Mississippi Turfgrass - Summer 2016

Summer 2016

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine

Improving Dallisgrass Control with Well-Timed Herbicide Applications Resolving Putting Green Problems at The Preserve Golf Club, Part 1

Summer 2016

Contents • The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine Features

7 Upcoming Events —

MSU Turfgrass Field Day and Deep South Turf Expo

8 Lawn Care Tips —

8

Improving Dallisgrass Control with Well-Timed Herbicide Applications

12 Golf Course Notes — Resolving the Preserve’s Putting Green Problems, Part 1

16 Recent Event —

Yard Dawg Classic and Golf Course Management Workshop, May 17, 2016

Departments

6 From the MTA President

17 Index of Advertisers

18 Calendar of Events

Mississippi Turfgrass is the Mississippi Turfgrass Association magazine. Subscriptions are complimentary to MTA members. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, its board of directors, Mississippi Turfgrass, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as MTA members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in any issue of Mississippi Turfgrass. Copyright ©2016 by the Mississippi Turfgrass Association. Mississippi Turfgrass is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of MTA. Presorted standard postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: MTA allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to MTA. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.

4 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

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From the MTA President

Mississippi Turfgrass Association Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Fax: (662) 325-2705 www.msturfassociation.org

Remember,

Your Work Matters

Paul Welborn

G

reetings, all. I hope your summer is going well after an eventful spring.

Thanks to everyone who attended the Golf Course Management Workshop and Yard Dawg Classic at Dancing Rabbit Golf Course on May 17. Nathan Crace presented a great workshop on golf course sustainability. We enjoyed lunch and then hit the course. Thank you to all who participated and our many sponsors that made the workshop and tournament possible.

Your MTA board and members of the MSU turf team have been busy working to advance the turfgrass industry in Mississippi. We met in March and formed a committee to oversee fundraising for our Turfgrass Excellence Fund with the MSU Foundation. This fund has existed for the past twenty-plus years, and it is vital that we grow the fund to help our university programs for years into the future.

Some of our more seasoned members of MTA have stepped forward to lead these efforts. More information on this endeavor will be discussed during our business meeting this fall at Deep South Turfgrass Expo. I’m excited to see this take shape.

Speaking of the Deep South Turfgrass Expo, you need to make plans to be in Biloxi on October 11–13. Last year’s inaugural event was a great kickoff, involving more than 700 turfgrass and landscape professionals from across the Southeast.

Registration is open at deepsouthturfexpo.org, and more information is available online. Please make every effort to be in Biloxi to support MTA, be a part of great discussions and see colleagues from other states.

I would be remiss not mention the MSU Turfgrass Research Field Day, August 23, in Starkville. The event highlights timely research that has been taking place and features a vendor expo and demonstration. After lunch, breakout sessions will be held for golf course superintendents, sod producers, and lawn and landscape managers.

During these long summer days, remember the impact our work has on others.

Athletic fields are used by all ages for many sports; golf courses provide a break for many each day; perfectly grown sod completes a landscape; and a weed-free yard provides a perfect setting for all types of activities. Your work matters and impacts more people than you may realize. Keep up the great work, and do your part to advance the turfgrass industry in our state and beyond.

Paul Welborn

Published by: Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, TN 37064 Office: (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 info@leadingedgecommunications.com Mississippi Turfgrass Editor James D. McCurdy, Ph.D.

MTA OFFICERS

President Paul Welborn Lawn and Pest Solutions (662) 316-1347 Vice President Erick Coomer The Bridges Golf Course (228) 860-5292 Secretary/Treasurer Wayne Philley Mississippi State University (662) 325-2728 Past President Toby Thornton Timbercreek Golf Club (601) 507-4254 Administrative Secretary Linda Wells Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 Office: (662) 325-0517 Cell: (662) 769-7558 lmw218@pss.msstate.edu

Directors

Jordan Carlisle LADD’S (601) 818-7586

2015/2016 MTA President

Jay Coalter Castlewoods Country Club (601) 317-1641

From the Editor:

Dan Crumpton Oasis Sod Farm (662) 621-2040

Our magazine’s mission is to serve turf professionals of Mississippi. Our regional size and scope grants us the flexibility to invite outside editorials with unique content. My goal as an editor is to provide content that is original without violating copyrights or infringing upon the ideas and hard work of others. I failed to live up to this journalistic standard during the production of our Spring edition of Mississippi Turfgrass Magazine. Three graphs featured in Nathan Crace’s article, “Designs on Improving the Future of Your Course… and Your Career” (page 10), were credited to their appropriate source, Golfdom; however, I failed to obtain written permission prior to our use of these images. We have implemented changes to ensure this does not happen again.

