Newcastle Experiments with Composts

"We did some trial work on compost and have been pretty happy with the results. We have found some of the batches vary in freshness so where and when you use it could be a concern. Overall though, using it in our divot mix has been great for speeding up germination and divot recovery. It is also showing significant promise in our high wear and droughty areas." - 

From Scott M. Phelps on the Newcastle Turf Maintenance Blog

Check out Cedar Grove for more info on their Compost Products

Magic in Marrakech

Stakeholder Coalition Develops Best Practice for Water Management in Marrakech

Marrakech, the Moroccan Imperial city, is strategically located close to the Atlas mountains. In the early days, the city was the gateway to the Sahara desert and over the years, Marrakech developed into a unique touristic destination. An interesting destination also for golf tourism, showing the many golf courses around Marrakech. With 24.000ha, high summer temperatures, a total population of 950.000 people and nineteen courses, water is a valuable asset. To protect the city’s environment, a public-private collaboration was initiated to collect all the wastewater from the city, treat the water and reuse it for instance for irrigation of the Palm groves of Marrakech and golf courses.

Image from Complete Morocco

Buffalograss Gaining Popularity on the Golf Course

There’s been much discussion lately on the subject of water conservation within the golf course industry, and for good reason. As water demands outweigh water supplies in many areas of the country, several courses are starting to feel the pinch and are looking for ways to cut back on irrigation needs.

Methods such as rainwater harvesting have shown huge potential for water conservation in golf course  management. Although rainwater harvesting is a great way to provide a free, steady, and sustainable supply of water, it’s only one side of the irrigation coin. Not only do we need to be able to supply a sustainable supply of water, but we need to consider using turfgrass species that don’t require much water to begin with.

How To: Golf Course Rainwater Harvesting Part 2

See Part 1 of this series here.
...Now that’s all nice to see annual totals, but if we want to invest in the infrastructure to use this resource of ours wisely then we are going to have to get specific. The best way to do this is to find out exactly how much of this water you are going to use.

Part 2: How can I tie it in to my current system or maintenance routines?

To answer this question let's break it down into three parts: collection, storage and delivery.

Collection Method

Here we evaluate the effectiveness of 4 things - Material, Delivery, Climate and Other:

Material of roof

• Is the roof constructed of standing seam metal, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EDPM), slate or tile? (different materials have different runoff coefficients i.e. metal is .95, concrete and asphalt is .9, tar and gravel is .8-.85)
• Is the roof or exterior building walls capable of withstanding load or attachment of a "delivery system" (see below)?

How To: Golf Course Rainwater Harvesting Part 1

For golf courses using municipal water sources (roughly 14% in USA) or a limited renewable source for irrigation, collecting roof rainwater may have considerable benefits. Harvested rainwater can later be used to supplement landscape applications in isolated areas, for young planted material, the growing of nursery stock, bunker surrounds and heavily stressed turfgrass. Whatever your intended use, when evaluating the possibility of collecting rainwater from a roof for the purpose of holding and applying there are 3 major things to consider:

1. How much can I collect? (Supply)
2. What is the impact on my maintenance routines? (Collection, Storage & Demand)
3. How do I deliver? What is my ROI?

I’ve provided some insight to this process using a few helpful resources, case studies and formulas. Enjoy!

Wildflower Establishment at Golf Course Grow In

In the West Texas Panhandle, Lubbock Texas, I had just completed a construction and grow in of a 265 acre golf Facility for Texas Tech University. Opening day was set for Sept 2003 and it went flawless with Bobby Knight and Tom Arnold there to kick off the festive party for the University. While during that winter it was discussed about adding wildflowers to the course and around the 3,500 trees that were planted on the course.

Water Conservation Ads from Denver Water

Denver Water aims to reduce overuse of the local water supply through educational campaigns. Check out these two hilarious videos and a story about the CommonGround Golf Course using recycled water.

Rainwater Harvesting - Roof, Parking lot, Filter, Storage, Irrigation

Here's a quick look at a rainwater harvesting project at Boerner Botanical Gardens near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Ed Beaulieu of Aquascape, Inc walks us thru a rainwater harvesting system and a permeable paver patio which is designed to capture the rain water from the roof and the parking lot of the facility. Boerner Botanical Gardens can then utilize the rain water for irrigation on their property; as well as provide habitat for wildlife and protection of the downstream watershed by controlling erosion.

Golf Course Sustainability Through Rainwater Harvesting

It’s been joked about in environmental circles that a golf course is nature under totalitarian rule. While many people might agree or disagree with this statement, the fact remains that traditionally golf courses have been viewed by environmentalists as not only being huge consumers of resources, but an environmental burden as well. Maintained turfgrass, by nature, requires quite a bit more water than the native vegetation that golf courses replace, especially in dry, arid climates. It’s no wonder why water consumption is perhaps the most heavily criticized aspect of golf course management. In areas that water demands are projected to exceed existing supplies in the coming years, golf courses are going to be forced to cut back on irrigation. Not to mention the current decline of the amount of people golfing due to the slumping economy. Add to that the rising costs of municipal water and it’s enough to make any golf course superintendent quiver in his khakis.

One answer to this dilemma has been found in the practice of rainwater harvesting.

El Paso's Purple Pipe Program

El Paso Water Utilities believes water is too valuable to use just once. EPWU's network of Purple Pipes delivers reclaimed water to parks and businesses for landscaping and industrial use. Check out this video which makes a number of references to golf facilities and their important role in using the treated water vs potable supply.

