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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Autumn is a bittersweet time of year for golfers. Leaves changing color make a great game even more enjoyable, but fall typically means aerification time, a semiannual ritual that golfers everywhere despise yet do not fully understand.   Recent research conducted on bentgrass greens in the Northwest, however, shows that while golfers might not like aerification time, the practice might not as disruptive as they like to think it is.   In fact, researchers came away from the study, the results of which were published in 2013, recommending a combination of pulling cores with quarter-inch tines (at a depth of 3 inches) and verticutting for providing key agronomic benefits and improving putting green playability while also resulting in relatively low disruption.   Conducted from 2008 to 2010 on T-1 bentgrass greens at Palouse Ridge Golf Club and Washington State University's turf research facility, both in Pullman, the study examined the effects of six agronomic programs: coring with half-inch tines (also at 3 inches); venting; verticutting; coring with half-inch tines and venting; coring with half-inch tines and verticutting; and coring with quarter-inch tines and verticutting.   The research team of Proctor, Johnson, Golob, Stahnke and Williams from Washington State University acknowledged that core aerification was disruptive on its face, but recuperation was relatively rapid compared with other treatments. And when coring with quarter-inch tines was followed with sand topdressing and combined with verticutting it resulted in a low number of total days of disruption (35 days in 2008, 38 days in 2009, 68 days in 2010). Coring with quarter-inch tines and verticutting resulted in statistically significant fewer total days of disruption than other treatments on most data collection dates, which occurred on multiple dates each month from April through October. The average daily high in Pullman in October is 67 degrees and the overnight low 25, according to the National Weather Service, and the research showed that turf did not recover from cultivation treatments performed after Oct. 15.   The study also examined whether sand color (tan vs. black) affected the turf's recuperative abilities, but found no statistical difference regarding sand color.   Researchers noted they were concerned with the potential for increased soil temperature with the use of black sand. But the study showed no negative effects in the turf's ability to recover after aerifying and verticutting with the use of black sand for topdressing.

  • Statistical paralysis

    By John Reitman, in News,

    There is a reason Vin Scully is known as one of the best broadcast professionals in all of sports. Known best for his work as the play-by-play man for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Scully dabbled in a host of other sports, including golf, and he has a way with words few can match.   As a sportscaster, Scully often must recite volumes of statistics. He also has a keen insight as to their significance, as he once said: "Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost; for support, not illumination."   The golf business too is filled with statistics on weather impact, rounds played, spending at the golf shop and in the restaurant, and equipment sales, as those who make a living studying these numbers attempt to decipher their meaning and how they are relevant to the state of the industry today and where it is headed tomorrow.   According to the National Golf Foundation's mid-year report card, rounds played in 2014 are up 2.4 percent per day open through July, compared to the same period in 2013. We're not sure how that works, since Golf Datatech, NGF's partner in delivering reports and statistics through the PGA Performance Trak package, reports that nationwide rounds played for the same period are down 1.4 percent. Nonetheless, we actually were a little optimistic about this report until we contacted Jim Koppenhaver, who told a different story.   Granted, an abnormally long and cold winter in much of the country adversely affected rounds played for the first quarter of the year. But that brutal winter and ensuing cool, wet spring eventually were followed by a mild summer that has been quite conducive to attracting golfers and growing grass.   In fact, since closing out that first quarter of the year, rounds played in the following four-month period have been as follows: down 1.5 percent, up 0.9 percent, down 2.8 percent and up 1.1 percent. When one figures that the monthly drop in play during the first quarter was 3.6 percent, 4.6 percent and 4.8 percent, again it's hard to get a grasp on that increase of 2.4 percent per day open.   NGF says its measure of golf playable days was down 4.1 percent through the first half of the year compared with the first six months of 2013. And the foundation is predicting an overall mild autumn that could allow for a late rounds played rally.   Koppenhaver, whose Pellucid Corp. has always played Bear to NGF's Bull, says the foundation isn't far off, but off nonetheless. Koppenhaver tracks golf-friendly conditions down to the hour rather than the day, and he says GPH are flat through July.    NGF and PGA Performance Trak, which utilize Weather Trends International, are predicting an extended autumn with favorable weather conditions. Koppenhaver, who uses Weather Bank Inc., disagrees.   "No major meltdown," Koppenhaver says. "But, according to our crystal ball, we've peaked in the weather comeback and will give a little bit of it back."   That's bad news at a key time of year for an industry that is in need of recovery, yet is projected to shed another 35-75 18-hole equivalents in 2014.   Regardless of what the statistics say, this much we know: no industry growth initiative is worth its salt if it doesn't work for you. It doesn't matter much to you what works for the course down the road. Recovery must happen on a site-by-site basis by implementing initiatives that improve pace of play, make the game more appealing to those who don't have 4-5 hours to spend on golf, and more friendly to those who have been scared off during the past decade.   Early reports indicated that even foot golf is resulting in increased revenues. , and the industry is facing several more years of contraction before this ship is righted, which brings to mind another Scully quote.   "You can almost taste the pressure now."

