USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT

Transcription

1 United States Golf Association Mid-Atlantic Region Green Section Manor Oak One, Suite Cochran Road Pittsburgh, PA (412) , FAX (412) USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT GREENE HILLS CLUB Standardsville, Virginia April 5, 2011 PRESENT: Ms. Linda Smith, Board/Green Committee Member Don Cantore, Board Member John Behrens, Green Committee Member Jerry Breeden, Green Committee Member Bill Parr, President Dale Payton, Golf Course Superintendent Jared French, Assistant Superintendent Rodney Taylor, Assistant Superintendent Keith Happ, USGA Senior Agronomist

2 INTRODUCTION The following report is offered to summarize the major points of discussion during our half day visit to Greene Hills Club on Tuesday, April 5, Observations and suggestions/recommendations made during our tour of your facility will be presented in this report. The putting green surfaces recovered extremely well from last summer s difficult weather. Uniform turf was presented and most noticeable was the effectiveness of efforts to control Poa annua seedhead development. The greens were providing a dense stand of turf which appeared to be providing very good playing quality. Several comments will be offered later in this report regarding putting green management philosophies. It was good to hear that putting green aeration (coring) will be shifted to later in the spring. This will help to better promote bentgrass dominance on your greens. The teeing surfaces were responding quite well to the aggressive topdressing and aeration procedures utilized last fall. Comments will be made regarding the increased need to continue these programs this spring. When the bentgrass begins to grow, it will be 2

3 important to implement core cultivation and topdressing procedures. There will be more on this later in the report. Fairway turf was uniform and clear of winter weed contamination. Efforts to control winter weeds have provided very good results. As soils begin to warm uniform growth will reoccur. A few comments will be offered later in this report. As is our normal practice, the course was toured, turf health was examined and many agronomic strategies were reviewed. It is with these thoughts in mind that the following is offered for your consideration. GREENS Aeration 1. Investing in drill and fill technology for the putting green soils will help to ensure that drainage infrastructure performs as desired and more importantly, helps to enhance deeper rooting in the soil profile. During our visit it was clear that the benefits of late season deep tine aeration were quite productive. Deep fibrous roots were exhibited in each aeration channel. Conducting drill and fill this spring will build upon this condition as we progress into the spring and summer. Discuss with your contractor the application of a double drill and fill in critical areas of the greens. The left side of the Ninth green is the example that comes to mind. Intensifying the drilling procedures should help to create more holes to better manage the basidiomycete activity and the fairy ring problems in this portion of the putting green surface. 2. Immediately after the drill and fill has been completed, fit your aeration tool with solid tine attachments. Even the smaller diameter aeration tines will achieve the desired effect. The key is to solid tine your greens with this tool immediately after the drill and fill procedure has been completed. This will help to smooth the surfaces returning them to a much more playable condition. Additionally, the holes in the soil structure will promote more root mass. These are critical procedures that will benefit the health of the turf prior to the onset of summer weather conditions. 3. It was good to hear that core cultivation procedures will be performed in later April. This will provide the opportunity to focus on promoting healthy bentgrass in your greens. Aerifying (coring) too early in the spring perpetuates Poa annua encroachment. Waiting until the bentgrass begins to grow will work quite well with your plans to promote and then sustain bentgrass greens. 3

4 At the very least, use 3/8 inch diameter coring tines when the procedure is conducted. Remove all of the debris and then topdress to fill the aeration channels to the surface. 4. Questions were posed regarding the use of vertical mowing techniques to help remove thatch and organic debris as well introduce more sand into the upper portion of the profile. Once again, the issue is soil temperature and bentgrass growth. For the bentgrass to respond the turf must be growing. If this program is elected for use, do so sometime in early May. This would provide the opportunity to once again enhance bentgrass quite aggressively before the summer season. As discussed for core cultivation using this technique too early in the season could be counterproductive. 5. Continue to topdress the putting green surfaces on a frequent basis this spring and into the early portion of the summer. Weather patterns will dictate if the treatment can be continued. It was quite impressive to feel how firm (as well as examine) the soils were during our visit. This is a function of the intensified topdressing programs utilized over the past several seasons. The treatments conducted last fall and during the winter have produced a marvelous effect. Continue to build on this condition this spring by topdressing every other week. Pest Management 1. Minor Waitea Patch was exhibited on several of the greens. This particular organism can be controlled with Chipco 26 GT, any of the strobilurin fungicides or Prostar. This organism is Rhizoctonia fungus. As such, anything that controls brown patch effectively will achieve the desired level of control. Treating early in the season will help to minimize the potential for damage later in the year. 2. Another strategy for this particular organism is to fertilize the greens with urea nitrogen sources. Urea is quite effectively utilized by the turf when the soil temperatures are low. Treating at 1/10 to 1/8 lb. of soluble nitrogen /M sq. ft. from a urea nitrogen product was recommended. 3. At the earliest convenience, treat all of the putting green surfaces with a surfactant. If Revolution is elected for use, treat at a rate of 2 to 3 oz. of actual product /M sq. ft. Schedule to retreat the greens on a 3 week interval for the remainder of the season. This will provide a great deal of flexibility particularly if inclement weather and heavy precipitation is experienced. This strategy will begin the process of controlling basidiomycete problems as well as isolated dry spot conditions. 4

