Virginia Turfgrass Journal - July / August 2016

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

July/August 2016

Fall Traffic Tolerance and Spring Recovery of Bermudagrass Cultivars to Simulated Fall Football Traffic

First and Foremost: Be an Agronomist Attracting Student Interns to Work for You

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council | July/August 2016

15 15 Cover Story

Fall Traffic Tolerance and Spring Recovery of Bermudagrass Cultivars to Simulated Fall Football Traffic

20 Turf Talk First and Foremost: Be an Agronomist

24 Eye on Business Attracting Student Interns to Work for You

24 DEPARTMENTS 5 Turfgrass Calendar 5 Virginia Tech Turf Team 6 Presidentʼs Message from Rick Owens

8 Directorʼs Corner

from Tom Tracy, Ph.D.

10 VTF Report

from Betty Parker

12 VTC Membership Benefits and Application

27 Index of Advertisers

Virginia Turfgrass Council (VTC) serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Virginia Turfgrass Journal, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or VTC members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this bimonthly publication. Copyright ©2016 by the Virginia Turfgrass Council. Virginia Turfgrass Journal is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of VTC. POSTMASTER: Send change of address notification to VTC, P.O. Box 5989, Virginia Beach, VA 23471. Postage guaranteed. Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Virginia Turfgrass Journal allows reprinting of material published here. Permission requests should be directed to VTC. 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 37068-0142, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524. Deadlines are the first of the month prior to the following month’s publication. (Example: August 1 for the September issue.)

4 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

Turfgrass Calendar Virginia Turfgrass Journal is the official publication of The Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 Office: (757) 464-1004 Fax: (757) 282-2693 vaturf@verizon.net PUBLISHED BY Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax: (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com EDITOR Mark Vaughn, CGCS VTC OFFICERS President Rick Owens, CGCS Laurel Hill Golf Club (703) 674-6934 Vice President Scott Woodward Woodward Turf Farms (540) 727-0020 Treasurer Michael Skelton Culpeper County (540) 727-3412 Past President Fredrick Biggers, CGCS Wintergreen Resort (434) 325-8252 VTC DIRECTORS Steve Glass Tony Montgomery Marc Petrus Jesse Pritchard Michael Skelton David Smith Rick Viancour, CGCS Jimmy Viars, CGM Craig Zeigler VTC ADVISORY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD Mike Goatley, Ph.D. (Chair) Shawn Askew, Ph.D. Jeffrey Derr, Ph.D. Erik Ervin, Ph.D. David McCall Ph.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS Tom Tracy, Ph.D. (757) 464-1004 VIRGINIA TURFGRASS FOUNDATION Betty Parker (757) 574-9061

October 19–21 LANDSCAPES 2016

(formerly the PLANET Green Industry Conference) Louisville, KY

October 20–21 GIE+EXPO and Hardscape North America

Kentucky Expo Center Louisville, KY

January 30 – February 2, 2017 Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo

Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center Fredericksburg, VA

February 4–9, 2017 Golf Industry Show

ASLA – Annual Meeting & Expo

Orange County Convention Center Orlando, FL

(American Society of Landscape Architects) New Orleans, LA

February 28 – March 1, 2017

October 21–24

December 5–8 Turfgrass Short Course

Belmont Golf Course Henrico, VA

January 24–27, 2017 STMA Conference and Exhibition

Come to the Bay

Virginia Beach Resort Hotel Virginia Beach, VA

May 23–24, 2017 Come to the Valley

James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA

Orlando, FL

Virginia Tech Turf Team Shawn D. Askew, Ph.D.

Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D.

Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-5807 saskew@vt.edu

Virginia Tech 420 Smyth Hall, CSES Dept.

Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-2951 goatley@vt.edu

Jeffrey F. Derr, Ph.D.

David McCall, Ph.D.

Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Station 1444 Diamond Springs Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455 (757) 363-3912 jderr@vt.edu

Virginia Tech 435 Old Glade Road Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-9598 dsmccall@vt.edu

Erik H. Ervin, Ph.D.

Thomas P. Kuhar, Ph.D.

Virginia Tech 339 Smyth Hall, CSES Dept.

Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-5208 ervin@vt.edu

WITH SUPPORT FROM:

Virginia Tech Dept. of Entomology 216 Price Hall 170 Drillfield Drive Blacksburg, VA 24061 (540) 231-6129 tkuhar@vt.edu Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

|5

President’s Message

2016 Virginia Turfgrass Field Day, Plus the Passing of an Icon

V

irginia Tech hosted another fine field day on July 20. Over 100 people attended and were treated to viewing some of the finest turfgrass research in America. Presenters included: Dr. Shawn Askew and Dr. Jeff Derr in Weed Science; Dr. Mike Goatley, John Dickerson and Whitney Askew in Agronomy; Dr. Erik Ervin and Dr. Xungzhong Zhang of Turf Physiology; Sam Doak from Education; and Pat Hipkins from Pesticide Safety, plus a host of support staff and graduate students.

Present at the turf research farm were all the latest NTEP turfgrass variety trials. It was great to see this current group of grasses. There’s no point in using less than the highestrated grasses in our difficult transitionzone climate.

Also, there were some excellent turf disease studies presented. The latest control methods for spring dead spot, a troublesome disease of bermudagrass, were discussed. Dollar spot management with iron sulfate versus fungicides was another excellent trial.

Dr. Askew presented an interesting crabgrass control trial. The best results seemed to be with a very old herbicide (Tupersan) and a very new herbicide (Pylex).

On a more somber note, David Harmon passed away recently. Dave was a prominent golf course superintendent in Virginia for many years.

He came to Virginia in 1962 to build Cedar Point Country Club in Suffolk.

He was also superintendent at the

Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg for 21 years, finishing out his career with the city of Newport News, running one of their golf courses and acting as a turf consultant.

Dave was a pioneer in the turf and golf industry. When he began his career in Tidewater, Virginia, very few golf course superintendents or other turfgrass professionals had college degrees or any university training.

I first heard of Dave Harmon when I was a high school golfer. The course I played went downhill badly after the longtime superintendent left to take another job. I went to see this fellow (his name was Mike Bonavita) to ask him what had happened to his old course. He told me what a challenging and exciting job being a golf course superintendent was. I then asked him how I would go about pursuing a career as a golf course superintendent.