  • Like pulling teeth

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Whether it was during the 45 years he spent standing over a dentist's chair or the four decades he has been actively promoting golf to his patients, Charles Spragg has always considered himself to be a man of action.    When other dentists in Findlay, Ohio were too busy to take walk-in patients suffering from acute pain, Spragg made time for them. In the meantime he built a lucrative practice because people knew they could depend on him. Likewise, as an avid golfer, he recognized years ago that there was a need to promote the game to area kids as he watched interest in other youth sports soar. So he started a series of clinics and tournaments that got kids off the couch and onto the golf course.   Although he retired and sold his practice four years ago, Spragg still is the defacto Godfather of youth golf in northwestern Ohio. The Findlay Area Golf Association he started for local kids is celebrating its 40th year, and at age 74, Spragg is in his inaugural season as boys golf coach at Findlay High School.    Despite his efforts to promote the game, Spragg has watched golfer participation slip consistently, not only among adults but also in the youth league he founded 40 years ago. Participation at the high school level also is down, and there is a dearth of talent in the junior high ranks. In a refocused effort to generate interest in golf, Spragg, in mid-September, started an after-school program that offers clinics and lessons and a chance to play nine holes on a donation-only basis. No experience is needed, nor are one's own clubs. All Spragg wants in return is for kids to give the game a fair chance and to have fun while they are there.  He solicited his junior varsity coach as well as the girls high school coach to help him teach kids how to hold the clubs properly, how to putt and chip and how to strike the ball.   "We just want campers. No experience, no clubs," Spragg said.   "We don't even want the money. We want the players. At any skill level."    The clinics are held at Shady Grove, a par-3 facility with a large practice area as well as a putt-putt course. Shady Grove owner Scott Malloy, who was a state qualifier on Findlay High's golf teams in the mid 1970s, provides kids with various clubs and more than 4,000 balls to hit from various putting, chipping and hitting stations around the practice area.   "Dr. Spragg and I have been talking for a while about trying to do something to get kids interested," Malloy said. "He told me when he took over the golf team that it wasn't doing well, and there aren't a lot of good players in the pipeline.   "We have to do something to get the kids interested, and this is the perfect course to do it at."   Only six players showed up for the first rain-plagued event, and they were unceremoniously sent home. The next day, Spragg's high school team was en route to a match when he discussed fading interest in the game among children with the driver of the team's van. The driver, who also is a sixth grade math teacher at a Findlay junior high school, drafted a flier and had it distributed to students in three middle schools throughout the city. Since then, the program attracted 61 kids in two weeks. Some are accomplished players, and some never have held a club before.   "You can tell a lot of the kids have never played before, and that's OK. That's who we want," Malloy said. "We've seen some coming back on other days, either on the driving range or even playing golf, and of course, that's what we're really looking for."   As the founder of the Findlay Area Golf Association, which has been providing local children of all ages and skill levels with clinics and instruction, nine holes of tournament play and even a hot dog lunch for less than 15 bucks ($18 for 18 holes), Spragg has had a hand in promoting the game to hundreds of kids with varying levels of interest. The program even provides scholarship assistance for graduating high school seniors who have played in the system for at least three years. And the list of players who have gone through the program includes former PGA Tour player and current University of Cincinnati men's golf coach Doug Martin, former University of Michigan women's coach Cheryl Stacy and dozens of others who have gone on to compete at the high school and even college levels. Despite his efforts, Spragg has watched golfer participation slip consistently, not only among adults but also in his own youth league, prompting him to team with the owner of a local golf course in an attempt to rejuvenate kids' interest in the game.   Why does a retiree, who divides his calendar between northwestern Ohio and Bradenton, Florida and has the time and resources to play as much golf as he wants to, spend his time motivating and teaching other people's children?   Part of it is self-fulfillment. He also figures if he doesn't do something to help revive the game, who will?   "You ask why. I answer why not?" Spragg said. "I'm not knocking those that run, own, teach, or in any way are connected to golf. But, I've been talking to these people all over the country for a number of years. They all want The First Tee or someone else to do the work. If a golf course loses rounds of play as they have; do you just talk about it? If a teaching pro just looses clients/students; do you just talk about it?   "When I was in practice as a dentist, I constantly did things to attract new patients. I took toothache patients when my office was full and found a way to take care of their problem. I had a really good practice and sold it to a young dentist who thinks the same way I did."   His spirit of giving back is something that his parents instilled in him years ago when Spragg was growing up on the family dairy farm in Bridgeport, Ohio.   "I believe that when you get up in the morning you need something that makes you feel needed in this world," Spragg said. "I have never been one to join clubs, hang out with the guys. I was trained early in life to be a doer; to help others; and to make the place you live a better place than when you arrived."
