IPM Programs: Don't forget about the Trees
Environmental Approach - Clear Lake Golf Course, Manitoba
Here's an interview with Greg Holden, superintendent of Clear Lake Golf Course in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba and the Past President of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association.
Greg uses mostly organic and natural methods to maintain the course. They compost all grass clippings and restaurant waste, use composting toilets and Biofuels to power their maintenance equipment, along with electric golf carts.
Greg uses mostly organic and natural methods to maintain the course. They compost all grass clippings and restaurant waste, use composting toilets and Biofuels to power their maintenance equipment, along with electric golf carts.
Turfgrass Water Conservation by S. T. Cockerham and B. Leinauer
I might as well give the publication a plug. The contributing authors list is rather impressive, ranging from James B. Beard, Turfgrass Science Emeritus, Texas A&M University to Frank P. Wong, Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside (Frank is now the technical service specialist for Bayer Environmental Science). This book is a collective body of knowledge that will help provide the most recent water conservation and information and guidelines for the scientific community, the golf course superintendent and grounds manager, the general public and hopefully a few politicians as well. I checked on Amazon and it is going fast but more are being ordered. The cost is $24. Click HERE for a link to Amazon.
Brown on Brown at Overlake GCC
I'd like to introduce Turfhugger readers to Cory, Scott and Overlake GCC.
Cory Brown (figures he has that last name) has been an Assistant Superintendent for over 10 years, the last 5 of which have been spent at Overlake Golf and Country Club, in Medina, Washington. Scott Stambaugh has been Superintendent at golf courses in California and Washington and the Superintendent of Overlake GCC for the past 6 years.
Cory Brown (figures he has that last name) has been an Assistant Superintendent for over 10 years, the last 5 of which have been spent at Overlake Golf and Country Club, in Medina, Washington. Scott Stambaugh has been Superintendent at golf courses in California and Washington and the Superintendent of Overlake GCC for the past 6 years.
In conversation with Cory about Overlakes firm, "brown" conditions, I asked if he could share with Turfhugger readers a little about their experiences so far. Thanks guys. (Also, check out this local news story about their ACSP efforts)
I have been the Assistant Golf Course Superintendent at Overlake Golf and Country Club for a little over five years now, and have seen our programs grow during that time. To be honest, the dry and firm condition we maintain the course in begins with playability. Of course all of the usual environmental and turf health reasons for maintaining dry, firm turf apply, but beyond that the soil conditions and climate at Overlake present some interesting challenges. We have extremely heavy blue clay soils which can make the course much wetter and softer than desired in the winter.
I have been the Assistant Golf Course Superintendent at Overlake Golf and Country Club for a little over five years now, and have seen our programs grow during that time. To be honest, the dry and firm condition we maintain the course in begins with playability. Of course all of the usual environmental and turf health reasons for maintaining dry, firm turf apply, but beyond that the soil conditions and climate at Overlake present some interesting challenges. We have extremely heavy blue clay soils which can make the course much wetter and softer than desired in the winter.
Fine Fescue as a Disease Management Strategy at Northland Country Club
Last week, after noticing some potential disease on the 14th fairway and approach, I sent a couple of samples to the Turf Diagnostic Lab at the University of Wisconsin. The suspected disease is a leaf spot caused by the pathogen Bipolaris sorokiniana. Bipolaris leaf spot is a bugger of a disease, which affects mostly bentgrass. While it does not completely wipe out turf it does present a challenge in that fungicide applications are expensive and only seem to suppress the disease as opposed to completely controlling it. Dr. Jim Kerns of the University of Wisconsin wrote a blog post in July on Bipolaris for the TurfDiseases blog. The post highlights some of the difficulties of dealing with Bipolaris leaf spot.
Using Fine Fescue as a Solution to Fairway Dry Spots at Northland Country Club
We see them each summer; as you play the golf course in July and August you will notice some areas on fairways have a brown tinge to them. The photo above shows some these areas on the third hole. Over the past five seasons we have seen areas such as this become less and less around the golf course; the reason for the reduction are numerous.
Preparing for the Storm
With Hurricane Irene around the corner supers are preparing for the storm in a number of ways. Here's a few helpful links/articles/tips for preparing for the storm.
- The guys at TPC Sawgrass have shared a list of Course and Human Resource Objectives in preparation for the storm, check out their blog post here.
- Here's a 2005 article from Golf Course Management looking at the lessons learned after Katrina.
- Three Years, Two Hurricanes - A Lot Of Lessons - By Steve Wright
- The GCSAA have a list of helpful articles and links for Hurricane Resource Centre.
