-driven,” Meier says. “We seeded and I did some night watering, doing laps around the course with a hose and roller base. I even played in a night league there. It was my second home.”

School also proved to be a comfort zone for Meier. He got good grades, which ran in the family. His sisters, Heidi and Gretchen, both earned master’s degrees.

The Meier children were anything but spoiled.

“None of the kids got allowances,” Roger Meier Sr. says. “I clothed them, fed them, gave them a place to live. If they needed something, like a few bucks to go to the dance, they got it.

The girls did some babysitting. Roger plowed

snow for neighbors.”

At least, that is, until he went away to college. Meier landed at SUNY Cobleskill in Cobleskill, N.Y., which has become a cradle for major championship superintendents. In fact, make it back-to-back PGA Championships in which the superintendent attended the same college. In 2013, Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., was the site for the championship; it also is where superintendent Jeff Corcoran oversees operations.

Other SUNY Cobleskill-schooled superintendents with major championships on their résumé include Russ Myers (now at Los Angeles Country Club), who hosted the 2008 PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla.; Mark Michaud, who hosted the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills; and Craig Currier (now at Glen Oaks Club on Long Island), who was in charge of two U.S. Opens at Bethpage Black Course in 2002 and 2009.

A link to all of them was SUNY Cobleskill professor Bob Emmons, who in 2003 received GCSAA’s Distinguished Service Award. Meier calls Emmons, whose offce was adjacent to the greenhouse, his mentor. Emmons’ door always was open; and he knew how to open doors for his students.

“He was well connected. He knew the Latshaw group. We took trips to high-profle courses like Pine Valley and Oak Hill. He made sure you got the experience you needed,” Meier says.

TPC River Highlands was quite an experience. Meier landed an internship there while he was in college. A perk was being able to work the Greater Hartford Open on the PGA Tour, which convinced Meier that he was on to

Meier and crew, from left: Chris Habich, Joey Downard, Meier and Jason Sperring. Photo © Montana Pritchard

“I hire by frst impressions, gut feelings. He seemed like he wanted to further his career. He turned out to be everything I thought he’d be.”

— Dave Faucher

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something special.

“That was an eye-opening experience. I got hooked on tournament golf,” he says. “It was just a different level of intensity.”

When he graduated in 1999, Meier found work at a famed facility. The Country Club of Brookline in Boston held that memorable Ryder Cup where America’s Justin Leonard drained a dramatic lengthy putt to secure the U.S. triumph. By the time he arrived there in ’99, however, the Ryder Cup had ended. Meier’s professional journey, though, was just beginning. He made $10 an hour to rake skeet felds, tear down or rebuild equipment and lived in the maintenance facility dorm at Brookline.

Soon, a new century signaled what would become a decade of comings and goings for Meier. In that span he would meet his future wife. Get his frst big break. He even had encounters with a Golden Bear.

Here and there Just call this Meier’s fve-year-not-planned plan.

It begins here: In March 2000, Meier left Brookline to take an assistant position at TPC River’s Bend in Maineville, Ohio, under superintendent Dave Faucher. He was part of the grow-in and construction process, opportunities that served Meier well down the road. “He came with good recommendations,” Faucher says. “I hire by frst impressions, gut feelings.

He seemed like he wanted to further his career. He turned out to be everything I thought he’d be.”

Faucher’s daughter agreed. Not only did Meier get the job; he also got the girl. He married Carrie Faucher — Dave’s daughter. Meier points out, with a grin, that he began dating her after he took the job.

Fast-forward fve years. In March 2005, the Meiers left Ohio when Roger was offered his frst superintendent job at Chariot Run Golf Club in Elizabeth, Ind. And, fve years later, Meier checked his voice mail in the summer of 2010. Valhalla general manager Mike Montague wanted to know if Meier would be interested in discussing the open superintendent position there to replace the retired Mark Wilson, who Meier worked for as a volunteer during the Ryder Cup. It seemed like a no-brainer for Meier to pursue, but it wasn’t that simple.

“I’d gone to Chariot Run to prove myself and get back into the TPC network. That’s where I wanted to end up,” Meier says. “Now, here I am getting a call about a Nicklaus course, owned by the PGA of America. I was blown away.”

In August 2010, the fnal stages of the interview process had been completed for the Valhalla job when Meier was unwinding with friends, playing golf on a Sunday at Chariot Run. He just happened to record his frst hole-

Jack Nicklaus, at right, on the course he designed at Valhalla GC. With him is PGA of America President Ted Bishop. Photo courtesy of Valhalla GC

Meier certainly did his homework.

Practically the day after he was hired, Meier began building his case for major renovations.

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in-one during the round.

The following day, when he was back to work on the same course, Meier answered his phone. It was Montague. He wanted to talk about what it would take to hire Meier. On Sept. 1, 2010, it was Meier’s frst day on the job at Valhalla. He says the same things now that he thought then.

“This place is unbelievable,” Meier says.

A man with some plans When Meier showed up three years ago at the golf course of Ted Willard, CGCS, it was pretty obvious this was not exactly a social visit.

What gave it away? Meier was carrying a moisture meter.

Willard, superintendent at Hunting Creek Country Club in Prospect, Ky., was among the frst in the region to install T-1 creeping bentgrass, which was developed by Jacklin Seed’s Doug Brede, Ph.D. Although it has only been a decade since T-1 reached the market (it was frst released in late 2004), courses in the transition zone more recently began to give it a closer look because of its tolerance to extreme temperatures and drought as well as its Poa resistance.

The methodical and tireless quest for Meier to select the best grass for the greens at Valhalla impressed Willard. “That was smart of him.

He actually came out here a couple of times,” says Willard, a 29-year GCSAA member. “He was energetic. I knew he was somebody who is going places. He is going to be prepared for that PGA.”

Meier certainly did his homework. Practically the day after he was hired, Meier began building his case for major renovations, which also included reshaping greens, a new irrigation system (when Meier arrived, Valhalla didn’t have green surrounds heads), a Precision Air subsurface aeration system, multiple bunker renovations and an expanded practice area. He knew the grass on those greens wasn’t performing to its full potential. Meier exhausted multiple avenues to correct the problem.

In a way, Meier went home to launch the process.

Hummel & Co., a soils consulting service in Trumansburg, analyzed Valhalla greens samples. Greens were gridded. Meier suspected greens weren’t draining nearly as well as they should because sewer pipe failed to hold up under the weight. Drain tiles were crushed.

Organic and calcareous sand had degraded, basically turning into clay and silt. Meier knew then that a silica base was a must in the greens renovation.

In his pursuit, Meier sought advice and assistance from numerous people in the industry.

Former USGA agronomist Tim Moraghan visited him at Valhalla. So did Marc Logan, president of Greenway Golf. Among the frst to supply Meier with his analysis of the situation was TPC agronomy regional director Dennis Ingram.

Meier crossed state lines to become well informed. He also shared information with Pat Franklin, CGCS, at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Va. Franklin already had es-

The 18th at Valhalla GC, with its spiral-topped clubhouse in the distance. Photo courtesy of PGA of America

tablished his T-1 greens. Meier inquired, often.

Their relationship has proved to be fruitful.

“The biggest thing is aerifcation,” says Franklin, a 28-year GCSAA member. “His method was different than how I’d done it. He is doing smaller holes and more often. I never did it that way. When I fnally did it, it was a real success. I think Roger’s mentored me more than I’ve helped him.”

Valhalla lead assistant superintendent Chris Habich isn’t shocked to hear that.

“Roger isn’t old school. He’s new school,” Habich says. “He’s scientifc. He thinks outside the box. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Where did you come up with that?’ He lets us be accountable and try things. I almost consider myself a superintendent the way Roger runs things here.”

Jon Scott, vice president of agronomic services at Nicklaus Design, was one individual whom Meier sought for assistance. If anybody knows Valhalla’s background, and its issues with greens, Scott does. He served as grow-in superintendent there. He referred to his 18 months at Valhalla as “a diffcult grow-in.” He says several of the young Penncross greens had turf loss, and it took a fall growing season to get them back in shape. Obviously, that recovery didn’t last. Flooding issues hastened a decision to make drastic changes.

“The moment of truth occurred after the Senior PGA Championship in 2011 when the greens just gave out,” Scott says. “That was Roger’s frst full year, and let’s just say it made

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

a pretty strong impression on him that something needed to be done.”

Dysfunctional greens caused a debate at Valhalla: Rebuild or strip down below the accumulated organic layers and regrass? The latter argument prevailed.

Meier considered varying types of bentgrass, including 007. He still gave thought to Penn A-1/A-4. There even was talk of a grass that has gained momentum in the deep South.

“We actually had a talk, and it was a very short talk, of possibly putting in bermudagrass,” Meier says, “just because of this whole movement. Someday, not necessarily here, I can see bermudagrass in this area.”

Meier received insight on T-1 from Bob Hogan of The Hogan Co. in Springfeld, Tenn., who was his connection to Brede.

“Roger is a very fair man, very conscious of what he wants,” Hogan says. “I could compliment him all day long.”

Ultimately, Meier picked T-1, which has a strikingly rich, dark green appearance. Unlike Chariot Run, a wide-open course with full sun and an abundance of air, Valhalla is more of a microclimate scenario. Some areas are shaded, and air movement in spots is a problem.

“I liked the versatility in the T-1,” he says. “I liked how well it germinates, its heat tolerance, and it had the most uniform stand I’d ever seen.”

Brede, who likes to call the product his “baby,” says that if he had introduced it 20 years earlier in 1984, half the courses in the U.S. al-

ready would have it. Besides courses in the U.S. that have T-1, China is big on it. You can fnd T-1 in Las Vegas and in Carmel, Calif., at Valley Ranch Golf Course (which was among the frst to install T-1). It also can be seen in Bucyrus, Kan. That is where Tom Watson has T-1 on the putting green at his farm.

Brede understands why Meier was under the microscope when he picked T-1.

“The highest valued agricultural real estate in the world is a putting green,” Brede says.

DeBolt knew Meier was serious about T-1 when they jumped in a golf car one day during the pre-selection period. “We toured the course in a pouring-down rain,” DeBolt says. “He was telling me his vision of what he wanted to do.

He just had it all mapped out.”

Meier never lost sleep over the decision, which came with the club’s blessing, as well as that of the PGA of America and the Golden Bear himself, Nicklaus. Still, Meier was on the spot. After all, Valhalla decided against hiring a project manager. Instead, Meier was given that role.

Thorp says: “I told Roger, ‘They are essentially giving you everything you want.’ I said, ‘You better produce or you’ll be in big trouble.’’’

Superintendent Brice Gordon of Otis Park Golf Course in New Bedford, Ind., who has T-1 greens and traded information with Meier, doubts that Thorp’s warning made much of an impact.

“Roger’s kind of fearless,” says Gordon, a

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29-year GCSAA member.

There was some debate about whether to wait until the upcoming PGA Championship was over to begin renovations. Obviously, with such an important event on the calendar, it was deemed too risky to delay.

“You’ve got to make a decision. I had a great support network,” Meier says. “You’ve got to do it and go.”

In November 2011, the back nine greens were reseeded; in March 2012, the front nine greens were reseeded. Six months later, Valhalla reopened. Meier, and others who matter there, now believe they are positioned for years of success. Valhalla second assistant superintendent Joey Downard knows Meier sank his heart into this.

“It seemed he was in every place at one time, going over things with a fne-tooth comb,

the one goal being to make this place better,” Downard says.

Scott — who has met and collaborated with superintendents for years — believes that Meier is built to ensure Valhalla’s foundation.

That should come as no surprise. Meier’s Eagle Scout project all those years ago called for him to rebuild. On that occasion, it was a food pantry at the United Methodist Church in Trumansburg. He transformed a storage closet that was used to distribute food out of boxes and bags into a pantry that featured shelves and labels to make storage and inventory simpler.

“He uses future vision to know where he is going and what he needs to do now to get there,” Scott says. “Perhaps, most importantly, he is a great leader, motivator and organizer. If I had to put on paper the key traits I have seen in

top golf course superintendents I have known and worked with, Roger would possess every one of them.”

Meier defects praise as he puts the fnishing touches on a new-look Valhalla that has his fngerprints all over it.

“This isn’t about me,” Meier says. “It’s about the club. This industry. This profession. It’s about reaching out to guys who have tenure, who’ve gone through it, people who have had more experiences than I’ve had,” Meier says.

Howard Richman (hrichman@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s associate editor.

Eight is enough This may not exactly be the Valhalla Golf Club you remember.

Since it staged the 2008 Ryder Cup and 2011 Senior PGA Championship, Valhalla has had quite a facelift, as the world will note during this month’s PGA Championship. For instance, when the course was renovated three years ago, two fairway bunkers were added to the split fairway at the par-5 7th. On No. 2, the entire green was shifted to the left. A fairway bunker was removed at No. 15.

Although it may not necessarily catch your eye if you watch the championship on TV, one of the most notable changes occurred on No. 8. The 189-yard par-3, according to Valhalla member Mike Thorp, had become “an abomination.”

“In my opinion, the green was crazy. Multi-levels. Horseshoe-shaped around the bunker. Very shallow. All of the undulations. It was bizarre,” Thorp says.

This wasn’t the frst time that No. 8 had been the center of attention. It was redesigned pre-Ryder Cup. “It had severe contouring,” says Valhalla superintendent Roger Meier. “It was controversial. The members just didn’t like the contours. It was almost quadrant golf, so to speak, where you had to be in a particular area of the green. We just didn’t want to have the same No. 8.”

Thorp even challenged course designer Jack Nicklaus when the most recent renovation occurred. He opposed the idea of keeping severe undulations. Thorp told Nicklaus that to his face.

“Jack said, ‘If you keep messing with this, you’ll get bored with this hole.’ He thought it would present no challenge to us (members) and the best in the world,” Thorp says.

Meier and Thorp got their wish. Meier says Nicklaus ultimately approved softening contours at No. 8.

“The green turned out so good this time,” Meier says. “You don’t see these big undulations. They’re so subtle. You can’t fgure them out. They’re fair, but the subtleties make it challenging. It’s a very fair green.” Ñ H.R. Valhalla member Mike Thorp, left, and superintendent Roger Meier got their way at No. 8. Photo courtesy of Valhalla GC

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

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Hazard

a change better

A golf course designer — and longtime superintendent — offers seven keys to a successful bunker renovation.

Jerry Lemons

Especially after heavy rainfall, surface drainage will carry sand down bunker slopes. Photos courtesy of Jerry Lemons

As clubs look to prolong the life of their bunkers, they’re abandoning old-school construction methods.

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Shrinking budgets have postponed upgrades at many golf courses across the country, but a growing number have decided that’s no excuse to let shabby bunkers drive golfers away.

As clubs look to prolong the life of their bunkers, they’re abandoning old-school construction methods. A few years ago, the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) revised fgures for the life expectancy of golf course components, and bunker sand was listed at fve to seven years. In my opinion, we need better solutions than rebuilding bunkers every fve to seven years.

Although a bunker renovation can be tied into a greens renovation or entire course renovation, many times bunkers are done as standalone projects because of their shorter life cycle.

A renovation may consist of simply replacing drainage and sand or it may involve minor tweaking or reshaping of each bunker. When more signifcant changes to bunkers are desired, they should also be made at this time as it is most cost-effective to consolidate projects.

If you are considering a bunker renovation, I have seven main tips for improving your course while also prolonging the life of your bunkers.

1

. Drainage, drainage, drainage When it comes to bunkers, nothing is more important than drainage. Here are some basics.

• Surface drainage should be routed so no water enters the bunker other than rainfall and irrigation.

• Internal bunker drainage should be maximized, especially on steep bunker slopes.

Draining water out of the bunker sand is the key to keeping it in place. Sand erosion will reduce bunker life more than anything else. Nothing ruins bunker sand quicker than contamination caused by washouts.

• Create an exit strategy. Getting water out of the bunker through a functional drain pipe will allow quicker return to playability.

A 4-inch pipe is almost always suffcient in large bunkers.

2

. Sand selection I used to choose bunker sands on cost alone. I have learned that all sands are nowhere close to being equal.

Choose a sand based on accredited lab tests that prove it meets the following criteria: • Drains well (in excess of 20 inches per hour).

A stable turf edge is a good way to prevent soil migration into bunker sand. trometer test, so be sure to use one lab when testing multiple sands.)

• Has acceptable color. This does not necessarily mean snow white.

• Is installed at the proper depth. Too deep equals soft sand; too shallow equals sand that is too wet and too frm.

• Is uncontaminated. Consider sand “cleaning.” If you have a good sand that is just contaminated, you may see a 75 percent reduction of sand cost just by washing. Several clubs have done this with great success.

3

Choosing the proper sand is critical to bunker maintenance. Pictured above is highly angular Pro-Angle sand at 140× magnifcation. Photo courtesy of International Sports Turf Research Center

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• Has angular particles (many cracked sands are very good).

• Is void of gravel and too many fne particles.

• Has an angle of repose (AOR) steeper than the designed bunker face. (See below for more on AOR.) • Has a high penetrometer reading — which predicts a low probability for “fried egg” lies. (Note: not all labs use the same pene-

. Shapes, sizes, location and depth There is no better time to get the golf course architect involved and evaluate decisions on the key factors of shape, size, location and depth than before a renovation. A bunker’s original location may have become strategically obsolete because of technological advances in golf clubs and balls.

A bunker renovation is a great time for a course to redefne itself by giving it that “new look.” Just as new window treatments can change the feel of an entire house, a ragged or smooth edge on bunkers can add new style to an entire course. This change can help market the renovation after its completion.

A bunker renovation is the perfect time to redefne the course’s strategy, diffculty and artistic appearance. Don’t miss the opportunity to tweak or totally redefne.

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Today’s golfers expect well-maintained bunkers with uncontaminated sand that stays in place on sloping edges. Photo by Larry Lambrecht/www.golfstock.net

Vertical dirt edges may look great the day the course opens, but they will eventually become the biggest challenge to maintaining good bunker sand.

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Drip irrigation is becoming more popular and is a very affordable way to irrigate steep bunker faces and edges. The lines are easy to install and can function any time during the day without interfering with play.

4

. Edges Bunker edges are as varied as bunker sands. Going into a renovation, the architect, owner and superintendent should all agree on the design and long-term goals for the management of edges. Whether the team agrees on a shallow lip or a deep edge, the goal should always be to simplify edge maintenance by eliminating any potential sand contamination.

Vertical dirt edges may look great the day the course opens, but they will eventually become the biggest challenge to maintaining good bunker sand. A stable thatch or turf edge has proved best when the turf is grown into the bunker sand and maintained in the bunker sand. This technique prevents deep edging into native soil. Bunker edges can change over time if they are not monitored carefully. When contamination is eliminated, the sand will remain good for a very long time.

5

. Liners, turfgrass and bare(s), oh my!