  • If education is power, then learning more about smart water management should wield a lot of clout in the turf business.   From October through next May, Rain Bird Training Services will conduct more than 80 irrigation training events nationwide for irrigation professional from throughout the turf industry.    These classes are open to irrigation professionals at all experience levels, including contractors, distributors, designers or architects. Those who attend Rain Bird training classes are eligible to receive continuing education units from the Irrigation Association.   Rain Bird Training Services offers two primary types of training tracks designed to help irrigation professionals enhance their skills and improve their career prospects. Rain Bird Factory Trained Classes provide comprehensive training on Rain Bird products that help attendees become experts on installing, managing and maintaining Rain Bird irrigation systems. Rain Bird Academy Classes provides best-in-class, general irrigation skills training on products from many manufacturers, as well as courses for Irrigation Association exam preparation.   Golf-specific training classes are scheduled for Oct. 6-10 at The Villages, about an hour north of Orlando, Florida; Dec. 15-19 in Las Vegas and Jan. 12-16 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Several other classes will be available on selected dates throughout the country.   Beginning in December, Rain Bird Training Services also will offer a newly developed preparation class for the Irrigation Association's Certified Irrigation Designer exam.     "We have had a lot of requests from contractors and landscape architects to help them prepare for the IA's CID exam," said Robert Pfeil, marketing group manager for Rain Bird Services. "We listened to those requests, and we've carefully developed a class that we believe will help many irrigation professionals better prepare for this important examination."   The Irrigation Association recently designated the four-part Rain Bird Academy Boot Camp as part of the IA Select program for quality irrigation education, a first for an external training services provider.
  • As water becomes more scarce and users search for more ways to conserve it, micro irrigation in specific areas has become more prevalent.    For those who now use or are contemplating separate drip irrigation systems in problem areas such steep bunker faces, Toro recently introduced its Aqua-Clear fiberglass sand media filter product line for flows ranging from 50 to 400 gallons per minute.   Aqua-Clear filters are corrosion-resistant, designed for drip irrigation systems operating up to 75 psi, and are available in 18-, 24-, 30- and 36-inch systems.    Features of the system include AC and DC options to automate filter backwash on any site; automated systems complete with all valves, controller and hydraulic connections; English and Spanish language?detailed and illustrated operation manual; double-chamber backwash valve for reliable, low?head loss operation; solid-state controller backwashes on both time and pressure differential; and expansion modules for simple addition of a single filter to an existing system.
  • After one of the most daring golf course restoration projects ever and the most ambitious 1-2 punch in the history of major championship golf, Kevin Robinson is reaping the rewards of success.   Pinehurst Resort, home of famed No. 2 course that was rebuilt by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to look pretty much like it did in the 1930s for this year's back-to-back U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open, recently named Robinson golf course maintenance manager and elevated John Jeffreys from assistant to head superintendent on No. 2.   "Kevin and John both have showed tremendous leadership and expertise, particularly in leading Pinehurst through the challenges of hosting two major championships in consecutive weeks," said Bob Farren, director of golf course and grounds at Pinehurst Resort. "We're excited about what they will continue to bring to Pinehurst."   Robinson, who was named superintendent on No. 2 in 2010, will be responsible for the daily golf course management of all nine courses at Pinehurst. A 1992 N.C. State graduate, Robinson has been at Pinehurst since 1992. He first worked as a spray tech on No. 7 before becoming superintendent of Nos. 3 and 5 in 1998 and superintendent of Nos. 6 and 7 in 1999.   Since being named to oversee No. 2, he has guided the course through a major restoration project that included converting the greens from A1/A4 creeping bentgrass to Champion ultradwarf Bermudagrass in preparation for two major championships in two weeks this past summer.   Jeffreys, also a graduate of N.C. State, has been at Pinehurst since 2000, when he served as an intern on No. 7. He was named assistant on No. 6 in 2001 and assistant on No. 2 in 2006.  