- ABC News helps you get your App in gear for storm tracking
Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program
Here at Turfhugger, when we talk about "Environmental Stewardship Programs" we tend to concentrate on the big guys: Audubon International, Golf Environment Organisation and Audubon Lifestyles Program. It's easy to forget there are other programs developed on a regional level, some of which continue to be successful today despite the huge PR campaigns and industry exception of the big guys. The Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program is a great example of this.
Watch the video, then there's a lot of great info and resources about the program after the jump.
Watch the video, then there's a lot of great info and resources about the program after the jump.
Black Bear Education at Seymour GCC
I recently participated in a project (an effort of Jim McGarvey, Brandroom Creative, Huxtable Productions and myself) to create an environmental brochure with Seymour Golf and Country Club in Vancouver's North Shore, an urban area with a high population of Black Bears. As part of this outreach project, I contacted the NSBBS to get some bear encounter safety tips. I felt these would be good to share here on Turfhugger, thanks to Christine Miller of NSBBS.
The North Shore Black Bear Society aims to reduce human-bear encounters through education, cooperation and community support.
The NSBBS asks that golfers remember these six steps to bear safety on the golf course:
1. Stay calm - Avoid sudden movements and loud noises.
2. Stand still - Do not run! Do not swing clubs or hit balls towards bears.
3. Speak calmly so the bear knows you are not a threat.
4. Slowly back away - Leave your clubs if they are near the bear.
5. Report the bear sighting to other golfers in the area and to the Course Marshall.
6. Report the bear sighting to the North Shore Black Bear Society at 604.990.BEAR(2327) or NorthShoreBears.com
Vegetative Filtration Strip Research
The research project featured in this video has been referred to in many turf/golf publications, definitely one of the most influential studies of its kind. We've referred to it in some form here, here and here.
From the UMASS Amherst research article:
“Studies from golf greens have shown that 5 percent to 10 percent of the total pesticides applied are lost in runoff. In worst case conditions, this figure can be as high as 30 percent,” says John Clark, a professor of veterinary and animal science and a principal investigator on the grant. “We have identified plant species that can reduce the amount of certain pesticides in soil by up to 94 percent in the greenhouse.”
Be sure to check out all our posts about bufferzones, water quality and IPM.
From the UMASS Amherst research article:
“Studies from golf greens have shown that 5 percent to 10 percent of the total pesticides applied are lost in runoff. In worst case conditions, this figure can be as high as 30 percent,” says John Clark, a professor of veterinary and animal science and a principal investigator on the grant. “We have identified plant species that can reduce the amount of certain pesticides in soil by up to 94 percent in the greenhouse.”
Be sure to check out all our posts about bufferzones, water quality and IPM.
Energy Efficiency Case Study by David Phipps
David Phipps is superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Club. During his career at Stone Creek, David has been recognized for his environmental achievements including appearances on The Golf Channel; CNBC’s People, Planet, and Profit; and Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Think Out Loud”. He has received numerous awards including the Clackamas County Soil and Water Conservation District, "Cooperator of the Year" and the 2008 National Environmental Leaders in Golf Award presented by GCSAA and Golf Digest.
In this Case Study David discusses some of the ways he improved energy efficiency from maintenance areas to vending machines.
David Phipps Case Study - Energy Efficiency
In this Case Study David discusses some of the ways he improved energy efficiency from maintenance areas to vending machines.
David Phipps Case Study - Energy Efficiency
Bruce Beach Golf Club Restoration Reviews
Just wanted to show a picture or two from my recent sojourn to my home hickory golf course, Bruce Beach GC. Late last summer the club starting making minor improvements to the oldest golf club in Bruce County(1907). These improvements focused on one of my favourite topics, internal drainage on three extremely wet green sites. But, they even took it a step further and also elevated these greens as well with a fine native topsoil/sand combination. While the greens performed well last fall after the restoration, it was tough to tell just how they would ultimately settle out. This picture below shows a much more playable green than last fall, and they will certainly get better over time.
Also, notice the high tech drag mat(carpet remnant) that is used to drag the green after you have putted out. Of course, in major golf events you could use it to drag your line before your putt, but that only occurs four times a year right!
One other nice addition this year has been the flag inserted actually right in the cup? Previously, the flag was a steel post positioned permanently in the back of the green, and the cup in the center of the green flagless. After the restoration, while the cup is still in the center of the green, there is now a real flag to lift out before you putt, a real nice touch.