He said he learned by trial and error but that a new generation of superintendents was being university trained.

He mentioned that Dave Harmon of the Golden Horseshoe was a Purdue University graduate. Bonavita said, “If you want to be a superintendent, go to Virginia Tech and major in Agronomy/Turfgrass Science, and you will be all set.”

I first met Dave as a Virginia Tech turf student when we took a field trip under Dr. Schmidt’s guidance.

We visited several courses, the Golden Horseshoe being one of them. The professionalism of Dave and his staff was very evident. Dave’s maintenance

6 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

Rick Owens, CGCS 2016–2017 President

shop was so clean you could eat off the floor. After visiting the Horseshoe, similar to the words of a later generation of young basketball players who said they wanted to be like Mike, I knew I wanted to be like Dave.

Later as a young superintendent, I was privileged to get to know Dave, enjoy rounds of golf with him and attend some national events. Several times, we played on the Old Dominion Superintendents chapter golf team together in the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s annual championship. Interestingly, one of the items displayed at the reception following the service was a golf bag with his name on it, which was presented to all Old Dominion Golf team members by the Toro Company in the early 1980s. His wife Mary said it was one of the items he very much wanted to be present at the reception.

He was also one of the founders of the Old Dominion Golf Course Superintendents Association.

He was a true pioneer in our industry, and people like Dave are the reason that golf course superintendents and all turfgrass professionals are held in much higher esteem (as well as being much more highly compensated) than in previous times. He was a loyal husband and father to his wife and children, whom I am sure miss him terribly. Our industry has lost one of the great ones.

Rick Owens, CGCS 2016–2017 VTC President

Director’s Corner

Developing Strategic Partnerships The

VTC exists to serve Virginia’s turfgrass industry, and developing strategic relationships is part of that service. For instance, our recent collaboration with the University of Maryland and the Maryland Turfgrass Council to produce the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo expands the resources and opportunities available to our members. Allow me to highlight three developing partnerships that further enhance our service to you, our membership.

One does not normally seat turfgrass professionals and arborists in the same classroom. Yet, two years ago, several certified arborists approached me to provide training for them. During the past 24 months, we conducted pilot classes at Come to the Bay — including one class that discussed the challenges of combining trees and turfgrass in the landscape. In August, I met with the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of

Arboriculture (MAC-ISA). That meeting was very positive! Details are still being finalized, but the final outcome will be MAC-ISA’s support of and involvement with our Come to the Bay conference.

For many years, Virginia’s turfgrass industry has sounded the call for more high school students to enter our profession. We listened. A brand new Career Day is scheduled to be held twice during 2017: once for eastern Virginia at the Come to the Bay conference and once for the northwestern part of the state during Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Horticulture Dayz. These career events are possible only because of our partnership with Virginia Tech, various community colleges, Virginia Cooperative Extension, industry professionals and home school leaders.

Eighteen months ago, a representative of the Elizabeth River Project (ERP) approached me. This is a prominent environmental group based in

8 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

Tom Tracy, Ph.D. VTC Executive Director

Portsmouth, but its influence is not limited to that city since the group’s work also includes the cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

The representative said to me, “People will have grass. Our goal is to work with you [the VTC] to help us make sure they maintain it properly.” We tested the proverbial waters and invited ERP persons to speak at two of our regional seminars. The response was positive, and we are now pursuing further opportunities for collaboration with the ERP and with likeminded organizations.

The list of partnership opportunities and their value to our membership is extensive. Space does not allow me to elaborate on others, such as our work with Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation to enhance the Certified Turfgrass Professional program. That partnership will be highlighted in a future column.

VTF Report

Virginia Tech Field Days Continue to Inform and Inspire

T

his summer found our research team at Virginia Tech busy with training, recertifying, socializing and showing off their research in both Hampton Roads and Blacksburg, VA. A trend has been growing to bring this service to the people, in contrast to people coming to them. We saw the success of this trend at the 7th annual Turfgrass Field Day at the Hampton Roads Agriculture and Research Extension Center in Virginia Beach (HRAREC).

On June 24, 2016, more than 200 hearty souls gathered on the beautiful grounds of the HRAREC and were educated through the labors of Dr. Jeff Derr, Adam Nichols, Jillian Rajevich, Valerie Wilburn, Dr. David

McCall and Dr. Mike Goatley. This field day continues to draw turf professionals from a highly populated area seeking answers to their turf-maintenance questions and provides a convenient location to recertify in various areas of the turfgrass industry. We look forward to a continued tradition of this service in years to come.

One month later, on July 20, 2016, our Virginia Tech turf team hosted the Virginia Tech Field Day in Blacksburg. Dr. Goatley hosted an informal question-and-answer forum at his new home, located on the outskirts of bustling Blacksburg and overlooking field and dale. It was an opportunity to gather attendees as they arrived and shot the breeze with some of the finest

Betty B. Parker VTF Manager

minds in turfgrass research, both past and present. The next morning, separate tours geared toward golf courses, athletic fields, sod, lawn care and basic turfgrass research were offered to participants. These are, of course, outdoor activities, and we have been treated to the most beautiful weather year after year in this Camelot of venues.

Stay tuned for future opportunities to learn, grow and certify your turfgrass knowledge.

These services are provided to you at little or no cost. This is in no small way a coincidence. Our vendors and commercial sponsors dig deep to make this all possible, and we would be remiss if we did not say THANK YOU once again, as I hope all of you are able to do. The following businesses provided financial help to ensure these opportunities are available to you: • Aqua Maxx • Bulldog Field Equipment • Carolina Green, Inc. • GameOnGrass • Genesis • Jacobsen • Landscape Supply • McGill Sports Turf • PremierPro Bermudagrass • ProLawn • Rain Bird • Riverside Turf • Smith Turf & Irrigation • Sports Turf Managers Assn.

• SePRO • The Cutting Edge • Trinity Turf, Inc. • Woodward Turf Farms • VTC

10 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

VTC Membership

JOIN THE

TODAY!

Membership Benefits For ALL members include: FREE pesticide recertification training at the oneday regional seminars.