  • Rude welcome

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Like many assistants, Pat Smyth waited for years to get the call to become a head golf course superintendent. After six seasons waiting in the wings at Saddle Creek Resort in Copperopolis, California, Smyth was named the facility's head golf course superintendent on June 9. Two days later, the Calaveras County Water District informed him of mandatory water use reductions of 35 percent, proving that the old saying "be careful what you wish for ?" often is true.   After three years of drought, many golf courses throughout California already had adopted voluntary cutbacks and had redefined the meaning of dry and playable. Saddle Creek had cut back its water use by 10-15 percent in that time. With no end to the drought in sight, the 35 percent reduction couldn't have come at a more inopportune time.   "A lot of things went through my mind. I was expecting the worst," Smyth said. "The soils here are rocky already, and there is no water-holding capacity. The front nine greens were shutting down, and it was getting hot.   "You talk about stress, stress, stress. I had just gotten the job, and I was wondering whether I'd be able to keep it through the summer."   Rather than second-guess his career choice, or move in with his parents, Smyth got to work with the help of assistant Brandon Russell looking for ways to reduce water use. The result, he said, is a course that is faster and firmer than ever, it also is in the best condition it's been in since Smyth arrived there more than six years ago.   By diverting labor from detail work like edging bunkers to more needed chores like hand-watering hot spots and incorporating a 30-day surfactant program, low-flow sprinkler heads to irrigate rough areas, converting from full-circle rotors to part-circle and measuring results religiously with soil moisture monitors, Smyth has been able to cut average daily water use by 300,000 gallons.   Success for Smyth depended more on managing water more efficiently than it did cutting its use. Prior to the reduction mandate, it took three or four Saddle Creek maintenance workers all day every day to complete detail work, such as edging cart paths and along the edges of the property's 102 bunkers. That was a drain on a staff of seven full-time employees (including Smyth and his equipment manager) and six seasonal workers. With voluntary reductions of 10-15 percent already in place for the past three years, delivering water only to where it was needed most and ensuring it lasted as long as possible in the canopy and rootzone were critical components of a successful water-management plan.   The first step was educating club administration and golfing members about the cutbacks, what that would mean to the golf course and what Smyth and his crew could do to keep the course alive.   Adjuvants had been used for several years at Saddle Creek, but their use was limited mainly to greens and spot use on fairway trouble areas. This year, Smyth convinced the club to free up more funding for an expanded program to help keep the course alive. His new wetting agent program included applying Neptune, a polyglycol ether ester adjuvant from Loveland Products, on greens, tees and fairways at a rate of 2 gallons per acre.   The impact was noticeable almost immediately.   "It's helped tremendously," Smyth said. "I'm going to fight for that in the budget now every year."   Rather than waste time every day edging bunkers and cart paths, the crew now spends that time hand-watering to make sure every place that needs water gets it, and areas that do not need water don't get any.   "I went to the membership, the men's club, the ladies club and told them what this meant to us, and that edging was very labor intensive," he said. "I was able to convince them that we just couldn't do that anymore, and they allowed me to move our labor to hand-watering to keep the course alive.   "In order to keep course playable and as green as possible, we needed to implement a hand-watering program. Membership was OK with that, and the staff was happy to ignore the detail work."   A series of low-flow, pop-up sprinklers from Hunter that deliver water at a 1.3 gpm trickle now distribute water to areas where hand-watering isn't feasible. And 230 new Toro heads that deliver water in part-circle patterns replace some of the outdated 1,500 or so full-circle heads scattered around the course. That alone has accounted for a savings of 50,000 gallons of water per night.   Smyth and Russell now check soil-moisture readings throughout the course multiple times a day with handheld monitors and for a while were even coming back to the course at night to make sure everything was still alive.   In the end, both the course and its crew were capable of enduring hardships the likes of which Smyth could not imagine.   "I knew I could do the job, but I didn't know if I could under these conditions," he said. "Everyone goes into this stressed, nervous and scared. This opened my eyes and made me realize I can do this. It makes you stronger and makes you realize what you are capable of doing.   "This also opened the eyes of the staff and members and showed that we really can do this with a lot less water if we stay on top of it every day."
  • Turf Pride LLC, a manufacturer of specialty turf equipment located in Andalusia, AL, has introduced the Spray Hound, a new 82" walking spray boom with lightweight aluminum frame and stainless steel spray components.
     
    Eight spray nozzles are fed individually to ensure an even application across spray swath.  The Spray Hound folds to 28" wide for storage and transport   A standard speedometer, pressure gauge and industrial-duty hand controls maintain a consistent and controlled spray with less operator fatigue.    The Turf Hound is covered by Turf Pride's limited one-year warranty, and is priced at $1,495.  