The use of liners under the sand has grown along with the demand for better playing conditions. A liner’s primary purpose is to protect and prolong the life of the sand and reduce washouts.

Bunker construction typically follows several basic steps: excavate, add a drain line or a sump and place sand in the bunker on bare dirt.

However, it’s helpful to review how improvements in material and techniques over the last 35 years have impacted bunker construction.

• Conventional met od: sand on bare dirt.

Occasionally, the conventional method is still used with fat bunkers and inexpensive sand. Expect a shorter life cycle of fve to seven years. I’ve seen some courses try to reduce improvement costs by placing sod in bunker bottoms. As the sod rots, it’s just barely better long-term than sand on bare dirt.

• Fabric liners. Numerous materials have been introduced since the early 1980s, and most of them increase the sand’s life by reducing contamination. Since most are permeable,

If bunkers are very fat and have little chance of sand movement, a geotextile may be a good option.

they provide some drainage beneft. Thicker fabrics have better hydraulic capability than thin fabrics. The more drainage lines under a fabric, the better the chances the sand will stay put during rain events due to the sand unloading water into the drain line. If bunkers are very fat and have little chance of sand movement, a geotextile may be a good option.

• Impermeable liners. If keeping sand separated from soil is the only criteria, impermeable liners can do just that. Impermeable layers do not provide any draining characteristics. Although they may keep sand clean and separated from the subgrade, they lack any lateral water fow capability needed to stop washouts. The maintenance staff may need to shovel sand back into place and recompact it following rain events.

• Drainage layers. These have the ability to drain sand quickly, which in turn stops most sand erosion problems with fewer drain lines. The upfront cost (usually 10-15 percent higher) of these drainage layers of polymer-sprayed rock, porous concrete or porous asphalt can be recouped in just a few years of labor savings and can more than double the life of the sand. Courses that have

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experienced frequent washouts in regions with heavy rainfall may fnd a high-speed drainage layer makes more sense because of their improved hydraulic conductivity.

6

. Design for maintenance and longer bunker life It disturbs me that many clubs spend more resources on bunkers than any other part of their course. The argument can be made that they are “hazards.” But let’s face it, no golfer wants to play out of muddy, wet, eroded bunkers — thus, they become a time-consuming expense.

While the key in designing bunkers should be reducing maintenance and the associated costs as much as possible, architects should not be limited to designing and building only fat bunkers.

Here’s what a good bunker design should do.

• Match the slope of the bunker with the angle of repose of the sand. AOR is the maximum slope at which the sand will stay in place. We prefer to use 80 percent of the AOR, but always stay below 100 percent.

Anything above 100 percent requires approval of Sir Isaac Newton.

• Use drainage layers on slopes steeper than

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30 percent of the sand’s AOR. Allow entry points for power equipment (and golfers).

Eliminate the need to only hand rake by selecting durable liners.

Allow the majority of mowing to be accomplished with riding equipment.

Use turfgrass species proven to be good bunker edge material that will stabilize the soil around the bunker.

7

. Maintain After all the work is done, golfer expectations are going to be high. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing torn liners or contaminated sand a mere year or two after the completion of a bunker renovation. The following suggestions may extend the life of your bunkers.

• Monitor and keep sand at proper depths.

Sand can be moved by wind, water, golfers and machines. Periodically check depths to keep sand functioning properly.

• Maintain proper moisture. Moisture content of the sand will greatly impact playability and sand performance. Determine how you want your bunkers to play (frmer or

fuffer) and adjust accordingly.

• Consider a reduced raking program. Rake bunkers only when they need to be raked.

Raking when bunkers are already perfect is a budget-killer.

Conclusion Bunkers are not just hazards that can be ignored. A bunker renovation is the best opportunity to improve the overall appearance of the golf course and reduce long-term maintenance.

Preventing sand contamination from erosion and excessive edging dramatically extends the life of bunkers. Remember, nothing kills a staff’s morale or a course’s budget more than the need to repair contaminated, washed-out bunkers over and over again.

Many superintendents are testing different sands, methods and materials prior to a full renovation. This is an excellent way for superintendents, owners, greens committees and members to make an educated decision on which method and materials to use.

Jerry Lemons is the president of Old Hickory, Tenn.-based Golf Links Inc. and a senior design associate with Lee Trev-

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ino Golf Design. A 34-year member of GCSAA as well as a member of ASGCA, Lemons has been involved in more than 200 bunker renovations in the last three years.

Leo Feser award

CANDIDATE This article is eligible for the 2015 Leo Feser Award, presented annually since 1977 to the author of the best superintendent-written article published in GCM during the previous year. Superintendents receive a $300 stipend for articles. Feser Award winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Golf Industry Show, where they are recognized. They also have their names engraved on a plaque permanently displayed at GCSAA headquarters.

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AT THE TURN Mark Leslie

The severe bunker faces at Winged Foot GC in Mamaroneck, N.Y., called for special treatment during renovation. Photo courtesy of Steve Rabideau, CGCS

(maintenance)

Save the sand An enhanced drainage method eases the pain of bunker maintenance.

“We’ve gone from 100 man-hours to nothing after rainstorms.”

— Ed Easley

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Intriguing, beguiling, engaging or menacing, bunkers have two things in common: They are essential ingredients in golf course design and are a literal pain to maintain. Add rainfall and double that pain; add steep slopes and triple it.

“For every quarter-inch of rain we needed 100-plus man-hours to throw sand back up the bunkers” at Cowboys Golf Club in Dallas, says Ed Easley, director of agronomy and construction for Eagle Golf.

At Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach, Va., where Matt Boyce is the GCSAA Class A superintendent, “The club has a bunch of bunkers with fash faces. On the coast we get the ‘frog stranglers’ that come through and they’d wash out all the time.”

“Our bunker faces are very severe and there is a lot of greens-surface drainage into them, so it’s a nightmare,” says Steve Rabideau, CGCS, superintendent at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. What to do?

For a growing number of superintendents across the country, the solution is Better Billy Bunkers, a system that has replaced fabric liners with a layer of gravel that is glued together by a specialized polymer created by Dow Chemical Co. just for this purpose.

Easley, Boyce and Rabideau are among a growing number who report extraordinary results with this method.

“We’ve gone from 100 man-hours to nothing after rainstorms,” says Easley, a GCSAA Class A superintendent and a 22-year member of the association. “It’s the Cadillac of bunkers and

Bunker washouts frequently prompt renovation. A linerless method eases the pain of maintenance. Photos courtesy of Better Billy Bunkers

“In a nutshell, it makes maintaining bunkers during rain events a lot easier, period.”

— William Shirley, CGCS

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that’s a great compliment.”

Easley says that Eagle Golf, which operates more than 30 golf courses, is starting its sixth project with the method.

“We’ve gone away from fabrics to Billy Bunkers,” says Doug Miller, CGCS, a 25-year GCSAA member who is senior vice president of golf course management for ClubCorp.

ClubCorp operates 105 golf courses from coast to coast and has renovated bunkers with the enhanced drainage method on about 20 18-hole courses since its frst job two and a half years ago.

The week after ClubCorp fnished Hartefeld National Country Club outside Philadelphia, Hurricane Sandy dumped 6½ inches of rain in a two-hour period.

“The general manager was so giddy he was sending pictures and reporting, ‘No sand movement at all,’” Miller says. “We tried our frst Billy Bunker at Yaupon Golf Club (at The Hills of Lakeway in Austin, Texas), and the frst heavy rain we had was 2 inches.

The superintendent sent pictures showing all the sand that moved on the entire course: a 2-inch-square edge of one bunker.”

“In a nutshell, it makes maintaining bunkers during rain events a lot easier, period,” says 29-year GCSAA member William Shirley, CGCS, at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta,

which redid its 75,000 square feet of bunkers, many with steep faces, in 2011. “It’s been great. We love it. It’s a simple way of maintaining bunkers without having a liner in there.

You don’t have to worry about snagging fabric. You do have to check to make sure of your depth of sand, but you have to do that with any bunker.”

Historically speaking Billy Bunkers originated in 1981 with Billy Fuller, then-superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club. Every summer after The Masters, Augusta National had traditionally cleaned out all the bunkers because of silt and erosion from winter rains.

“I didn’t want to do that every year,” Fuller says, “and then one day I spotted a Georgia DOT crew putting down a geo-textile fabric liner on a steep slope. The crew told me the liner would hold the slope in place while the grass seed germinated.”

That’s when Fuller’s idea germinated.

“I contacted the company and ordered a roll,” Fuller recalls. “We cleaned out three bunkers that summer and lined them, thinking it would keep the clay from contaminating the sand. It accomplished that, but sand still washed down the slopes.

“I thought, what can I put underneath

the liner to act as a conduit for water? That’s where the gravel layer came to mind, and it solved 90 percent of the issues on those steepfaced bunkers.”

Fuller joined Bob Cupp’s course design frm six years later, but it wasn’t until 1994 that Fuller fnally persuaded a golf course — Cartersville (Ga.) Country Club — to install his then-nameless bunkers.

But the “day of reckoning,” Fuller says, was when Shirley took the concept to the highly regarded Peachtree GC. “William helped launch it,” he says.

Suddenly, other superintendents took notice and new liners came to the marketplace.

But the evolution was not complete. Problems with the original Billy Bunker process arise when, several years after installation, the liners deteriorate and when bunker rakes and even club heads tear them.

Also, a number of courses installed the liners without the gravel layer which, over time, led to sand clogging up the liners and eroding down the slopes because there was no room for water to pass through.

“It became obvious,” Fuller says, “that the 2-inch gravel layer is key.”

Fast-forward to the meeting of the minds

The Better Billy Bunkers enhanced drainage method is a multi-step process involving application of a special polymer coating (top photo) to a 2-inch gravel layer (bottom photo).

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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Enhanced drainage lines are ready to be covered with gravel during bunker renovation at Winged Foot. Photo courtesy of Steve Rabideau, CGCS between Fuller and fellow ASGCA member Jerry Lemons, who had the idea to connect with Dow Chemical Co. to develop ST410 Polymer especially to “glue together” the twoinch gravel layer so essential to the process.

The result: Better Billy Bunkers, a moniker out of the mouth of Fuller’s wife, Atlanta musician Sarah Hawbecker.

Spraying gravel with the polymer creates a layer that is “as hard as a rock but retains its porosity,” says Easley. “It’s mind-boggling.”

“The drainage is the simple thing,” Lemons says. “The magic’s in the drum — the polymer. That’s where the high-tech, the science, is.”

Lemons says the company stands behind its system and adds: “We know that in 20 years with this polymer being under a sand bunker, it will be just like it is today. Independent lab tests prove it can handle freeze-thaw because of its fexibility. Flexibility is key because some concrete polymers have failed in environments where freeze-thaw is prevalent.”

An investment and more “We look at it from maintenance, playabil-

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ity and aesthetics standpoints,” says 19-year GCSAA member Boyce at Princess Anne CC. “It was sold to the club based on maintenance, the time put in repairing bunkers. Obviously, in regard to playability, the sand stays where it’s at and the players love that.”

“People want perfect bunkers,” says course architect Rees Jones. “It allows more consistency, stops contamination and enables you to fash the bunkers a little better, too. Clubs don’t want sand movement. They want bunkers to stay frm, not too soft; if it’s soft, you have to rake it up.

“The other methods have improved, too,” he adds, “but [Better Billy Bunkers] are less apt to be a problem in cold climates.”

“I’ve tried all the bunker liners and so far Better Billy Bunker is the best one I’ve seen,” says course architect Jeffrey D. Brauer, whose designs include Cowboys Golf Club. “These things went from being luxuries to necessities… We get a lot of rain in a hurry in Texas.

Cowboys in particular has very sloped bunkers. The sand holds up on those slopes, no matter how hard it rains.”

ClubCorp’s Miller says, “We haven’t had

any issues. It’s been one of those things that’s simple for us. In all our conversations around bunkers and bunker maintenance, we’ve taken the liner piece out of the conversation.

Now it’s all about, ‘Do you change design?’ or ‘What sand are you using for frmness?’ It’s not about liners.”

In fact, excluding California, where the soil does not tend to migrate into the bunkers, ClubCorp has taken the method to courses in Arizona (where rocks push up and damage fabrics); Texas; Ohio; North Carolina; Georgia; Washington, D.C.; Long Island; and to the north of Boston.

Now in his third year at Winged Foot, Rabideau says that soon after he arrived, he tested the new technique on a few bunkers on the West Course, which contains the most severe slopes and is hosting the 2020 U.S. Open.

“It worked excellent,” he says, so this spring the 20-year GCSAA member started renovating bunkers on the East Course in preparation for the frst USGA Four-Ball Championship in 2016.

“I think the Better Billy Bunkers might

not completely stop the sand from sliding, but you don’t get the washouts and soil contamination from the faces and walls breaking down,” Rabideau says. “When your drain lines plug up, you have to clean them out, pump out the bunkers, add new soil, add new bunker sand…

“It costs more money up front,” he adds, “but if you can get past that, the savings in labor and down the road are signifcant.”

Easley put the cost per square foot in a renovation at $3.93, which he says is more than liners but less than artifcial turf. Along with the cost of local gravel and bunker sand, this fgure includes sand removal, gravel installation, polymer application and sand installation.

“It would cost less in new construction,” Easley says.

“Shoveling sand up a bunker face is the biggest waste in the golf industry,” Lemons says. “This method takes that out of the equation forever. It’s about draining the whole foor of the bunker, and when you do that, amazing things happen.”

Boyce and Rabideau were both able to do some of the bunker renovation in-house — removing the bunker sand, putting in the rock and preparing it for the polymer applica-

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tion, which must be done by one of 16 certifed contractors.

“There is no temperature minimum on this, just under 15-16 percent moisture in the gravel to spray it properly,” Rabideau says. “It’s fexible, but rock-hard and durable.”

Asked how long it takes for a contractor to renovate an average golf course, Lemons says, “We had one contractor do 60,000 square feet in 30 days, but I’d say the average time would be inside 45 days for 60,000 square feet.”

Lemons says this type of project is a good time to consider engaging an architect to work with the club reviewing bunker locations and shapes.

A future for the method Asked if he had advice for superintendents considering upgrading to this type of bunker drainage, Boyce says, “One thing I would do different is take the rock and polymer all the way to the top of the bunker. On our latest bunkers, we took the rock all the way to the native soil/grass interface.”

Miller says the method “moves water so well that we’ve had to install frmer sands because they dry out faster.”

“Usually you have two or three things that you change over the course of several proj-

ects,” Easley says. “But we haven’t changed anything with this — only the sand selection.”

Meanwhile, Boyce suggests his colleagues think outside the box in regard to applications of the polymer.

“There are ways to use the polymer that we haven’t done in the past,” he says, such as stabilizing the base material at the walk-on, walk-off areas of turf, perhaps in cart-path areas. “If there are ways to incorporate this, it could be pretty cool,” he says.

Indeed, Fuller and Lemons have patented a process for driveways and parking lots that includes a subsurface of gravel, topdressed with fnely ground rubber and sprayed with ST410 Polymer.

“But we’re just too busy with golf course work to focus on it,” Fuller says.

A frequent contributor to GCM, Mark Leslie is a freelance writer based in Monmouth, Maine. He is the author of the companion e-books “Putting a Little Spin on It: The Design’s the Thing!” and “Putting a Little Spin on It: The Grooming’s the Thing!

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AT THE TURN Chip Fogleman

Centre Hills CC in State College, Pa., took a chance with a new product to control the Poa annua in its creeping bentgrass fairways. Photos courtesy of Chip Fogleman

(renovation)

The Poa predicament An experiment with a new herbicide at Pennsylvania’s Centre Hills Country Club proves that “easy does it” is an effective approach.

Our goal is to achieve a consistent creeping bentgrass/ Poa annua ratio across all 27 holes.

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It is inevitable. In this part of the country, no matter what you do as a golf course superintendent or as a course manager, and no matter how hard your grounds crew works to avoid it, ultimately, you’re going to face Poa annua encroachment.

Our grounds team at Centre Hills Country Club in State College, Pa., knew that Poa annua would sneak into the picture in the years following a fairway conversion from perennial ryegrass to creeping bentgrass.

Centre Hills, a 400-member private club, hosted approximately 17,000 rounds of golf in 2013. The property covers 230 acres and encompasses 18- and nine-hole courses as well as an 8-acre practice facility, swimming pool and tennis courts. The original nine holes designed by A.H. Finley were built in 1921. To complete an 18-hole loop, a second nine designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. was built in 1967. In 1993, Centre Hills added a nine-hole course designed by Edmund B. Ault.

In 2000, Centre Hills converted the fairways on the 18-hole course to bentgrass. Over the following years, the Poa annua population reached a high of 20 to 25 percent in cleanup passes around fairways, and as much as 75 percent in a greens-height nursery plot. Although irrigation controls were upgraded in 2013, giving us precise control over run times, our team is still work-

The treated fairway areas at Centre Hills CC are pictured three weeks after the third application of Xonerate.

ing with single-row fairway irrigation to maintain bentgrass, which contributes to stressed fairway edges.

Noting these challenges, we had been using paclobutrazol on fairways to control our Poa annua issues. In response, the Poa population had held steady with this treatment program.

So, what comes next in fghting this Poa predicament? I frst learned about a herbicide called Xonerate (Arysta LifeScience) from Keith Perl with Walker Supply. In discussing the opportunity to try the herbicide at Centre Hills, I then worked with Todd Mason, with the turf and ornamental team at Arysta LifeScience, to gain further information.

Mason shared some basics with our team.

He told us that Xonerate doesn’t just manage or suppress Poa annua on turfgrasses, it eliminates it. Mason said studies have shown this product to be 90 percent effective in controlling Poa. Comparing it to current products, we liked the product’s greater application fexibility.

There are fewer nutrient requirements, as well as less time spent watering and mowing. Additional benefts included selective removal of Poa annua and a shorter wait before reseed-

We realize we have a little too much Poa annua in the cleanup areas, which will need a slower approach to eradicate it. ing creeping bentgrass (seven or more days after the last application). It also can be used as a post-emergence control for smaller percentages of Poa, while transitioning to desirable turfgrass.

Ultimately, Mason said, the product would eliminate Poa annua, which could lead to less pesticide use due to a possible reduction in disease and insects on our fairways.

My initial thought: If it works, Xonerate will certainly help in fairway and tee use at Centre Hills. And there’s also the possibility of

using this same product on greens (although our initial focus is fairways at this time; we used it in an experimental trial on our nursery green). We have 27 greens at Centre Hills, and all three nines have very different percentages of Poa annua mixed with the Penncross, Penn A-1/A-4 and T-1 creeping bentgrass, so if it works as well as I hope it does, this product could slowly reduce the Poa population in high percentage greens.

