Fast forward many years and that early instruction in animal and grass management has come home to roost. In addition to my work at Cornell, I co-own Bel Canto Farm with my wife, Barbara. We raise alpacas for breeding stock and fiber production and also have a few pigs. This year, turkeys and meat and egg chickens are on the way.  I absolutely LOVE my work at Cornell and TurfNet AND I love farming.

There is ALWAYS something to do on a farm and yesterday was shearing day. This year we decided to be more involved holding the animals for the shearer. As he began to instruct us I asked, “What’s the hardest part of shearing?” He replied, “The head…”, he was right!

Ten hours and 40 animals later — covered in spit, manure, and loose fiber — we were done.

A few local farms, even one with llamas (a close relative to alpacas in the Camelid family), brought some of their alpacas here to be shorn. We started preparing at about 7am and by 9am we were at it. Ten hours and 40 animals later — covered in spit, manure, and loose fiber — we were done. Can’t wait for next year!

My head holding lesson

My first "take-down"

A prime "blanket" coming off

Spreading the ears - take a peek!

Before

After

With the simple poke of the meter into the ground golf course superintendents now have a “number”.

Recently the use of moisture meters such as Spectrum’s Field  Scout 300, provide an easy to use method for determining soil moisture and a defacto increase in precision. With the simple poke of the meter into the ground golf course superintendents now have a “number”. The meter actually provides percent soil moisture measurements that will vary for every soil or sand rootzone. Hence the question, “what’s your number?”, i.e., what is the level of soil moisture you feel will get you the best turf without stress, or if you start the day at 14 percent can you make it without chasing wilt?

There is an old saying in education that “what gets measured gets done”. It seems odd that both numbers we manage putting greens for come from the end of a metal stick! Nevertheless, developing a number for your greens will add precision to the single most important management factor during the stressful seasons, water management.

The new water withdrawal legislation is a harbinger of things to come.

There are few regular management decisions made on a putting surface that influence performance as much as water. Hot is okay, hot and wet is the kiss of death. If you are not paying for water now, the writing is on the wall for Great Lake States and much of the northeast. The new water withdrawal legislation is a harbinger of things to come. It is best to become more precise now. At some point just like golfers ask about stimpmeter readings, when they start getting the water bill they will start asking, “hey-what’s your number?”

Now it seems with the weather a month ahead, the pressure is also ahead of schedule.

When I’m talking about pressure to peak it is code for fast greens. You start pushing the greens now you are going to pay later. Do not push for speed now when you are pounding them with PGR’s for seedhead suppression, drying them down for conditioning, when they are barely growing. Be true.

Spring greens can often be bumpy from seedheads, differential growth, PGR use, dryspots, etc.

Convince your golfers the greens need to be TRUE at this time of year not necessarily fast. Spring greens can often be bumpy from seedheads, differential growth, PGR use, dryspots, etc. Keep up your topdressing (dusting) and maintain a reasonable height. Do some grooming to pull the seedheads out that make the green roll inconsistent. And lest I forget, ROLL ROLL ROLL.

Peaking now often means pain later. The truth is a bitch.

When the conversation about speed comes up with your golfers turn it to trueness of roll that is less stressful to achieve. When the pressure starts to rise early remind them that preparing for the Masters or US Open requires planning and working back from when you want the greens to peak, like in June and July. Peaking now often means pain later. The truth is a bitch.

Immediately my mind began racing, “what if everyone was bentgrass, what if there was no annual bluegrass”.

We would spray fewer pesticides with no annual bluegrass. This is not to say creeping bentgrass has no disease issues. There will still be dollar spot and brown patch, take-all patch and snow mold. But one of our major problems basal rot anthracnose would be a minor if not extinct issue due to the adaptation of creeping bentgrass to northern climates especially summer conditions.

Beyond the reduction in pesticide use, I would argue there would be reductions in fertilizer use for nitrogen as well as most other nutrients. Research with the bentgrasses consistently indicates a more substantial root system and increased nutrient use efficiency when compared to annual bluegrass.

one of our major problems basal rot anthracnose would be a minor if not extinct issue due to the adaptation of creeping bentgrass to northern climates especially summer conditions.

Water use would be reduced. This is where science meets behavior. The shallow root system of annual bluegrass and the general idea that even the perennial types of annual bluegrass are imposters. When push comes to shove annual bluegrass allowed to dry down too far will find a reason to become an annual again. As a result of this we have a generation of impulsive managers growing a plant that in their mind is not resilient, not reliable and consequently we live in constant fear of catastrophic failure. I haven;t even brought up the whole concern for winter injury that goes away with bentgrass in most northern areas.