FREE Certified Fertilizer Applicator training at the Mid-Atlantic Turfgrass Expo in January (M-A-T-E) and the Come to the Bay (February) and Come to the Valley (May) regional conferences.

FREE entry to the research tour of turfgrass studies in June at the Hampton Roads AREC. FREE subscription to our bi-monthly Virginia Turfgrass Journal, offering research and industry updates.

Valuable assistance on state and local legislative and bureaucratic issues. Do you know that every member of Virginia’s General Assembly receives our bi-monthly Virginia Turfgrass Journal? Several Delegates and Senators have said how much they appreciate being on our mailing list.

Monthly email of job postings.

Discounts to every one of our activities.

JOIN AS A GROUP OR AS AN INDIVIDUAL Individual Membership One Year — $85 Individual Membership Two Years — $150 Platinum Group Membership Membership fee of $1,250 includes: 11 to 20 members.

Send up to 100 of your employees to one of our Regional Pesticide Training Classes — AT NO COST. Year-round membership listing and link from VTC website.

Fertilizer Certification Training and Recertification Training (3A, 3B 60) at your site.

Gold Group Membership Membership fee of $800 includes: 6 to 10 members Silver Group Membership Membership fee of $400 includes: 1 to 5 members

12 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

Membership Application Complete this application form and —

OR register online at

• Turn it in at the M-A-T-E registration desk.

• Mail it to the address at the bottom of this page.

• Fax it to 757-282-2693

www.vaturf.org

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Payment SELECT ONE Platinum Group Membership (11 or more members + Year-round listing and link from VTC website) ..................$1,250 Gold Group Membership (6 – 10 members) ..................................................................................................................$800 Silver Group Membership (1 – 5 members) ...................................................................................................................$400 Individual for Two Years ..................................................................................................................................................$150 Individual for One Year ...................................................................................................................................................$85

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Virginia Turfgrass Council P.O. Box 5989 Virginia Beach, VA 23471 • Phone: 757-464-1004 • Fax: 757-282-2693 Email: vaturf@verizon.net • Web: www.vaturf.org Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 13

Cover Story

Fall Traffic Tolerance and Spring Recovery of Bermudagrass Cultivars to Simulated Fall Football Traffic

By Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Turfgrass Extension Specialist; Ben Kraemer, Graduate Student; Whitnee Askew, Senior Technician; Shawn D. Askew, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Extension Turfgrass Weed Specialist; and Jon Dickerson, Research Specialist, Virginia Tech

B

ermudagrass use on athletic fields continues to grow across Virginia with the release of improved, cold-tolerant varieties. The 2007 NTEP Bermudagrass Trial that ended in spring 2013 offered Figure 1. Bermudagrass cultivars Latitude 36, Tifway, Northbridge and Yukon demonstrated some of the highest turf densities after receiving six passes per week with a modified Brinkman Traffic Simulator over a ten-week period in fall 2013.

September 13, 2013

September 30, 2013

a unique opportunity to evaluate these cultivars for their fall traffic tolerance and spring greening/recovery characteristics in a climate where winter temperatures can be extreme.

Figure 2. Bermudagrass cultivars Yukon, Latitude 36, Northbridge and Patriot were among the highest-rated bermudagrass cultivars for spring 2014 turfgrass recovery following a ten-week fall 2013 trafficking program that made six passes per week over the plots with a modified Brinkman Traffic Simulator.

October 22, 2013

May 10, 2014

June 14, 2014

Yukon

Latitude 36

Latitude 36

Tifway 419

Northbridge

Northbridge

Patriot

Yukon Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 15

Cover Story continued

Our research

through August and were mowed twice weekly at a 1.5" cutting height. Simulated fall football traffic was administered repeatedly to the same strip within the plots each fall (traffic for fall 2014 strips was in a previously nontrafficked area of the plot) using a modified Brinkman Traffic Simula-

The research was conducted on the defunct 2007 NTEP bermudagrass variety trial containing 31 bermudagrasses that are typically established as either seeded or vegetative cultivars.

The plots received 1 lb. of N/1,000 ft2 per active growing month from May

Table 1: Mean visual percent bare-ground ratings for bermudagrass cultivars in the 2007 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program trial averaged across all rating dates for fall 2013 and fall 2014 as affected by simulated traffic equaling six football games per week over a ten-week period from early September through October in each year.

CULTIVAR

% BARE GROUND

Midlawn NuMex Sahara J-720 Sunsport SWI-1117 SWI-1083 BAR 7CD5 IS-01-201 SWI-1122 PSG 91215 Gold Glove SWI-1081 Veracruz PSG PROK Royal Bengal SWI-1113 Pyramid 2 Riviera SWI-1070 Princess-77 RAD-CD1 Hollywood OKS 2004-2 Patriot PSG 9Y20K Premier Pro SWI-1057 Yukon Northbridge Tifway Latitude 36 LSD (0.05)

36.5 a 28.5 26.2 26.1 24.6 22.2 21.7 20.2 19.8 19.4 16.7 16.4 15.8 15.2 14.4 14.1 13.6 13.0 12.6 11.8 10.9 10.5 10.3 10.2 10.0 8.6 8.5 8.2 6.1 5.6 2.3 6.6

b b b b

c c c c c c c

d d d d d d

e e e e e e e e

f f f f f f f f

g g g g g g g g g

h h h h h h h h h

tor, making six individual passes over the plots in a single day on a weekly basis for a period of 10 weeks (initiated in the first week of September in both 2014 and 2015 and continuing for the next 10 weeks).

The plots were periodically evaluated for visual estimations of % bare ground in the fall 2013, fall 2014 and late winter/spring of 2014 and for overall % spring bermudagrass greening of the trafficked plots in the springs of 2014 and 2015. Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) values were also collected periodically during fall and spring evaluations on both trafficked and non-trafficked plots for a digital assessment of plot color, health and density. All treatments were replicated three times, and the data were analyzed by ANOVA and mean separations performed using the Student’s t-test (p = 0.05) where appropriate.

Research results i i i i i i i i

j j j j j j j j j j j j j j

k k k k k k k k k k k k k k

l l l l l l l l l l l l l

m m m m m m m m m m m m m m

n n n n n n n n n n n

zMeans followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to Student t-tests at p ≤ 0.05.