Cultural practices on the greens also help: core aerifcation in the spring with ¼-inch tines and in the fall with ½-inch tines to a depth of 3 to 4 inches, verticutting every two to three weeks, light topdressing every one to two weeks, needle-tining (with 0.3-inch solid tines so the holes close quickly) every three to four weeks, and lightweight rolling fve days a week.

Our goal is to achieve a consistent creeping bentgrass/Poa annua ratio across all 27 holes.

And the science behind this herbicide made sense for us to use at Centre Hills. The product contains the active ingredient amicarbazone, which selectively inhibits photosynthesis in annual bluegrass and causes death of Poa annua over a 14- to 28-day period (our treatments at Centre Hills occurred over 1408.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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Chip Fogleman, director of golf course management at Centre Hills CC in State College, Pa., with Makai.

Although we still have four or fve other strains on the course, it appears that one, at least, will not survive.

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day intervals), all while not affecting the coolseason bentgrass. The low residual activity of the product then allows bentgrass to be reseeded in the treated areas as quickly as seven days after the last application.

The experiment We set an application schedule, with an initial treatment date of June 20, 2013. All applications were applied to 5,000 square feet of fairway and 1,000 square feet of nursery maintained at greens height at a rate of 1 ounce per acre. We sprayed fairways with Xonerate in two locations, incorporating the frst 2,500 square feet of each. The greens-height nursery area that was included in this experiment was maintained similarly to all other greens in terms of mowing height and spray programs, but was not rolled or double-cut.

Following the frst application on June 20, we followed up with a second application on July 3 and a third application 15 days later on July 18. We followed the same application re-

gime as with our frst application.

The results Along the way, Centre Hills Class A superintendent Gabe Menna and I closely monitored the treated areas following each treatment. As we anticipated, we noticed very little effect on the Poa annua after the frst application. However, shortly after the second application, results became more obvious: The Poa was noticeably chlorotic and weakened. Needless to say, we liked what we saw.

A little more than two weeks later, following the third application of the herbicide, our Poa problem was just about resolved — the Poa annua plants were near total annihilation.

We had planned a fourth application, slated for Aug. 1, 2013, but in evaluating the situation with Menna and Centre Hills spray technician Tom Finlay, we decided not to go with this fourth treatment due to the high percentage of Poa annua in the cleanup areas in our fairways, as well as the high percentage

within our greens-height nursery plot. In this area, summer is a tough time of year to try to grow bentgrass into bare spots. We knew after our third application we were close to having too much “destruction” on some fairway areas and our greens nursery, so we concluded our use of this herbicide for the season. With this in mind, we will adjust the rate in our second season using Xonerate for a slower, more gradual removal of Poa annua.

Each course brings different circumstances. Other superintendents might decide, after evaluating their fairways and other areas, that they will need a fourth Xonerate treatment to knock out their Poa annua issues. I would suggest talking your situation over with your local product representative or Arysta LifeScience sales representative for guidance.

Our next steps Overall, I am very pleased with the results on the fairways following our frst use of Xonerate at Centre Hills. As I fnish writing this article, we are well into spring. In this part of the country, we went through a very harsh winter with temperatures that were well below average — below 0 F on many days. My problems are not as severe as those of many of my colleagues, but the extreme cold blasted one particular strain of Poa annua at Centre Hills. Although we still have four or fve other strains on the course, it appears that one, at least, will not survive.

I consider myself lucky that we now have only a small percentage of two greens that are of concern. We realize we have a little too much Poa annua in the cleanup areas, which will need a slower approach to eradicate it. This summer we will undertake a similar “experiment” to counter any Poa problems we may face in 2014, scaling back to a lower rate of 0.5 ounce per acre to see if we can slow the Poa annua suppression rate. This will hopefully aid in not removing too much Poa annua at once in order to maintain our course with a manageable amount of disruption to the playing surface.

Chip Fogleman is in his eighth year as the golf course and grounds director at Centre Hills Country Club in State College, Pa. He is a 12-year member of GCSAA.

Leo Feser award

CANDIDATE This article is eligible for the 2015 Leo Feser Award, presented annually since 1977 to the author of the best superintendent-written article published in GCM during the previous year. Superintendents receive a $300 stipend for articles. Feser Award winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Golf Industry Show, where they are recognized.

They also have their names engraved on a plaque permanently displayed at GCSAA headquarters.

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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(through the green)

Moveable obstructions

Jack Fry, Ph.D.

Moveable obstructions are simply defned in the Rules as anything artifcial on the golf course that can be moved.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Golfers frequently encounter moveable obstructions. So does my oldest daughter. I’m honestly not sure how she makes it from her bed to the door each morning with so many moveable obstructions on the foor. After years of fghting battle after battle to get her to clean her room, my wife and I lost the war. A parent can only fght for so long; after all, there are more signifcant concerns to worry about when it comes to raising a teenage daughter.

Moveable obstructions are simply defned in the Rules as anything artifcial on the golf course that can be moved. This might include a piece of trash, an aluminum can or a golf glove.

Rule 24-1 indicates that a player may take relief from a moveable obstruction without penalty.

The player can move the obstruction regardless of where the ball lies on the golf course, including in a bunker or water hazard. If the ball moves when the obstruction is moved, it must be replaced where it was and there is no penalty, provided that the movement of the ball was directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction.

During junior golf, my son hit a ball that ended up resting on the seat of a golf cart. In this case, the cart was a moveable obstruction, and the ball was lifted and the obstruction removed. The ball was then dropped as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay on the cart. At the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s in 1949, when the Rules did not so clearly defne what could be done when the ball comes to rest on a moveable obstruction, Harry Bradshaw, an Irishman, took a swing at a ball that was sitting in the bottom half of a broken beer bottle. Don’t try that at home. We may complain about the lengthiness of the Rules, but thank goodness they have been expanded to defne the player’s options in circumstances such as these.

The superintendent manages moveable obstructions that often come into play. Stakes used for water hazards and lateral water hazards are moveable obstructions; so are bunker rakes. Hazard stakes and bunker rakes can be maintenance headaches for the superintendent, but they’re necessary evils. Some superintendents prefer to just use paint to mark hazards at the exclusion of stakes to avoid having to move

them when mowing. This, however, does not allow a golfer to determine what type of hazard lies at a distance. Rakes left inside bunkers will interfere when the crew is raking, and those left outside bunkers usually interfere with mowing.

That said, it’s up to the “committee” to decide where rakes are placed, but the USGA recommends that they rest outside the bunker, on the away side, parallel to the line of play.

Several weeks ago, I was looking for my daughter — I knew she was in the house somewhere. After calling her name, I heard a faint, muffed cry for help coming from her bedroom. After moving several moveable obstructions, including towels, blankets and shoes, I was able to locate her. After the rescue, I saw a beautiful light green carpet that I forgot was there. It reminded me of a well-groomed fairway and would have provided an excellent lie.

If I’d found a golf ball, and not my daughter, I would have pulled out a 4-iron and punched a low, joyful, glad-those-obstructions-weremoveable shot out the window. But there was no need — it was my daughter under those obstructions, and I wasn’t playing golf.

Jack Fry, Ph.D., is a professor of turfgrass science and the director of the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. He is a 17-year educator member of GCSAA.

Bert McCarty, Ph.D. A.W. Gore J.R. Gann

Is the grass really greener?

Pigmented products provided inconsistent health beneft.

The golf course industry is constantly evolving, developing products to improve health and competitive beneft to turfgrasses that are often grown outside their naturally adapted regions. For example, various traits such as low mowing-height tolerance and excellent stand density have encouraged turf managers to establish cool-season turfgrasses in hotter and more humid climates (4). However, issues often arise during stressful summer conditions, resulting in a lowering of quality in what is referred to as summer bentgrass decline (1,2). As a result of this increased summer stress, some recently developed turf products contain various pigments, dyes, paints and other components to assist in summer stress relief on cool-season greens and to speed spring green-up of warm-season grasses.

Pigments and turf For turf managers, pigments serve an additional purpose by masking various imperfections and inconsistencies, creating a more aesthetically pleasing turfgrass surface. However, frequent use of pigments may alter the refection, transmission and absorption of light within the turfgrass canopy, reducing the level of photosynthetically active radiation required for photosynthesis and thus decreasing turf quality over time (6).

Pigments consist of dry powders whose chemical composition depends on the specifc color desired. White pigments are commonly composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), whereas blue pigments contain phthalocyanine (a copper-based compound) and green pigments consist of a more stable, chlorinated form of phthalocyanine (6).

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Previous research has demonstrated that combination products of aluminum tris + mancozeb with Pigment Blue 15 improve turf quality and color greater than combinations of aluminum tris + mancozeb lacking Pigment Blue 15 (3). The activity of aluminum tris + mancozeb appears to be synergistically enhanced by Pigment Blue 15. In combination with the introduction of several pigmentcontaining products, the potential for paints and pigments to improve turfgrass health and mask symptoms of decline has since generated increased interest.

Reported research supporting this interest is limited, especially on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) putting greens grown under stressful conditions. The objective of the research was to evaluate the ability of such products to relieve summer stress on creeping bentgrass and to promote spring recovery of TifEagle bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] in the hot, humid southeastern United States.

Materials and methods Field trials Over the past several years, feld research has been conducted at Clemson University in South Carolina on 12-year-old Crenshaw creeping bentgrass and TifEagle bermudagrass putting greens built to USGA specifcations. Previous research at Clemson University focused on the effects of pigmented products (Table 1) on creeping bentgrass in regard to reducing the effects of summer heat stress (5).

Additional research on this topic was initiated in the summer of 2013 and expanded to include the effects on winter survival of hybrid bermudagrass as well as a new collection of potential products (Table 2).

Product applications in the initial study began on June 18, 2011, and were made weekly through Sept. 3 at the products’ labeled rates at the time of application. Applications were made with a carbon dioxide (CO2)-powered backpack sprayer delivering 20 gallons/acre (187 liters/hectare). Plots were arranged in

2011 products and rates Product/company Turf Screen (zinc oxide + titanium dioxide + pigment)/Turf Max

Rate† 2.5 ounces/1,000 square feet (7.97 liters/hectare)

PAR (copper phthalocyanine pigment)/ HarrellÕs LLC

0.37 ounce/1,000 square feet (1.17 liters/hectare)

Evergreen (paint)/ Milliken Chemical

12 ounces/1,000 square feet (38.26 liters/hectare)

Foursome (copper phthalocyanine pigment)/ Quali-Pro

0.37 ounce/1,000 square feet (1.17 liters/hectare)

Applications were made weekly.

Table 1. Products and rates used in 2011 to determine whether pigment-containing products reduce summer heat stress on creeping bentgrass.

2013 and 2014 greenhouse and growth chamber trials Rate†

Product/company ‡

Turf Screen/Turf Max

2.5 ounces/1,000 square feet (7.97 liters/hectare)

PAR/Harrell’s LLC‡

0.37 ounce/1,000 square feet (1.17 liters/hectare)

Title Phyte (derivative of potassium phosphite) (0-0-30)/Harrell’s LLC

4 ounces/1,000 square feet (12.572 liters/hectare)

Turf Screen + TitlePhyte

2.5 ounces/1,000 square feet (7.97 liters/hectare) + 4 ounces/1,000 square feet (12.572 liters/hectare)

PAR + TitlePhyte

0.37 ounce/1,000 square feet (1.17 liters/hectare) + 4 ounces/1,000 square feet (12.572 liters/hectare)

Chipco Signature (fosetyl-aluminum + Stressgard)/Bayer‡

6 ounces/1,000 square feet (19.128 liters/hectare)

Fosetyl-Al (fosetyl-aluminum)/Quali-Pro‡

4 ounces/1,000 square feet (12.572 liters/hectare) ‡

Civitas Harmonizer (proprietary pigment)/ Petro-Canada Lubricants ‡

Civitas (mineral oil) + Harmonizer/Petro-Canada Lubricants

0.023 ounce/1,000 square feet (0.073 liter/hectare) 0.367 ounce/1,000 square feet (1.17 liters/hectare) + 0.023 ounce/1,000 square feet (0.073 liter/hectare)

†

Applications were made every 14 days.

Applications received a potassium supplement using Stress Relefe (0-0-25) (Harrell’s LLC) at 4 ounces/1,000 square feet (12.6 liters/hectare).

‡

Table 2. Products and rates for 2013 and 2014 greenhouse and growth chamber trials to reduce summer stress of creeping bentgrass and improve winter survival of hybrid bermudagrass.

a randomized complete block design and were 6.5 feet × 10 feet (2 meters × 3 meters) in size with treatments replicated four times.

Research sites were maintained to normal putting green standards with daily mowing heights of 0.125 inch (3.2 millimeters), irrigation applied as needed to prevent wilt, fertilization with 6 pounds nitrogen/1,000 square feet (29 grams nitrogen/square meter) yearly and treatment with fungicides as needed to minimize disease pressure.

Visual quality and normalized differential vegetative index (NDVI), an electronic measurement of “green” tissue, were assessed twice weekly. Daily measurements included canopy temperature using a handheld infrared thermometer, chlorophyll content with a handheld chlorophyll meter, and soil moisture using an electronic probe, with all measurements taking place one hour after solar noon. Carbon dioxide exchange ratios were measured twice weekly using a CIRAS-II Portable Photosynthesis System as well as photosynthesis (light effciency or fuorescence) with a FluorPen FP 100. Carbon dioxide exchange rate measures the net CO2 exchange between the surface of the turfgrass and the atmosphere. A positive measurement indicates respiration exceeds photosynthesis, whereas a negative measurement results if photosynthesis exceeds respiration. Root weight as well as soil and tissue nutrient analyses were conducted at the initiation and completion of the studies.

Growt amber studies In addition to feld trials, growth chamber studies were conducted to evaluate treatments in a controlled, stressful environment.

Plugs 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) in diameter and 4 inches deep were removed from research greens and placed in 6-inch (15.24-centimeter) diameter × 12-inch (30.48-centimeter) deep pots flled with an 85:15 sand/peat rootzone mix. Plugs were established to fll pots and were placed in growth chambers at temperatures stressful for turfgrasses — higher (95 F [35 C]) temperatures for bentgrass and colder (23 F [-5 C]) temperatures for bermudagrass. In addition, an unstressed, untreated control remained in a normal greenhouse environment. All pots received 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) of tap water every three days. Carbon dioxide exchange ratios and fuorescence measurements were taken every other day for the duration of these studies.

Lig t transmitted to t e turf To determine product effects on the quantity and quality of light reaching the turfgrass canopy, products were applied to transparent acrylic sheets 10 × 8 inches (25 × 20 centimeters) using a spray chamber calibrated at 20 gallons/acre (187 liters/hectare) to deliver the application rates listed in Table 1. Once dried, acrylic sheets were individually placed on the surface of a custom-made cardboard box 7.87 × 9.44 × 9.84 inches (20 × 24 × 25 centimeters) tape-sealed to block all light except that

transmitted through the acrylic sheet. Photosynthetic active radiation intensity (μmol/ square centimeter/second of transmitted light integrated between 400 and 700 nanometers) and spectral distribution (~400 to 1,100 nanometers) of transmitted light was measured with an LI-1800 Portable Spectroradiometer.

Measurements were taken outdoors on cloudfree days at solar noon, which ranged from 1300 to 1400 hours during summer months.

Measurements were repeated on four separate days.

Leaf penetration In an auxiliary study, PAR and Turf Screen were investigated to ascertain whether or not products penetrated treated leaves or remained on the leaf surface. Both products were diluted to respective feld solutions and applied evenly to grass blades with the tracer dye, isothiocyanate. Treated plants remained in the greenhouse for 48 hours before being clipped then imaged using a Confocal Imaging System at 20× magnifcation with data used to create 3-D renderings of the leaf.

Results Canopy temperature Turf color response following application of various products is shown in Figure 1. When evaluating canopy temperatures following application, in most instances, tested products did not lower canopy temperatures compared to the untreated control (Table

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

87

Figure 1. Bentgrass turf response to foliar application of various paints and pigments. Note the range of color products produced on turfgrass surface during typical summer stress.

Photo by J. Gann

2011-2013 feld trial of pigment-containing products Canopy temp (F)

Turf quality (1 to 9, 9 = best)

NDVIà (reflectance ratio: -1 to 1)

CERà (µmol CO2/square cm/second)

Fluorescence (Fv/Fm ratio)

Zinc tissue concentration (ppm)

Copper tissue concentration (ppm)

Zinc soil concentration (ppm)

Untreated

103.8 a

7.0 a

0.734 a

0.023 a

0.565 a

108 a

28 a

5.15 a

Turf Screen

105.4 b

7.0 a

0.715 b

0.182 b

0.568 a

978 b

72 b

9.67 b

Product Study 1

PAR

105.3 b

6.9 a

0.712 b

0.118 b

0.568 a

98 a

74 b

5.32 a

Paint

110.0 c

5.1 b

0.650 c

0.323 c

0.571 a

87 a

147 c

4.67 a

Foursome

105.3 b

7.1 a

0.722 ab

-0.006 a

0.568 a

131 a

60 b

5.3 a

Untreated

104.1 a

6.2 a

0.745 a

-0.060 a

0.609 b

68 a

46 a

4.85 a

Turf Screen

105.5 b

6.5 a

0.739 ab

0.090 b

0.624 a

844 b

68 a

11.98 b

PAR

105.5 b

6.0 a

0.727 b

0.139 ab

0.607 b

123 a

77 a

5.54 a

Paint

109.9 c

4.4 b

0.654 c

0.216 c

0.603 b

127 a

162 b

5.32 a

Foursome

105.4 b

6.1 a

0.741 ab

0.091 b

0.606 b

113 a

65 a

5.82 a

Study 2

†

Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.

Abbreviations: NDVI, normalized differential vegetation index; CER, carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange rate.

‡

Table 3. 2011-2013 feld trial evaluating pigment-containing products to reduce summer heat stress on creeping bentgrass.

3). On many rating dates, treated turf actually exhibited higher temperatures compared to the untreated control. Among products, Turf Screen, PAR and Foursome had similar summer temperatures, which averaged 1.5 F higher than the untreated control (104 F [40

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

C]) in both studies, whereas the paint exhibited an extremely high average of 110 F (43.3 C) in study 1. In study 2, Turf Screen, PAR and Foursome had similar average temperatures of 105.5 F (40.8 C), which averaged 1.4 F higher than the untreated control (104.1 F

or 40.1 C), whereas the paint treatment again had the highest average at 110 F (43.3 C).