5 4. It was good to hear that site specific treatments for fairy ring had been conducted prior to our visit. It will be important to retreat all of the areas later this spring. In fact, retreating at a 3 week interval was recommended. Use the highest labeled application rate for Bayleton.. 5. Questions were posed regarding the Poa annua encroachment on the Practice Green. For the short term, focus on using aggressive growth regulating strategies to control this particular pest issue. TGR, a generic Paclobutrazol material or a combination of Paclobutrazol and Primo can be applied quite aggressively during the spring. Use a minimum of 12 oz. of actual product (TGR) per acre when the treatment is conducted. Treat on a 2 week interval for the remainder of the season. It is critically important to introduce this treatment regime early when Poa annua encroachment is quite aggressive. This will allow the bentgrass to compete for space when the Poa annua is weaker later in the season. APPROACHES 1. Remain dedicated to using the product Acclaim on the Approach areas to the greens. This material should be applied at a rate of 1/10 oz. of actual product /M sq. ft. on a weekly interval. This will help to greatly reduce bermudagrass encroachment into the greens. This strategy can also be utilized on the collar areas surrounding the greens where bermudagrass as well as crabgrass and goose grass infestations have been problematic. 2. Questions were posed regarding a grassing scheme for the approaches to the greens. Cool season grasses would provide the opportunity to selectively control bermudagrass encroachment while providing a very playable year round condition. Ryegrass for example could be aggressively incorporated into the approach areas. Acclaim can then be used at higher rates to discourage bermudagrass development. Ryegrass seed could also be introduced into the collars of the greens. 3. It was quite impressive to see the results from your site specific tests with Tenacity to control bermudagrass encroachment. The treatments conducted last fall appeared to be quite effective. This further supports the introduction of ryegrass into the collars allowing for the continued use of this selective herbicide. 5

6 TEES 1. Resist all temptations to fertilize the teeing surfaces until uniform consistent growth takes place. This will then allow for the rapid utilization of the fertilizer treatments. Using ½ lb. of nitrogen /M sq. ft. on a weekly basis was recommended after soil temperatures reach 65 F. 2. After uniform growth takes place, begin the process of slice aerifying the bermudagrass tees. The bermudagrass will respond quite rapidly. 3. Be as aggressive as possible this spring with core cultivation strategies on all of the bentgrass tees. It is extremely important to physically and aggressively remove organic debris from the profile. Root mass will be enhanced and the turf s ability to recover from divoting as well as tolerate harsh environmental conditions will be improved. What has been accomplished since last season is truly a marvelous start. There is still a great deal more work that needs to be conducted this spring. Treatments should be performed when the turf is actively growing. Initiating the treatment regime in early May should work quite well. 6

7 4. It will be interesting to see if the bermudagrass on the forward teeing ground on the Sixth hole survived the winter. During our visit it appeared that it was damaged from cold temperature stress. Only time will tell if any level of recovery occurs. Now that tree maintenance has been performed in this area you may want to consider restoring this surface with a cool season grass. Bentgrass for example, could be sodded into this area providing a year round playing surface. In fact, both the white teeing grounds (lower and upper) could be reestablished this season. Bentgrasses to consider are Declaration, Independence, Constitution or Velocity could be utilized on the bentgrass tees to eliminate Poa annua encroachment. Velocity could be applied sometime in very late May or early June. Treatments of 3 oz. of actual product per acre were recommended. Two treatments, one week apart were discussed in great detail. You may want to establish a test site for this control strategy this spring. 7

8 It is critical that a minimum of 65 degrees soil temperatures as well air temperature be present when the treatment is introduced. This will minimize the potential for the yellowing. 6. Several Evergreens were identified for removal to the left of the Sixteenth tee. It is no coincidence that this teeing ground suffers during the winter months. The Evergreen trees block significant sunlight penetration to this portion of the course. Removing the trees to the left of this teeing ground would in no way compromise the architectural integrity or the playability of this area. However, it would greatly aide in the development and maintenance of the turf on the teeing ground. Begin the process by removing trees closest to the teeing ground and continue until sufficient sunlight is available to grow the healthiest bentgrass possible. In all, 21 trees were identified for removal. ROUGH 1. Resist all temptations to replant a tree to the left of the Thirteenth green. The tree that was removed provides every opportunity to establish uniform rough in this portion of the property. Trees can be positioned in other areas that will not compromise or interfere with maintenance activities. Now that the tree is gone, grow healthy turfgrass. 2. The bentgrass contamination currently to the left of the Sixteenth green produces a very difficult playing condition. Still, it is rough and there should be a certain level of penalty in this area of the property. To deal with this particular playing conditions there are several strategies that can be pursued. In order of priority they are as follows: A. Physically remove all of the bentgrass contamination with a sod cutter. Resod the rough with a combination of bluegrass and turf type tall fescue. B. A second option would be to adjust the mowing patterns in effect reducing the mowing heights of the bentgrass and presenting it as a collar or approach height of cut. This however, will increase maintenance costs in an area of the course that may not receive a great deal of play. The cost/benefit of this procedure may be burdensome. C. Another option would be to chemically remove the bentgrass contamination with a non selective herbicide such as Roundup. Once the undesired turf is removed the area could be reseeded with ryegrass turf type tall fescue and bluegrass. This would be a project that could be conducted in the fall. 8

9 D. Still another option would be to establish an intermediate height of cut whenever the bentgrass is present to the left of the green. Once again this would be a somewhat costly procedure due to the fact that maintenance would be incurred to a level that currently does not exist. Walk mowing or other machinery needs may override the course setup adjustment. A mower would have to be set up specifically to manage this portion of the property. CONCLUSION Thank you for the warm hospitality extended to me during our visit. This truly made touring the course all the more enjoyable. This concludes our summary of the major topics of discussion during our visit and tour of your golf course. If any questions arise concerning this visit, our report, or any other area, please feel free to call our office. We are here to help. We look forward to working with you again in the future and seeing how things progress. Sincerely, Keith A. Happ Senior Agronomist KAH:ljn Bill Parr, President John Scott, Green Committee Chairman Dale Payton, Golf Course Superintendent E: mail: Sue Breeden, sebreeden@embarqmail.com 9