By using coring heads, superintendents can easily reduce their thatch. They can use such coring heads by attaching them to their own triplex greensmower. Superintendents can remove thatch up to 1 inch with 0.25-inch hollows at mowing speed.
Full Answer
What challenges do golf course superintendents face in weed management?
CONCLUSION Golf course superintendents face an array of weed-management challenges in putting greens, tees, fairways, and roughs. Many weed-management challenges have no simple solutions, particularly those pertaining to peren- nial weeds like bermudagrass.
What is an UltraDwarf putting green?
Born out of the desire for faster, firmer, and more consistent putting surfaces, new and improved ultradwarfs, such as Mach 1, continue to be introduced and remain the most popular putting green grasses in warm season and transitional locations. The short history of ultradwarfs begins with the bermudagrass Tifgreen, released in 1956.
Should you switch from bentgrass to UltraDwarf Bermudagrass Greens?
Superintendents caught napping following a conversion from bentgrass to ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens might be surprised by what they see. Golf courses across the southern United States have been making the switch from bentgrass greens for Bermudagrass.
What is the best UltraDwarf for golf courses?
TifEagle is the most popular of the ultradwarfs and boasts the best shade tolerance of the three, but produces more grain and is the least cold tolerant. Champion has a high-density shoot growth pattern, which results in an excellent putting surface, but has a more shallow root system causing problems for turf managers during times of stress.
How do golf courses maintain greens?
Proper mowing includes daily mowing, daily changing of mowing patterns, mowing at the correct height, precise adjustment of mowers, daily cleaning and sharpening of mowers, training of mower operators and visual inspection of results. Mowing is the single most important practice in greens maintenance.
Are greens on a golf course real grass?
Grasses are specifically selected for use on putting greens. Turfgrass breeders and natural selection have improved putting green grasses over many years. Bermudagrass, creeping bentgrass and Poa annua are the most commonly managed turfgrasses on putting greens in the United States.
How do golf courses cut their greens?
Rather than the more familiar rotary-style lawn mower, a specialized type of reel mower is required to cut turf at low, putting green heights. A reel mower creates a scissor-like action where turfgrass leaves are clipped by the crossing of two cutting edges—the reel blades and bedknife.
Why do courses sand the greens?
Sand helps cushion leaf tips and crowns and reduces algae. Increased Firmness – Turf produces organic matter in the upper rootzone that creates soft, spongy playing conditions. Regular sand topdressing, along with core aeration, improves surface firmness and resiliency.
How often do golf courses spray?
To the casual observer, spraying greens every one or two weeks may appear to be overkill. However, short spray intervals allow superintendents to observe putting green performance throughout the season and apply products only at the appropriate time to maximize their efficacy.
How fast does golf course grass grow back?
"Research has shown that a repaired ball mark recovers weeks faster than an unrepaired one," said Cory Adams, the superintendent of Golf Village at The Club at Admirals Cove in Jupiter, which comprises 27 holes. "It takes 48 hours to recover if a ball mark is repaired properly. If not, it takes weeks to recover."
How often do golf courses mow the greens?
On average, greens are mowed at least five days per week, and in most cases six or seven days per week. Courses that choose to mow five or six days per week will take advantage of a closed Monday or Tuesday to skip mowing and focus more on agronomic programs like topdressing or aeration.
How are putting greens mowed?
Choosing a pattern- Golf greens are mowed front to back, side to side, left to right and right to left. The left to right and right to left cuts are angle cuts. Envision a square in which you start at the bottom right corner and move to the top left corner.
What is Verticutting golf greens?
Verticutting is the thinning of turfgrass by blades or wire tines that cut perpendicularly to the soil in a shallow swath or a deep cut. Both methods can promote lateral and vertical grass growth. Yet, a deeper cut removes more material to allow moisture and oxygen to reach the root zone more easily.
How do golf courses keep weeds out?
Golf courses also adhere to a regular schedule of applying pre-emergent herbicides as well as weed killers and fertilizer. The key behind pre-emergent herbicides is weed prevention. Of course there are no “magic bullets” that keep all weeds out for the entire growing season.
How do golf courses aerate greens?
To aerify a golf green a piece of machinery built for the task cores the ground (punches holes and removes the dirt) in a certain pattern. (The small cores of dirt that are removed are called "plugs.") Air and water are thus infused into the ground at root level, and space opened up for new root growth.
What kind of sand is used on golf greens?
Of course the coarser the sand, the higher the infiltration rate and the finer the sand the lower the infiltration rate. An ideal sand for golf greens would have from 35% very coarse sand, 2025% coarse sand, 5055% medium sand, 2025% fine sand, and 2% very fine sand.
What are the characteristics of a putting green?
All three possess characteristics that established even higher standards for putting green quality. Finer leaf blade, greater density, increased upright growth, and tolerance for still lower heights of cut differentiated ultradwarfs from their predecessors and delivered smoother, firmer, and faster greens.
What is the evolution of putting green grass?