Turf quality and NDVI Visual quality of turf treated with Turf Screen, PAR and Foursome was statistically

Carbon dioxide ex ange rate In study two, the CO2 exchange rate (-0.059 μmol CO2/square centimeter/second) was lower in untreated turf than in all treated turf, indicating treatments reduced net photosynthesis (Table 3). In both studies, the commercial paint had the highest CO2 exchange rate (0.323 and 0.216 μmol CO2/square centimeter/second). Turf Screen and PAR performed similarly in both studies (0.182 and 0.118 μmol CO2/square centimeter/second in study 1, 0.090 and 0.091 μmol CO2/ square centimeters/second in study 2). During July when temperatures were highest, the untreated control exhibited signifcantly lower CO2 exchange rate values (0.151) than PAR (0.341), Turf Screen (0.327) and the paint (0.477) in study 1 and signifcantly lower CO2 exchange rate values (0.044 μmol CO2/square centimeter/second) than all other treatments in study 2. Growth chamber experiments did not consistently show statistical differences among untreated and treated pots, indicating treatments did not improve or lessen turfgrass tolerance to environmental stresses.

Fluorescence Differences were not detected between untreated and treated plots during study 1(Table 3). All treatments in study 2 exhibited a general increase in photosynthetic effciency, with

Turf Screen exhibiting a signifcantly better rate. Inconsistency among treatments shows that none of the pigmented products provided any type of consistent relief during the heat of summer. Similar observations were made in the growth chamber studies with only the unstressed control having a signifcantly greater photosynthetic effciency.

Soil and tissue analysis Tissue and soil analyses were conducted because of the metallic (zinc and copper) contents of the products and their potential toxicity to plants (Table 3). In both studies, Turf Screen treatments were signifcantly higher in zinc concentration than all other treatments, with an average 911 ppm compared to 88 ppm for the untreated control. In regard to tissue copper concentrations, the paint was consistently higher with an average of 155 ppm compared to the other treatments, which averaged 61 ppm.

After repeated applications, only the Turf Screen treatment exhibited higher zinc concentrations in soil than the other products.

However, concentrations were not believed to exceed levels that would be considered toxic to plants.

Root wei No effect of treatments on root weights occurred at the end of feld studies (data not shown).

Lig t quality and microscopy imaging With little positive infuence on reducing temperatures and increasing CO2 exchange rates, additional research was performed on product effects on light quality and leaf penetration. Spectroradiometer data indicated a reduction in photosynthetically active radiation (μmol/square centimeter/second integrated from 400 to 700 nanometers) when products were applied to transparent acrylic sheets (Figure 2). The copper-based pigments Foursome and PAR reduced photosynthetic active radiation transmission by 19% and 21%, respectively. Even greater reductions were observed with Turf Screen (39%) and the commercial paint (46%).

In an attempt to better understand how well products penetrate treated leaves, microscopic imaging was performed. The interaction between applied products and leaf blades indicated Turf Screen remained mostly on the plant surface (Figure 3), and in some cases covered stomata, whereas PAR actually en-

Wavelength intensities 16000

Control Turf Screen PAR Foursome Paint

14000 Intensity (µmol/square centimeters/second)

similar to the untreated control in both studies (Table 3). Turf treated with paint had lower quality over the course of the summer in both studies, with averages of 5.1 and 4.4 compared to 7.0 and 6.2 for the untreated control. Differences were observed between the two studies. Study 1 had higher initial turf quality, resulting in turf quality treatment averages of 7.0 for the untreated control, 7.0 for Turf Screen, 6.9 for PAR and 7.1 for Foursome. In study 2, turf quality averages were 6.2 for the untreated control, 6.5 for Turf Screen, 6.0 for PAR and 6.1 for Foursome.

The untreated control had a signifcantly higher NDVI (natural “green” color) than PAR, Turf Screen and the commercial paint throughout the summer. Differences were not observed among Turf Screen, PAR and Foursome in either study. The paint always produced signifcantly lower values, with an average ratio of 0.65 compared to the untreated control at 0.74. In study 2, NDVI values were similar for the untreated control, Turf Screen and PAR treatments.

12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

Wavelengths

Figure 2. Spectroradiometer data indicating wavelength intensities following applications of various pigments and paint to transparent acrylic sheets.

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

89

Figure 3. (left) Confocal microscopy projection image (20Ă—) of Turf Screen on creeping bentgrass leaves with colors indicating a defnitive line between the product (red) and the leaf surface (green). This suggests Turf Screen covers the leaf surface, including stomata, resulting in decreased moisture and gas exchange capacity leading to increased surface temperatures and/or reduced photosynthesis. Photos by J. Gann Figure 4. (below) Confocal microscopy projection image (20Ă—) of PAR on creeping bentgrass leaves. Dispersion of colors indicates PAR (red) actually entered the leaf (green) and may have interfered less with stomatal conductance.

tered the leaf (Figure 4). Coated stomata may increase leaf temperature as transpiration is reduced and could potentially reduce photosynthetic effciency as gas exchange is impeded.

This partially explains feld and growth chamber results where treated turfgrass often had higher leaf surface temperatures and/or reduced photosynthesis.

Conclusion While the idea of applying pigmentcontaining products to assist in relieving summer heat stress on creeping bentgrass is desirable, results from this research do not consistently support their use in areas such as the hot, humid southeastern United States. After application, these products often provide a temporary visually appealing green color that masks imperfections on the turfgrass surface. In reality, long-term continued application of many of these

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

products may actually have a negative effect on the turfgrass such as increasing surface temperatures and decreasing carbon-dioxide exchange (photosynthetic effciency).

The infuence of these products on winter hardiness of hybrid bermudagrass putting greens is still under investigation. As photosynthetic properties of bermudagrass (a warmseason [C4] turfgrass) are different from those of bentgrass (a cool-season [C3] turfgrass), we cannot assume pigment-containing products have similar effects on bermudagrass based on results obtained through studies of creeping bentgrass.

Turfgrasses almost always exhibit certain levels of stress, especially when grown outside of native environments. For now, superintendents are better served by adhering to traditional practices of proper aerifcation, fertilization and watering of putting greens. It has also been noticed that extensive use of products

containing heavy metals appears to lead to accumulation of these metals in the upper soil surface (Figure 5), raising concerns that overapplication of these products may negatively infuence the chemical and physical properties of soils.

Further research on both bentgrass and bermudagrass commenced in summer 2013 and is ongoing with a greater selection of products (Table 2). Applications were made every two weeks at current labeled rates with the initial application to bentgrass made on June 24, 2013, and with fnal data collection on Sept. 24. All measurements from the previous feld trial studies were repeated in 2013.

Similar treatments were made in fall 2013 to hybrid bermudagrass greens to ascertain winter survival following treatment. This experiment is ongoing and will be covered in a subsequent article.

Readers are reminded this research was

Figure 5. Extensive use of pigment products containing heavy metal appear to have led to heavy metal accumulations in this feld sample. The accumulations may decrease soil drainage and/or proper air exchange. Photo by B. McCarty

conducted in the hot, humid southeastern United States and may not be applicable to other areas.

Funding Funding for this research was provided by the senior author and Clemson University Public Service Activities.

Acknowledgments Appreciation is extended to Drs. Christina Wells, Terri Bruce and Patrick Gerard for their technical assistance.

compositions for the enhancement of turf quality. U.S. Patent 5 643 852. Date issued: April 3.

4. McCarty, L.B. 2011. Best Golf Course Management Practices. 3rd ed. Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J. 5. McCarty, L.B., J.R. Gann, C.E. Wells et al. 2013. Physiological responses of creeping bentgrass to pigment containing products. Agronomy Journal 105:17971802.

6. Reynolds, W.C., G.L. Miller and T.W. Rufty. 2012.

Athletic feld paint impacts light spectral quality and turfgrass photosynthesis. Crop Science 52:23752384.

Literature cited 1. Beard, J.B. 1997. Dealing with heat stress on golf course turf. Golf Course Management 7:54-59.

2. Lucas, L.T. 1995. Update on management of summer decline of bentgrass. 66th Annual Michigan Turfgrass Conference Proceedings 25:111-112.

3. Lucas, L.T., and L.C. Mudge. 1997. Fungicidal

Bert McCarty (bmccrty@clemson.edu) is a professor, A.W. Gore is a graduate research assistant and J.R. Gann is a research specialist at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.

RESEARCH SAYS • The objective of the research was to evaluate the ability of pigment-containing products to relieve summer stress on creeping bentgrass.

• Measurements in field studies included carbon dioxide exchange ratios, NDVI and turf quality, root weight, soil and tissue nutrient analyses, and light quality and leaf penetration.

• In most instances, the treated turf was similar to or showed no significant improvement over the untreated control.

• This research was conducted in the hot, humid southeastern United States and may not be applicable to other areas.

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J.T. Brosnan, Ph.D. G.K. Breeden, M.S. A.J. Patton, Ph.D.

Weed management options on golf course putting greens Signifcant weed infestations are not common on creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass putting greens, but when they are, help is available.

The two most common turfgrass species planted on golf course putting greens are creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) and hybrid bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon Ă— C. transvaalensis). When managed appropriately, both species provide high-quality playing surfaces. However, turfgrasses managed for putting green use are subjected to a considerable amount of stress. These grasses are often mowed daily at heights less than 0.15 inch (3.81 millimeters) and are subjected to heavy traffc from both golfers and maintenance equipment.

Broadleaf and monocot (grasses, sedges, kyllinga) weeds can invade putting greens lacking density and vigor. Reduction in density and vigor may come from mechanical injury following cultivation and traffc, voids left from ball marks, damage from insects and disease, and environmental stresses, which can all lead to weed invasion. Weed control on golf course putting greens can be diffcult as few herbicides are labeled for use on putting greens because stress renders them more susceptible to herbicide injury that can compromise both aesthetic and functional turf quality. Additionally, putting green turf is the most valuable acreage on the golf course and is expensive to repair if injured. Many companies do not register herbicides for use on greens because they want to avoid being liable for potential injury and because putting greens make up an infnitesimally small percentage of the total turf acreage in the world. In many

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Summer stress from heat, drought, and disease as well as mechanical injury from equipment and golfer traffc can compromise putting green quality and provide opportunity for weed invasion. Photos by A. Patton instances, herbicide labels neither allow nor restrict applications to putting greens, which places all liability on the end users.

Grassy weeds Crabgrass (Digitaria species), goosegrass (Eleusine indica) and annual bluegrass (Poa annua) are three of the most common annual grassy weeds of creeping bentgrass and hybrid

bermudagrass putting greens.

Crabgrass and goosegrass Summer annual species such as crabgrass and goosegrass germinate in spring, and seedlings mature throughout the summer. Preemergence control of these weed species is the easiest means of control. A list of pre-emergence herbicides labeled for creeping bentgrass

and hybrid bermudagrass greens is presented in Table 1. For each herbicide, check the label to ensure the product is safe to use on the species and cultivar grown. For example, older creeping bentgrass varieties such as Cohansey, Carmen, Seaside and Washington are more susceptible to dithiopyr and siduron (Tupersan) injury (6). It is also important to use only labeled herbicides at labeled rates as off-label applications can injure root systems and compromise putting green quality.

Currently, no herbicides are labeled for selective post-emergence control of crabgrass

(Left) Smooth crabgrass growing in a creeping bentgrass putting green maintained at less than 0.150 inch.

(Right) Goosegrass is a problematic summer annual in creeping bentgrass putting greens maintained in the transition zone and in bermudagrass putting greens maintained throughout the southern U.S.

Pre-emergence herbicides for putting greens For use on putting greens Active ingredient Bensulide

Trade name/ company†

Weeds controlled

Bensumec/PBI/Gordon

annual grasses

Betasan/United Horticultural

select broadleaf weeds

• Do not make more than 2 applications per year

summer annual grasses

• Provides pre-emergence control of crabgrass and goosegrass

Comments†

Creeping bentgrass

Mixed bent + Poa‡

Non-overseeded hybrid bermudagrass

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

• Option for crabgrass, goosegrass and annual bluegrass control

Supply Pre-San/PBI/Gordon Bensulide + oxadiazon

Anderson’s Goosegrass/ Crabgrass Control

• Some yellowing may occur within 30 days of application (6,7) Dithiopyr

Andersons Golf Products Fertilizers with dithiopyr

summer annual grasses

• Various products from Andersons Golf Products

select broadleaf weeds

• Use of this product on certain older varieties of bentgrass (such as Cohansey, Carmen, Seaside and Washington) may result in undesirable injury; not all creeping bentgrass varieties have been tested • Avoid applying to stressed putting greens • Using this product on creeping bentgrass that does not have good root development may result in injury • Undesirable thinning or yellowing of Poa annua may occur during stressful conditions when using this product

Pendimethalin

Pendulum AquaCap/BASF

annual grasses

• Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

select broadleaf weeds Pronamide

Siduron

Kerb/Dow Agrosciences

Tupersan/PBI/Gordon

annual bluegrass

• Restricted-use pesticide

select broadleaf weeds

• Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

crabgrass bermudagrass (suppressed)

• May be applied at time of seeding or to established creeping bentgrass for crabgrass control and bermudagrass suppression • Injury may occur on Cohansey, Toronto and other C-series, vegetative creeping bentgrass cultivars (6) • Siduron does not control goosegrass or annual bluegrass • Tupersan 50WP at 1.0 pound/1,000 square feet may be used as band treatment along the perimeter of creeping bentgrass greens to suppress stolon growth of bermudagrass; make the initial application before bermudagrass green-up; repeat applications can be made at 4-5-week intervals

†

Herbicide labels that contain specific use instructions for putting greens should generally be regarded as having a higher level of safety (shaded green) than those that have labeling that neither allows nor restricts applications to putting greens (shaded yellow). Cells shaded red indicate that the herbicide is not labeled for use on that particular turf species. ‡ Putting greens where management practices are aimed at maintaining and not reducing annual bluegrass.

Table 1. Pre-emergence herbicides labeled for use on putting greens. For each product, consult the label for the recommended use rate.

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Post-emergence herbicides for putting greens Active ingredient 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba

Trade name/ company†

Weeds controlled

Eliminate LO/Lesco

broadleaf weeds

Threesome/United Turf Alliance

2,4-D + dicamba + quinclorac 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba + pyraflufen ethyl

Trimec Classic Trimec 899 Trimec Southern

PBI/Gordon

Triplet Triplet Low Odor Triplet Hi-D Triplet SF TruPower2 TruPower3

Nufarm

2DQ/Quali-Pro

4-Speed/Nufarm

broadleaf weeds

broadleaf weeds

RedZone 2/Lesco

2,4-D + triclopyr + dicamba + pyraflufen ethyl

Carfentrazone

4-Speed XT/Nufarm

QuickSilver T&O/FMC Corp.

broadleaf weeds

broadleaf weeds silvery thread moss

For use on putting greens Comments†

Creeping bentgrass

Mixed bent + Poa ‡

Hybrid bermudagrass

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

• Do not exceed 1 fluid ounce/1,000 square feet on creeping bentgrass greens using 145 gallons/acre spray volume • Limit of 2 applications per year • May cause temporary injury • Do not apply when temperatures exceed 85 F (some labels state 90 F) • Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

• Do not apply this product when temperatures are greater than 90 F • Limit of 2 applications per year • Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

Yes

• Avoid applications during periods when turf is under stress due to high heat, humidity, or reduced moisture • Slight turf yellowing will disappear after about 1 week • Limit of 2 applications per site per year • Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

Yes

Yes

Yes

• Avoid applications during periods when turf is under stress due to high heat, humidity, or reduced moisture • Slight turf yellowing will disappear after about 1 week • Limit of 2 applications per site per year • Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

Yes

Yes

Yes

• Adjust rate to 6.7 fluid ounces/acre to control silvery thread moss • Apply as often as every 2 weeks to putting greens infested with silvery thread moss at temperatures ≤ 85 F • Annual bluegrass can be damaged at rates greater than 2.0 ounces/acre • Use nonionic surfactant (NIS) at 0.25% (v/v).

• Do not apply if Bensuec (bensulide) has been applied within the previous 75 days

Yes

Yes

Yes

Carfentrazone + MCPP + MCPA + dicamba

PowerZone/PBI/Gordon

broadleaf weeds

• Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

No

No

Yes

Carfentrazone + 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba

SpeedZone/PBI/Gordon

broadleaf weeds

• Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens • Limit of 2 applications per site per year

No

No

Yes

Dicamba

Banvel/Arysta LifeScience

broadleaf weeds

• Label neither allows nor restricts use on greens • May cause injury to creeping bentgrass at rates greater than 0.5 pound ai/acre • As little as 4 fluid ounces/acre will provide adequate weed control

Yes

Yes

Yes

• Restricted-use pesticide • Product will no longer be available after December 2014

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

• Contains less 2,4-D compared to Trimec Classic • May cause temporary injury • Limit of 2 applications per site per year

Yes

No

No

• Do not exceed 1.0 fluid ounce/1,500 square feet on creeping bentgrass greens using a spray volume of 5 gallons/1,000 square feet • Do not apply to bentgrass under stress • Do not apply when temperatures exceed 85°F • Slight yellowing will occur within a week • Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

Yes

No

Yes

• Restricted-use pesticide • Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens

No

No

Yes

• Used to remove overseeded cool-season grasses on bermudagrass greens but will also control certain broadleaf species • Use nonionic surfactant (NIS) at 0.25% (v/v).

No

No

Yes

• Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens • Limit of 2 applications per site per year

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

Diablo/Nufarm Diclofop

Illoxan/Bayer

goosegrass

Foramsulfuron

Revolver/Bayer

goosegrass annual bluegrass

• Used to remove overseeded cool-season grasses on bermudagrass greens but will also control annual bluegrass and certain broadleaf weeds

Mecoprop (MCPP)

Mecomec 2.5 + 4SL/PBI/Gordon

broadleaf weeds

• Do not apply when temperatures exceed 90 F

MCPP-p 4 Amine/Nufarm MCPP + 2,4-D + dicamba

MCPA + MCPP + dicamba

Pronamide

Trimec Bentgrass Formula/ PBI/Gordon

broadleaf weeds

Trimec Encore/PBI/Gordon Tri-Power/Nufarm

broadleaf weeds

Kerb/Dow Agrosciences

annual bluegrass select broadleaf weeds

Rimsulfuron

Sulfentrazone + 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba

QP Rimsulfuron 25DF/Quali-Pro

TranXit/DuPont

annual bluegrass and other cool-season species

Surge/ PBI/Gordon

broadleaf weeds

SureZone/United Turf Alliance Trifloxysulfuron

Monument 75WG/Syngenta

annual bluegrass

• Label neither allows nor restricts applications to bermudagrass greens • Use nonionic surfactant (NIS) at 0.25% (v/v)

sedge/kyllinga species select broadleaf weeds †

Herbicide labels that contain specific use instructions for putting greens should generally be regarded as having a higher level of safety (shaded green) than those that have labeling that neither allows nor restricts applications to putting greens (shaded yellow). Cells shaded red indicate that the herbicide is not labeled for use on that particular turf species. ‡ Putting greens where management practices are aimed at maintaining and not reducing annual bluegrass.

Table 2. Post-emergence herbicides labeled for use on putting greens. For each product, consult the label for the recommended use rate.