    Turf Pride has also acquired the tooling to begin manufacturing the FP-3132 Tri-Deck PTO tow behind rotary mower. Originally developed and introduced by Bush Hog Turf, the FP-3132 was made in following years by Locke Turf and lastly Gravely.   "We have continued add to our product mix at Turf Pride, and the Tri-Deck brings with it proven performance, durability and a great history," said Don Cotton, president of Turf Pride. "We are offering replacement parts immediately and will be shipping completed mowers in the near future. We have already signed on dealers that are familiar with the pedigree of the FP-3132. In the meantime customers can deal direct with us."   Lastly, following the acquisition of Trion Lifts earlier this year, manufacturing the lifts has been moved to the Turf Pride facilities in Alabama. Utilizing economies of production within its existing facilities will enable Turf Pride to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and retail prices to be more competitive with other makes and models of lifts. Dealer inquiries are welcome.          
  • It's been a good week for Kevin O'Neill.   A student at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire, England and the deputy head greenkeeper as Muswell Hill Golf Club in North London, O'Neill recently was named Toro's Student Greenkeeper of the Year. He learned of winning the award just days before he was scheduled to head to Scotland to volunteer at this year's Ryder Cup Matches at Gleneagles.   As the winner, O'Neill receives a trip to the University of Massachusetts where he will take part in a six-week training session as well as a trip to next year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, courtesy of Toro.   He was chosen by a panel of judges from a field of six finalists that included: Andy Foulds, Wimbledon Park Golf Club and Merrist Wood College; Aaron Bowen, Ipswich Golf Club and Easton Otley College; Daire Higgins, St Andrews Links and SRUC Elmwood College; Wesley Lenihan, Ealing Golf Club and Plumpton College; and Thomas Freeman, Kingsdown Golf Club and Myerscough College. The competition was held in cooperation with the British and International Golf Greenkeepers' Association.   Part of the selection process was a two-day exam and interview process.   The procedure for the final was refreshed this year to include a discussion panel, a multiple-choice test, an essay question and a presentation by the candidates prior to interview. The finalists were asked their views on varied topics in the industry including the public perception of greenkeeping, data collection, heights of cut, the use of organic products in turf management and education.   Day two of the final began bright and early with the six sitting a multiple-choice test on various aspects of greenkeeping, then answering an essay question.   "I'm very proud, I put a lot of work into this," O'Neill said. "The final was an amazing experience. I don't think there was much between the six of us."   O'Neill began his greenkeeping career at Gleneagles before stints at Charlton Athletic and Barnet football clubs. He joined Muswell Hill in 2008.
  • There are more nutritional products on the market for use on intensely managed turf than ever before, and many schools of thought regarding their use. It seems every researcher has his or her own opinions on one what to use, what not to use, which ones work, which ones don't and when to use them.
      If you would like to learn more about the many kinds of turf nutrients available today, their benefits, exactly how they work, how they differ from one another, laws regulating their use and ultimately how they affect playability on the golf course, then join us for Turf Nutrition Week.   Scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 2, and presented by Grigg Brothers, Turf Nutrition Week is a series of three FREE Webinars by leading industry researchers will shed light on some of these questions and more.   OK, so it's not really a week, but it's a week's worth of quality turf education packed into three seminars.   Scheduled presentations include: Nutrient Fate and Use - Solutions for a Changing Landscape, by Jim Murphy, Ph.D., of Rutgers University; Innovative Nutrient Use by Gordon Kauffman III, Ph.D., of Grigg Brothers; and 60 Minutes on Nutrients with Dr. Nikolai, by Thom Nikolai, Ph.D., of Michigan State University.   Dr. Murphy will discuss fate of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers and help attendees develop guidelines for efficient nutrient-management programs. Dr. Kauffman's presentation will focus on new information that may change the way turf managers best determine the need for fertilizer inputs and investigate conventional and more currently constructed guidelines for fertilizer use recommendations. The program concludes with Dr. Nikolai who will discuss different nutrient carriers and their impact on plant health and playability, as well as provide an update on current topical research.   All sessions are one hour in duration and also will be available afterward for on-demand viewing.