Jay McCurdy, Editor, Mississippi Turfgrass Magazine 6 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

Ken Edwards City of Gulfport (228) 861-5641 Jeremy Ely Shell Landing Golf Course (228) 669-6745 David Leon Turf & Aquatic Specialties, Inc. (601) 529-2458 Wayne Wells MSU Professor Emeritus (662) 418-4205

Upcoming Events

August 23, 2016 Mississippi State

Turfgrass Research Field Day

Rodney Foil Plant Science Research Center

•

Starkville, MS

The

2016 Turfgrass Field Day, slated for Tuesday, August 23, will showcase the latest developments from the Mississippi State Turfgrass Team. Learn about the latest and greatest bermudagrass varieties for Mississippi athletic fields, home lawns and golf courses. Increase your knowledge of turf disease and weed management. Test-drive machinery, and visit with sponsors during the vendor expo. Bring your plant and disease samples to have them identified Parking is free, and pre-registrants receive a discounted entry ($40 for turf and ornamental professionals), with lunch and a t-shirt. The deadline for pre-registration is August 1, 2016. Online registration is available at pss:msstate.edu/ workshops/turf2016. Watch your email box for registration forms, or call the MTA office at (662) 325-0517. v

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 7

Lawn Care Tips

Improving Dallisgrass Control with Well-Timed Herbicide Applications

By Matt Elmore, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Mississippi State University

D

allisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum Poir.) is a warm-season perennial grass native to South America that was introduced to the United States in the late 1800s. Currently, it is one of the most problematic turfgrass weeds in the Southeast. Tolerance to close mowing allows it to proliferate in most managed turf areas, including golf course fairways.

Dallisgrass can be identified by its bunch-type growth habit, coarse texture and rapid vertical growth compared to desirable turfgrasses (Photo 1). Other identifying features include a membranous ligule and prominent midrib (Photo 2), which can help distinguish it from other bunch-type grassy weeds such as crabgrass (Digitaria spp.). Dallisgrass produces seedheads from as early as late May through October, which further aid in identification (Photo 3). Unlike most bunchtype grasses, dallisgrass produces short rhizomes that serve to increase the diameter of the plant and store carbohydrates (Photo 4). These reserve carbohydrates make controlling dallisgrass extremely difficult, even with systemic herbicide applications. Controlling dallisgrass with herbicides requires multiple herbicide applications over several seasons.

8 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

Selective control in warm-season turfgrass

Regardless of the herbicide you select for control, application timing is very important. Research consistently demonstrates that applications made in early to late fall while dallisgrass is still actively growing, but before winter dormancy, provide better control than those made during late spring or summer. Regardless of the herbicide combination, several sequential applications are usually required for complete control. Larger plants will generally require more applications for control. Currently, programs of at least three sequential applications are recommended.

Applications in the fall should begin not prior to September and when the average 24-hour air temperatures fall below 72°F for at least three consecutive days. In a typical year, this might occur around mid- to late September in Mississippi. The average 24-hour air temperature can be determined by averaging the high and low air temperature for a particular day. The second application should be made four to six weeks after the first application when dallisgrass regrowth is observed. A third application in the spring when

dallisgrass regrowth is observed (usually in mid- to late April) improves control compared to two fall applications (Photo 5).

Most herbicides claim only dallisgrass suppression on the label.

This means these products have significant activity against dallisgrass but not enough to provide commercially acceptable control. These products will be effective if multiple applications are made at the proper time.

MSMA

As of this writing, MSMA cannot be used on residential, commercial or athletic field properties. It may be used twice annually on highway rightsof-way, twice per crop in sod production and as a spot treatment on golf courses (spots less than 100 ft2 and less than 25% of the golf course).