Crop Coefficient for Turfgrass

The Center for Agriculture at UMass Amherst is studying ways to preserve irrigation water on sites such as golf courses, which would reduce leaching rates and protect water supplies from pesticide and other chemical contamination.

What Can Golf Learn From Beer?

With streams and rivers drying up because of over-usage, Rob Harmon has implemented an ingenious market mechanism to bring back the water. The idea is simple, give Senior Water Rights holders an "incentive to conserve". What's a good incentive? Money. Who has the money? Breweries. Why would a brewery want to purchase water credits? Harmon believes it helps create a positive image of their brand by demonstrating that they are conscious of their water footprint, and besides breweries need a lot of water. Kind of like golf right?

So the idea is that Water Rights Holders can legally protect their Right's from others, while getting paid to leave a portion of the water in the stream to help fish. Nice.

For instance if a golf course holds a Senior Water Right, then they can sell the water that they don't use under their entitled Rights. A great incentive to conserve! Now if a golf course is lower down on the Water Rights list they would have financial incentives to conserve because they are put in a position where they have to purchase the left over water rights within their region. An interesting concept.

One final note, in Spain a Holder can sell off their Rights but doesn't retain their Rights. This has caused the Rights to be in the hands of the buyer with the most $. In many cases this is not a farmer, a cause for concern.

A Look At Kiawah Golf Resort

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Southern Carolina is a leader in sustainability in our industry. They have plenty awards for their numerous projects and have truly made an impression with environmentalists, local residents and their guests. Below you'll find many examples of their projects and how they communicate their actions to guests and community.

What Does Xeri-LEED-Scaping Look Like?

Sun Valley, Idaho landscape ecologist Kelly Weston likes to make clear native landscapes don’t have to be messy. “I have native landscapes that are highly structured next to very contemporary houses. I have native landscapes like this one that are planted in a random fashion, meant to be wild-looking".

In this video, Weston shows us a LEED-certified landscape (next to a LEED home) in Ketchum, Idaho where annual rainfall is about 15 inches per year.

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.

This video was produced for the St. Norbert Arts Centre in order to educate those on the Southwood Golf Course Development Team, who are now building a golf course adjacent to the St. Norbert Arts Centre (www.snac.mb.ca).

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. 

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.

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.

RainBirds Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition

August 1st is the deadline for your 2011 Intelligent Use of Water™ Film Competition entries. So if you've been slacking, it's time to cram and put whatever filmmaking talents you've got towards a worthy cause by creating a short film promoting water conservation awareness. Not only will you demonstrate how diligently golf course superintendents manage their water resources, but you'll have a chance to win one of three great awards presented by conservation legend Jack Hanna in Los Angeles.

Three Awards are offered:

GREEN INDUSTRY AWARD ($6,000)
Those employed in the Green Industry will choose the winner of this award. Once finalist videos have been selected, landscapers, architects, water managers and other professionals will be encouraged to watch the videos and vote for their favorite on a site managed by contest partner Questex Media.

JURY AWARD ($6,000)
During a special screening event held in September in Los Angeles, a panel of film and water conservation experts will select the winner of the Jury Prize from a group of finalists.

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD ($3,000)
Recognizing the biggest crowd-pleaser, the Audience Choice Award will go to the finalist whose film receives the most votes from those in attendance at the Los Angeles screening.

In order for you to qualify for one of these prizes, You'll need to send in your video by August 1, 2011. Ready to make a difference? Click here to get started. Watch previous years winners here.

PaceTurf: Heat and Drought Recovery Video

From our friends at PaceTurf:
Heat and drought cause serious turfgrass damage every year. If you are experiencing catastrophic turf loss from heat, drought or other sources of extreme stress, this video will provide you with some guidelines for turf recovery.

To learn more about how PACE Turf gets superintendents the answers they need, take our member benefits tour: http://www.paceturf.org/index.php/tour/

Hear from others about the benefits of PACE Turf membership: http://www.paceturf.org/index.php/public/testimonials/

Or sign up today at: http://www.paceturf.org/membership/signup.php

Checking Moisture = Saving Money at Northland Country Club

This post was originally posted in 2010.


My name is Chris Tritabaugh and I am the Golf Course Superintendent at Northland Country Club in Duluth, MN. A few weeks ago Scott emailed and asked me if I would like to contribute to this fantastic turf management blog; I was honored and was happy to accept the invitation. For the past two and a half years I have maintained the Northland Country Club Turfgrass Management blog to update, inform and educate our membership on the day to day operations of our operation as well as efforts to create a sustainable golf course. Its an honor to contribute to turfhugger.com and wonderful to know Northland's efforts tocreate a sustainable golf course are being noticed by people within the industry. Without further ado; my first contribution to turfhugger.com.

My brother Adam is a little more than two years younger than myself. Growing up he was a classic little brother always wanting to have what I had and do what I did. Earlier this summer Jeff Johnson, good friend and superintendent at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis let me know he had purchased a TDR 300 soil moisture meter from Spectrum Technologies. Playing the role of little brother and not wanting to be left out, I purchased one for Northland as well. The meter, seen on the left, has two probes that when inserted into the soil give the percent water volume content in of the soil. After purchasing the meter at the beginning of August, its use was pretty much non-existent due to ample rain and at least the thought from myself that taking moisture readings when we were wet was unnecessary. This was until a couple weeks ago when  my "big-brother" in turf management made the post, linked below, on his blog.
  
The Minikahda Club Grounds Department: Collecting Moisture Readings on Greens

Turns out Jeff had started using his meter on a daily basis to record the average moisture readings of his greens. Just like the little brother I ran out and blew a couple months of dust off our meter and started taking our own daily moisture readings on putting surfaces.