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Gazing in the Grass... The right turf can help cut chemicals and please golfers...It seems ironic that as we near completion on our seventh season on the Bethpage Project to manage putting surfaces with less pesticides, our industry still is asked to deliver perfection every day. More with less, I guess. In one breath, I describe our work to superintendents. In another, I instruct them that they must chemically treat their turf if they expect to meet golfer demands. As an industry, we are facing an interesting transition that might require dramatic changes. Seven years into the project, we are closer to understanding some of the challenges of reduced chemical use. At the same time, some structural changes to our golf turf management systems might be needed for further improvement. We will never be able to stop spraying pesticides if we can’t get the right grass in a good growing environment (soil, light, air, drainage) on a properly designed surface. There is no reason to believe that golfers will accept reduced conditions any time soon... However, I wonder if we can meet playability standards with less emphasis on visual quality.There is no reason to believe that golfers will accept reduced conditions any time soon. In fact, in our work we use the current perfect standards as a target. However, I wonder if we can meet playability standards with less emphasis on visual quality. I believe we are much closer to having a consistent playable surface with fewer inputs than we are a perfectly green and playable surface. The use of the word "green" in putting green, greenkeeper, green fees and U.S. Golf Association Green Section is used to describe all areas of the golf course that are outside the confines of the clubhouse. Of course, it also is used to describe the area of short grass surrounding a hole. Industry professionals do not use it to describe the color of the area, yet it is this meaning that burdens us most. The same cosmetic issues that affect golf turf also hamper production agriculture. Consumers want the perfect apple, perfect tomato, perfect pepper. But what they get are fruits and vegetables that appear perfect yet have little taste. It sounds as if farmers are faced with the same challenge that golf course superintendents are confronted with. Of course, the big difference is people eat apples, tomatoes and peppers, and use golf course turf purely for recreation. There may not be one right answer, rather a place for several answers. Shake the blues No answer about reduced chemical management of turf includes annual bluegrass. After seven years, I have concluded that annual bluegrass simply cannot be sustained to produce the turf quality expected by today's golfer, public or private without applying synthetic pesticides. If golfers won’t accept less in terms of conditions, then we must be ready to change grasses. The challenge then becomes will a different grass such as bent or an ultra-dwarf Bermuda allow us to provide near-perfect conditions with fewer inputs? The answer is simple: only with proper management.
Ecologically, annual bluegrass has an advantage, as do many weeds. It produces tremendous amounts of seed, establishes well under hostile conditions and adapts to many growing environments. If we do not manage the system to favor the bentgrasses, then we will remain plagued by annual bluegrass. The bentgrass management system should be focused on maintaining acidic soils, dry conditions, low to moderate amounts of nitrogen focused in warmer temperatures and fewer nitrogen applications in cool weather. Jim Arthur discusses these issues very well in his classic text, "Practical Greenkeeping" (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, 2003). Arthur describes maintaining poverty in the soil to exclude annual bluegrass. With unprecedented access to technology and inputs, the genius might be the disciplined manager who avoids excess. Climates drive choices These issues are not confined to northern turf and annual bluegrass. In southern turf, ultra-dwarf Bermuda seems to be susceptible to more disease issues than traditional Bermuda. Study after study investigates basic fertility and cultivation programs, while trying to increase understanding of new fungal diseases. This shows that we have released grasses without a clear understanding of how to manage them effectively. Study after study investigates basic fertility and cultivation programs, while trying to increase understanding of new fungal diseases. This shows that we have released grasses without a clear understanding of how to manage them effectively.Look at the PGA Championship recently played in the sweltering Oklahoma heat on creeping bentgrass putting surfaces that required constant cooling with mammoth fans. A cool-season grass surrounded by Bermudagrass – does anyone else find that curious? To be sure, Russ Myers and his crew worked miracles. On TV and to those who cover the game, the putting surfaces looked and performed to expectations. One has to marvel at the amount of technology brought to bear to overcome ecology Mother Nature, but this cannot be all the industry is about. It is important to celebrate our achievements and it is human nature to want to do more. After seven years, I find more interest in our project abroad than I do in the United States. Americans still love the perfect apple, but there might be a place for an apple that is short on looks but tastes great. In the end, I hope there is a place for both. Contributing editor Frank S. Rossi, Ph.D., is associate professor of turfgrass science at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He can be reached at fsr3@cornell.edu. |
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