These restrictions are expected to remain in place until at least 2019.

For more information on these EPA restrictions, see http://www2.epa.gov/ ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ monosodium-methanearsonate-msmaorganic-arsenical.

Two fall and one spring application of MSMA at 2 lbs./A applied at timings described above generally provide

Photo

1

Photo

Photo

2

Photo

3

Photo

4

5

Photo 1: Dallisgrass growth habit in bermudagrass turf. • Photo 2: Dallisgrass has a prominent midrib. • Photo 3: Characteristic drooping dallisgrass seedhead.

Photo 4: Dallisgrass contains short rhizomes, making control from herbicides and hand removal difficult. • Photo 5: Dallisgrass regrowth in the spring following two applications of a sulfonylurea herbicide the previous fall. The dallisgrass in this photo is showing symptoms of previous applications, but it also has sufficient regrowth for a third application. At least three applications are necessary for control of larger plants.

60% to 80% dallisgrass control up to 9 months after the initial application.

The addition of metribuzin (Sencor) to MSMA may improve control, but this combination increases short-term bermudagrass injury. MSMA can also be used to improve control provided by other herbicides (see below).

Sulfonylurea herbicides — Celsius, Monument, Revolver, Tribute Total

These herbicides are registered for use in warm-season turfgrass only. They will cause severe injury to cool-season grasses such as tall fescue (Festuca

arundinacea). Applying these herbicides with the proper adjuvant(s) is extremely important. Using methylated seed oil (MSO) instead of a nonionic surfactant (NIS) may improve control with some products. Including ammonium sulfate or urea ammonium nitrate with MSO or NIS may also The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 9

Lawn Care Tips • Continued

improve control. Refer to the product label for more information on adjuvant selection.

Applying these products as spot treatments may improve control. Spray solutions for spot treatments usually contain the same herbicide concentration as broadcast applications, but they are usually applied at a “spray to wet” application volume that, depending on the applicator, may be higher than those used in broadcast applications. Thus, the actual herbicide application rate from a spot treatment may be higher. Note that this increases the risk of desirable turfgrass injury.

Celsius 68 WG: Active ingredients — thiencarbazonemethyl, iodosulfuron, dicamba

Celsius is a good option for dallisgrass suppression in buffalograss when applied as a spot treatment at 0.085 to 0.113 oz./gal (2.4 to 3.2 grams/ gal.) tank-mixed with Revolver at 2 fl. oz./gal.

Celsius is the only selective herbicide that may provide dallisgrass suppression in St. Augustine and centipedegrass. To prevent turfgrass injury, do not tank-mix Celsius with Revolver when making applications in St. Augustinegrass and centipedegrass, and apply Celsius alone as a spot treatment. As both thiencarbazone-methyl and foramsulfuron have activity on dallisgrass, applying Celsius alone will reduce dallisgrass suppression compared to Celsius + Revolver. Celsius is labeled for dallisgrass suppression only when applied with Revolver, so results may vary when Celsius is applied alone. Iodosulfuron and dicamba do not have activity against dallisgrass, but they will provide control of many broadleaf weeds.

Monument 75 WG: Active ingredient — trifloxysulfuron-sodium

Monument will provide suppression when applied as a spot treatment.

Make multiple applications using timings described above. Research 10 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

demonstrated that Monument provides less dallisgrass control than Revolver or Tribute Total. However, Monument will provide excellent yellow and purple nutsedge control and may be economical for control in areas with both nutsedge and dallisgrass infestations.

and Tribute Total can be applied three and eight weeks prior to overseeding, respectively. Celsius can be applied four weeks prior to overseeding if applied as a spot treatment and two weeks prior to overseeding when applied as a broadcast treatment.

Revolver 0.19 SC: Active ingredient — foramsulfuron

Control with glyphosate

Revolver is labeled for dallisgrass suppression when applied as a spot treatment at 1.5 to 2.0 fl. oz./gal.

Apply three sequential applications of Revolver alone or tank-mixed with MSMA in early fall at application timings described above. MSMA can improve control compared to Revolver alone. Alternatively, pre-treating dallisgrass with MSMA 7 to 14 days before a Revolver application improves efficacy. Revolver is registered for use in bermudagrass, buffalograss and zoysiagrass.