16 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

o o o o o o o o o o o

p p p p p p p

Statistical analyses indicated that there were cultivar main effects for the fall visual ratings on % bare ground and spring visual ratings on % bermudagrass greening. An analysis of variance indicated RVI data explained variances in treatment differences slightly better than NDVI data, likely due to RVI data providing a better assessment of bare ground in the trafficked treatments.

There was a significant year x cultivar x traffic interaction for the fall RVI data, so cultivar mean comparisons were made within the fall seasons of both 2013 and 2014 according to these interactions. For Spring RVI data, there was a significant cultivar x traffic interaction, and the mean cultivar responses were combined across both spring seasons of the research trial.

As expected, RVI means were lower for all trafficked plots compared to

Cover Story continued

non-trafficked plots for all evaluations.

The cultivars that had the lowest % bare-ground numbers across the fall seasons of 2013 and 2014 (based on them being in the top two statistical categories, Table 1) were Latitude 36, Tifway, Northbridge, Yukon, SWI-1057, Premier Pro, experimental PSG 9Y20K, Patriot, OKS 2004-2, Hollywood, experimental RAD-CD1 and Princess 77.

The least fall traffic-tolerant grasses were Midlawn, NuMex Sahara, experimental J-720, Sunsport and experimental SWI-1117.

Of course, while maintaining the highest density possible is an important part of providing the highestquality, safest playing surface for football, the ability to also persist in a cold part of the transition zone climate (such as in Blacksburg, VA, with longitude/latitude of 37.23 North, 80.42 West) is also important. Spring greening ratings considered how well the bermudagrass survived the winters because grasses that might rate very high in terms of maintaining fall density might have very poor winter-survival characteristics following a cold winter. The winters of 2013–14 and 2014–15 both featured periods when temperatures dipped below 0oF, with there being no snow cover during these extreme temperature periods in 2013–14, but snow cover of ≥ 4 inches was in place during the extreme temperature periods of winter 2014–15.

The grasses that demonstrated the highest % spring greening levels in the top two statistical categories were Yukon, Latitude 36, Northbridge, Patriot, Riviera, Premier Pro, Hollywood and the experimental OKS 2004-2 (Table 2). The grasses that had the lowest % spring bermudagrass greening were Numex Sahara, the experimental BAR 7CD5, Sunsport, experimentals IS-01-201, PSG 91215, SWI 1122, PSG 94524, SWI 1083,

Princess 77, Midlawn, SWI 1117 and SWI 1081. The % spring greening values ranged from as low as 19.9% for NuMex Sahara to 44.8% for SWI 1081 (Table 2).

These data continue to support current Virginia Tech recommendations (Virginia Turfgrass Variety Rec-

ommendation List, http://pubs.ext. vt.edu/CSES/CSES-17/CSES-17_pdf. pdf) regarding the use of bermudagrass varieties with demonstrated longterm cold-tolerance characteristics.

Cultivars such as Yukon, Latitude 36, Northbridge, Premier Pro and Hollywood appear in the highest statistical

Table 2. Mean visual spring greening ratings for bermudagrass cultivars in the 2007 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program trial averaged across all spring rating periods in 2014 and 2015 as affected by simulated traffic equaling six football games per week over a ten-week period from the first week of September through October of the previous fall seasons.

CULTIVAR

% SPRING BERMUDAGRASS GREENINGz

Yukon Latitude 36 Northbridge Patriot Riviera Premier Pro Hollywood OKS 2004-2 PSG 9Y20K RAD-CD1 Tifway SWI-1057 IS-CD10 SWI-1070 Veracruz PSG 9BAN SWI 1113 PSG PROK PST-R6FLT SWI 1081 SWI 1117 Midlawn Princess 77 SWI 1083 PSG 94524 SWI 1122 PSG 91215 IS-01-201 Sunsport BAR 7CD5 NuMex Sahara LSD (0.05)

94.7 93.5 90.1 88.8 74.6 74.1 72.9 72.9 71.5 67.3 66.4 60.2 54.9 54.5 52.4 52.2 50.2 46.1 45.6 44.8 44.8 43.8 40.0 37.4 35.1 35.1 34.7 31.7 31.6 27.6 19.9 1.5

a a a a

b b b b b b

c c c c c c c c

c d d d d

e e e e e e e e

f f f f f f f f f f f

g g g g g g g g g g g

h h h h h h h h h h h

i i i i i i i i i i i

j j j j j j j j j j j

k k k k k k k k k k k k

l l l l l l l l l l l

m m m m m m m m

zMeans followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to Student t-tests at p ≤ 0.05.

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 17

Cover Story continued

ranking categories for both fall and spring performance criteria. Therefore, these grasses will continue to be very important in their general-purpose use in Virginia, but in particular

on heavily trafficked sporting venues.

Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) measurements were made to provide a non-subjective assessment of turfgrass density and greening. As anticipated,

all non-trafficked bermudagrass plots had higher RVI values than their trafficked counterparts, and to some degree, if a variety had higher (or lower) RVI values in the non-trafficked

Table 3. Fall 2013 and 2014 Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) measurements within non-trafficked and trafficked strips of bermudagrass cultivars in the 2007 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program trial.