To be sure creeping bentgrass is not a free-ride. early season growth is as slow as Sergio Garcia’s pace of play, i.e., painfully slow. It is not very traffic tolerant and often succumbs to mechanical damage from mowers. It can get thatchy in a way that annual bluegrass does not and will not be forgiving of improper organic management that skimps on sand topdressing.

I know this is a dream not simply because of the biological challenges, but like shifting to renewable forms of energy there will be resistance from every corner of the industry that will feel threatened. We will need new infrastructure that helps overcome bentgrass weaknesses, we will need some different stuff and we will likely need much less of it.

To be sure creeping bentgrass is not a free-ride. early season growth is as slow as Sergio Garcia’s pace of play, i.e., painfully slow.

Finally, in my travels bentgrass requires discipline. Discipline to be willing to withhold inputs to allow the plants to adapt and become more stress tolerant. With a true perennial like bentgrass, not a poser such as annual bluegrass, you can stress it and not worry you are walking the razors edge next to death.

I know it is hard to imagine but with pending chemical legislation, rising fuel costs, water withdrawal permits, nutrient management restrictions,we need plants that are partners in aiding our quest for efficiency, plants like creeping bentgrass. If we don’t begin to imagine the world without annual bluegrass and begin to work toward that goal, this will be the beginning of a nightmare with no end in sight. Don’t take my word for it-ask the guys who are bentgrass.

Aerial view of En-Joie Golf Course September 2011. Note only two greens NOT flooded.

Sometimes I forget the unprecedented access I get to not only fascinating operations but dedicated and unique professionals. Rocco is a soft-spoken guy, graduate of Delhi Turfgrass Program and for the last few years Superintendent of En-Joie (short for Endicott-Johnson City as well as Endicott Johnson Shoes). As we were driving around, the course that is currently closed and for all intent and purpose is under reconstruction and grow-in, we chatted about the methodical process of running pumps for 30 straight days, hand washing 5 to 8 inches of silt off the greens, re-seeding dead greens, fixing the levee, etc.

Nothing prepares you for this and by Rocco’s own admission, “It has been an exciting experience, but I don’t really need to do it again, once is enough.” But like many superintendents I know, problem-solving is at the core of their success. They see what needs to be done and establish a plan, even if it is not written down there is a plan, and then resourcefully work to resolve the problem. The best part of this flood was there was no one nearby to blame.

Viewing a renovated fairway previously submerged under 15 feet of flood water.

Often superintendents find themselves in situations where decisions were made and plans implemented to control seedheads, eliminate annual bluegrass, overseed greens, core cultivate, and turf loss occurs. The blame game starts and instead of pulling in the same direction, the fingers start pointing. The flood was nobodies fault and when you see it as that it makes the recovery less stressful. I wonder with the challenges we know we will face with the rapid onset of the 2012 growing season do you have a plan or do you just react to what comes?

This is not going to be the year where you want to get behind and you don’t want to push too hard too early. A good plan looks at a growing season as a marathon with a good pace and then times when you ramp things up and get back to your pace. If you want to finish strong identify key events and stress periods and pace yourself up to them and plan to recover from them. It does not have to be complicated but as Harry Truman once said, “I believe in plans big enough to meet a situation which we can’t possibly foresee.” I’m sure Rocco has one now!

it seems since the crash of 2008, the economy has exerted the strongest influence on golf turf management I have ever seen in thirty years in the industry.

A close look at data from the NGF report on course supply found that in 2011 there was a net loss of almost 140 golf courses. The fifth consecutive year with a net loss in course supply. In fact over the last decade (2000-2010) there was flat growth that essentially showed with about 500 courses opening in the USA in that decade there were 500 closures. Current projections from NGF suggest a 500 to 1000 course closure number for the 2010′s.

There is also something called the Course Supply Index. This is a measure of the “busy-ness” of your course. Over the last 20 years there has been a decline in “busy-ness” in US golf courses. For example, an 83 on the index means that you are 17 percent less busy than you should be. Looking closely at the data you can see that right after the NGF announced “we need to build a golf course everyday for the next ten years” the “busy-ness” of courses began to drop and then in the early 2000′s with Tiger Woods, plenty of funny money, and courses beginning to close “busy-ness” spiked up. Only to be followed by the largest drop in 20 years. We are currently at our lowest point in 20 years and the only thing that might save this index is more course closures.