Tribute Total 60.5 WG: Active ingredients — thiencarbazonemethyl, foramsulfuron, halosulfuron

Unlike other products labeled for dallisgrass suppression, Tribute Total is labeled for dallisgrass control when applied at the proper timings discussed above. For broadcast applications, apply at 3.2 oz./A with MSO and ammonium sulfate. In research trials, three sequential Tribute Total applications consistently provides 60% to 80% dallisgrass control for 9 months. Control may be improved by applying as a spot treatment (0.073 oz. per gallon).

Do not apply more than 6.4 oz./A per year. Tribute Total is labeled for use only in bermudagrass and zoysiagrass.

Overseeding with cool-season grasses

The herbicides listed above will kill cool-season grasses. They also have significant soil residual activity and should not be used immediately prior to overseeding with ryegrass (Lolium spp.). Revolver can be applied one week prior to overseeding. Monument

Dallisgrass typically goes dormant later than bermudagrass, leaving a window for a glyphosate application to provide dallisgrass control. It is important to ensure that the bermudagrass is completely dormant before application.

Check the turfgrass canopy thoroughly to ensure dormancy. Application rates will vary based on the product being used. Refer to the label for application rates to dormant bermudagrass.

Control with Fusilade II or Ornamec (active ingredient: fluazifop)

Apply only to tall fescue or zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.). Severe injury will result from application to other turfgrasses.

For dallisgrass control in tall fescue, make a single application of fluazifop (Fusilade II at 6 fl. oz./A or Ornamec at 20 fl. oz./A) in late summer/early fall.

Make a second application in early spring (early to mid-April) as a spot treatment only if dallisgrass regrowth is observed. Research indicates that a single application of fluazifop in the fall provides greater than 80% dallisgrass control for 12 months. Spring applications are more likely to cause turfgrass injury than fall applications; apply as a spot treatment to reduce injury risk. Summer applications should be avoided. The addition or triclopyr ester (Turflon Ester Ultra) is often recommended for bermudagrass control, but it will reduce dallisgrass control.

Overseeding with tall fescue at least two weeks after applying fluazifop in the fall is a key cultural practice that will improve dallisgrass control.

Fluazifop can also be applied in zoysiagrass, but tolerance varies depending on cultivar. Zoysia japonica

cultivars such as ‘Meyer’ and ‘Palisades’ are generally more tolerant than Z. matrella cultivars. Do not apply to ‘Diamond’ zoysiagrass. Fluazifop will cause more injury to zoysiagrass during early spring and fall when temperatures are below optimal for zoysiagrass growth. Zoysiagrass injury appears as short-term chlorosis of the leaves and reduction in turfgrass vigor. Refer to the label for more information on application rates and timings.

When Fusilade II is to be used in residential areas, it must be applied by a registered applicator; it can be used in ornamental beds of residential areas, but not on home lawns. Ornamec may be applied to home lawns.

Non-chemical control

In areas where physical removal is feasible, dallisgrass can be removed by hand. However, care must be taken to ensure that the entire clump is removed, or regrowth will occur. A shovel is usually required to completely remove large plants, along with some topsoil to backfill the hole created by removing the plant.

Conclusions

Acceptable dallisgrass control requires multiple applications of post-emergence herbicides. Applying these herbicides at the proper time will reduce the number of applications required for control.

Proper cultural practices that increase the vigor and density of desirable turfgrass will increase control provided by herbicides. For all products, defer to the label for more information on applications rates, timings and adjuvants. v Mention of herbicide trade names is only for the purpose of providing information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement. It is always the applicator’s responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label directions for the specific herbicide being used. The label always takes precedence over the recommendations found in this publication.

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 11

Golf Course Notes

Resolving the Preserve’s

Putting Green Problems

Part 1

By Stephen Miles, CGCS, Director of Operations, Preserve Golf Club

The

Preserve Golf Club’s putting greens were planted during the summer of 2005, and after only nine years, they had to be rebuilt. In this two-part article, I attempt to explain why and what could be done differently.