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or goosegrass on creeping bentgrass putting greens (Table 2). However, research trials often indicate good control of one-tiller or smaller crabgrass and goosegrass with fenoxaprop (Acclaim Extra, Bayer) at 3.5 fuid ounces/acre (256 milliliters/hectare) on creeping bentgrass putting greens with no appreciable injury. Furthermore, newly published research shows that a pre-mixture of 2,4-D + dicamba + MCPP + carfentrazone (SpeedZone) can control goosegrass without injuring creeping bentgrass putting greens (12). Despite t ese reports, t ese tools are not available to superintendents since neit er product is registered for use on creeping bentgrass putting greens.

On hybrid bermudagrass putting greens, diclofop (Illoxan, Bayer) and foramsulfuron (for example, Revolver, Bayer) can be used for post-emergence goosegrass control. However, diclofop will no longer be available after December 2014 (Jeff Michel, Bayer Environmental Science, personal communication). For post-emergence crabgrass control on bermudagrass greens, no effective options are available, as herbicides such as trifoxysulfuron (Monument, Syngenta) exhibit only marginal activity against crabgrass species.

Annual bluegrass Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) is a winter annual grassy weed common in creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass putting greens. Pre-emergence control of annual bluegrass can be erratic because this weed is able to germinate in a wide range of environments (9,10). Post-emergence control is diffcult not only because of the limited number of labeled herbicides, but also because of the possibility of multiple annual bluegrass biotypes persisting in putting greens, including both an annual-type (P. annua cv. annua) and perennialtype (P. annua cv. reptans).

Currently, no herbicides are labeled for selective, post-emergence annual bluegrass control in creeping bentgrass putting green turf. However, sequential applications of plant growth regulators such as paclobutrazol (for example, Trimmit, Syngenta) and furprimidol (for example, Cutless, SePRO) often reduce annual bluegrass populations in creeping bentgrass putting greens and/or control seedhead production (13). Although the products are not labeled for use on putting greens, some turfgrass managers have successfully reduced annual bluegrass populations with the herbicides Velocity SG (bispyribac-sodium, Valent) and Xonerate (amicarbazone, Arysta LifeScience) (8,13). Additionally, a great deal of

Creeping bentgrass roots were severely injured in this putting green following an off-label application of dithiopyr (Dimension 2EW) to a putting green. Roots were severely stunted and clubbed, and rooting depths were extremely shallow causing summer management problems/challenges on this putting green.

(Left) Annual bluegrass is a problematic weed because of its ability to produce viable seed under close mowing.

(Right) White clover in a creeping bentgrass putting green.

interest exists among golf course superintendents in the experimental herbicide PoaCure (methiozolin, Moghu), which can control annual bluegrass in creeping bentgrass putting greens. The future of this experimental herbicide is still largely unknown at this time.

On hybrid bermudagrass greens, trifoxysulfuron can be used for post-emergence annual bluegrass control, along with foramsulfuron (Revolver), pronamide (Kerb, Dow AgroSciences), and rimsulfuron (for example, TranXit, DuPont). Caution should be heeded when attempting to control annual bluegrass with sulfonylurea herbicides labeled for putting greens (trifoxysulfuron, rimsulfuron) as annual bluegrass populations resistant to these herbicides were recently found in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina (5,11) and these herbicides can move laterally and damage adjacent cool-season turfgrasses.

Sedge and kyllinga species Sedge (Cyperus species) and kyllinga (Kyl-

linga species) species can invade both creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass putting greens. These species often invade poor-draining or over-irrigated soils. Kyllinga species tend to tolerate low putting green mowing heights and greater mowing frequencies better than sedges (4); therefore, kyllinga infestations tend to be more prevalent in putting greens. No herbicides are labeled for selective control of either weed species on creeping bentgrass putting greens although some have successfully used spot treatments of halosulfuron (for example, SedgeHammer, Gowan), which is labeled for use on all areas of the golf course except putting greens. On hybrid bermudagrass putting greens, applications of trifoxysulfuron provide kyllinga suppression (Table 2).

Broadleaf weeds Although most broadleaf weeds cannot survive at mowing heights used to maintain putting greens, species such as white clover

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Injury ratings after herbicide applications to creeping bentgrass greens Herbicide injury Herbicide

Indiana (1-9)†

Rate (fluid ounces/acre)

Tennessee (0%-100%)‡

Fall

Spring

Fall

Spring

5 WAA§

2 WAA

6 WAA

2 WAA

Applied at the label rate for putting greens 4-Speed

28.8//

9.0 a//

7.3 bcd

3.3

6.7 abc

4-Speed XT

28.8

8.7 ab

8.0 abc

1.7

6.0 bcd

Banvel

16.0

8.3 bc

8.3 ab

0.0

10.0 abc

Mecomec 2.5

64.0

8.7 ab

9.0 a

0.0

0.0 d

#

Quicksilver T&O

6.7

9.0 a

9.0 a

0.0

0.0 d

Trimec Bentgrass

43.2

8.7 ab

9.0 a

0.0

0.0 d

Trimec Classic

28.8

9.0 a

8.7 a

3.3

1.7 cd

Trimec Encore

28.8

9.0 a

8.3 ab

0.0

1.7 cd

Trimec Southern

32.0

9.0 a

8.3 ab

1.7

6.7 abc

Applied at twice (2×) the maximum label rate for putting greens 4-Speed

57.6

8.3 bc

7.0 cde

—

6.7 abc

4-Speed XT

57.6

8.3 bc

6.7 def

—

11.7 ab

Banvel

32.0

7.3 d

6.0 ef

—

18.3 a

Mecomec 2.5

128.0

9.0 a

8.0 abc

—

6.7 abc

Quicksilver T&O

13.4#

9.0 a

9.0 a

—

0.0 d

Trimec Bentgrass

86.4

8.3 bc

8.7 a

—

6.7 abc

Trimec Classic

57.6

8.3 bc

8.0 abc

—

8.3 bcd

Trimec Encore

57.6

8.0 c

7.3 bcd

—

5.0 bcd

Trimec Southern

64.0

Untreated

P-value

8.0 c

5.6 c

—

13.3 ab

9.0 a

9.0 a

—

0.0 d

0.0001

<0.0001

NS

0.0041

Note. Product manufacturers are listed in Table 2. † Turf injury in Indiana was rated on a 1-9 scale, where 1 = complete kill, 9 = no injury, and ≥7 = acceptable injury. ‡ Turf injury in Tennessee was rated on a scale of 0-100%, where 0% = no injury, 100% = complete kill, and ≤10% = acceptable injury. § WAA, weeks after application. // Means followed by the same letter within each column are not significantly different. # Application included a nonionic surfactant (NIS) at 0.25% (v/v).

Table 3. Injury ratings following applications of broadleaf herbicides to creeping bentgrass putting greens in the fall or the spring in Indiana and Tennessee at label rates and twice (2×) the label application rates.

(Trifolium repens), mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium vulgatum), dandelion (Taraxacum offcinale), cudweed (Gnap alium or Gamoaeta species) and prostrate spurge (Eup orbi umistrata) can persist even with the use of sound management practices. Broadleaf herbicides like 2,4-D have been used on putting greens since the 1940s for weed control

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(1,2), but many superintendents today are hesitant to use broadleaf herbicides on their putting greens for fear that turfgrass injury might occur — especially from 2,4-D applications in summer. Labels for many of the herbicides listed in Table 2 neither allow nor restrict applications to creeping bentgrass or hybrid bermudagrass greens, leaving liability on the end

user in the event undesirable turfgrass injury occurs after application.

Mixtures of synthetic auxin herbicides can be used at reduced rates to control broadleaf weeds on putting greens. For example, 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba (for example, Trimec Classic, PBI/Gordon) can be applied to creeping bentgrass putting greens at 1 fluid ounce of formulated product per 1,500 square feet.

The label does caution against applications when creeping bentgrass putting green turf is under heat or drought stress and highlights that injury after application will be shortlived. A different formulation (for example, Trimec Bentgrass Formula, PBI/Gordon) is labeled for use on creeping bentgrass greens at rates less than or equal to 1 fluid ounce of formulated product per 1,000 square feet (3.18 milliliters/hectare). Trimec Bentgrass Formula applies less 2,4-D (0.15 pound ae/acre vs. 0.45 pound ae/acre (168 grams ae/hectare vs. 504 grams ae/hectare) than Trimec Classic when applied per label directions.

Carfentrazone (for example, QuickSilver T&O, FMC Corp.) is a post-emergence broadleaf weed control herbicide labeled for use on creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass putting greens. Rates range from 1.0 to 2.0 fluid ounces/acre (73 to 146 milliliters/ hectare); however, the product can be used at 6.7 fluid ounces/acre (490 milliliters/hectare) for managing silvery thread moss (Bryum argenteum). Research in Tennessee indicates Quicksilver applications combined with appropriate cultural practices (for example, increased nitrogen fertility and sand topdressing) control silvery thread moss better than simply spraying the herbicide alone (3).

Recent broadleaf research There is very little data on the safety of broadleaf herbicides on putting greens despite pesticide labels that suggest that they can be used without injuring turf. Research was conducted at Purdue University and the University of Tennessee during 2011-2012 to determine the safety of post-emergence broadleaf herbicides on putting green-height creeping bentgrass turf.

An experiment was conducted twice at the W.H. Daniel Turfgrass Research and Diagnostic Center at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and the East Tennessee Research and Education Center in Knoxville, Tenn., at the University of Tennessee. The Indiana location was Pennlinks creeping

bentgrass grown on a sand root zone built to USGA recommendations and, in Tennessee, the site was L-93 creeping bentgrass grown on a silt loam soil frequently topdressed with a USGA-recommended sand. The locations were maintained as putting greens. Plots were treated with herbicide on Oct. 24, 2011, and an adjacent location on May 22, 2012, in Indiana and on Oct. 17, 2011, and an adjacent location on May 1, 2012, in Tennessee. At both locations, herbicides were applied in 2 gallons water/1,000 square feet at 30 psi (81.5 milliliters/square meter at 207 kilopascals) with a CO2-pressurized boom sprayer equipped with an XR8002VS fat-fan nozzle.

Herbicides included in this study (Table 3) were all labeled for use on creeping bentgrass putting greens and applied at the putting green label rate and at a rate twice (2×) this labeled rate. One exception to this was the October 2011 application timing in Tennessee where only the label rate of each herbicide was applied. An untreated check was included for comparison at each location. Injury to creeping bentgrass and turf quality data were collected. All data were analyzed using statistical software.

Fall applications. Minor and transient injury was observed from fall treatments on creeping bentgrass putting greens in Indiana, but injury levels were acceptable (≥ 7, on a scale of 9-1, where 9 = no injury) for all treatments including herbicides applied at a 2× rate (Table 3). Minor but acceptable injury occurred from applications of 4-Speed, 4-Speed XT, Banvel, Trimec Bentgrass, Trimec Classic, Trimec Encore and Trimec Southern. In Tennessee, injury was minimal (<4%, on a scale of 0%-100%, where 0% = no injury) and transient from labeled application rates following 4-Speed, 4-Speed XT, Trimec Classic, and Trimec Southern applications. Differences in turf quality were not seen among treatments in Indiana or Tennessee (data not shown).

Spring applications. The experiments were repeated in May 2012 to determine if more injury might be expected from late spring and summer applications during warmer temperatures. At both locations, more injury was observed from May 2012 applications than October 2011 applications. Applications at label rates did not cause unacceptable injury when applied in Indiana in May, but 2× rates

Mouse-ear chickweed is a common weed in close-mowed bentgrasses.

Silvery-thread moss is a common putting green weed, especially in close-mowed putting greens that receive frequent irrigation and low fertility. of 4-Speed XT, Banvel and Trimec Southern did cause unacceptable injury two weeks after application (Table 3). That injury was acceptable by three weeks after application (data not shown). Results were similar in Tennessee with 4-Speed XT, Banvel and Trimec Southern applied at the 2× rate also causing the most injury (11%-19%) (Table 2), but with injury decreasing to <4% three weeks after application (data not shown). While a labeled application rate of Banvel caused 10% injury two weeks after application in Tennessee, other products such as Mecomec 2.5, QuickSilver T&O, Trimec Bentgrass, Trimec Classic and

Trimec Encore had <2% injury when applied at the labeled rate in May, similar to responses observed in Indiana. These data are supported by reports on the safe use of carfentrazone on creeping bentgrass for silvery thread moss (Bryum argenteum) control (15) and the use of Trimec Bentgrass for lesser swinecress (Croronopus didymus) control (14).

Findings of this research were that broadleaf herbicides labeled for putting green use can be safely applied at labeled rates in the spring and fall; injury is more likely to occur from May herbicide applications than from October applications; some herbicides are

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safer than others with high rates of dicamba, triclopyr and 2,4-D causing injury; and unacceptable injury can occur from higherthan-labeled herbicide rates such as from spot applications.

Conclusions Although most golf course superintendents have few weed problems other than annual bluegrass in their putting greens, weeds do occasionally invade. If only a handful of weeds are present within a single green, mechanically removing these weeds is the most effcient method of control. Herbicide applications are only warranted when weed pressure is signifcant. In these cases, research has confrmed that several herbicides labeled for use on putting greens can be used safely and successfully to control weeds when label directions are followed.

More herbicides are registered for use on fairways and tees than on putting greens.

Considering the scope of effcacy and tolerance testing required across a wide geographic region before a herbicide receives labeling, there is likely good reason a particular product is not labeled for putting green use — it could

RESEARCH SAYS ¥ Few herbicides are labeled for use on putting greens. ¥ Problem weeds in greens include crabgrass, goosegrass, Poa annua, sedge and kyllinga species and broadleaf weeds. ¥ Recent research showed that broadleaf herbicides labeled for use on greens can be safely applied at labeled rates in the spring and fall; injury is more likely to occur from spring applications. ¥ In the same study, some herbicides were safer than others; unacceptable injury can occur from higher-than-labeled herbicide rates such as from spot applications. ¥ To prevent potential damage, superintendents should use only products labeled specifically for putting green use.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

result in undesirable injury. Herbicide labels that neither restrict nor allow putting green use place all liability on the end user, so use caution with these products. For t ese reasons, it is best to use only products wit pecifc label instructions for putting greens.

Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Drs. Lambert McCarty and Travis Gannon for their assistance with this manuscript.

This article is a compilation of previously published University of Tennessee and Purdue University Extension publications and a research article authored by the same authors in Applied Turfgrass Science.

• Brosnan, J.T., and G.K. Breeden. 2011.

Herbicides for Use on Golf Course Putting Greens. University of Tennessee Extension Publication W268. Knoxville, Tenn.

• Patton, A.J., and D.V. Weisenberger. 2014.

Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals.

AY-336. Purdue University Extension Publication, West Lafayette, Ind. • Patton, A.J., D.V. Weisenberger, J.T. Brosnan and G.K. Breeden. 2013. Safety of labeled herbicides for broadleaf weed control in creeping bentgrass putting greens. Applied Turfgrass Science doi:10.1094/ATS2013-0523-01-BR. Literature cited 1. Anonymous. 1946. Fall care of bentgrass putting greens. Timely Turf Topics. USGA Green Section Record October/November. p. 1.

2. Bingham, S.W. 1969. Herbicides and putting green turfgrasses. Proceedings International Turfgrass Research Conference 1:374-379.

3. Borst, S.M., J.S. McElroy and G.K. Breeden. 2010.

Silvery thread moss control in creeping bentgrass putting greens with mancozeb plus copper hydroxide and carfentrazone applied in conjunction with cultural practices. HortTechnology 20:574-578.

4. Busey, P. 2003. Cultural management of weeds: a review. Crop Science 1899-1911.

5. Cross, R., L.B. McCarty, N. Tharayil et al. 2013.

Detecting annual bluegrass resistance to ALSinhibiting herbicides using a rapid diagnostic assay.

Weed Science 61:384Ð389. doi:10.1614/WS-D-1200172.1 6. Dernoeden, P. 2013. Creeping Bentgrass Management. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla. 7. Haguewood, J.B., and X. Xiong. 2012. Control of crabgrass on creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) putting greens using preemergence herbicide. Proceedings North Central Weed Science Society 67:39.

8. Jeffries, M.D., F.H. Yelverton and T.W. Gannon 2013.

Annual bluegrass control in creeping bentgrass putting greens with amicarbazone and paclobutrazol.

Weed Technology 27:520-526.

9. Kaminski, J.E., and P.H. Dernoeden. 2007. Seasonal Poa annua L. emergence patterns in Maryland. Crop Science 47:775-781 10. McElroy, S. 2012. Herbicide-resistant weeds: A 21st century problem. Golf Course Management 80(11):84-86, 88.

11. McElroy, J.S., R.H. Walker, G.R. Wehtje and E. van Santen. 2004 Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) populations exhibit variation in germination response to temperature, photoperiod, and fenarimol. Weed Science 52:47-52.

12. Reicher, Z. 2014. Controlling moss or goosegrass in new creeping bentgrass seedlings. Online. http://turf. unl.edu/pdfctarticles/June9_CBG_Seedlings_moss_ goosegrass.pdf 13. Reicher, Z., M. Sousek, R. Calhoun et al. 2013.

Controlling Poa annua on putting green height turf in Indiana, Michigan, and Nebraska: 2012 Research Update. 2012 Annual ReportÐPurdue University Turfgrass Science Program, p. 32-34. Online. www.agry. purdue.edu/turf/report/2012/PDF/2012_Purdue TurfResearchSummary.pdf 14. Straw, C., G. Henry, T. Williams et al. 2012. Postemergence control of lesser swinecress in creeping bentgrass putting greens. ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Annual Meetings, Cincinnati, Ohio. Oct. 21-24, 2012.

Paper 105-7.

15. Thompson, C., J. Fry and M. Kennelly. 2011. Evaluation of conventional and alternative products for silvery-thread moss control in creeping bentgrass.

Online. Applied Turfgrass Science doi:10.1094/ATS2011-1018-01-RS

Jim Brosnan (jbrosnan@utk.edu; Twitter: @UTTurf weeds) is an associate professor of turfgrass weed science and Greg Breeden is an Extension specialist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn. Aaron Patton is an associate professor at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

CUTTING EDGE Teresa Carson

Photo by G. Obear

Carbonate accumulation in sand-based putting green soils Bicarbonate in irrigation water has been implicated in the buildup of carbonate in the soil in areas where there is concern that these minerals may precipitate and reduce porosity, leading to decreased hydraulic conductivity.