  • Although golf and sustainability have become hopelessly linked in the pursuit of environmental stewardship, golf courses probably aren't the first things that come to mind when the topic of zero waste is broached. Stadiums and other sports venues that host thousands of people per event are more likely subjects for such sustainability efforts.   An upcoming conference is designed to shed light on how golf courses can get in on the zero waste movement, and will tap the efforts of several facilities already undertaking such a philosophy and how other golf courses, including maintenance operations, can learn from their experiences.   The Sustainability in Golf workshop is designed to help stakeholders in the golf business better understand and implement integrated sustainable practices. The three-day event is scheduled for Sept. 25-27 at Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina that includes a sustainability symposium and a series of zero waste workshops.   Almost 20 speakers are scheduled to present during the all-day symposium, including Paul Carter, CGCS, of The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay (Tennessee); Bob Farren, CGCS, of Pinehurst Resort; Anthony Williams, CGCS, of Stone Mountain (Georgia) Golf Club; Dana Lonn, managing director of Toro's Center for Advanced Turf Technology; Josh Heptig, director of golf operations for San Luis Obispo County in California; Brian Stiehler, CGCS, of Highlands (North Carolina) Country Club, and course architect Andy Staples of Staples Golf.   Some of the many topics to be included are the electric equipment initiative at Harrison Bay, where Carter has reduced fuel usage by more than 9,000 gallons annually and cut maintenance repair costs by more than $30,000. Williams will discuss how sustainability efforts can impact an operation's bottom line and how to communicate those efforts to the non-golfing public. For example, at Stone Mountain, Williams collects all organic debris and stores it until there is enough to grind, upon which time he converts it to mulch that is used on nature trails and other mulched areas throughout Stone Mountain State Park where the golf course is located. The program, Williams said, helps keep this material out of local landfills, saves money on removal costs and the expense of buying mulch, helps conserve water in the natural mulched areas and allows the organic wastes to replenish raw nutrients and effectively sustaining a natural life cycle for tree and organic assets.   Also on the docket is golf facility farming, such as the program in place at Highlands CC, where Stiehler maintains 1.5 acres of flowers and produce for the club's food and beverage and clubhouse operations.   The second annual event is presented by Experience Green, a group of concerned individuals and businesses in Beaufort County, South Carolina, who work to promote the area's economic and environmental well being as well as to build sustainable communities through education, connecting community resources and advancing sustainable development.
  • Mark Twain once wrote: "Facts are stubborn, but statistics are pliable." The message here is that numbers can be bent and twisted to mean just about anything.    Take golf for example.   Rounds played in July were up 1 percent compared with the same month in 2013, according to Golf Datatech's monthly rounds played report. The reason for the slight uptick primarily is weather, which often is cited as a barrier or bridge to the game.   Golf playable hours, Pellucid Corporation's measure of the daylight hours in which one could play golf factored against climatological influences, such as wind, rain, snow and severe cold, also were up by 1 percent. So, despite the good news about a marginal bump in rounds played, golfer demand really was just keeping up with the weather.   According to Pellucid's Jim Koppenhaver, July was the fifth consecutive month of overall favorable weather nationwide. Still, July was only the second time in that period where there was a positive year-over-year increase in rounds played. The result: all that favorable weather aside, rounds played are down by about 1.5 percent for the year.   Those darned statistics.   As a matter of fact, rounds played were up in 28 states and down in 21 others, according to Datatech. The study, which does not include Alaska, is based on self-reported statistics from 3,600 private and daily fee facilities.   The greatest gains were made throughout the South. Mississippi had the highest year-over-year increase at 19 percent, followed by Kentucky (15 percent), Tennessee (13 percent) and Georgia (10 percent).   The most significant drops in rounds played occurred in Arkansas (down 13 percent) and Nebraska (down 11 percent).   Twain also penned another quote that though it was surely never meant to refer to golf, lends itself nicely to the game's inexorable link to the weather: "The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it."
  • As a media company, TurfNet receives a lot of press kits, some of which are better than others. Some of the most innovative ones have included things like turf-scented cologne and Bigfoot slippers designed to help introduce new products. But you know you have a good media kit when it's one that won't make it through airport security.   Imagine the alarm caused by a large, yet deceptively light package that contains two clear vials of an unknown substance and an electronic device with flashing red lights flashing and a small video display screen.    It wasn't an incendiary device, or an anthrax hoax gone awry. It was an ingenious video-in-a-box sent by former superintendent and current Lebanon marketing manager Chris Gray promoting the company's Pro line of products formulated with Lebanon Stabilized Nitrogen.   Unfortunately, the Samsonite gorilla must now work at the post office because by the time the package arrived, the lights were flashing uncontrollably and the onboard power source seemed to have expended itself. But we liked the idea so much we went online to learn more about LSN anyway.   Without the benefit of the video, here is what we learned.   LSN is found in the Lebanon Pro portfolio of stabilized nitrogen products, as well as herbicides on nitrogen and insecticides on nitrogen that are formulated to reduce volatilization, making more N available to the plant.   According to Lebanon, as much as 30 percent of nitrogen in urea-based fertilizers can be lost into the atmosphere if the product is not watered in after application. Treated with a urease inhibitor, LSN is stabilized and reduces volatilization.   According to research in the scientific community, ammonia in fertilizer is activated by the enzyme urease, but it also is easily lost into the atmosphere since ammonia naturally occurs in a gaseous state when released, thus requiring watering in after application.   Urease inhibitors act as a substrate for the urease enzyme, allowing the ammonia to stay in the solution longer. It's technology that has been popular in agriculture for many years, but is a relative newcomer to turf.   In the case of Lebanon's LSN, reduced volatilization can help superintendents reduce fertilizer rates by as much as 30 percent.   Lebanon's LSN portfolio includes straight fertilizer products as well as herbicide on fertilizer containing Prodiamine or Dimension, and insecticide on fertilizers formulated with Merit.

