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September 16, 2011 -- Volume 49, Number 37

What Are The Responsibilities Of The Green Committee Member?

This question was asked of the Green Section in 1929. Take a look at how it was answered.
by the Green Section Staff

Editor's note:

Severe weather across the country this year has caused so much damage to golf courses that many will be facing major replanting and/or reconstruction. Such challenges bring out the best or the worst in those charged with the leadership of the course. And for those facilities managed by committee, a lack of good leadership will make an already bad situation nearly unbearable.  With this in mind the Green Section staff thought it might be interesting to dig back through our archives and see if we could find a few tips for the green committee members.

 

This article was published in the June, 1929 Bulletin of the United States Golf Association Green Section (the predecessor to today's Green Section Record) and is reprinted here without any changes.  

 

QUESTION

I have recently been appointed as a member of the green committee of our club and should appreciate such information as you may be able to furnish with regard to the duties of such a position. (Pennsylvania.)

 

ANSWER.

It is customary for the chairman of the committee to shoulder all the duties and to consult his committee only when he contemplates some drastic change in procedure and needs moral or perhaps financial support. It is probable that this one-man-committee custom is, after all, the best, since the greenkeeper thus receives orders from only one man and therefore not conflicting advice from different sources. The members of the committee, if they care to be active, should advise their chairman, but in no case bother the greenkeeper. It will avoid confusion and be much fairer if the greenkeeper receives the wishes of the committee through its designated spokesman, the chairman. Also the green committee should protect the man whom they trust to care for the course (the greenkeeper), from all possible interference of unauthorized advisors. It is lamentably the custom with some clubs to permit any club member to hamper the greenkeeper with suggestions concerning his duties, a procedure which is certain to antagonize him. Suggestions, criticisms, and complaints on matters of course maintenance should be received from club members by members of the green committee only. The committee should advertise the fact that the purpose of the green committee is to effect a close liaison between the club members and the greenkeeper. 'Vorthwhile suggestions should be welcomed and action should be taken on constructive criticisms; but the opinions of the membership as interpreted and investigated by the green committee should be passed on to the greenkeeper only by its official spokesman, the chairman of the committee.

Read the rest of this article  

 

 

Turf Twisters - Questions Sent To The Green Section 

Question:

 I understand our superintendent needs to aerate the greens periodically, and we just got done with another cycle, but does it always need to happen during the prime-time playing season? Why not aerate when players are less likely to want to use the course?

  

Answer:
aeration up closeMany maintenance procedures necessarily disrupt the surface of the green. While aeration is the most visible (and often loathed by golfers), vertical mowing, spiking, venting, and other tasks also roughen the surface. These procedures are vital to the health and putting quality of the green, so they must be performed. The key is to minimize the length of the disruption as much as possible. Therefore, these procedures should only be accomplished when the grass is very actively growing.  This is particularly important for aeration, which requires the grass to spread laterally to recover the holes. Thus, while aerating a bermudagrass green in March or a bentgrass green in August might be less disruptive to the players, it will result in a more rough putting green for a much longer period of time.

Question:

We suffer severe turf loss every few years in the summer when our bentgrass fairways flood. This year it happened again. Is there a new variety of bentgrass available that can survive for longer periods of time under water?

 

Answer:

Flooded fairwayUnfortunately, there are no known differences among bentgrass varieties with regard to survival time when the turf is submerged.Fortunately, among the commonly-used turfgrasses on golf courses, bentgrass seems to be the most tolerant. Poa annua, not surprisingly because it is a more fragile turf species to begin with, seems to be the least tolerant.  Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue likely fall somewhere in between.Whereas bentgrass may survive for up to a week under water during cooler weather, it can die within just a few hours if submerged during summer heat.Since there is little to be done regarding turfgrass selection, drainage and flooding issues should be corrected if at all possible.

 

Question:

How long should cart traffic be restricted following winter overseeding?

 

Answer:

Post barriers to cart trafficRestricting cart traffic on overseeded turf is a common and recommended practice.Seedling turf lacks the density and resiliency to tolerate cart traffic.Many courses in desert resort areas open the course for play approximately three to four weeks after overseeding and then restrict cart to the paths for an additional four weeks until the overseeded turf has matured.Unrestricted traffic soon after overseeding runs the risk of wearing out the turf and compromising conditions throughout the winter and spring.If the turf is damaged in November, there is very little chance to successfully reseed areas due to the cold temperatures.The best advice is to be patient and keep the carts on the paths for a minimum of four weeks after opening.  Keep in mind that cart traffic never improves turf quality - it only makes it worse.   