Just as the game of golf has evolved over the years, putting green turfgrasses have changed significantly with time and technique. An example of this evolution is ultradwarf bermudagrass. Born out of the desire for faster, firmer, and more consistent putting surfaces , new and improved ultradwarfs, such as Mach 1, continue to be introduced and remain the most popular putting green grasses in warm season and transitional locations.
What color is a tifdwarf?
Released in 1965, Tifdwarf possessed a darker green color and the ability to tolerate lower mowing heights.
Why do some off types of turfgrass fail to grow?
Some off-types produce little or no effect and fail to thrive due to low heights of cut and other maintenance practices. However, many off-types create concerns through noticeable differences in color, growth rate, or texture compared to the original turfgrass.
When did Ultradwarfs start?
The short history of ultradwarfs begins with the bermudagrass Tifgreen, released in 1956. This breakthrough turfgrass owes its origins to Dr. Glenn Burton, who used USGA funding to cross-pollinate African and common bermudagrasses, producing a hybrid with traits that set the new standard for greens. Tifgreen’s drawback – and lasting legacy – was its prolific tendency to mutate genetically, creating new and varied plants, many with appealing characteristics for putting greens.
Which ultra dwarf has the best shade tolerance?
TifEagle is the most popular of the ultradwarfs and boasts the best shade tolerance of the three, but produces more grain and is the least cold tolerant.
Who is the scientist who studies turfgrass weeds?
As ultradwarf varieties matured and off-types emerged, attention began to increase. Dr. Jim Brosnan, turfgrass weed scientist at the University of Tennessee and his graduate assistant Eric Reasor launched a study of the problem.
How to identify off types in putting greens?
Two information-gathering methods can better identify off-types present in ultradwarf putting greens. One method is to collect an off-type and desirable sample and grow them at your facility without clipping. You can observe and measure morphology as the samples grow. The second method is to send samples to the University of Tennessee Weed Diagnostic Center ( www.weeddiagnostics.org ). This service provides an off-type assessment to morphologically characterize off-type and desirable samples. Knowledge of the specific off-type at the facility can further refine PGR management of this issue.
What is the grass that is off type in putting greens?
Golf course superintendents have reported issues with off-type grasses in ultradwarf bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon x C. transvaalensis) putting greens over the past several years. These “weedy” grasses have disrupted putting green aesthetics and surface uniformity (Figure 1).
What is an off type grass?
Fundamentally, off-type grasses are defined by differences in morphology and performance when compared to the surrounding desirable turfgrass. Furthermore, a genetic distinction does not have to exist for a grass to be considered an off-type. Leaf texture, turfgrass color and density as well as response to management practices are reported differences among off-types and desirable cultivars.
Which morphological cluster has the longest internode?
Photographs of samples representative of each morphological cluster. Grasses in cluster 1 had significantly longer internode lengths than those in clusters 2 and 3. Grasses in cluster 3 had significantly longer leaves than those in clusters 1 and 2. (Photo: Eric Reasor)
What are the challenges of managing golf course weeds?
Resistance poses many challenges to effectively managing golf course weeds. First, when a weed population evolves resistance to a particular herbi- cide, all other herbicides employing the same mechanism of action are no longer effective. Take the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors, for example.
How do I control weeds in my golf course?
If left uncontrolled, weed seeds can be tracked to other portions of a course by golfers, equipment tires, or other means and result in situations where control becomes more chal- lenging — i.e., tracking from roughs onto putting greens (Figure 2) . More- over, letting weeds deposit seed back into the soil will ensure that problems occur annually. As a result, preemer- gence herbicides that remain active in the soil are often the most effective annual weed controls, as they act on many weed seeds in soil rather than just the weeds that emerge and become established in turf. A new challenge facing many golf course superintendents is the evolution of weed biotypes with resistance to pre- and postemergence herbicides (Table 1). Since 2008, reports have steadily increased of annual bluegrass and goosegrass (Eleusine indica) evolving herbicide resistance. In 2015, cases of multiple resistance — i.e., survival after being treated with two different herbicides — surfaced in both annual bluegrass and goosegrass populations (Heap, 2015). In nearly all instances, herbicide resistance devel- oped when the same herbicide was applied over consecutive years without rotating to products with different mechanisms of action or implementing alternatives to herbicide treatment. Applying the same herbicide without rotation simply selects for weeds that are genetically capable of surviving that herbicide. Initially, the number of individuals genetically capable of surviving a herbicide treatment is quite small, but every year the same herbi- cide is applied, the worse the problem becomes until the majority of the remaining weed population consists of individuals genetically capable of surviving herbicide treatment. Resistance poses many challenges to effectively managing golf course weeds. First, when a weed population evolves resistance to a particular herbi- cide, all other herbicides employing the same mechanism of action are no longer effective. Take the acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors, for example. If annual bluegrass evolves resistance to foramsulfuron (Revolver), none of the other ALS-inhibiting herbicides labeled for annual bluegrass control — e.g., Monument®, TranXit, Katana®, Velocity®, Certainty®, etc. — will be effective. In many cases, resistance to one herbicide mechanism of action necessitates the use of a different herbicide class that is more expensive or more prone to injuring desirable turf than the mechanism of action originally used. Knowledge of herbicide mecha- nisms of action is critical in building weed-management programs that rotate herbicides to manage resistance. The University of Tennessee (UT) has compiled several online reference materials to help superintendents improve their understanding of herbi- cide mechanisms of action. Also, UT
How to control Bermudagrass?