RVIz FALL 2013

CULTIVAR

NON-TRAFFICKEDy

FALL 2014

TRAFFICKED

NON-TRAFFICKED

TRAFFICKED

SWI-1113

7.53 a

5.34 a

6.07

b c d e

2.87

b c d e f g h i

SWI-1057

7.15 a b

5.33 a b

5.90

b c d e f g

2.94

b c d e f g h i

Latitude 36

7.11 a b

5.11 a b c

6.38 a b

3.28 a b c d

Yukon

6.90 a b c

5.07 a b c

6.00

b c d e

3.59 a

PSG 9Y20K

6.87 a b c

5.37 a

5.95

b c d e

2.87

RAD-CD1

6.76 a b c d

5.36 a

6.07

b c d e

3.19 a b c d e f

Hollywood

6.50

b c d e

5.06 a b c

6.25

b c

3.32 a b c

Royal Bengal

6.49

b c d e

4.87 a b c d e

5.84

b c d e f g

3.20 a b c d e f

b c d e f g h i

SWI-1070

6.49

b c d e

4.98 a b c d

5.85

b c d e f g

2.97

OKS 2004-2

6.47

b c d e

4.91 a b c d e

5.87

b c d e f g

3.28 a b c d

6.11

b c d e

Tifway

6.42

b c d e f

4.76

Pyramid 2

6.41

b c d e f

4.83

PSG PROK

6.38

b c d e f

5.13 a b c

6.17

Gold Glove

6.14

c d e f

4.81

c d e f

5.13

Riviera

6.13

c d e f g

4.66

c d e f g h

5.71

Veracruz

6.02

d e f g h

4.65

c d e f g h

5.58

Princess 77

5.99

d e f g h i

4.88 a b c d e

c d e f g

5.40

b c d e

3.26 a b c d e

e f g h i j

g h i j b c d e f g c d e f g h i

6.18

b c d

6.05

b c d e

5.90

e f g h i j

4.26

5.78

e f g h i j

4.51

d e f g h i

5.17

SWI-1122

5.75

e f g h i j k

4.53

d e f g h

5.87

Premier Pro

5.66

f g h i j k l

4.35

SWI-1081

5.64

f g h i j k l

4.63

Sunsport

5.35

g h i j k l m

4.41

e f g h i j

5.17

SWI-1117

5.32

h i j k l m

4.28

g h i j

5.93

b c d e f

5.80

b c d e f g

5.58

Patriot

5.22

i j k l m

3.93

PSG 94524

5.13

j k l m

4.26

g h i j

IS-01-201

5.13

j k l m

4.21

i j

BAR 7CD5

4.98

k l m

3.96

SWI-1083

4.91

l m

4.01

j k

j k

b c d e f g

c d e f g h i f g h i j

g h i

2.87

b c d e f g h i

2.62

f g h i

2.70

e f g h i

2.90

b c d e f g h i

3.00

b c d e f g h i

2.89

b c d e f g h i

2.71

e f g h i

2.54

g h i

3.17 a b c d e

5.43

d e f g h i j

5.36 4.84 5.59

i j

2.52

3.38 a b f g h i j

7.05 a

f g h i j

c d e f g h i

3.08 a b c d e f g

Northbridge

c d e f g h

3.03 a b c d e f g h 2.75

b c d

PSG 91215

g h i j

b c d e f g h i

2.42

i

e f g h i j

2.75

c d e f g h i

h i j

2.42

i

2.66

f g h i

c d e f g h

Numex Sahara

4.70

m

3.96

j k

4.91

2.76

c d e f g h i

Midlawn

4.60

m

3.49

k

4.75

2.46

h i

LSD (0.05)

0.78

0.77

0.58

0.51

i j

zAll RVI means for non-trafficked bermudagrass cultivar plots were significantly greater than corresponding RVI means for the trafficked bermudagrass plots within the same cultivar and fall season. yMeans within a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to Student t-tests at p ≤ 0.05.

18 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

plots, it also tended to have higher (or lower) RVI values in the trafficked strips (Table 3). When considering the RVI values of the trafficked plots for named bermudagrass varieties of particular importance in Virginia sports fields, varieties such as Latitude 36, Yukon, Hollywood and Princess 77 were in the highest two statistical categories in both fall 2013 and 2014.

However, bermudagrass varieties Northbridge, Patriot and Premier Pro were not in the highest statistical ranking categories in 2013, but were in 2014 (Table 3).

For spring greening, it was anticipated that RVI would be a more relevant technique of digital analyses measuring both bermudagrass greening and plot density. Again (and as expected) the non-trafficked plots all had higher RVI values than their trafficked counterparts (Table 4). The non-trafficked RVI data give an assessment of spring greening rate/winter recovery ratings for the various grasses, and in general, most of the named varieties correspond well with varieties that are currently on the Virginia/ Maryland Turfgrass Variety Recommendation List. Named varieties with demonstrated cold tolerance and performance in Virginia that are in the top statistical categories include Yukon, Midlawn, Hollywood, Riviera, Latitude 36, Patriot, Northbridge and Premier Pro. Tifway and Princess 77 remain very popular bermudagrass varieties in the warmest parts of the state and provide good fall turf-density ratings for heavily trafficked turf, but their spring recovery potential in the coldest climates is suspect. Experimental RAD-CD1 and OKS 2004-2 have not yet become commercially available, but they fared well for both fall and spring performance criteria in the Blacksburg location.

Table 4. Spring 2014 and 2015 Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI) measurements of non-trafficked and trafficked bermudagrass cultivars in the 2007 National Turfgrass Evaluation Program trial.

RVIz

CULTIVAR Yukon Midlawn PSG 9Y20K RAD-CD1 Hollywood Riviera OKS 2004-2 Latitude 36 Patriot Northbridge Pyramid 2 Premier Pro PSG PROK Tifway SWI-1113 SWI-1057 BAR 7CD5 Veracruz SWI-1070 Princess 77 Royal Bengal SWI-1081 PSG 91215 Gold Glove SWI-1083 SWI-1122 NuMex Sahara PSG 94524 Sunsport IS-01-201 SWI-1117 LSD (0.05)

NON-TRAFFICKEDy 5.68 5.12 5.05 5.01 4.99 4.98 4.97 4.79 4.75 4.67 4.57 4.52 4.43 4.35 4.32 4.16 4.11 4.10 4.02 4.00 3.90 3.88 3.79 3.65 3.60 3.57 3.38 3.37 3.37 3.35 2.98 0.85

a a a a a a a

b b b b b b b b b b b b b b

c c c c c c c c c c c c c

d d d d d d d d d d d d d

e e e e e e e e e e e e e

TRAFFICKED

f f f f f f f f f f f f f

g g g g g g g g g g g g g

h h h h h h h h h h h h h

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

j j j j j j j j

4.61 a 2.67 3.19 3.62 3.42 3.31 3.74 3.51 4.32 a 3.37 3.17 2.36 2.71 2.70 2.38 2.76 2.26 2.49 2.94 2.51 2.73 2.36 2.17 2.23 2.67 2.70 2.41 2.40 2.90 2.69 2.49 0.84

b

b b b

c c c c c c c c

c

c

d d

e e

d d

e

f f

g

d d d

e

d d

e e

d

e

f f f f f f

d

e e e e

f f f f f

d d

e e

d d

e e e

f f f f f f f

d

g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g

zAll RVI means for non-trafficked bermudagrass cultivar plots were significantly greater than corresponding RVI means for the trafficked bermudagrass plots within the same cultivar. yMeans within a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to Student t-tests at p ≤ 0.05.