Initial construction of The Preserve Golf Club began in 2004. I was hired as the golf course superintendent a couple of months prior to the first piece of sod hitting the ground.

Symptoms of the issues that eventually led to the complete reconstruction of our greens began to show soon after our opening in 2006. These symptoms included things such as extremely poor water infiltration, settling of surface outfalls, increased disease activity, black layer and, eventually, an

12 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

annual cycle of the same historically stressed areas dying every spring. Our team’s focus turned from “how good of a putting surface can we provide?” to simply “can we keep these greens alive?” I realize most clubs don’t have the financial resources to rebuild their greens, but if you have poorly functioning greens that do not respond to anything you do, this story may be for you.

In retrospect, all of the major issues that we addressed came down to simply improving our fundamentals — light, air, water and soil — the same fundamentals that are taught in every turf class. If one or a combination of these elements is not in present or in balance, there can be a disastrous impact on the playability and financial success of a facility.

To ensure that these fundamentals are implemented correctly in a new construction project, there must be a talented architect designing a highquality green, which is then installed by a talented contractor, who uses highquality materials. That green must then be grown by a talented turfgrass professional. If all of these principles are in place during construction, it is hard to kill the grass, but if something is wrong, it is even harder to keep it alive!

< < < < ROUND 1 > > > > Soil

Early on around 2006, the first major symptom that became evident

At left: Stephen Miles, CGCS, Director of Operations, at the Preserve Golf Club in Vancleave, MS.

was an extremely poor infiltration rate of water into the greens, along with a severe settling of the surface outfalls. In certain areas, water would immediately puddle with one pass of the irrigation, even if we had fresh, open aerification holes. To combat the settling of the surface outfalls, we re-contoured the surface on several greens while lowering the collar and surrounds several inches to allow for surface water runoff.

Logically, the first fundamental I investigated for insufficiencies was our soil rootzone mix. During construction, the mix seemed a little more tan in color than I was expecting or had previously experienced. I attributed the color to the addition of calcined clay (PermOPore) soil amendment and that the locally available sand might differ in color. I was provided backup documents from the consultant who engineered our mix, showing that the 90/10 PermOPore rootzone mix met USGA specifications for putting greens.

I also had shipped core samples of the top 4" of our rootzone to ISTRC on an annual basis to monitor organicmatter buildup in the greens.

The results of these tests also verified that the mix met guidelines. I spoke to another facility that used the same material in the construction of their putting greens. They had no problems, so I was satisfied that the issue was not with the rootzone mix.

Water

I began to focus on our irrigation water more closely. During construction, there were 3 aquifers to be considered — 90 ft., 400 ft. and 800 ft.

Consultants working on behalf of the State of Mississippi during the permitting process recommended that the aquifer located at a depth of 400 ft. would be best suited. The consensus during the water exploration and permitting process was that the deeper aquifers contained water of higher quality and in greater abundance.

Water from the shallow 90 ft. aquifer was said to have a high iron content that caused clogging of well parts along with insufficient water volume.

I would later learn that the perceived poor water quality of the 90 ft. aquifer related more to drinking water and not irrigation-water suitability.

In 2006, I submitted a sample for an irrigation-water suitability test.

The test results showed the water was sodic with a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of 28, a pH of 9.4 and sodium as the dominant cation at 116 ppm, while calcium was at only 1 ppm. A SAR above 10 is considered severe for the potential of sodium accumulation.

During this time I had an elementary understanding of water quality and greatly underestimated how much of an impact it could have. In my mind, Mississippi was known to have an abundance of high-quality water and typically an abundance of rain in the Biloxi region — factors that I thought would minimize the probability that sodium would be a problem. I was unaware of any other facilities in the area that had major issues with water quality, and most superintendents were said to be applying 5 lbs. gypsum per 1,000 ft2 per month to offset sodium in the irrigation water. This sounded like reasonable advice and was implemented at our course.

In 2008, routine soil tests indicated that sodium had built up in the soil of our greens and throughout the course to above 15% exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP). ESP is the sodium adsorbed on soil particles as a percentage of the cation exchange capacity (CEC). A sodic soil has an ESP greater than 15. By spring 2009, 14 fairway had risen to 31% ESP. During this time, infiltration rates on the course were becoming a real problem. We were having to irrigate the course more frequently because the high areas stayed in constant drought stress, but the low areas stayed wet.