 

  

Regional Updates

north central gifNortheast Region
by Adam Moeller, agronomist

Is Anyone On The Hoses?

Frequent and timely hand watering and syringing can make a difference between turf surviving and dying during stressful summer heat. As a result, continually checking on soil moisture and when and where hoses are needed is one challenge superintendents face. With some areas of the region receiving 25+ inches of rain in the last few weeks it is safe to say there was a lull in hose work needed on the golf courses. 

 

Unfortunately, the excessive amounts of rain caused massive flooding on coastal areas and courses near rivers; both types causing severe turf loss. Budget constraints, limited staff, and potential loss of golf outing revenue are some of added challenges of the flooding. Thankfully, drier weather appears to be on the horizon, which will allow for cleanup of silt-covered turf and debris from fallen branches and trees followed by cultivation and overseeding efforts to stimulate recovery. 

 

Many forms of cultivation can be used to promote necessary seed-to-soil contact for successful seed germination. 

Read the rest of this update 



Florida RegionFlorida Region
by Todd Lowe, senior agonomist

 

Now Is The Time To Prevent Winter Annual Weeds

Weeds are a concern on all golf courses, and are particularly important in Florida where warm, humid conditions encourage seed germination and rapid weed growth. Consequently, golf courses throughout the region spend a considerable amount of time and money to control weeds and produce fine turf playing conditions throughout the year.

 

During the fall, winter and spring, Poa annua is a particularly troublesome weed.  Poa annua is genetically diverse and produces an abundance of seeds each year. These seeds have a broad germination window and can germinate from late summer into early winter. Some Florida golf courses overseed with perennial ryegrass to improve color, but this also increases Poa annua populations. Since both perennial ryegrass and Poa annua are cool-season grasses, it is difficult to apply herbicides to control Poa annua without harming perennial ryegrass. Dr. Bert McCarty, Clemson University, reported several effective strategies for controlling Poa annua in both overseeded and non-overseeded bermudagrass in a previously recorded USGA webcast. View this recording for free at: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usga/view?id=89KW88 

 

Dinitroaniline (DNA) herbicides like pendimethalin or prodiamine have become less effective on Poa annua due to repeated use and development of resistance. Applying herbicides of the same family or mode of action for multiple years greatly increases the likelihood of herbicide resistance. Read the rest of this update 

 

 

NorthwestNorthwest Region
by Larry Gilhuly, director

 

  

Maui Wowie!

Maui Country Club. Just the sound of the name makes the mind wander to gentle trade winds, palm trees, sunshine and 18 holes of a beautiful expanse of green turf next to the ocean. While the trade winds, sunshine, and ocean are there, this nine hole golf course is far from green. There is no question that Maui Country Club has taken the term firm conditioning to heart more than any other, and their players like it that way. Hawaii has some of the largest golf course budgets found in the United States due to three high-ticket items.  

 Read the rest of this update 

 

southeast gifSoutheast Region

Rhizoctonia zeae

Rhizoctonia zeae (mini rings) infection on an ultra dwarf putting green. Mini rings are appearing now and precision application techniques are important for success.

by Patrick O'Brien and Chris Hartwiger, agronomists 

   

 

Rhizoctonia Zeae Makes An Appearance 

With the growing season dwindling and the arrival of cooler weather, a few cases of Rhizoctonia zeae have been observed on recent USGA Turfgrass Advisory Service visits. Early to mid-September is a prime time to see Rhizoctonia zeae or Mini Ring as some call it. The recent weeks of cooler, cloudy weather from tropical storm Lee and Hurricane Irene probably did not help, either.  

 

The good news is that these small rings won't cause any major turf damage. The impact is mainly visual, but they can linger all during fall without fungicide treatment. A simple rotation every 14 days of both a systemic and contact fungicides can provide some relief of the symptoms, but is important to get the products into the lower leaf canopy near the crown where the fungus resides. Immediate irrigation after the fungicide is applied is the key to place these plant protectants where they are needed, even with the presence of a contact fungicide in the rotation. Do not let the fungicides dry on the leaf tissue after the application prior to irrigation. This is not an easy target to hit and precision application techniques are vital.

 

Read the rest of this update 

  

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