So the mantra has begun, “we need to grow the game” and so jingo’s such as Golf 2.0, Play Golf America, Get Golf Ready are rolled out. Again look at the data. Pellucid has consistently questioned the need to reach into Juniors and get more women to play and rather focus on your core customer group, those Avid golfers that play 25 or more times per year. These are the folks that buy $500 drivers, drape $1000 Alpaca sweaters around their shoulders and yes demand high quality conditions!

Pellucid offers advise on the role of  weathering how many playable hours every course has and are we maximizing them. It is time for the entire golf turf industry to turn their focus from simply “growing grass” to managing a business. Yes it is tough as it seems demands are rising, budgets are shrinking and now the climate is changing.

In a brief video shoot with TurfNet member Steve Swanson, Director of Golf Operations at Red Rock Country Club, I saw a professional who has evolved to see golf turf management through the lens of a business manager. Yes customer satisfaction is the key. Optimizing the golfing experience for our avid golfers while being mindful that core golfers that play once a month can still enjoy a round is our job. If you are simply focused on fast greens as some sort of phallic contest among your colleagues it is time to knock it off and  view the course from a customer and business management experience.

Optimizing the golfing experience for our avid golfers while being mindful that core golfers that play once a month can still enjoy a round is our job.

Most golf course superintendents no longer have the luxury of “growing grass”  without regard for running an efficient operation. If you have not examined your operation top to bottom and questioned every aspect of fuel use, labor allocation (Swanson went to 30 hour work weeks because the trip across the course was taking an hour and half of his staff’s day), cost per day of disease control (saving $20 per day on longer intervals and lower rates accounts for that cart that is not going out), and the list goes on. In other words if you do not manage your supplies, there will be less demand.

Seedhead suppression is among the most timing specific management practices employed on a modern golf course. Many feel if ideal is missed by a day it mean the difference between 30 percent and 80 percent suppression. The introduction of Proxy PGR several years ago allowed for application to made earlier with less injury than was associated with Embark and old standby PGR. The addition of Primo to the Proxy application not only enhanced seedhead suppression but extended the suppression, reduced the scalping associated with too many Proxy applications, and most importantly based on Rutgers research significantly reduced basal rot anthracnose as the season progressed.

Golf course superintendents are asking about seedhead suppression timing with Proxy and Primo,wondering about soil temperatures and summer patch preventative control, and most importantly in the northeast US, annual bluegrass weevil sitings. With each of these issues, the old saying holds-timing is everything.

Some have embraced the Embark plus Primo combination that can be applied later than Proxy and provided longer suppression. Also the addition of Primo has lessened the injury previously observed with Embark and as long as the Primo program is continued anthracnose will be reduced.

The problem “du-jour” of the early 1990′s was summer patch. Properly characterized by Professor Pete Landschoot during his Ph.D. studies with Professor Noel Jackson at URI this root pathogen was about to spell the end of annual bluegrass. Professor Bruce Clarke and colleagues at Rutgers as well as Professor Joe Vargas at MSU began research projects that identified preventative options for an early Spring DMI fungicide drench and as important the use of acidifying fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate to reduce summer patch infection in the early Spring. In either case, research shows applications to the rootzone when soil is 65F at 2″ depth.

For the next 15 years or so summer patch literally became a non-issue in many areas until the 2010 and 2011 historic growing seasons across the US created summer stress periods that exposed weaknesses in control programs. We were lulled into a false sense of security, lowered application rates, played fast and loose with timing and “boom goes the dynamite”. We were reminded again that under stress annual bluegrass cannot survive well with a seriously compromised root system.

preventative options for an early Spring DMI fungicide drench and as important the use of acidifying fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate to reduce summer patch infection in the early Spring. In either case, research shows applications to the rootzone when soil is 65F at 2″ depth.

Finally, annual bluegrass weevil. The latest crisis in pest management in certain sections of the northeast and now all the way to the Carolinas and west to Michigan. Where to spray?  Fence-lines or loops around fairways and greens or the whole place? When? forsythia, rhododenrdron bloom? What? pyrthroid-resistance, chlorpyrifos, adulticide, larvacide? Overlapping generations? what is causing the damage? Obviously more questions than solid answers at this point.

annual bluegrass weevil. The latest crisis in pest management in certain sections of the northeast and now all the way to the Carolinas and west to Michigan. Where to spray?

This is the one pest that will keep traditional IPM scouting alive and well. Soap flushes, checking web-based prediction, talking to your colleagues. All will help you be successful, but like all the strategies mentioned above timing is everything. Scout diligently and apply products strategically. We know turf loss is often worst on perimeters so be sure to maintain uniform irrigation to these areas.