A common question from golf course superintendents is how to control hybrid bermudagrass encroachment from collars into creeping bent grass (Agrostis stolonifera) or ultradwarf bermudagrass greens. Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to this problem. Realistically, bermudagrass encroachment is managed over time using several practices rather than completely eradicated or controlled with a single technique. On creeping bentgrass greens, siduron (Tupersan®) is labeled for bermudagrass encroach- ment at rates up to 1 pound per 1,000 square feet. Usually, siduron is applied as an 8- to 12-inch band from the edge of the collar into the putting surface. Sequential applications are required on four- to five-week intervals for long- term success. Best results occur when bermudagrass is green but not aggres- sively growing — i.e., spring and fall for most areas. On warm-season putting surfaces, many choose to physically edge the interface between the putting surface and collar using a mechanical edger or have maintenance staff remove encroaching stolons by hand (Figures 3 and 4).
What is the name of the seed on the sole of a golfer's shoe?
Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) seed on the sole of a golfer’s shoe. Photo courtesy of Robert Raley, M.S. has developed an online tool to help superintendents develop herbicide programs that rotate mechanisms of action to manage resistance when controlling annual bluegrass.
What is weed in golf?
There are many answers to the question “What is a weed?” but perhaps the most specific was offered by Aldrich: “A weed is a plant that originated in a natural environment and, in response to imposed or natural environments, evolved, and continues to do so, as an interfering associate with our crops and activities” (R. J. Aldrich, 1984, “Weed Crop Ecology: Principles in Weed Management”). When applied to golf courses, the definition offered by Aldrich communi- cates that weeds not only hamper aesthetic and functional turfgrass quality, but also that they are a product of both the natural growing environment and imposed maintenance practices. Successful weed-control strategies need to address both of these param- eters to be effective for a sustained period of time.
What are the challenges of weed management?
Golf course superintendents face an array of weed-management challenges in putting greens, tees, fairways, and roughs. Many weed-management challenges have no simple solutions, particularly those pertaining to peren- nial weeds like bermudagrass. Weed- management plans incorporating proper identification, knowledge of weed life cycle, and herbicide selection to manage the evolution of resistance can considerably help improve weed- management efforts. However, in some cases the level of weed infesta- tion may not warrant the resources required for selective herbicide removal and physical removal or renovation may be the best option.
Can you control crabgrass in fairways?
However, while numerous herbicides can control smooth c rabgrass in fairways post- emergence, the choices to control tropical signalgrass are quite limited. Often, it requires more than just selec- tive herbicides to eradicate tropical signalgrass infestations.
What is super mowing?
2. Patterned fairway mowing. Like barbers snipping hair in different styles, supers mow their fairways in different patterns, from checkerboards and stripes to half-and-half configurations, with a line down the center and the grass on either side a different shade of green.
Where is Matt Guilfoil?
As the superintendent at Desert Canyon Golf Club, in Phoenix , and co-host of From the Jingweeds, a podcast dedicated to the turf-care trade, Matt Guilfoil is well acquainted with the hard work that goes into keeping up appearances.
Does Guilfoil run out of aerosol?
Almost invariably, Guilfoil says, “you run out of aerosol,” leaving paint to waste at the bottom of the can. And the next day, or the day after, when you cut a new cup, you have to start painting all over again.
Why are ultradwarfs so popular?
Costello notes the new ultradwarfs are popular for a number of reasons: No-till conversions are quick and rarely expensive; density of surface is “incredible;” and the non-overseeded surface is a “wonderful putting surface.”
Who is Lane Tredway?
Dr. Lane Tredway, senior technical field representative for Syngnenta, is receiving a significant increase in questions about diseases on Bermudagrass greens. Ten years ago, whenever he gave a talk, the majority of questions were about bentgrass greens. Now, 80 percent of the questions he receives are about Bermudagrass greens. Because this has been such a sizable shift and happened so quickly, Tredway said the transition could be called a “revolution.”
Is Bermudagrass good for tredway?
“If the majority of your golf rounds are during the fall, winter and spring when Bermudagrass is dormant or semi-dormant, then creeping bentgrass may still be a better choice. Also, remember that Bermudagrass has very low shade tolerance and also does not perform well in poorly drained greens. If shade and poor drainage are limiting factors for your bentgrass greens, then a conversion to Bermudagrass may actually make the situation worse. Winter covers are essential in climates when low temperatures in the mid-20s or below are expected.”
Ultradwarf Green History
Off-Type Morphology and Genetics
Inconsistencies and Diversity
PGR Research on off-types
Off-Type Management Using Pgrs
- The off-types sampled in this research had varying morphology compared to ultradwarf cultivars Champion, MiniVerde and TifEagle. Despite these differences, most off-types were genetically similar to ultradwarf cultivars. Certain off-types are less sensitive to trinexapac-ethyl applications compared to ultradwarf cultivars, and this can make managin...
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