While digging trench lines for drainage during the winter of 2008, we noticed

that the top two inches of soil were completely saturated with water, but dust could be seen coming up from the bottom of the trench. The native soil on the course had become deflocculated by the sodic irrigation water, which was severely inhibiting water infiltration rates.

I began studying irrigation-water quality in greater detail and reached out to various consultants who had expertise in this area. I quickly learned that, “As your water goes, so goes your soil.”

High levels of sodium as a percentage of CEC in the presence of clay or organic matter will destroy soil structure, resulting in poor water infiltration.

This describes perfectly what we were seeing in the field, so we became more focused on learning how to manage our sodic water source.

In 2009, we learned how to calculate the calcium requirement to counteract the buildup of sodium in our soil. The calcium requirement is based on water tests and the quantity of irrigation water used monthly. During the hottest and driest times of the year, the amount of gypsum applied to our greens went from 5 to 30 lbs. per 1,000 ft2 per month. After a few months, the ESP slowly declined, and infiltration rates began to improve, but these issues persisted on putting greens.

In 2011, a consultant recommended treatment of our irrigation water to bring calcium levels above 20 ppm.

Adding calcium to the water immediately improved water infiltration on the greens in ways that numerous wetting agent products never did. With this new addition to our management program, consistency did improve, and the spring transition of 2012 was much better.

In the past, we had sent water samples of both the 800 ft. aquifer and the local municipal water for testing. Both of these sources were just as poor, with a very high SAR. In 2013, I decided to send off a sample from the shallower 90 ft. aquifer. What we found

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 13

Golf Course Notes • Continued

was an ultra-pure water source. The electric conductivity (EC) was a very low .025 dS/m. Ultra-pure water is less desirable for municipal water sources, as it can dissolve metal pipes and parts, which may be why some thought this water was high in iron. The corrosion on well heads and metal pipes from the ultra-pure water could have been mistaken for iron buildup, or it may have been that water samples were high in dissolved iron. A positive attribute is that it’s low in sodium.

Because of the purity of the water, I would still need to treat the soil and water to maintain soil salinity for ideal infiltration. Water this clean can cause a breakdown of soil structure just like sodium by stripping cations from the soil colloid. However, the major issue of sodium levels building up in the soil could now be more easily managed.

This new well cannot supply the full water volume needed for the course during the summer, so we blend it with

14 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

our original water source during dry periods.

After studying water quality and having the opportunity to review watertesting data from around our region, I now understand how varied the water quality can be from course to course.

Most of the water-quality reports I have seen from our area would be considered good. I have also seen some samples that I would consider poor. A few of these samples taken in Alabama and Mississippi have an SAR in the 10 to 15 range, along with being ultra pure. This may or may not be a problem, depending on your soil type.

pockets of thick brush in certain areas around the course, and a fan was installed beside the green on hole 9 to increase air circulation. This green was surrounded by dense trees and brush on three sides, which resulted in a green that performed very poorly.

The green did not improve sufficiently; therefore, several trees were removed or trimmed, and the brush around the green was greatly reduced. The result was a vast improvement in the health of the putting green that eventually led to the fan no longer being needed at this site. Substantial amounts of time, labor and money were saved.

Air

Our facility is surrounded by natural habitat without the presence of homes. Importance has been placed on allowing native plant material to provide physical separation of high-traffic areas and holes that are routed closely together. In 2011, staff began to remove

Watch for Part 2

Unfortunately, our story was far from over. Watch for Part 2 of this series in the Fall 2016 issue of Mississippi Turfgrass. v

Recent Event

Yard Dawg Classic and Golf Course Management Workshop,

Congratulations to Our Tournament Winners!

First-Place Team — Starkville Country Club.

Pictured with Will Arnett, superintendent at Starkville C.C., is Mrs. Linda Wells, MTA Administrative Secretary. Members of the Starkville C.C. team not pictured are Jack Riekhoff, Sterling Dahl and Shaw Nichols.