We may as well get used to the new reality of longer seasons that could mean increased revenue for some and nothing but more stress for others. No matter how this effects you one fact cannot be denied, the golf course superintendent is more important than ever to a successful golf operation. It’s a great time to be a superintendent-timing is everything!

I certainly understand the impetus to cut a fairly big number when not attending the “National Show”, but it makes me wonder if there is no longer any perceived value to attending. I am fortunate to be involved in the education offerings so I am not fiscally responsible, but I certainly have plenty of other things to do, yet I must admit I see enormous value in the “National”… sort of.

I certainly understand the impetus to cut a fairly big number when not attending the “National Show”, but it makes me wonder if there is no longer any perceived value to attending…”

I have been openly critical of the trade show since for me it is filled with so many irrelevant products and gadgets. At the same time unless you are Rip Van Winkle and have not been paying attention for the last five years you can see that the trade show concept is moving towards extinction. Much like my love for newspapers I may be part of the last generation that attends trade shows. I can tell you many vendors are not sure either as often the “decision-makers” are not walking the floor-they are “no-shows”.

Much like my love for newspapers I may be part of the last generation that attends trade shows…”

So where’s the value? For me the value is the educational offerings to a diverse audience. Every seminar I have taught the last ten years is filled with golf turf managers from dozens of countries and states. We engage in robust discussions as someone from Brazil comments on what someone from Minnesota might say about annual bluegrass.

This is a global industry and while many experienced members of the industry might forego this opportunity, the next generation of golf turf managers cannot. The golf turf industry has been somewhat insulated from the mobility many industries require. Yet, as competition for jobs becomes increasingly fierce, waiting for that local job may have dire consequences when you are one of 350 resumes the club is wading through.

There is enormous value in a broad perspective that is as easy as attending the show and sitting in a room of diverse professionals interested in learning and sharing. I love the regional shows like Ohio Turf or the New England Regional or great local shows like the Wisconsin Turf Symposium or MetGCSAA Winter Meeting.

There is enormous value in a broad perspective that is as easy as attending the show and sitting in a room of diverse professionals interested in learning and sharing…”

In the end as we began it comes down to budgetary decisions. I get that and I know hard choices must be made. “Going to the National Show” needs to be on your list at least every few years, if not for the experienced superintendent, then for the young people you might be mentoring. If they are “No-Shows” now, they will have little to show for it when the line of 350 resumes lies ahead of them.

I was presenting in a few sessions on Sustainable Golf Turf Management, Reduced Chemical Pesticide Use and my overall theme of resource efficient golf turf management.  An Irish Greenkeeper approached me during a break and inquired, “so, you’re a minimalist huh?” Not knowing exactly what a minimalist is and not wanting seem stupid I responded, “yeah, I guess I am.”

Not knowing exactly what a minimalist is and not wanting seem stupid I responded, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

I have since learned that minimalism is typically used to describe forms of art or music as well as architecture and design. Minimalist art purports to expose the essence of a subject by eliminating all non-essential forms. These are the odd sorts of pictures like a red strip down a blue page, or a blackbox on a white piece of paper, you know the kind of art you look at and say, “my 10 year old could have done that.”

Minimalism in golf is a slightly different animal. For example, the brilliant golf course architect Tom Doak has been referred to as a minimalist. In fact Tom (Cornell ’83) has penned an excellent piece called “The Minimalist Manifesto” where he describes his design ethic. Doak speaks of the “pandering” we do of the American golfer so that they do not have to take responsibility for hitting a bad shot.

Minimalism from my perspective as a turfgrass scientist and for golf turf managers is simply not do or use one more thing than I absolutely have to for meeting my clients’ expectations for a high quality golf course. This means my mantra of focusing on nitrogen instead of other plant nutrients, mowing less, irrigating more precisely, and using as few pesticides as possible is my own practicing of minimalism. Who knew?

Now, it is easy for me to say, as it is not my job to work within a budget to produce a golf course. Many would argue it is impossible to be a minimalist in the major golf markets in the US due to the demand for perfect conditions. Of course some might say this is “pandering”; others would say “it is what I must do to keep my job by meeting client expectations.”

Clearly it is much easier to produce a links golf course along the sea where perfect climate and sandy soils prevail; this is the essence of minimalism. However a parkland course with trees, rolling topography, cart paths and golfers who focus on perfect turf poses a challenge to the minimalist.

What if you took a 50 percent cut in budget for supplies and labor. What would be the products and practices left?

So if you want to be a minimalist with me, here is what I propose. In your mind and maybe in practice, strip your maintenance program down to the bare bones. What if you took a 50 percent cut in budget for supplies and labor. What would be the products and practices left? Would you focus on only nitrogen on greens, mow tees higher, focus management on landing areas, improve your water delivery precision, etc.?