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 19

Turf Talk

By Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Tech

H

ave you ever thought of yourself as an agronomist? If not, you should. I used this title for a presentation at the inaugural Deep South Turf Expo (in Biloxi, MS) in 2015 because it seems that the older I get, the more I see the value of returning to the basics in turfgrass management. I always make it a point to tell students to let people know they are an agronomist because that sets up the opportunity to tell people what it is that they do.

When I was a new Ph.D. in Starkville, MS, back in the late 1980s, all of the secretaries were worried about how I could be 27 years old and not be married yet. In their concern for me, still being single at such an advanced age, I would be invited regularly to church bingo and fish fries so that I could just

“by chance” meet some of their lady friends. One of the young ladies I met asked what I did, and I said, “I am an agronomist.” She then went on to tell me that was cool and that while she was somewhat embarrassed to admit it, “I read my horoscope every day, and I’m a Pisces.” Hmm… I think we had a failure to communicate!

Unfortunately, the term agronomy has fallen out of use over the years because of the confusion as to what it means. The two departments that I have worked for at Mississippi State and Virginia Tech both moved away from being Agronomy Departments many years ago. However, the basis of being an agronomist still applies to each of us who manages grass because it is essentially talking about someone who manages plants AND soils. In this

20 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

management, your agronomic skills also include the principles of biology, chemistry, genetics, biochemistry and mathematics. See how smart you must be? And all along you thought you were just a professional grass cutter!

When you get caught up in the daily grind and challenges of delivering on your job, you often forget just all the expertise that you have and that you deliver. Sometimes it helps for a refresher course on the basics in agronomy so that you can return to utilizing all the high-tech equipment and strategies that make you so great at your job. So, get ready to be refreshed.

It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature I don’t think there are any more

sive moisture, and all the possible combinations of just these two environmental factors of temperature and moisture. But then we add in one more consideration that often seems to be overlooked until after we realize it is limiting: light.

Light

skilled agronomists than turfgrass managers in manipulating Mother Nature, given how we can grow turf under some crazily extreme environmental and use conditions. Most of the strategies I will detail in this article are ways that we have figured out how to manipulate Mother Nature, and those manipulations evolve every growing season. However, it also becomes quickly evident how difficult it is to consistently fool Mother Nature, even with the resources and tools at your disposal.

Where you are located makes a huge difference as to whether you are trying to grow warm-season or cool-season grasses. We are always reminded of this each time we face the challenges of cold winters and/or hot summers, extreme drought or exces-

We know light matters, but we keep pressing the limits of where we can grow grass under reduced light conditions. Trees impact turf on golf courses and in lawns; the verticality of stadiums affects how well grass is now growing on many professional and collegiate stadium sports fields.

It is important to remember the “q words” for light: quantity and quality.

For instance, that dappled light penetrating the canopies of most hardwoods has very poor photosynthesis properties for the turfgrass below.

And the type of grass (warm- or coolseason) and its response to light makes a difference, too. Cool-season grasses become light saturated for photosynthesis fairly quickly, while warm-season grass photosynthetic rates climb as greater light saturation occurs. These differences have important management implications for the different types of grasses and how they respond to light.

Bell and Danneberger (1999) at Ohio State reported that when working with cool-season turfgrasses, turf receiving sunlight for only 40% of the day maintained color and density even when shaded at 31% of full sun. It was the duration of the shade that was more destructive to turfgrass growth and development. Bunnell et al (2005) at Clemson reported that afternoon shade was more detrimental to TifEagle bermudagrass growth and development as compared to morning shade.

What I take home from all this great research is that fortunately, when it comes to growing good turf, sometimes it takes only some fairly small adjustments in tree canopies to successfully co-mingle trees and turf.

Selective pruning internally in the tree’s canopy architecture and “limbing up” might make enough of a

difference to maintain a reasonably healthy turf canopy.

While it won’t apply to most facilities, the use of supplemental lighting on high-end athletic fields continues to become more common, and I can think of at least a handful of situations where I have seen some pretty ingenious uses of supplemental light by superintendents on some of their most challenging putting greens. Most of you will likely never have to tackle supplemental lighting in your management program, but I remind you to never say never.

Air supply I’ve been “All Out of Love” for this 1970s band for many years, but air supply is oh-so important for healthy turf, and it ties in directly with how successful selective pruning can be in improving turfgrass health. In addition to enhanced light penetration, effective pruning also greatly improves air circulation. The more stirring of the air you have, the less the disease pressure, and the better the process of evapotranspirative (ET) cooling.

And having plenty of ET potential might be the only chance you have for keeping cool-season grasses alive during some of your most stressful environmental periods.

For those of you who have been in this business since the early 1990s, think what an advancement fans were in efforts to grow bentgrass in the South where as little as a 3- to 4-mph breeze was the difference between life and death. Then as we better understood the strategies in syringing (overthe-top applications of up to 0.05" of water) the turf and combined that with the use of fans, another huge step forward was made in our strategies to overcome Mother Nature’s environmental limitations.

This was confirmed by research

by Guertal et al. (2005) at Auburn, who reported that the use of fans and syringing both reduced rootzone temperatures of ‘Crenshaw’ creeping bentgrass, and the treatment effects were even more pronounced when the treatments were combined. However, it was the fan treatment that consistJournal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 21

Turf Talk continued

ently increased root length density, providing at least a 33% increase in roots at all rating dates.

Cutting to the chase There’s no way we can talk agronomic principles of turfgrass management and not bring cutting heights into the discussion, especially as we build upon the environmental limitations and our management strategies just listed above. Think about how much benefit just a slight raising of the cutting height has made at some point in your turfgrass-management career. The reason why is that this adjustment increases the photosynthetic leaf area by approximately 25%. Something this simple makes such a huge difference, yet in our quest for the fastest, most-dense playing surfaces, we sometimes forget how something this basic can be the difference between living or dead turf.