Much of the research on this issue originates from the arid southwestern U.S., yet recommendations for managing bicarbonate are made to golf course superintendents in all regions of the country despite vast differences in climate and soil pH. In this study, putting green profle samples were collected from 30 golf courses around the U.S. and analyzed for pH and carbonate content by depth. Soil carbonate content was not signifcantly related to total bicarbonate addition from irrigation water, but soil pH was. There was a strong relationship between soil pH and carbonate content. In soils with acidic pH values, carbonate contents were very low, and in soils with a pH above 7.1, carbonate content was highly variable. These fndings suggest that carbonate accumulation from irrigation is not a concern for acidic soils, especially on short time scales (<10 years) where chemical reactions are more strongly infuenced by the soil than by the poorly buffered irrigation water. — Glen R. Obear and Douglas J. Soldat, Ph.D. (djsoldat@ wisc.edu), University of Wisconsin-Madison

block in the split-plot design had three levels of compaction, and half of each block was dethatched. All three root zones were brought to saturation, allowed to dry down, and then treated with different irrigation application rates. Soil moisture content, surface frmness, turfgrass quality and green speed were measured throughout each trial. As expected, lower soil moisture content resulted in a frmer surface. Plots that were single cut and rolled daily did not have increased soil compaction, but on occasion had higher soil moisture contents. On most test dates, the plots that received daily rolling had frmer surfaces, despite at times having higher soil water content. The results from dethatching were mixed. At times the dethatched plots were frmer due to lower soil moisture content and at other times softer due to surface disruption.

There were no signifcant interactions between factors. — Arly M. Drake; John Street, Ph.D.; T. Karl Danneberger, Ph.D.; and David S. Gardner, Ph.D., Edward McCoy, Ph.D., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio

Teresa Carson (tcarson@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s science editor.

Photo courtesy of A. Drake

Cultural practices affect frmness of greens Putting green frmness is a key playability factor in the game of golf. The study was designed to investigate how soil moisture content, organic matter content and compaction interact to infuence putting green frmness. The study was set up on three sand-based putting green root zones. Each

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(verdure)

Here comes the sun Beth Guertal, Ph.D. guerta@auburn.edu twitter: @AUTurfFert

Soil Physical and Chemical Properties: The Analogy Beth Guertal, Ph.D., will present a GCSAA webinar on soil chemical and physical properties, using food to illustrate important concepts like cation exchange capacity, bulk density and infltration. The 90-minute event will take place Sept. 25, 2014, at noon CDT. Read more and enroll online at www.gcsaa.org/Education/ Webcasts/Upcoming-Live/Sept-25-SoilPhysical-and-Chemical-Properties-TheAnalogy-Webinar or call GCSAA Professional Development at 800-472-7878.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Reptiles, spring-break undergraduates and hybrid bermudagrass — they all really like sunshine. In fact, all three of those groups would likely lie happily prostrate in sun for most of the day, given the chance. Hybrid bermudagrass, however, keeps getting shoved into shade, because we like trees on our golf course — trees getting in the way of the shot, trees artfully arranged around the green, trees framing the hole in resplendent glory. Damn those trees.

Suffce it to say that hybrid bermudagrass and trees don’t get along all that well, and thus managing bermudagrass in the shade is a research topic of interest. The top research scientists that study bermudagrass and shade are in Dr. Bert McCarty’s research group at Clemson University. In 2005 they examined the combined effects of mowing height, growth promoters and various hours of sunlight on TifEagle bermudagrass.

From June to August of two years, shade cloth was placed over the putting green to produce 12, eight or four hours of sunlight. These plots of sunlight levels were split into smaller plots to which growth promoters were applied: (1) trinexapac-ethyl applied every three weeks (0.035 pound ai/acre [0.039 kilogram ai/hectare]); (2) gibberellic acid applied every two weeks (0.055 pound/acre [0.062 kilogram/hectare]); (3) additional nitrogen applied every two weeks (22 pounds nitrogen/acre; ½ pound/1,000 square feet [24.5 kilograms/hectare]) using an 18-4-15 N-P-K fertilizer; and (4) the control. The split plots were split again in mowing height (1 ⁄8 or 3 ⁄16 inch daily [3.2 or 4.7 millimeters]). All the plots received 22 pounds nitrogen/acre biweekly.

Highest turfgrass quality was found in plots that received 12 hours of sun and added nitrogen, regardless of mowing height. As the amount of sunlight was reduced, turf quality decreased, although bermudagrass grown in eight hours of sun still had acceptable quality.

If only four hours of sunlight was provided, turf quality was unacceptable, except when trinexapac-ethyl was applied and the turf was mowed at the higher height of 3 ⁄16 inch. In that case, the quality was equal to that found in some of the other treatments that received more sun.

Applying the additional ½ pound of ni-

trogen/1,000 square feet every two weeks also helped lateral regrowth of the bermudagrass, but only when the grass received 12 or eight hours of sunlight. Adding trinexapac-ethyl and mowing low produced the slowest lateral regrowth and, regardless of treatment, lateral growth was always poorest in the most shaded plots. The combination of only four hours of sun and extra nitrogen decreased total nonstructural carbohydrates, and the addition of trinexapac-ethyl or gibberellic acid did not improve total nonstructural carbohydrates.

Basically, differences in TifEagle bermudagrass quality, lateral growth, chlorophyll content and total nonstructural carbohydrates were fewer when sun was supplied at 12 or eight hours a day. So, a little bit of shade did not horribly affect the bermudagrass. Things got ugly and turf quality declined substantially when sunlight was reduced to only four hours a day. At that level of sunlight, applications of trinexapac-ethyl and a higher height of cut (3 ⁄16 inch) were needed to maintain any acceptable level of turf quality.

It’s important to remember that this study ran for only three months in each summer, and then the shade covers were removed. Thus, the results may not fully refect what can happen to a putting green that is shaded for most of a growing season, nor would they account for additional stresses such as tree root competition.

Regardless, this research was an excellent starting point to clearly show that extra nitrogen and/or trinexapac-ethyl, and increased mowing heights, can go a long way in helping bermudagrass handle shade.

Source: Bunnell, B.T., L.B. McCarty and W.C. Bridges Jr. 2005. ‘TifEagle’ bermudagrass response to growth factors and mowing height when grown at various hours of sunlight.

Crop Science 45:575-581.

Beth Guertal, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of agronomy and soils at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and the incoming editor-in-chief for the Agronomy Society of America. She is a 17-year member of GCSAA.

(Product news)

Heavy-duty

METER

Buffalo Turbine released the improved CKB4.

This model features the benefts of the KB4 with some added staying power, the company says.

Added features include a SenDec hour meter to help gauge necessary maintenance needs and a heavy-duty air cleaner. The SenDec meter allows mechanics to schedule and perform needed maintenance by simply checking the hours. The meter also allows superintendents and equipment managers to determine how much time is spent at each daily/annual task. The addition of the heavy-duty air cleaner increases the engineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s longevity. The HD air cleaner has a two-part flter system, which can trap more fugitive particulars than single-flter systems. Contact Buffalo Turbine, 716-592-2700 (www.buffaloturbine.com).

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

NK Technologies launched the ASD Series Current Sensing Switches that provide a limit alarm contact with the easiest adjustment ever designed, the company says. The current sensing switches feature a single turn potentiometer, allowing the trip point to be set before the sensor is installed or before the monitored circuit is energized. In conjunction, the ASD features an LED display for quick visual indication of where the contact changes. The easily adjustable and precise set point simplifes and expedites start-up and improves safety by allowing trip point adjustment, with no power through the sensing window. ASD sensors are compatible with most automation systems.

Contact NK Technologies, 800-959-4014 (www. nktechnologies.com)

SnowEx is showcasing the SP-1675 Precision Pro Spreader.

Featuring the ability to accurately spread any bulk or bagged ice-melting material, the unit is designed to accommodate varying sidewalk widths (from 4 to 12 feet) that cannot be easily treated with drop spreaders. The SP-1675 has a 6-cubic-foot capacity, a unique volumetric vane feed system that provides consistent material fow to the spinner while

eliminating the need for a gate. To ensure even material distribution, the spinner is located in the center of the unit, and the feed rate and spread width are independently adjustable for maximum material control. The spreader comes with a lightweight, corrosion-resistant polyethylene hopper. The electric-drive system further reduces maintenance needs.

The SP-1675 is offered with three mounting systems for attaching to three-point hitches, utility vehicles or 2-inch receiver hitches. Contact TrynEx International, 800-7258377 (www.snowexproducts.com).

Worksaver Inc. introduced a new adapter for John Deere 600/700 series loaders that is designed to work with Global/Euro-type attachments.

The adapter features an all-welded design, plated rods and easy-release handle to secure the attachment in place.

Contact Worksaver, 217-324-5973 (www.worksaver.com).

Henkeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HXC2000 Spreader is the only V-box spreader on the market with a removable conveying cartridge, the company says. The replaceable cartridge allows the user to choose between an auger, dual auger, pintle chain or conveyor, providing a new level of versatility to snow and ice management. Standard features of the

HXC2000 include fully replaceable conveyor cartridge, remote chain tensioning, wide base rails and conveyor for more consistent spread and minimizing of material bridging, adjustable spinner defectors, telescoping discharge chute for even high-fow rates, spinner drive-shed design to prevent clogging and fouling in the chute and safety features allowing tool-free access for routine maintenance. Contact Henke Manufacturing, 913-297-7125 (rmadison@henkemfg.com).

The Noer/Milorganite Image Collection Website, in some circles known as the Noer Slides, feature nearly 13,000 35 mm slide images shot by O.J. Noer, Charlie Wilson, Jim Latham and others. The digital archives are searchable, may be browsed by year or location and can be accessed at http:/noermmsd.lib.msu.edu.

The images were taken between the 1920s and 1980s and feature an extraordinary scope of content, including experimental plots, golf courses and athletic felds across North America, equipment, personalities, maintenance practices, disease and pest control and fertilization issues and test plots.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the Turfgrass Information Center (TIC) announced the availability of the website.

State-of-the-art

SYSTEM

Underhill International introduced UltraMax Red, a custom-engineered, heavy-duty hose, for golf courses. Featuring Goodyear technology, UltraMax Red is constructed from EPDM rubber and reinforced with spiral synthetic yarn construction.

The hose is ideal for high working pressures and has burst strength up to 800 psi. It can be used for watering down greens and tees and for equipment cleanups and site wash-downs. It is kink-, tangleand abrasion-resistant and has machine brass couplings. UltraMax Red is available in 25-, 50-, 75- and 100-foot lengths and 5/8-, 3/4- and 1-inch sizes. Contact Underhill International, 866-8633744 (www.underhill.us).

Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc. launched Elevance Clean 1200, a degreasing and VOC-exempt solvent that targets heavy manufacturing, transportation maintenance and repair operations and industrial food processing. Elevance Clean 1200 is produced from natural oils and made to tackle soils such as industrial-grade complex greases, paraffn waxes, automotive lubricants, metalworking fuids and corrosion-preventive oils. It also is made to handle tough-to-clean soils that affect food processing operations such as hardened and fuid animal plant lipids and cooking greases and oils. Contact Elevance Renewable Sciences Inc., 866625-7103 (www.elevance.com).

Volatex from Floratine is a urease inhibitor and a dry, soluble additive for enhancing any urea or UAN fertilizer solution to prevent nitrogen loss and extend fertilizer availability for turf uptake.

Turfgrass managers can use Volatex to deliver rapid green-up as a standard urea or UAN and prevent loss while managing applications using reduced rates to save time and expense. Volatex inhibits the urease enzyme, slowing the conversion of urea to ammonium, providing protection against nitrogen loss through volatilization.

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It also keeps the nitrogen in ammonium form longer so the nutrient remains in a positive form and bonds to the negatively charged soil particles. The risk of leaching is reduced because now the nitrogen is kept in the turf’s root zone and is available for uptake. Contact Floratine, 901-8532898 (www.foratine.com).

Spring Valley, a Jackson, Wis.-based fertilizer blender, has a new all-purpose garden blend that features cutting-edge fertilizer technologies and replaces conventional water-soluble phosphorus with Crystal Green, a high effciency, low-eco impact fertilizer. Spring Valley’s new product offering coincides with the offcial opening of Wisconsin’s frst nutrient recovery facility

by Crystal Green maker, Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, in partnership with the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District. The facility will help protect the area network of freshwater lakes and rivers by recovering phosphorus from wastewater streams at the plant and transforming it into an environmentally responsible fertilizer to be used in Spring Valley’s new blend. Contact Spring Valley, 800-635-2123 (www. springvalleyusa.com).

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

PLATINUM PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNER

Partner

Recognition Program BASF Professional Turf & Ornamentals provides innovative solutions to the turf and professional ornamental industries by marketing and developing a wide range of products to manage all forms of pest control. In the professional landscaping market, this means helping to solve all forms of turf problems by providing a powerful portfolio of leading herbicide, fungicide and insecticide technologies. In addition, BASF now offers turf and greenhouse nutrients, turf colorants, wetting agents and products for lake and pond management.

With advancements to the BASF solutions portfolio, BASF Turf & Ornamentals provides many options for customers facing new challenges. From sporting event playing surfaces to in home landscapes, BASF provides the optimal level of year-round protection of turf and landscape beds. For more information about our professional turf solutions, visit betterturf.basf.us.

(Industry news) Distinguished Service

AWARD

The PGA of America awarded President Bill Clinton its 2014 PGA Distinguished Service Award. The honor goes to a recipient for a lifetime love of golf and commitment to health and wellness. The award, which was launched in 1988, honors individuals who display leadership and humanitarian qualities, including integrity, sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game of golf. Past recipients include Bob Hope, Byron Nelson, Vince Gill and Patty Berg. After leaving the White House, Clinton established the Clinton Foundation, an initiative to improve global health, strengthen economies, promote health and wellness and protect the environment. Since 2012, Clinton has partnered with Humana, the PGA Tour and Desert Classic Charities to present the Humana Challenge.

Photo by NIck Novell/© Medinah Country Club

Medinah Country ClubÕs Course One offcially reopened in June following a renovation. Golf course architect Tom Doak, who oversaw the project that lasted 21 months at a cost of $6.5 million, struck the ceremonial tee shot to reopen the course. Medinah superintendent Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS, oversees grounds activities on all three courses there. He noted that the renovation solved Course One’s infrastructure issues. A new generation of 007 creeping bentgrass was planted on all tees, greens and fairways. The rough areas are a mixture of bluegrass and fescue.

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Koch Agronomic Services LLC, an affliate of Koch Fertilizer LLC, fnalized the acquisition of the turf and ornamental assets, brands and product technologies of Agrium Advanced Technologies, which is a former business unit of Agrium Inc. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The acquired turf and ornamental business provides nutrient solutions for the horticulture, turfgrass, consumer lawn and garden and specialty agriculture segments. Included in the transaction are production facilities in Sylacauga, Ala., and global intellectual property rights related to Polyon, Duration, XCU, Nutralene and Nitroform brands of slow-release and controlled-release fertilizers.

MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary, N.C., is under new ownership. Concert Golf Partners purchased the club from its members this year. It has begun a multi-million dollar improvement program to the club, including the removal of trees and upgrades to the irrigation system. The acquisition allowed the club to retire its debt and permanently eliminate member assessments. The club opened in 1967.

More than two-dozen college seniors from top turfgrass programs around the world attended JacobsenÕs annual Future Turf Managers event in June in Charlotte, N.C. The event gives students the opportunity to network with turfgrass industry professionals at the highest level. During the three-day event, students visited with superintendents and sports feld managers to hear cutting-edge presentations from industry experts and get an inside look at Jacobsen’s turf maintenance equipment.

Some of the colleges that were represented include Iowa State, Penn State, North Dakota State and North Melbourne Institute of TAFE in Australia. The group traveled to Charlotte Country Club and Sage Valley Golf Club and also got to visit the University of South Carolina’s baseball and football facilities. The event included a discussion of leadership and communications led by GCSAA’s Steve Randall, senior manager of chapter outreach. Each student was awarded a full year’s membership to GCSAA, sponsored by Jacobsen, and credit toward the pursuit of their GCSAA Class A certifcation. “Overall, the experience has made me more confdent of my potential for success in

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the turf industry,” said Dustin Harris, a recent graduate of Oklahoma State University. “Although the turf industry has had its struggles, I feel good about my opportunities.”

Robert W. Linn was appointed director of business operations for Pascuzzo & Pate Golf Course Design. His primary focus will be business development. Based in Los Angeles, Linn has served as general manager at various country clubs and was honored by American Golf Corp. as General Manager of the Year.

The Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) held its third annual Field Day on June 23 at the Pure Seed Testing Research Farm.

Besides the U.S., other participants came to the event from Italy, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Canada. They got to hear from well-known industry members such as Cale Bigelow, Ph.D.; Mike Richardson, Ph.D.; and Melodee Fraser, Ph.D. Special recognition was given to TWCA founding Class E members Wade Wilbur from the Sod Shop in Wichita, Kan., and John McShane from Stover in Los Angeles.

Exacto CEO Diana Braun was featured on TV in

June to discuss how her company is making technology part of the solution for more effcient food production on a global basis.

Braun appeared on the Fox Business Network and Bloomberg Worldwide. Braun said during the interviews, “We ensure we make an impact because of the way our team helps deliver innovative products to serve our community.” At Exacto’s production facility in Sharon, Wis., customers’ services include on-site quality-control laboratory tests of all incoming raw materials and a comprehensive portfolio of fnished products to ensure specifcations are met.

in 2013. His primary emphasis for the remainder of 2014 is to grow TWCA’s membership.

Jeff Price was named chief commercial officer of the PGA of America. Price previously was president and publisher of Sporting News. Price is overseeing the primary commercial areas of the organization, including media, sponsorship, merchandising, marketing/communications and international. Price serves on the National Executive Board of the National

to celebrate the men and women of the military who are dedicated to protecting America’s freedom. It provides active, reserve and retired military personnel with discounts for golf from Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day at more than 19 Marriott Golf facilities in the U.S. Members who present a valid military ID card can take advantage of discounted twilight green fees and carts, ranging from $29 to $69, while also receiving a free play certificate for another day.

Todd

Thota

FMC Corp. expanded its leadership team. Bethwyn Todd is in the newly created position that includes leadership in FMC’s new bio-solutions and seed treatment businesses while retaining executive oversight of FMC’s and FMC Professional Solutions’ global business director. Also, Pramod Thota was hired to lead FMC Professional Solutions’ business unit within FMC Agricultural Solutions serving the pest, turf and ornamental industries.

Thota spent the last two years on the company’s corporate development and strategy team.

Project EverGreen

Project EverGreen completed its 9/11 Memorial Grove project on Liberty Island to return the area to its pre-Hurricane Sandy beauty. Much of the work was done in advance — that includes soil analysis, removal of dead trees, aeration and gypsum application. The icing on the cake was the installation of a dozen 14-foot London Plane trees. The National Parks Service arranged for the Project EverGreen group to receive a private tour of the Ellis Island Museum while they were there, and Project EverGreen Executive Director Cindy Code thanked Project EverGreen’s numerous partners, including Nufarm and BASF.