Golf course maintenance at the Bruce is only a weekly mowing at about a 2" cut every Thursday in advance of the busy golf weekend! This height of cut allows the wild strawberry fairway/native fescue mix to produce some fine edible fruit in late June to provide some low calorie nourishment during the round, which includes a 70' climb up the bluff from the second green to the third hole pictured above. The picture below illustrates the eighth hole which takes you back down the bluff to the green followed by the finishing ninth hole.
Oh, and course maintenance also includes a little yearly brush clearing on this hole to keep the "chute" open if you will. This tee shot appears a little tight but there is actually a lot of room to miss short and left of this downhill 170 yard "par 4". Yes, a par 4, and the only par 5 is only 350 yards. Keep in mind the challenge here is the small greens, most much less than 1000sqft. The above hole is where you really need the modern aerial golf game, but the balance of the course encourages the old fashioned ground game, as you will quickly learn to leave yourself just short of these postage stamp greens, and let the ball bounce up on the putting surface.
The tee shown above is also typical of all the tees at the club, an 8' x 8' "box" of native dirt and sand. Summertime conditions can make it certainly a challenge to get your tee in to the hard surface, but haven't we seen this on grass tees elsewhere. Back in the day, the club had buckets of sand on each tee which allowed you to grab a handful of it to fashion your own tee.
When I first played here, I dragged my modern clubs around. It was shortly thereafter I got my hands on some old hickories, and haven't looked back.
This club is in slightly sharp contrast to the conditions this past weekend at the PGA in Atlanta, but it hopefully provides a glimpse to golf 100 years, when grassed greens were the exception and not the rule.
Out, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer
Also, notice the high tech drag mat(carpet remnant) that is used to drag the green after you have putted out. Of course, in major golf events you could use it to drag your line before your putt, but that only occurs four times a year right!
One other nice addition this year has been the flag inserted actually right in the cup? Previously, the flag was a steel post positioned permanently in the back of the green, and the cup in the center of the green flagless. After the restoration, while the cup is still in the center of the green, there is now a real flag to lift out before you putt, a real nice touch.
Golf course maintenance at the Bruce is only a weekly mowing at about a 2" cut every Thursday in advance of the busy golf weekend! This height of cut allows the wild strawberry fairway/native fescue mix to produce some fine edible fruit in late June to provide some low calorie nourishment during the round, which includes a 70' climb up the bluff from the second green to the third hole pictured above. The picture below illustrates the eighth hole which takes you back down the bluff to the green followed by the finishing ninth hole.
Oh, and course maintenance also includes a little yearly brush clearing on this hole to keep the "chute" open if you will. This tee shot appears a little tight but there is actually a lot of room to miss short and left of this downhill 170 yard "par 4". Yes, a par 4, and the only par 5 is only 350 yards. Keep in mind the challenge here is the small greens, most much less than 1000sqft. The above hole is where you really need the modern aerial golf game, but the balance of the course encourages the old fashioned ground game, as you will quickly learn to leave yourself just short of these postage stamp greens, and let the ball bounce up on the putting surface.
The tee shown above is also typical of all the tees at the club, an 8' x 8' "box" of native dirt and sand. Summertime conditions can make it certainly a challenge to get your tee in to the hard surface, but haven't we seen this on grass tees elsewhere. Back in the day, the club had buckets of sand on each tee which allowed you to grab a handful of it to fashion your own tee.
When I first played here, I dragged my modern clubs around. It was shortly thereafter I got my hands on some old hickories, and haven't looked back.
This club is in slightly sharp contrast to the conditions this past weekend at the PGA in Atlanta, but it hopefully provides a glimpse to golf 100 years, when grassed greens were the exception and not the rule.
Out, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer
Greg Evans discusses conditioning at Ealing Golf Club
In this video Greg describes the conditioning of the Ealing Golf Club, how he insists on "championship standard, 7 days a week" and the honor of being awarded a Master Greenskeeper Certificate.
Greg Evans: Wuthering Heights
You'll notice a few new things at Turfhugger in the coming weeks, including a new layout, tools, additional pages and some fresh faces. Our new contributors allow us to provide readers with material from around the world, with interesting perspectives on sustainability in golf.
One of our newest contributors Greg Evans (Master Greenkeeper at Ealing Golf Club and Consultant at Greg Evans Golf Course Solutions) is a perfect fit for Turfhugger. Residing in London England, Greg has been pushing the limits of turfgrass and mindsets with some controversial maintenance plans.
Now I've been lead to believe low mowing heights = more resources, Greg however has demonstrated otherwise. For his first post we're going to re-post a Q & A from The Golf Superintendents Association of Ireland's publication Greenside where Greg responds to criticism about his methods and clarifies his reasoning. If you have any questions please use the comment form at the end of this post.