May 17, 2016

By Linda Wells, MTA Administrative Secretary

The

Mississippi Turfgrass Association’s 14th Annual Yard Dawg Classic Golf Tournament was a rousing success. Eighteen teams enjoyed a great day of golf and fraternizing with peers and industry reps. The rain didn’t dampen their spirits; we’re not sure how many were “singin’ in the rain,” but spirits were high!

The tournament was preceded by the Golf Course Management Workshop. Nathan Crace, member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, was the main speaker.

Nathan is also principal designer for Watermark Golf and a frequent contributor for turf and golf magazines. His presentation, “Is Now the Time to Make a Change? Investing in Course Improvements that Save You Money & Maximize Your Potential,” was well received by all those in attendance.

MTA supports “Better Turf for Better Golf” — proceeds from the tournament support MTA’s Scholarship Program and turfgrass research at Mississippi State University. v

Second-Place Team — U.S. Lawns.

(Left to right): Adam Prewitt, Ben Hodge, Zak Holloway and Billy Glen Salley.

Third Place-Team — Northwood Country Club.

(Left to right): Britt Pollock, Kyle Murray, Jon Jackson and Billy Wedgeworth.

Thanks to Our 2016 Yard Dawg Classic Sponsors BWI

•

Harrell’s

Agra Turf, Inc.

Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation, Inc.

• •

AQUA-AID

•

Ladd’s, Inc.

•

Beard Equipment Company

Ben Nelson Golf & Utility Vehicles

•

FMC

Mississippi 811 16 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

•

•

PGI-GORDON

•

Syngenta

•

•

•

Agri-AFC

Humphries Farm Turf Supply

WinField Solutions

Index of Advertisers

Agra Turf, Inc.......................................................... 18 www.agrainc.com Agri-AFC,LLC............................................................. 3 www.agri-afc.com Bayer......................................................................... 5 www.bayerprocentral.com Bayou Bend Turfgrass............................................. 18 www.bayoubendturf.com Boshancee Nursery, Inc.......................................... 11 www.boshanceensy.com CoverSports USA..................................................... 14 www.coversports.com Harrell’s LLC............................................................ 15 www.harrells.com Jackson Sand.......................................................... 11 www.jacksonsand.com Jerry Pate Turf & Irrigation.......................Back Cover www.jerrypate.com O2YS Corporation.................................................... 11 www.o2yscorp.com Oasis Sod Farm....................................................... 17 www.oasissod.com Riebeling Farms, Inc............................................... 17 Smith Seed Services............................................... 18 www.smithseed.com Southeast Turf Maintenance................................... 17 www.southeastturf.com Southern Athletic Fields......................................... 18 www.safdirt.com Sur-Line Turf, Inc.................................................... 18 www.surlineturf.com The Turfgrass Group...................... Inside Front Cover www.theturfgrassgroup.com Winstead Turf Farms......................Inside Back Cover www.winsteadturffarms.com

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine • 17

Digital Marketplace

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Calendar of Events

August 1–5

Perennial Plant Symposium Minneapolis, MN

October 20–21

GIE+EXPO and Hardscape North America Kentucky Expo Center Louisville, KY

August 23

Mississippi State Turfgrass Research Field Day Rodney Foil Plant Science Research Center Starkville, MS

October 5–8

NRPA Congress and Expo (Nat. Rec. and Park Assn.)

St. Louis, MO

October 21–24

ASLA – Annual Meeting & Expo (American Society of Landscape Architects) New Orleans, LA

January 3–6, 2017 Mississippi State University Turfgrass Short Course Starkville, MS

October 6

Ornamental Horticulture Field Day Biloxi Research and Extension Center Biloxi, MS

October 11–13

Deep South Turf Expo Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Conference Center Biloxi, MS

January 6, 2017

Mississippi Turfgrass Association Roadshow Starkville, MS

January 24–27, 2017 STMA Conference and Exhibition Orlando, FL

February 4–9, 2017 October 14–15

Fall Flower & Garden Fest Crystal Springs, MS

18 • Mississippi Turfgrass • summer 2016

Golf Industry Show Orange Co. Convention Ctr. Orlando, FL