The Turfgrass Water Conservation Alliance (TWCA) announced that Jack Karlin is its program administrator. Karlin earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Oregon State University

Sports Marketing Network.

Michael Maravich is the new business manager, turf and ornamental, for Arysta LifeScience North America. Maravich has been with Arysta since January 2008, when he joined as product manager. Previously, he worked for Lesco.

Irrigation consultants Brian Vinchesi and Brendan Lynch recently were named ASIC (American Society of Irrigation Consultants) fellows. Vinchesi is with Irrigation Consulting Inc. of Pepperell, Mass. Lynch is with Lynch & Associates Ltd., in Annapolis, Md. Vinchesi’s work includes the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and Central Park in New York. Lynch’s work includes The White House and Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Ashburn, Va. Marriott Golf’s Camelback Golf Club and Wildfre Golf Club participated in the company’s third annual Fairways-ForeFreedom military golf program that kicked off Memorial Day. It is designed

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MEMBERS ONLY

ON COURSE

(Climbing the ladder)

Aug. 1-3 — Champions Tour, 3M Championship, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn., Roger Stewart, CGCS.

Chris Benisch Was: Is:

Assistant superintendent, Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club, Prairie Village, Kan. Superintendent, Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club

Chances are not even football stars such as Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles produced a feat that Chris Benisch accomplished as a senior football star at tiny Inman (Kan.) High School (he was one of 32 in his graduating class). In a game against Bennington, Benisch was responsible for four touchdowns. It was how he scored them that makes it so special.

One rushing. One passing. One on a fumble return. One on a punt return. Yet perhaps his best achievement, Benisch says, occurred his junior year. “That year was the frst time we had made the playoffs in about 15 years,” Benisch says.

Q: What got you hooked on this industry?

A: In the summer of 2006 I got to be on the volunteer staff for the U.S. Senior Open at Prairie Dunes

Country Club (in Hutchinson, Kan.). It was just a lot of fun, whether I was working on the bunkers or mowing greens. I fell head over heels.

Q: Who are your mentors?

A: Stan George (who passed away in April 2013) at Prairie Dunes is one of them. He was big on

details and communication. There was always something to be done. If you didn’t take care of it, he said somebody will notice it. I also learned a lot from the superintendents here before me. Steve Wilson was organized and on top of everything. Then, Kris Nelson, who is our general manager now, is a real professional.

Q: Do you feel fortunate to have become a superintendent at age 28?

A: Today, yeah. I don’t know if it’s real common nowadays. It is a blessing.

Q: What makes the job enjoyable?

A: Hearing compliments from members and passing them along to the staff. It’s good to get that

feedback, knowing things are getting done the way you want them to get done.

Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

Aug. 4-10 — USGA, Women’s Amateur, Nassau Country Club, Glen Cove, N.Y., Kyle Hillegass, superintendent.

Aug. 7-10 — PGA Tour, PGA

Getting to know you

108

Aug. 1-3 — Symetra Tour, Credit Union Classic presented by Wegmans, Drumlins Country Club East Course, Syracuse, N.Y., Peter McPartland, superintendent.

Championship, Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Ky., Roger Meier, superintendent.

Aug. 7-10 — LPGA, Meijer LPGA Classic, Blythefeld Country Club, Grand Rapids, Mich., Collin Romanick, superintendent.

Aug. 7-10 — Web.com Tour, Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper, Highland Springs Country Club, Springfeld, Mo., Ken Smith, CGCS.

Aug. 8-10 — Symetra Tour, New England Charity Classic, Stonebridge Country Club, Goffstown, N.H., Alan Hollen, superintendent.

Aug. 11-17 — USGA, U.S. Amateur, Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Ga., Ken Mangum, CGCS. Aug. 14-17 — PGA Tour, Wyndham Championship, Sedgefeld Country Club, Greensboro, N.C., Keith Wood, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Aug. 14-17 — LPGA, Wegmans LPGA Championship, Monroe Golf Club, Pittsford, N.Y., Matthew Delly, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Aug. 14-17 — Web.com Tour, News Sentinel Open presented by Pilot, Fox Den Country Club, Knoxville, Tenn., Scott Severance, CGCS.

Aug. 14-17— European Tour, Made in Denmark, Himmersland Golf & Spa Resort, Aalborg, Denmark.

Aug. 15-17 — Champions Tour, Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, En-Joie Golf Club, Endicott, N.Y., Rocco Greco, superintendent.

Aug. 15-17 — Symetra Tour, Eagle Classic presented by Bag Boy, Richmond Country Club, Richmond, Va., Gregory McCue, superintendent.

Aug. 21-24 — PGA Tour, The Barclays, Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, N.J., Todd Raisch, CGCS.

Aug. 21-24 — LPGA, Canadian Pacifc Women’s Open, London Hunt and Country Club, London, Ontario.

Aug. 21-24 — Web.com Tour, WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft, Witch Hollow at Pumpkin Ridge, North Plains, Ore., Bill Webster, CGCS. Aug. 21-24 — European Tour, D+D Real Czech Masters, Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic.

Aug. 22-24 — Champions Tour, Boeing Classic, TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, Wash., Josh Heersink, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Aug. 28-31 — LPGA, Portland

COMING UP

Aug. 4-5 — Professional Grounds Maintenance Society Summer Regional Seminar and Site Visit, Minneapolis.

Website: www.pgms.org/2014-summersite-visit

———

Aug. 6 — Turfgrass Field Day, UGA Griffn Campus, Griffn, Ga. Phone: 706-376-3585 Website: www.ggcsa.com

Aug. 7 — Kansas Turfgrass Foundation Field Day, Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center, Manhattan.

Phone: 785-532-6173 Email: cdipman@ksu.edu Website: www.kansasturfgrassfoundation. com/annual-ktf-feld-day.html Aug. 11 — August Field Day, University of Illinois Lincolnshire Fields, Champaign.

Phone: 309-533-5838 Website: www.ci-gcsa.com Aug. 13 — Michigan State University Turfgrass Field Day, Hancock Turfgrass Research Center, East Lansing.

Website: www.michiganturfgrass.org/ msu-turfgrass-feld-day.html

Aug. 26-27 — Virginia Tech Turfgrass Field Day, Blacksburg, Va. Phone: 757-464-1004 Website: www.vaturf.org

Aug. 28-31 — Web.com Tour, Hotel Fitness Championship, Sycamore Hills Golf Club, Fort Wayne, Ind., David Thompson, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Sept. 8-11 — Florida Turfgrass

Aug. 28-31 — European Tour,

Sept. 11 — University of Tennessee

Italian Open, Circolo Golf Torino, Torino, Italy.

Turf & Ornamental Field Day, East Tennessee Research and Education Center-Plant Sciences Unit, Knoxville.

Phone: 865-974-7201 Website: www.tennesseeturfgrassweeds. org

Aug. 29-Sept. 1 — PGA Tour, Deutsche Bank Championship, TPC Boston, Norton, Mass., Tom Brodeur, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

To learn if you can receive education points for any of these upcoming programs, visit the External Education Listings in the education section at www.gcsaa.org/education/externaled/current.aspx.

——— We want to know about your event in advance. To submit an entry for “Coming up,” please send your information fve to six months before you’d like to see it in the magazine. We run event information for three months. Send a contact name if all details are not fnal. Contact Golf Course Management, Attention: Coming Up, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859; 785-832-3638; fax: 785832-3665; email: hrichman@gcsaa.org.

NEW MEMBERS

CALIFORNIA Joel L. Clay, Affliate, Atascadero Tony Garcia, Associate, Los Angeles Francisco Moya, Student, Palm Desert Brandon L. Russell, Class C, Copperopolis Stephen C. Sheffeld, Supt. Mbr., Ramona Tanner D. Westbrook, Class C, Paso Robles COLORADO Kassidy A. Severson, Class C, Grand Junction FLORIDA Timothy Barnes, Class C, Saint Augustine Dennis L. Higgins, Supt. Mbr., Homosassa Springs Paul Howley, Supt. Mbr., Jensen Beach Rodgers C. Isaac, Class C, Jacksonville Neal P. Jordan, Class C, Palm Beach Gardens Brett A. Rasmussen, Class C, Boynton Beach Kirk Swaggerty, Affliate Co. Rep, Lakeland

Aug. 13 — Poa Symposium, Mesa Community College, Mesa, Ariz.

Phone: 480-609-6778 Website: www.cactusandpine.com

Classic presented by Cambia Health Solutions, Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Portland, Ore., Gordon Kiyokawa, CGCS.

Aug. 29-31 — Champions Tour, Shaw Charity Classic, Canyon Meadows Golf & Country Club, Calgary, Alberta.

Oct. 20-21 — Inland Empire GCSA Trade Show, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Resort.

Phone: 406-273-7779 Website: www.ppgcsa.org

Association Annual Conference & Show, Buena Vista Palace, Lake Buena Vista.

Phone: 863-688-9413 Website: www.ftga.org

Oct. 5-7 — Northwest Turfgrass Association Annual Conference, Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash.

Phone: 253-219-8360 Website: www.wwgcsa.org

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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GEORGIA Branden R. Oyler, Class C, Pooler James R. Vojtisek III, Class C, Atlanta ILLINOIS Jay Batson, Associate, Du Quoin Nick Mott, Class C, Pekin KANSAS Justin Chandler, Student, Manhattan

(In the field)

Great Lakes John Miller In June I attended a First Green event in Newark, N.J. This event was well put together by the maintenance staff and a local teacher who is also an employee of the golf course in the summer. I attended the event along with Chase Rogan and Kevin Doyle. Chase and I were there to observe the event and we also helped out some when needed. Our attendance was designed to give us an idea of what the First Green is all about and how the field trips work. Karen Armstead of First Green invited us so that we could see firsthand how the field trips work so that we can better explain it to our chapters and individual superintendents. This is a great program to get kids on the golf course and interested in the game of golf. It is good that GCSAA is supporting the efforts of the First Green.

KENTUCKY Joseph D. Lorenz, Class C, Prospect MASSACHUSETTS Brian J. Daggett, Class C, Onset Cory R. Villano, Class C, Plymouth MICHIGAN Christopher G. Danbrook, Class C, Williamsburg Michael R. Kennings, Student, East Lansing Ghansha St. Amie, Class C, Ann Arbor MINNESOTA Jason Raabe, Class C, Minneapolis MISSOURI Jason Bethel, Class C, Nixa Grant B. Sherwood, Student, Columbia

South Central Brian Cloud

Many parts of the South Central region felt actual relief from the drought in June with heavy rains in parts of Texas and Oklahoma. For the most part, the region was spared severe weather that is common during the spring, but some courses were affected by flash flooding and high wind. Here are a few of the “quick hits” from the region: • Recovery from bermudagrass winterkill continues to be a severe challenge in the region.

Courses across the area are still in recovery mode and members are being challenged by the conditions. I have been involved in a project in the Dallas-Fort Worth region to research the conditions and recovery strategies that have been attempted. Several members have used the letter composed and distributed by Southeast Region field staff representative Ron Wright to communicate the challenges to golfers, members, management and owners.

• Enthusiasm is growing in the region for the 2015 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio. As host chapters, both the Lone Star GCSA and Central Texas GCSA are exploring ways to help make the conference special for visitors to the region.

All chapters in the region are considering ways to encourage their members to participate and attend the conference in their “own backyard.” The Golf Championship will likely be very well supported by South Central region members as well as word is spread about home courses in San Antonio.

• Working with the GCSAA government relations department, I am encouraging and recruiting members to participate in our new Grassroots program and to serve as Ambassadors in their specific congressional districts. I have created a potential Ambassador “target” list for each district. I feel that the South Central region will have very good participation in this program and will have very active Ambassadors and advocates.

• I had the opportunity to recommend South Central members for a marketing campaign and for the Innovative Superintendent program at the 2015 education conference. This region has a number of shining stars who would be great subjects for these types of programs in the future.

For the latest blog posts from all of GCSAA’s feld staff representatives, visit www.gcsaa.org/ community/regions.aspx.

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NEBRASKA Matthew D. Noble, Supt. Mbr., Lincoln NEVADA Scott McIntosh, Class C, Henderson NEW JERSEY Jordan B. Jerrold, Class C, West Trenton Lawrence Milonas, Associate, Colts Neck Jeffrey R. Yeager, Class C, Pine Valley NEW YORK Tyler Jurgens, Class C, Middle Island Ryan Murphy, Class C, Farmingdale John J. O’Donnell, Class C, Staten Island NORTH CAROLINA Adam G. Holt, Class C, Cary Michael Staples, Supt. Mbr., Elizabeth City OHIO Stephen H. Lindsay, Student, Columbus Nicholas P. Roth, Class C, Grafton OKLAHOMA Steve M. Batten, Educator, Stillwater

Mario Gallegos, Class C, Broken Arrow OREGON Burr J. Betts, Supt. Mbr., Union PENNSYLVANIA Ray N. Hale, Student, University Park Kevin J. Heimann, Student, University Park David C. Jones, Student, University Park Jeffrey M. Jurina, Student, University Park Mike Lytle, Affliate Co. Rep., Lebanon Joel Madden, Class C, Elverson SOUTH CAROLINA Anthony l. Spivey, Supt. Mbr., Bennetsville TENNESSEE Myles Brewer, Student, Martin Joe B. Howard, Class C, Franklin Christopher R. Stephens, Class C, Athens TEXAS Zach G. Elias, Class C, Bryan John McNabb, Class C, Corpus Christi UTAH Craig E. Bonner, Class C, Midway VIRGINIA Sean P. Callahan, Class C, Gainesville Scott Strasinger, Class C, Fairfax WISCONSIN Mike Fryatt, Affliate, Sussex CANADA Michael B. Ainsworth, Associate, Toronto, Ontario Jeff Allen, ISM, Port Carling, Ontario Devan Kennedy, Student, Guelph, Ontario Jessie L. Nicholls, Class C, Thornhill, Ontario Anthony Nicholson, Class C, Ashburn, Ontario Shane Timms, Supt. Mbr., Stouffville, Ontario Scott Winkelman, ISM, Thornton, Ontario PUERTO RICO Luis R. Santiago, Associate, Palmer

NEWLY CERTIFIED

Resort, Verona, N.Y. Glenn Matthews, CGCS, Visalia Country Club, Visalia, Calif.

Ian Peluso, CGCS, Devil’s Thumb Golf Club, Delta, Colo.

ON THE MOVE

ALABAMA Kyle Johnson, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Atlanta Athletic Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Inverness Country Club in Birmingham.

ARIZONA Christopher M. Bolender, formerly (A) at Anthem Golf & Country Club-Persimmon Course, is now (A) at Pioneer Community Park in Peoria.

Daniel T. Mayfeld, formerly (C) at The Lodge at Ventana Canyon, is now (C) at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson.

Oscar J. Murillo, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Recreation Centers of Sun City, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Stardust Golf Course in Sun City West.

ARKANSAS Wendy M. Barnes, formerly (C) at Bella Vista Country Club, is now (C) at Berksdale Course at Bella Vista Country Club in Bella Vista.

Kyle Bunney, formerly (C) at Country Club of Little Rock, is now (C) at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.

Keith A. Ihms, CGCS, formerly (A) at Bella Vista Country Club, is now (A) at Bella Vista Village POA in Bella Vista.

COLORADO Lance Lauer, formerly (C) at Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club in Holyoke.

FLORIDA Brennan A. Barr, formerly (C) at Palm Beach Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Boca Grove Golf & Tennis in Boca Raton.

Michael J. Bellino, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at DeBary Golf & Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Heathrow Country Club in Lake Mary.

James M. Branstrom, CGCS, formerly (A) at Sugar Cane Golf Club, is now (A) at Wynmoor Community Council in Coconut Creek.

Kevin Bush, formerly (C) at Gulf Harbour Golf & Country Club, is now (C) at Herons Glen Country Club in North Fort Myers.

Robert Cevetello, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at The Great Outdoors Golf & Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Commons Park Village Royal Palm Beach in Royal Palm Beach.

Tommy J. Coffey Jr., formerly (Supt.

Mbr.) at Grand Palms Hotel & Golf Resort, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Lauderhill Golf

Course in Fort Lauderdale.

Todd B. Draffen, formerly (A) at TPC at Treviso Bay, is now (A) at Wilderness Country Club in Naples.

Edwin B. Gifford Jr., formerly (Supt.

Mbr.) at Tesoro Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Savanna Golf Club in Port Saint Lucie.

Mark J. Henderson, formerly (A) at Gulf Stream Golf Club, is now (A) at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton.

Carson L. Kamps, formerly (A) at Lake Nona Golf Club, is now (A) at Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club in Tampa.

Chad E. King, formerly (C) at Indian Spring Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Indian Spring Country Club in Boynton Beach.

Chad E. Libby, formerly (C) at Arlington Ridge Golf Club, is now (C) at Evans Prairie Country Club in The Villages.

Christopher T. MacKenzie, formerly (AS) at Interlachen Country Club, is now (AS) at Frenchman’s Reserve in Palm Beach Gardens.

Scott A. Mosher, formerly (A) at Viera East Golf Club, is now (A) at Mayfair Country Club in Sanford.

Daniel T. Parks, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at OneSource Landscape & Golf Services,

CALIFORNIA Roberto Canedo Jr., formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Pro Kids Golf Academy, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Colina Park Golf Course in San Diego.

James D. Hansen, formerly (C) at Adobe Creek Golf Club, is now (C) at Rooster Run Golf Club in Petaluma.

David J. Smith, formerly (S) at University of California, Riverside is now (AS) at The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe in Rancho Santa Fe. Pat Smyth, formerly (C) at Saddle Creek Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Saddle Creek Golf Club in Copperopolis.

Michael F. Stieler, CGCS, formerly (A) at Riverbend Golf Club, is now (A) at Spring Creek Golf & Country Club in Ripon.

Matt J. Falvo, CGCS, Turning Stone

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Inc., is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Mission Inn Golf Resort in Howey In The Hills.

Chris Stephenson, formerly (C) at Mission Valley Country Club, is now (C) at Legacy Golf Club in Bradenton.

Scott Tullis, formerly (A) at Landing’s Golf Club, is now (A) at Jacaranda West Country Club in Venice.

Joseph A. Voss Jr., CGCS, formerly (A) at Trump Golf Links of Ferry Point, is now (A) at The Oaks Club in Osprey.

Cameron H. Miller, formerly (C) at Kohanaiki, is now (C) at Kukio Golf Club in Kailua Kona.

IDAHO John Andros, formerly (C) at Riverside Golf Course, is now (C) at Highland Golf Course in Pocatello.

GEORGIA Paul D. Britt, formerly (I), is now (A) at Coweta Club in Newnan.

Brett Herlocker, formerly (C) at The Landings Club, is now (C) at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta.

Will O’Steen, formerly (A) at Waterfall Club, is now (A) at Reynolds Plantation Golf Course in Greensboro.

Robert B. Wilson, formerly (A) at Paramount Golf Partners, is now (A) at Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta.