One great tool that has allowed us to push the extremes in tolerable cutting heights and low-light conditions in turfgrass management has been trinexipac-ethyl (TE). This plant growth regulator (PGR) that we now take for granted was a pretty revolutionary compound when it first hit the market, and it remains an important management tool to this day.

In particular for ultradwarf bermudagrass management, the research by Bunnell et al. (2005) reported that when TE was combined with raising the mowing height of ‘TifEagle’ bermudagrass from 3.2 mm to 4.7 mm, the turf-quality improvement was significant when as little as 4 hours of light per day were supplied. McCarty et al. (2011) compared TE to other PGRs on ‘TifEagle’ and reported that it was a superior treatment for improving roots, reducing clippings and enhancing the playability of putting greens. And of course, these types of responses have been evidenced for many years on both warm- and coolseason turfs nationwide as researchers dialed in appropriate use rates for different grasses, climates and uses.

Going under cover Another strategy that turfgrass managers have successfully employed to

manipulate Mother Nature is the use of either temporary or permanent winter covers. The use of temporary covers in ultradwarf putting green management came onto the scene in the 1980s, and I remember one of the first comments was, “That’s crazy… why would anyone want to go to the trouble to pull covers on and off throughout the winter?”

Of course, what was first deemed crazy is now a standard management strategy, particularly in warm-season turf management. However, covers have a variety of potential uses pending how they alter temperature and light at the turfgrass canopy surface.

I have dabbled in cover research for more than 15 years, going back to partnering with Mississippi State CGCS Pat Sneed in an on-course research project in the early 2000s (Goatley et al., 2007). I continue to be intrigued by the potential turf response to and use of a new turfgrass cover source, but I find that pretty much any cover source will have both desirable and undesirable properties that should be considered in cover selection and use.

Black polypropylene weaves have been a standard “ultradwarf bermudagrass protection blanket” for years, owing to their low-temperature protection and ease in handling. However, they aren’t very effective if you are trying to promote early spring greening and/or an off-season grow-in or recovery of turf.

As with all agronomic practices that manipulate Mother Nature, there is an element of give and take in play.

When Virginia Tech had a Kentucky bluegrass football practice field, a temporary cover was applied to the bluegrass in early March in order to enhance its growth and color for spring practice. It worked quite well and delivered just what the coaches desired for spring ball. However, later on that summer, the spring-covered turf paled in comparison in turf quality to the areas that were not covered previously. VT graduate student Nick McKenna termed this “post-cover decline,” a response that inevitably had to occur due to using so much of the plant’s carbohydrate reserves

22 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

in that one big spring push for color and density.

Celebrate youth My mentor from the University of Kentucky, Dr. A.J. Powell Jr., used a great word one time during a presentation at a turf conference that at the time I didn’t realize how agronomically important it was. But once I thought about it, that word has stayed with me ever since: juvenility. He pointed out that we spend our time as turfgrass managers striving for (1) the most-uniform, dense turfgrass canopies possible, (2) the deepest, mostextensive root system possible and (3) accolades from our end users for the turf appearance, quality, playability and/or safety. Those are some pretty typical goals, but it begs the question: does achieving your goals ever work against you? And the answer is a resounding YES. The reason why is very simple.

It’s all about competition among the turfgrass plants as they fight for light, air, water, nutrients, etc. The highestquality, most-dense turfgrass canopy is are literally waging an internal war amongst itself in that canopy, and it is only by successfully using or manipulating many of the agronomic principles detailed here that those surfaces are sustained for long periods of time.

Mother Nature’s great rejuvenation tool for vegetation is fire, and some of the readers here can likely recall that before the days of concern for air pollution (and the unintentional burning down of a few buildings and/or homes), it was commonplace that a late-winter burning event was used to remove much of the dead foliage from a dormant warm-season turf. The spring greening response following a quick burn was always remarkable.

These days, we mostly use our mechanical tools to remove some of this competition and stimulate new growth. Verticutters and groomers are standard fare in the intensive management of high-input turfgrasses, and one of the latest tools that I think is tailor made for the growth habits of most warm-season turfgrasses is fraze

mowing. If you have ever done a growin for bermudagrass or zoysiagrass turfs, you remember how healthy and actively growing that turf was once the grow-in really reached a zenith. I think of fraze mowing as returning to that peak grow-in situation, but with the advantage of having already established sprigs. This is an awesome agronomic strategy to restore your turf’s juvenility every three to five years.

Concluding remarks I have only scratched the surface of agronomic principles in this article, as there has been little to no discussion about fertilization, irrigation and soil-aeration programs in managing healthy turf. We also could have an entire article devoted to the breeding and evaluation programs for new cultivars and how new species and/or cultivars affect our agronomic-management programs and the uses of the grasses. I encourage you to embrace your role as an agronomist and tell everyone just what that professional title means. And by the way, I am a Virgo.

References Bell, G.D., and T.K. Danneberger.

1999. Temporal shade on creeping bentgrass turf. Crop Sci. 39:1142-1146.

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

Crop Sci. 45:575-581.

Goatley, J.M., Jr., J.P. Sneed, V.L. Maddox, B.R. Stewart, D.W. Wells, and H.W. Philley. 2007. Turf covers for winter protection of bermudagrass golf greens. Applied Turfgrass Science. 4:1-9.

Guertal, E.A., E. van Santen, and D.Y. Han. 2005. Fan and syringe application for cooling bentgrass greens. Crop Sci. 45:245-250.

McCarty. L.B., T.G. Willis, J.E. Toler, and T. Whitwell. 2011. ‘TifEagle’ bermudagrass response to plant growth regulators and mowing height. Agron. J. 103:988-994.

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 23

Eye on Business

Attracting

STUDENT INTERNS to Work for You

By John Kaminski, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Turfgrass Science, Penn State University

A

ttracting an intern or graduating turfgrass student can be a frustrating process for golf course superintendents. Due to a reduction in student numbers in turfgrass programs across the country, the students have the upper hand.

So, how do superintendents attract individuals from this limited pool of students? I think that the first place to start is to recognize the resource that a career-driven turfgrass employee can be for your club. After recognizing the benefit to the club, turfgrass professionals should focus on developing a program that actually develops and mentors the employee.