I am not one who thinks the quality of the course needs to suffer if you are a minimalist. There are many things we do that we do because we always did them. We can no longer afford this complacency that forces us to makes things more complicated than they need to be. Stay open to new ideas, be skeptical of the latest and greatest, pay attention to research and fund research that makes your operation more efficient, try to keep it as simple as possible. As DaVinci said, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

The season has wrapped up here in the Northeast

Some superintendents believe that getting the course prepped for winter is becoming more complicated as we strive to maximize the revenue from golf into fall. Yet, if you pay attention to smart business professionals such as Jim Koppenhaver at Pellucid Corp., you’ll see that golfers are more like bears than squirrels (i.e. better spring weather drives more rounds than does a longer fall season).

If you are like me and trust Pellucid’s data (available to members at www.pellucidcorp.com) then it makes sense to sacrifice some performance this fall for better turf and playing conditions in the spring. This might include backing off the mowing and rolling, doing some tree removal to increase fall light levels, and installing slit trenches or bore holes in the surface to allow for drainage in bowled areas.

Managing hydration

Turf loss from direct winter damage, not disease or traffic, is becoming more frequent and affecting a larger area. For example, a significant amount of putting green turf was killed this year from freezing and thawing weather patterns in the Northeast. Often, this is referred to as crown hydration. The causal weather patterns occur in the transition from winter to spring and are occurring with alarmingly regularity.

Winter survival is about managing water. Specifically, the ability for the putting surfaces to shed the water and prevent accumulation of precipitation that leads to ice development….

Winter survival is about managing water. Specifically, the ability for the putting surfaces to shed the water and prevent accumulation of precipitation that leads to ice development. Some superintendents constantly remove any snow that lands on the surface others apply protective covers that prevent snow from adhering directly to the surface. Many do both.

It is time to plan now, even if you have never lost turf to ice damage and the subsequent crown hydration. Research at Iowa State University by Dave Minner, Ph.D., showed that annual bluegrass was significantly damaged when encased in ice for 14 to 17 days. The same study showed creeping bentgrass could sustain ice cover for as much as 30 days before significant damage occurred. But this is only part of the story, especially for annual bluegrass.

Breaking bad

The more important issue is the breaking of dormancy that occurs in late winter or early spring when the plants are submerged in water from melting snow and ice. The water warms on a sunny day, even with air temps in the teens and 20s. Annual bluegrass breaks dormancy, begins to grow, temps drop, the water freezes, the plant is hydrated and the crown of the plant is killed.

The breaking of dormancy has been shown in research to occur rather rapidly. Work from both the Prairie Turfgrass Research Center in Saskatchewan and currently under way at the University of Massachusetts by Michelle DeCosta, Ph.D., shows that warming of 12 to 24 hours of temps in the 40s can reduce winter hardiness of annual bluegrass almost by 400 percent. This is why when the plants die after they sit in water, warm up and grow and then freeze again.

Old, bowl-shaped greens that accumulate water are especially vulnerable to this type of damage. If you cannot reshape/rebuild then you should install temporary drains or bore a hole in the low spot that is deep enough to shed the water. Another option is to apply an impermeable cover, preferably something like the bubble solar pool covers. These should be dug into the collars to prevent water from seeping underneath. Of course you must have snow mold protection down since you are creating an ideal environment for disease.

There is some risk from the impermeable covers because they suffocate the surface in their own way but often retain enough air under the bubbles to prevent such damage. There is research being conducted in Quebec that found low oxygen levels usually are the issue, not the buildup of toxic gases. However, researchers found greater damage to putting surfaces with higher organic matter.

Focused attention

As competition for golfers heightens, courses that can provide reliable spring conditions will have an advantage. This is a message many clubs must embrace and one that superintendents should use in their discussion of resources needed to reduce winter damage.

As competition for golfers heightens, courses that can provide reliable spring conditions will have an advantage.  This is a message many clubs must embrace…

The long-term solution is to reduce the amount of annual bluegrass in your surfaces that is more vulnerable to winter damage. This might not be realistic for many clubs due to the disruption of regressing, the chemical applications required, growing environment alteration, etc. That leaves many with only short-term options.

Focus your attention at this time of year on minimizing the accumulation of winter precipitation on your putting surfaces. Consider investing in covers for perpetually weak greens, budget time and resources for temporary drain installations, and work to improve light penetration to these greens in the fall. This will allow you to finish strong and be ready for the squirrels in the spring.

(Originally published in TurfNet Monthly, Nov/Dec 2011)

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.