ILLINOIS Grey Harrison, formerly (S) at Illinois State University, is now (C) at Edgewood Valley Country Club in La Grange.

Matthew N. Hook, formerly (C) at Green Garden Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Joliet Park District in Joliet.

Jim T. Mzhickteno, formerly (C) at Maple Meadows Golf Course, is now (C) at Green Meadows Golf Course in Westmont.

Steve Swarringin, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Gateway National Golf Links, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at The Orchards Golf Course in Belleville.

HAWAII B. Russell Dooge, CGCS, formerly (AA), is now (A) at The Dunes at Maui Lani Golf Course in Kahului.

INDIANA Michael A. Jordan, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Ironwood Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Gray Eagle Golf Club & Academy in Fishers.

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IOWA Patrick J. Wynja, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Jewell Golf & Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Homewood Golf Course in Ames.

KANSAS James F. Campbell, formerly (C) at Prairie Dunes Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson.

Shane L. Rengstorf, formerly (C) at Shadow Valley Golf & Country Club, is now (C) at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan.

Todd R. Towery, formerly (A) at Pinnacle Country Club, is now (A) at Hallbrook Country Club in Leawood.

LOUISIANA Michael L. Upchurch, formerly (A) at Southern Hills Golf Club, is now (A) at Palmetto Country Club in Benton.

MAINE Darius H. Iranpour, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Purpoodock Club, is now (AF) at DIT Consulting in South Portland.

MARYLAND

Kevin Brown, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Sunset Hills Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Cross Creek Golf Club in Beltsville.

Scott A. Comignaghi, formerly (A) at Rock Creek Park Golf Course, is now (A) at Gunpowder Golf Club in Laurel.

Alan Southward, formerly (A) at Dunes Club, is now (A) at Brickman Group Ltd. in Gaithersburg.

MASSACHUSETTS Richard J. Nack, CGCS, formerly (AF) at Matrix Turf Solutions LLC, is now (AF) at Valley Green Inc. in South Hadley.

Peter O’Brien, formerly (C) at Indian Pond Country Club, is now (C) at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton.

MICHIGAN Chad B. Corp, CGCS, formerly (A) at Crystal Mountain Resort, is now (A) at Bay Meadows Golf Course in Traverse City.

Gregory A. Goecker, formerly (C) at Elcona Country Club, is now (C) at Wequetonsing Golf Course in Harbor Springs.

Fred J. Heinlein II, CGCS Retired, formerly (AA) at Nutramax Agriculture Inc., is now (AA) at Direct Solutions in

Cedar Springs.

Hills Golf Course in Farmington.

Country Club in Gresham.

MINNESOTA Joel Hanson, formerly (C) at Hillcrest Golf Club of St. Paul, is now (C) at River Oaks Municipal Golf Course in Cottage Grove.

Jim Riekena, formerly (C) at Dwan Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Dwan Golf Course in Minneapolis.

Patrick A. Walton, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Meadowbrook Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Columbia Golf Club in Minneapolis.

NEW YORK David F. Gentner III, formerly (I), is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Golf Club of Newport in Newport.

Richard A. Gold, formerly (C) at Caves Valley Golf Club, is now (C) at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck.

Gregory Kolodinsky, formerly (A) at South Bay Country Club, is now (A) at Colonial Springs Golf Course in Farmingdale.

Devin M. Mergl, formerly (S) at Colorado State University, is now (C) at St. Georges Golf & Country Club in East Setauket.

Scott Winkelman, formerly (A) at Barrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s View Golf Club, is now (A) at Lakeview Golf and Country Club in Auburn.

SOUTH CAROLINA John F. Davis, formerly (AA), is now (AA) at Agri-Business Technologies Inc. in Charleston.

Justin Ornduff, formerly (S) at Rutgers University/Cook College, is now (C) at Kiawah Island Resort Cougar Point Course in Johns Island.

Caleb M. Rathbone, formerly (C) at Savannah Quarters Country Club, is now (C) at Wild Dunes Resort-Harbor Course in Isle of Palms.

MISSISSIPPI Phillip Carter, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Memphis National Golf Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Olive Branch Country Club in Olive Branch.

MISSOURI Lucas W. Delameter, formerly (S) at Longview Community College, is now (C) at Staley Farms Golf Club in Kansas City.

MONTANA Natalia J. Arlint, formerly (S) at Rutgers University/Cook College, is now (C) at Hilands Golf Club in Billings.

NEBRASKA Brent Racer, formerly (C) at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Awarii Dunes in Axtell.

NEVADA Todd A. Andreasen, formerly (A) at Deep Cliff Golf Course, is now (A) at Canyon Gate Country Club in Las Vegas.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Fernando Fernandez, CGCS, formerly (AA), is now (A) at Souhegan Woods Golf Club in Amherst.

NEW JERSEY Daniel M. Dazet, formerly (C) at Baltusrol Golf Club, is now (C) at Echo Lake Country Club in Westfeld.

Dale Wesselman, formerly (A) at Golf Club Minsk, is now (A) at Lincoln Park West in Jersey City.

NEW MEXICO Christopher Heslin, formerly (C) at San Juan Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at San Juan Country Club in Farmington.

Joseph E. Schmidt, formerly (A) at San Juan Country Club, is now (AS) at Pinon

NORTH CAROLINA William A. Diers, formerly (S) at Rutgers University/Cook College, is now (C) at Blowing Rock Country Club in Blowing Rock.

Phillip Vineyard, formerly (S) at University of Tennessee, is now (C) at Highlands Falls Country Club in Highlands.

TENNESSEE Joseph K. Glisson, formerly (S) at Tennessee Tech University, is now (AS) at The Honors Course in Chattanooga.

Matthew Powell, formerly (A) at Sycamore Valley Golf Course, is now (A) at Pebble Brook Golf Course in Greenbrier.

Steven C. Walsh, formerly (A) at Green Meadows Country Club, is now (A) at Tri Cities Golf Club in Blountville.

TEXAS Mike R. Billingsley, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)

at Shady Valley Golf Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfeld.

Robert C. Boaz, formerly (C) at Country Club of Birmingham, is now (C) at Ridglea Country Club-North Course in Fort Worth.

James L. Brown, CGCS, formerly (A) at Newport Dunes Golf Club, is now (A) at Northshore Country Club in Portland.

Benny E. Kozlovsky Jr., formerly (Supt.

Mbr.) at Crenshaw Cliffside Course at Barton Creek, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Fazio Canyons Course at Barton Creek in Austin.

Brandon Wagner, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Palmer Lakeside at Barton Creek, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Barton Creek Resort & Club in Austin.

UTAH Todd E. Bunte, formerly (I), is now (A) at Canyons Golf Course in Park City.

Christopher P. Hart, CGCS, formerly (AA), is now (A) at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington.

VIRGINIA Samuel K. Camp, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)

OHIO Jeffrey Austin, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Augusta National Golf Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Quail Hollow Resort & Country Club in Painesville.

David W. Gourlay, CGCS, CCM, formerly (A) at Colbert Hills Golf Course, is now (A) at Lakewood Country Club in Westlake.

Brian C. Hugel, formerly (C) at Canterbury Golf Club, is now (C) at Cleveland Metro Parks System in Cleveland.

John C. Pustai, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Powderhorn Golf Course, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Chardon Lakes Golf Course in Chardon.

Robert Watkins, formerly (S) at Atunyote Coures at Turning Stone Resort, is now (AF) at Davey Tree Expert Company in Kent.

OKLAHOMA Curtis M. Schriever, formerly (C) at Round Hill Club, is now (C) at The Patriot at Stone Canyon in Owasso.

OREGON Guyton Powell, formerly (C) at Club Green Meadows, is now (C) at Persimmon

08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

113

at Ashley Plantation Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Alleghany Country Club in Covington.

Trevor V. Hedgepeth, formerly (A) at The Federal Club, is now (A) at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin Sabot.

Douglas E. Houser, formerly (C) at Salisbury Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Salisbury Country Club in Midlothian.

John B. Marshall, formerly (A) at The Club At Viniterra, is now (A) at Ford’s Colony Country Club in Williamsburg.

Jason S. Pakkala, formerly (C) at The Osprey’s Golf Club at Belmont Bay, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at The Osprey’s Golf Club at Belmont Bay in Woodbridge.

WEST VIRGINIA Roger L. Kerr, formerly (A) at Wheeling Park Commission, is now (A) at Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in Wheeling.

WISCONSIN Jamie M. Plomedahl, formerly (I), is now (A) at Osseo Golf & Recreation Center in Osseo.

K. Clark Rowles, CGCS, formerly (AA)

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at Glacier Landscape, is now (AA) at Pendelton Turf Supply Inc. in Waterford.

WYOMING Danny R. Moe, formerly (C) at Waterfall Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Saratoga Inn Resort in Saratoga.

CANADA Jeff Stauffer, formerly (A) at Credit Valley Golf & Country Club, is now (A) at Rosedale Golf Club in Toronto, Ontario.

Scott G. Webster, formerly (ISM) at Storey Creek Golf Club, is now (C) at Saskatoon Golf & Country Club in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

SCOTLAND Ross Monaghan, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Bonnyton Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Loch Lomond Golf Club in Alexandria.

IN MEMORIAM John Yakubisin, CGCS, 62, died April 24, 2014. Mr. Yakubisin, a 34-year member of GCSAA, worked at Rolling Rock Club in Ligonier, Pa. He served there as director

of golf course and grounds. Mr. Yakubisin was a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Golf Course Superintendents Association (GPGCSA) and the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. In 2013, Mr. Yakubisin received the GPGCSA’s Christian Morup Award, which honors a person in the Pittsburgh area who best exemplifes integrity in the turfgrass profession and personal achievement. A graduate of the University of Maryland, he also served in the Pennsylvania National Guard.

Mr. Yakubisin is survived by his wife of 39 years, Susan Yakubisin; daughter Anne (Chris) Yakubisin-Smith; sisters Patsy Mills, Sue (Donald) Bishop and Diane (Tom) Qualey; mother-in-law Vera Eisaman; brothers-in-law John (Connie) Eisaman; Karl (Carmen) Eisaman; and Andrew (Rene) Eisaman; nieces Meghan (Craig) Moore; Jaimie (Charles Hubband) Moore; and Maggie Qualey.

Robert M. Graunke, CGCS Retired, 75, died June 14, 2014. Known as Bob, Mr. Graunke was a 35-year member of GCSAA and past president of the Palmetto GCSA, an organization that

has helped raised thousands of dollars for Habitat for Humanity. Among his other positions, Mr. Graunke was superintendent at Eagle Ridge Inn & Resort in Galena, Ill., and Tidewater Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. He is survived by his wife, Rita Graunke, and is being remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, mentor and friend.

Jay S. Varallo, 50, died May 31, 2014.

Mr. Varallo, a 15-year member of GCSAA, was superintendent at Sandpiper Bay Golf & Country Club in Sunset Beach, N.C. Mr. Varallo, who was a huge University of South Carolina football fan, also enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidson. He is survived by his wife, Shannon; sons, Dominick Varallo and Brock Smith; sister, Lori Varallo; and many four-legged friends.

Memorials may be made to Brunswick County Sheriff’s Animal Protective Services, P.O. Box 92, Supply, N.C., 28462, or a rescue group of your choice.

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By John Mascaro President of Turf-Tec International

(a)

PROBLEM The deep dents and tears on this golf green are hoof prints from a horse, and the incident occurred during the club’s biggest tournament of the year. A small farm neighbors the golf course, and during this big tournament, someone left the gate open at the farm. One horse seized the opportunity to make a break for it, racing through the open gate and down one of the fairways. As he galloped along in his newfound freedom, he made a turn onto the 17th green as a group was putting. The surprised foursome shouted at the horse causing it to skid and double back, which resulted in this damage. Now with the superintendent in pursuit in a golf car, the horse ran back down another fairway toward the farm it had come from and calmed down enough to take a break in the shade of some trees in a naturalized rough area. At this point, the horse’s owner had been notifed of what was happening by a golfer, and she came running out to bring the horse back, apologizing profusely along the way. The crew repaired the worst of the damage to the green between groups of players by using a cup cutter to plug out the ripped turf. They also used a ball mark tool to repair some areas that were only depressed. It was a diffcult task as the 17th is a par-3 and there were not many breaks between groups.

The remaining damage was repaired the following morning before the fnal round of play.

Photo submitted by Travis Olson, superintendent at Kamloops (British Columbia) Golf and Country Club.

(b)

PROBLEM

These three lines and footprints are a result of the combination of frost damage and a golfer’s pull cart. This golf course is located in North Vancouver, British Columbia, on the north shore of Burrard Inlet. Winters are fairly mild, so play normally continues through the winter months. The club’s frost policy requires the use of temporary greens and tees when conditions warrant. Play is allowed on frost-covered fairways and rough, but regular greens and tees are not opened until both the surface and ground frost have dissipated. The members appreciate the compromise, as some courses in the area shut down until the frost has lifted. However, sometimes damage can still occur, as this edge of the fairway shows, where shade prevented any melting for a few days in a row. Luckily, winter golf levels are minimal, so they do not experience a lot of demand for golf in frost conditions.

Photo submitted by Eoghan Buckley, assistant superintendent at Seymour Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia. Jim McGarvey is the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Seymour and a 26-year member of the association, while Derek Sheffeld, second assistant superintendent, assisted with the answer.

If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz, please send it to: John Mascaro, 1471 Capital Circle NW, Suite #13, Tallahassee, FL 32303, or e-mail to john@turf-tec.com.

If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All photos submitted will become property of GCM and GCSAA.

Presented in partnership with Jacobsen GCM (ISSN 0192-3048 [print]; ISSN 2157-3085 [online]) is published monthly by GCSAA Communications Inc., 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859, 785-841-2240. Subscriptions (all amounts U.S. funds only): $60 a year. Outside the United States and Canada, write for rates. Single copy: $5 for members, $7.50 for nonmembers. Offce of publication and editorial offce is at GCSAA, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859. Periodicals postage paid at Lawrence, Kan., and at additional mailing offces. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Golf Course Management, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049. CANADA POST: Publications mail agreement No. 40030949. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, ONT L2E 6S8.

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SILVER PARTNERS The Andersons, Inc. .......................................... 11 (800) 253-5296 .............. www.AndersonsPro.com Barenbrug USA ................................................. 33 (800) 547-4101 ......................... www.barusa.com Baroness ............................................................ 19 (707)283-0610 ............................ www.baroness.us Bayer Environmental Sciences ........................37* (800) 643-4266 ............ www.backedbybayer.com Cushman (a.k.a. E-Z-GO)..................................... 70 (800) 774-3946 ........................ www.cushman.com Floratine Products Group .................................. 85 (901) 853-2898 ....................... www.foratine.com FMC Professional Solutions .............................. 13 (800) 235-7368 .......... www.fmcprosolutions.com Lebanon Turf ................................................14-15 (800) 350-6650 ............... www.lebanonturf.com/ Par Aide Products Co. ......................................2-3 (888) 893-2433 ........................ www.paraide.com PBI Gordon Corp......... 21, 107, 109, 111, 113, 115 (800) 971-7233 .................... www.pbigordon.com Quali-Pro........................................................... 25 (888) 584-6598 ......................www.quali-pro.com Tee-2-Green Corp. ......................................... 44-45 (800) 547-0255 .................... www.tee-2-green.com

ADVERTISERS AMVAC............................................................... 57 (888) GO-AMVAC ........www.amvac-chemical.com Aqua-Aid Inc. ............................................. 37*, 51 (800) 394-1551 ....................... www.aquaaid.com Aquatrols Corporation ....................................... 39 (800) 257-7797 ..................... www.aquatrols.com Better Billy Bunkers ........................................ 104 (615) 847-8877 ......... www.betterbillybunker.com

GCSAA TV .......................................................... 67 ..........................................................www.gcsaa.tv GE Capital, Equipment Finance ............................ 17 (469) 586-2010 .................. www.gecapital.com/golf GreensGroomer Worldwide, Inc......................... 35 (888) 298-8852 ext. 500 ....................................... http://www.greensgroomer.com/ Grigg Bros. ........................................................ 41 (888) 623-7285 .....................www.griggbros.com Growth Products Ltd. ........................................ 23 (800) 648-7626 ...........www.growthproducts.com J2 Golf Marketing ............................................... 73 (877) 263-1614 ...............www.j2golfmarketing.com Jacklin Seed ..................................................... 63 (800) 688-7333 ..........................www.jacklin.com Jenlis Inc. ......................................................... 103 (877) 356-6455 ..................... www.weedrazers.com Landmark Seed .................................................. 29 (800) 268-0180 ............www.turfandnativeseed.com Milorganite ...................................................... 114 (800) 287-9645 ..................... www.milorganite.com MultiGuard ......................................................... 59 (908) 272-7070 ............www.multiguardprotect.com National Alliance for Accessible Golf ..................... 79 .................................................www.accessgolf.org Penn State University .......................................... 53 (800) 233-4973 .............www.worldcampus.psu.edu PlanetAir Turf Products ..................................... 27 (877) 800-8845 .........................www.planetair.biz Plant Food Co. Inc. .......................................... 112 (800) 562-1291 ................. www.plantfoodco.com Precision Laboratories, Inc. .................................. 43 (800) 323-6280 .................... www.precisionlab.com Ryan .................................................................. 68 (866) 469-1242 .......................... www.ryanturf.com Smithco, Inc................................................. Cover 3 (877) 833-7648 .......................... www.smithco.com Stabilizer Solutions, Inc........................................ 78 (800) 336-2468 ............www.stabilizersolutions.com SubAir Inc. ...................................................... 119 (800) 441-1880 ............. www.subairsystems.com TRIMS Software International Inc. .................. 119 (800) 608-7467 ............................www.trims.com Turf Screen ......................................................... 55 (267) 246-8654 ....................... www.turfmaxllc.com

BoardTronics...................................................... 6-7 (800) 782-9938 ............................boardtronics.com

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 08.14

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08.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

119

Photographer: Ryan Barker • Title: Assistant superintendent • Course: Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn Resort, Bend, Ore. • GCSAA membership: Eight-year member • The shot: Barker, the assistant superintendent on the Nicklaus Course at the 36-hole Pronghorn Resort captured this rare double rainbow in late June during the facility’s member-member tournament. This is the par-4 11th hole on the Nicklaus Course. • Camera: Canon PowerShot A640

Do you have a photograph that you’d like the GCM staff to consider for The Final Shot? You can submit photos for consideration by e-mail to thefnalshot@gcsaa.org or to GCM editor-in-chief Scott Hollister at shollister@gcsaa.org.

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©2012 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using Syngenta products. The label contains important conditions of sale, including limitations of warranty and remedy. All products may not be registered for sale or use in all states. Please check with your state or local extension service before buying or using Syngenta products. Briskway™, the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Syngenta Customer Center: 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4368).

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