Interns are a valuable resource to the club Turfgrass students are usually willing to take risks, are generally hard working and, in many cases, have prior turfgrass experience. While I put a lot of qualifiers in there (e.g., “generally” hard working), I find that given the opportunity, students meet or exceed the expectations of their supervisor.

In addition to learning, students can be a great resource to the club. They often bring new ideas and insight into new media and technology, all of which may benefit the facility.

With many of the positive qualities that interns can bring to the club, it is important that they aren’t hired as a

typical seasonal employee. They must be given the opportunity to contribute to the club or develop the muchneeded skillset required for them to become future turfgrass managers.

Providing students with a clear outline of what they will accomplish, in addition to providing them with some extra incentives for their role on the crew, can result in a win-win situation for both the intern and the facility.

Develop a “mentor program” Just like any well-run business, turfgrass-maintenance departments must define what their mission will be when it comes to hiring students. Simply telling the student that he or she will be exposed to “all facets of the maintenance program” is not a defined plan. A well-written “Mentor Program” should give the students a clear idea of what they can expect from the supervisor and the internship, as well as how they will be mentored towards success.

Some things to consider when hiring a student: • Define the mission of your position.

• Share your agronomic philosophies.

• Outline your management structure, including where the student will fit.

• Outline the student’s expected duties and responsibilities.

• Describe educational opportunities offered (e.g., guest lecturers,

24 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

tournament experience, etc.).

• Provide details of the club.

• Summarize the benefits offered (salary, housing, etc.).

A part of the internship plan should recognize that not every student will bring the same set of skills to the internship. This can be looked at as an opportunity to fine-tune your internship program to the level of student that may apply to work at your facility. I often try to categorize positions into three levels.

Basic experience Students must start somewhere, and this should not be looked at as a hindrance, but more of an opportunity for supervisors. There are some considerations, however, when hiring an entry-level intern. You should be clear with the student and let him (or her) know that you will attempt to expose him to a variety of experiences while making it clear that he will be part of the general crew. Overpromising the opportunities that these students will be exposed to will likely result in a failed internship or, at least, a disappointed student.

Moderate experience Perhaps the most difficult to accommodate are those students who have some, but limited experience. This level usually provides an opportunity

to be involved in a variety of tasks, but it often depends on the individual student. Students who are hardworking, career-oriented and willing to take risks will be likely to excel and be given more responsibilities, while those who lack motivation and drive will likely be given the duties typical of an entry-level intern. The latter usually pertains to students who think that raking bunkers for two summers at a high-end club gives them the skills necessary to lead crews in year three.

able to do the same with the various degrees of internships. Regardless of the students’ experience, it is important that the facility deliver on the promises made to each student. If the student leaves disappointed, you can be assured that he will share his experience with other students. The trickle down of this can result in a three- to four-year period in which interns avoid that particular club.

Experienced Students falling into the “Experienced” category usually have several years of turfgrass experience. These students are often involved with the management staff, take on leadership roles among the crew and are relied upon heavily for important duties on the course. While not every student is ready for this role, those who are ready can be an invaluable and often relatively inexpensive resource for the club.

Now that you have a formalized mentorship plan, it’s time to figure out how to get interns to want to work for you. Remember, the students have the upper hand since there are many more job opportunities than there are students. While this can seem like a painful process, the bottom line is that you must sell your mentorship program in order to attract a student.

During my time with developing a structured internship program within Penn State’s Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program, I have come to find that students are motivated by very different things when it comes to selecting a job. Here are just a few examples of things my students look for from an internship.

I find that, too often, golf course superintendents want to lump student interns into a single category that comes with the same pay, the same responsibilities and the same expectations. With the creation of all types of positions on a golf course (e.g., 1st assistant, 2nd assistant, assistant in training, etc.), I find it entirely reason-

How do I get an intern to want to come to my facility?

Education and mentoring By far, the number one thing that

my students seek in an internship is a mentor who will take the time to educate them on the golf course. Careeroriented students are hungry for experiences but also for insight into why tasks are done certain ways or how decisions are made. Simply assigning daily tasks and expecting the students to perform is not mentoring.

Wide range of duties Interns want to be involved in as many different aspects of the maintenance program as possible. Having (and sticking to) a plan to involve them with a variety of tasks, ranging from agronomics to management to networking, will help to enhance their portfolio and marketability upon graduation.

Potential positions in future Believe it or not, this is another factor taken into consideration by students who are completing their final internship prior to graduation. For those seeking interns, this should be seen as a positive trait. Students interested in being hired following graduation will likely be looking to work hard to impress their potential future employer, while future employers are given the opportunity to screen applicants for an entire season prior to deciding whether or not to hire them.

Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

| 25

Eye on Business continued

Travel opportunities More and more students are looking to take advantage of opportunities abroad or far from their home while they are still young. Recruiting students from other countries or regions outside of where you are located can be a selling point. Be sure to mention all of the opportunities and activities (i.e., hiking, city life, etc.) that are in your area that they will have access to during the internship.

Housing and salary I find these to be the least motivating aspect of an internship, but they often represent a necessity for some. The rising costs of tuition and the desire to work and live away from home often dictate what type of internship a student can choose. While many turfgrass managers are not willing or do not have the capacity to put students in on-site housing, simply paying skilled

interns a higher wage or providing a housing subsidy can be enough to persuade them to join your team.

Recruitment Unless you’re a top-10 golf course, simply posting an advertisement on a website or sending in a 1-page flyer to a university most likely will not attract many students to your club. In today’s environment, turfgrass managers must be active in their recruitment efforts.

Interaction with students at job fairs, communication with faculty members and creative marketing via socialmedia networks are all ways to increase

26 | VIRGINIA TURFGRASS JOURNAL July/August 2016 www.vaturf.org

your chances of getting an intern. Students want to feel that they will be an important member of your management team, and you need to let them know that in fact they will be.

Attracting a student to your facility is not an easy task and requires a considerable amount of effort. In some cases, it can take several years for your internship program to gain the momentum needed to start attracting a steady stream of new students. In time, however, a well-defined mentorship program can successfully attract students to almost any facility.

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Journal of the Virginia Turfgrass Council

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