  • Perfect marriage

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Talk to enough people in the business of golf turf maintenance, and sooner or later someone is bound to mention how it's one that is built on relationships. Nowhere is that more apparent than at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Research and Education Facility at Ohio State University.   While many university turf programs are supported by a separate turf association, it's rare when both entities are located in the same municipality. It's even more rare when they call the same campus home. The odds of them coexisting in the same building? Almost infinitesimal.    Almost.   At the OTF research facility on the northwest corner of the OSU campus, the member organization and the university's turf research share the same building. Construction of the building in 1996 was funded by OTF, which has since donated the property to the university. The building houses offices for OTF and Ohio State staff, meeting facilities, a mixing lab for the university's research team and storage space for chemicals and mechanized equipment.   "When we funded the construction and donated the research facility to Ohio State back in 1996, the board at the time had the foresight to include an option for us to occupy space to conduct our business," said OTF executive director Brian Laurent. "We finally executed this option back in April. Our proximity to the team has already resulted in more timely communication to our members and is helping us develop new tools for turfgrass managers. Ultimately, being able to interact with Ohio State faculty and staff on a daily basis will only improve our ability to connect the industry with academia."   OTF's mission is to raise funding to promote turfgrass research and education. Much of that research and education takes place on site with the help of OSU's turf faculty and staff. During its 53-year history, OTF has contributed nearly $5 million to support research and educational outreach throughout Ohio, including through the annual OTF Conference and Show each December as well as a field day held each August, both of which are held in concert with OSU's turfgrass researchers, staff and students.   Matt Williams is a 2001 OSU turfgrass science graduate who worked for Doug Gallant on the Cincinnati Reds grounds crew for more than two years and spent four seasons as head groundskeeper for MLS's Columbus Crew before becoming the research center's program coordinator in 2007. As a university employee stationed at the research facility, Williams, 38, is its defacto superintendent and equipment manager, and as such he oversees ongoing research projects and maintains the property's mechanized equipment.   "We wouldn't be here without (OTF)," Williams said. "I'm not exaggerating. They built the building, and they fund the operation of the building, too.   "They're a separate entity, but a lot of their mission involves the OSU turf program. It's been a good partnership for us."   "There is no question that OTF and Ohio State go hand-in-hand," Laurent said. "Our support over the years has provided opportunities for research trials, outreach and even faculty and staff members. In return, the turf team serves as an excellent resource to our members, stakeholders and the industry as a whole. It's a true partnership with a very bright future now that we share space."   That financial support helps fund research projects involving several turf varieties scattered across the facility's 25 acres.   Current projects include a recent field day demonstration of the Koro scarifying system on Penncross creeping bentgrass, which has become a preferred method for restoring European soccer fields.    Penncross is the most prevalent variety of turf found at the research facility for many reasons. It's susceptible to disease and insect pressure and is very responsive to nutrients, making it a good barometer for fertility studies. It also doesn't require intense management common to some newer varieties of bentgrass.   "We can get dollar spot like it's our job," Williams said.   "We over-fertilize and we under-fertilize.  We definitely don't do things by the book.   Despite the relatively northern location of the OSU turf research farm, Bermudagrass is the second-most common variety under management there, and professor John Street, Ph.D., has been growing it in Columbus for 15 years.   Currently, professor Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., is overseeing a graduate research project that is examining whether any one of several types of Bermudagrass  - Northbridge, Latitude 36, Riviera and Patriot - are an option for summertime golf course practice range tees or high school athletic practice fields in Ohio.   The facility also has a state-of-the-art Hunter irrigation system that delivers water only where it's needed and when.   "We have 40 different zones," he said. "It is so precise we can conduct drought research next to an area that has been over-irrigated."   Unlike many turf research complexes that are tucked away in a far-off corner of town, the OTF/OSU facility is located smack in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. And that means being a good neighbor. When several black walnut trees that were dying needed to come down for the sake of appearances and safety, Williams sent letters to about 100 nearby homeowners.   "When you have one tree, it's no big deal, but we're talking eight 40-foot-tall trees that were diseased that needed to come down. They looked bad," Williams said.   "We know we have to have proactive communication with the neighbors. We sent letters to all of them telling them what we were going to do, and we didn't hear anything from anyone."   