If you missed this week's free TurfNet University Webinar - The ABCs of putting green maintenance: Speed does not kill, ignorance does - by Thom Nikolai, Ph.D., and Michael Morris, CGCS- fear not; the recording is available on-demand .
The Webinar is the first in a four-part series by Nikolai and Morris on their years of research, dating to the late 1990s, on rolling and mowing and how they affect putting green speed and turf health.
In this Webinar, Morris sets the table for the subsequent three broadcasts by recalling how attaining customer satisfaction and consistent playing conditions, and not a specific green speed, were the driving forces behind his greens management program.
The presenters challenge the notion that speed kills and demonstrate a proven method to find any golf courses ideal green speed that maximizes the ABCs of putting green management: Agronomic conditions, Budget and Customer satisfaction.
Specifically, Morris and Nikolai revisit how consistency and customer satisfaction were achieved at Crystal Downs Country Club through a four-part process that includes:
- Measuring daily green speeds
- Surveying golfers to determine their target range
- Evaluating maintenance practices to manage those speeds
- Communicating results to stakeholders.
Other archived Webinar recordings can be found here. All TurfNet University Webinars, live and recorded, are sponsored by Grigg and are free for everyone.
Part II of the ABCs of putting green management - Putting green management and the law of diminishing returns: cultural practices - is scheduled for 1 p.m. eastern on Oct. 18. In this Webinar, the presenters will focus on achieving customer satisfaction through sound cultural practices, including irrigation, fertility, plant growth regulators and topdressing.
Session III - Putting green management and the law of diminishing returns - will focus on mechanical practices, such as mowing, brushing and rolling, and they will conclude the series on Nov. 1 with You cannot manage what you cannot measure, a review of the previous three sessions and how the lessons learned in each can be used together to maximize consistency, customer satisfaction and turf health. The calendar for these and other upcoming broadcasts is available here.