Welcome to Turfhugger Greg, I'm sure our readers will find your material fresh and thought provoking.
Over the past eight years, Greg Evans has devised course maintenance plans for different golf courses that allow greens to be cut as low as 2 millimeters, yet remain sustainable. Evans’ methods initially encountered a surprising amount of opposition from certain quarters in the greenkeeping profession. Some worried that the greens would die, while others thought that Evans was upping the stakes too much, putting pressure on other greenkeepers to follow suit.
Evans firmly believes that his approach is beneficial to both the grass plant and the industry in general. Some of the most respected heavyweights in the golfing world seem to agree. One is Peter McEvoy OBE who wrote recently in the English Club Golfer magazine that Greg’s greens at Ealing Golf Club has: “the best greens that I have ever putted on in the UK, bar none.” Another is Luke Goddard, a former English Amateur Champion and Walker Cup Player whose commendation goes even further: “I’ve been lucky enough to play all around the world over the last few years and these greens are as good as I’ve putted anywhere.” Greenside invited Greg to address some of the questions raised by fellow greenkeepers during the debate and, in particular, to address how he has managed to keep greens sustainable when the height of cut is reduced.
One of our newest contributors Greg Evans (Master Greenkeeper at Ealing Golf Club and Consultant at Greg Evans Golf Course Solutions) is a perfect fit for Turfhugger. Residing in London England, Greg has been pushing the limits of turfgrass and mindsets with some controversial maintenance plans.
Now I've been lead to believe low mowing heights = more resources, Greg however has demonstrated otherwise. For his first post we're going to re-post a Q & A from The Golf Superintendents Association of Ireland's publication Greenside where Greg responds to criticism about his methods and clarifies his reasoning. If you have any questions please use the comment form at the end of this post.
Welcome to Turfhugger Greg, I'm sure our readers will find your material fresh and thought provoking.
Over the past eight years, Greg Evans has devised course maintenance plans for different golf courses that allow greens to be cut as low as 2 millimeters, yet remain sustainable. Evans’ methods initially encountered a surprising amount of opposition from certain quarters in the greenkeeping profession. Some worried that the greens would die, while others thought that Evans was upping the stakes too much, putting pressure on other greenkeepers to follow suit.
Evans firmly believes that his approach is beneficial to both the grass plant and the industry in general. Some of the most respected heavyweights in the golfing world seem to agree. One is Peter McEvoy OBE who wrote recently in the English Club Golfer magazine that Greg’s greens at Ealing Golf Club has: “the best greens that I have ever putted on in the UK, bar none.” Another is Luke Goddard, a former English Amateur Champion and Walker Cup Player whose commendation goes even further: “I’ve been lucky enough to play all around the world over the last few years and these greens are as good as I’ve putted anywhere.” Greenside invited Greg to address some of the questions raised by fellow greenkeepers during the debate and, in particular, to address how he has managed to keep greens sustainable when the height of cut is reduced.
James Hutchinson: Wildflowers on a Golf Course?
As part of Turfhuggers efforts to bring articles and view points from around the world, I'd like to introduce to you one of our newest contributors, James Hutchinson. James is a 38 year old step father to James and husband to Lynsey. Since 2007 James has been the Assistant Greenskeeper/Eco-Coordinator at Fairhaven Golf CLub in Lytham where he's helped them win spots in BIGGA's Golf Ecology Competition in 07 (Best British Newcomer) and 08 (North England), and more recently in 09 (North England Winner) and 10 (Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year) within the STRI's Golf Course Environmental Awards. James has been awarded scholarships from both BIGGA and the R&A which have helped him earn a FdSc in Sportsturf Science degree from Myerscough, where he just started another 2 year degree.
Wildflowers on a Golf Course?
My question to you is this: Can wild flowers and golf course rough co habit the same space without the need for controversy? I believe they can.
Emerald Ash Borer
One of my business hats is being a Certified Arborist working on golf courses in the Greater Toronto Area. Right now the biggest threat to golf course trees is Emerald Ash Borer. A local club I've been working with has an Ash population of 25%, and others range between 10-15% so if this pest arrives, there will be a substantial impact to the aesthetics, and playability of the golf course. The product I used to treat some Ash trees, TreeAzin, is mentioned in the video below. The active ingredient is a product of the Neem Tree, and so far there have been good results showing the effectiveness of this product against Emerald Ash Borer. Check out this video about the Town of Oakville's aggressive action to treat Ash Trees.
Darryl James - Arborturf Solutions
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