Native flowers that hug an old fence and a blue heron hunting fish in a quiet pond just inside the entrance make it seem like one is in the country rather than on the outer edges of one of the nation's largest universities. Indeed, Williams, along with his boss, OSU professor Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., and Laurent in the OTF office, like to keep the entrance to the research center neat and tidy. That means keeping the front entrance weed-free, or reasonably so. That can cause a conflict at times, however, with other researchers who view weeds as a thing of beauty.   "If Dr. (David) Gardner finds an outbreak of chickweed, he doesn't want me to do anything about it," Williams said. "He wants to study it."   Being a good neighbor has its rewards. When a waterline on the northwest corner of the property ruptured, it was a neighbor who called Williams in the middle of the night to tell him.   "We recognize the neighbors are there, and I'll go and chat with some of the ones I know," Williams said. "And if something is going on here that doesn't look right, they'll let me know, like the time we had a 4-inch mainline break and one of the neighbors called me at 1 in the morning to tell me we had a flood out here."   While the OSU/OTF relationship promotes research and education for those working in the industry, it also is a laboratory for students enrolled in the university's turf program.   Here, students can conduct graduate-level research projects, gain practical experience by helping maintain turf and also get their hands dirty by assisting Williams in maintaining mechanized equipment. With more than 50 pieces of equipment, Williams has students conduct preventive maintenance and manage a parts inventory and ordering system.   "I have the students do a lot of the preventive maintenance on the equipment," Williams said. "They have fun doing it.   "There's nothing I won't let the students do. They're not going to be spraying or riding on mowers right away, but they'll get the opportunity to do whatever it is they want to do. If they come to me and tell me there is something they want to do, we'll make it work."
  • The application period is open for the second annual Bayer Environmental Science Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow Plant Health Scholarship. Two superintendent applicants will receive a $2,500 scholarship to continue their education in the area of plant health as part of the Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow program Bayer developed in collaboration with the GCSAA.   The Plant Health Scholarship is part of Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow, a multi-faceted initiative to advance plant health research and education for the turf industry through scholarships, webinars, demonstration courses and the Plant Health Academy.    John Petrovsky, superintendent at Greenbriar Woodlands Golf Club, Toms River, New Jersey, is using his scholarship winnings from a year ago to help fund his studies at Penn State University.   "Going back to school is one of the best decisions of my life, and I'm learning things that help me just about every day on the course," Petrovsky said. "It's not your grandfather's superintendent job anymore ? you need to be thinking ahead, long-term, all the time, and this program is helping me to do that."    Scholarship recipients can use the award to attend local, regional or national educational conferences, or to enroll in continuing education programs at an institution of higher learning. Applicants must be employed as a golf course superintendent in the United States only, and must be a Class A or superintendent member of GCSAA and be enrolled in My Bayer Rewards customer loyalty program.    Click here to apply. Application deadline is Oct. 10.

  • Running on fumes

    By John Reitman, in News,

    The quest for sustainability on golf courses is a noble one that typically focuses on efforts to save water and reduce chemical inputs. It's not often that fuel usage enters the conversation, other than to minimize an operation's carbon footprint through a reduction in mowing frequency. That discussion has been evolving recently as more and more operations in the turf and ornamental business look at propane as a way to reduce emissions and positively influence the bottom line.   According to the Propane Education and Research Council, the technology that allows a gas-powered engine to be run on propane has been around for more than 50 years. That movement is gaining traction because propane is cheaper than gasoline and burns cleaner than gasoline.   Gas-to-propane conversion kits are available for most small engines, including Briggs & Stratton and Kohler. John Deere offers after-market conversion kits and even makes many of its products used in landscape available off the line with propane-powered engines.   Although external propane tanks are extremely unattractive and even make a piece of equipment appear more bulky and awkward, the technology offers safety advantages. According to the PERC, all propane tanks are constructed from carbon-strengthened steel and as a result are 20 times more puncture resistant than standard gas tanks. Propane has a much higher flash point (940 degrees) than gasoline (430-500 degrees), making accidental combustion less likely to occur.   All conversion kits are different, and depending on which one is used there might be some loss of power, however, it doesn't have to be that way. Standing as an example are hundreds of police cars across the country that have been weaned off gasoline, many at the expense of confiscated drug money.   Most recently, the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana has begun converting some of its municipal fleet to alternative fuels, including transitioning mowing and maintenance equipment to propane. During the past two years, Pacific Landscape Management of Hillsboro, Oregon has converted most of its mower fleet to propane, citing reduced fuel costs, increased operating efficiency and cleaner emissions.   A study conducted through the University of Texas system also showed that engines powered by propane used less fuel, burned cleaner and were cheaper to operate (after conversion) than their gasoline-powered counterparts.

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