Running on emptyRiver Murray courses fight for survivalRunning on emptyRiver Murray courses fight for survivalResearchCouch wear toleranceOrganic matter removalResearchCouch wear tolerance
Organic matter removalIndia inspires2007 GCS&MAI seminarIndia inspires2007 GCS&MAI seminarThe PulseBunker battlesThe PulseBunker battlesWINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 10.1 JAN-FEB 2008WINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTGreat Dividing RangeNew South WalesVictoriaSouth AustraliaAlburyCorowaYarrawongaEchucaSwan HillMilduraBerriMurray BridgeLake AlexandrinaGoolwaTocumwalImagine How Your Turf Feels?www.floratine.comwww.floratine.com Nothing cools the burn of heat stress better than Perk Up. Developed from Floratine TechnologyŽ, Perk Up includes calcium, carbohydrates and natural respiration, while promoting wilt resistance and recovery, cellular strength, root growth and reduced senescense for optimal plant health.   Australian Turfgrass ManagementPublished by:Australian Golf Course Superintendents' AssociationABN 96 053 205 888Production:Editor:  Brett Robinson Ph:(03) 9548 8600 brett@agcsa.com.auArt Direction & Design: Jo Corne Ph: (03) 9548 8600
jo@agcsa.com.auAdvertising: Melissa Wallace Ph:(03) 9548 8600 melissa@agcsa.com.auAGCSASuite 1, Monash Corporate Centre752 Blackburn Road, Clayton, VIC 3168P: (03) 9548 8600
F: (03) 9548 8622E: info@agcsa.com.auW: www.agcsa.com.auPresident:  Jeff GambinDirectors:  John Odell Allan Devlin Pat PauliGeneral ManagersScott Petersen (Business Development, Communications and Membership)
scott@agcsa.com.auJohn Neylan (AGCSATech, Education and Environmental Initiative)
john@agcsa.com.auInquiries and MembershipPip Dudleyinfo@agcsa.com.auAccountsPhilip Horsburghphilip@agcsa.com.auEvents ManagerSimone Staples
simone@agcsa.com.auAGCSATechAndrew Peartandrew@agcsa.com.auHR & Best Practice ManagerDaryl Sellardaryl@agcsa.com.auExecutive AssistantMelissa Wallace
melissa@agcsa.com.auPrinted ByImpact Printing69-79 Fallon StreetBrunswick, VIC 3056Proudly supported byCopyright © 2008 The AGCSA believes that material sourced and produced for Australian Turfgrass Management is accurate, but gives no warranty in relation thereto, and disclaims liability for 
all claims against the AGCSA, its subsidiary companies, its employees, agents or any other person which may arise from any person acting on the materials contained within. 
No portion, in whole or part, may be reproduced without the written permission of the AGCSA.AGCSASUBSCRIPTION FORMI wish to apply for:One year™s subscription to Australian Turfgrass Management(6 editions per year) PLEASE TICK BOXONE COPY PER EDITION $55.00  O/S ONE COPY PER EDITION $76.20   TWO COPIES PER EDITION $86.00  THREE COPIES PER EDITION $130.00  ORDERS CAN BE MADE SECURELY ONLINE THROUGH www.agcsa.com.auName: ......................................................................................................................................Company: .................................................................................................................................Postal Address: ........................................................................................................................Town/Suburb: ...........................................................................................................................State:  ......................................................................... Postcode: ............................................I enclose cheque for (amount):................................................................................................ Please charge my credit card: .................................................................................................MasterCard          VisaCard Number:  __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __
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Address: ................................................................................................................................... Signature:. ............................................................................................................................... Please send me more information about becoming an AGCSA memberForward to: Australian Turfgrass Management Suite 1, Monash Corporate Centre 752 Blackburn Road Clayton, VIC 3168 FAX: (03) 9548 8622   Prices include GST.WINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTRatho™s revivalRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseRatho™s revivalRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseProfileBarry CoxProfileBarry CoxBusiness and the big dryHow the trade is faringBusiness and the big dryHow the trade is faringResearchOverseeding couch fairwaysFungicide application effectsResearchOverseeding couch fairwaysFungicide application effectsFlemington™s $10m flutterOn track for   Spring Carnival 2007Flemington™s $10m flutterOn track for   Spring Carnival 2007WINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.3 MAY-JUNE 2007ISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTEST23rd Australian Turfgrass ConferenceYour official 20-page guide to CairnsCairns2007Climatic Conditions     of the Modern EraClimatic Conditions     of the Modern Era23rd Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition24Œ26 July, 2007 Cairns23rd Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition24Œ26 July, 2007 CairnsPrincipal SponsorsOFFICIAL GUIDEOFFICIAL GUIDE23rd Australian Turfgrass ConferenceYour official 20-page guide to CairnsResearchKikuyu breedingBuffalograss BMPWetting agents2007 Open ChampionshipUncompromising CarnoustieCaribbean callingA super life on The Rock2007 Open ChampionshipUncompromising CarnoustieResearchKikuyu breedingBuffalograss BMP
Wetting agentsCaribbean callingA super life on The RockWINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.4 JULY-AUGUST 2007WINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTThe big dryThe big dryFarewell to a legendVince Church 1915-2006Farewell 
to a legendVince Church 1915-2006Man in the middleBlowing the whistle on Michael VozzoMan in the middleBlowing the whistle on Michael VozzoResearchWetlands manage runoffANTEP trialsResearchWetlands manage runoffANTEP trialsCombating the droughtCombating the droughtWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.2 MAR-APR 2007ISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTInside Augusta NationalAn Aussie™s odysseyWater managementGlenelg ASR schemeThe Sands desalinationAGIC water use survey2007 AGCSA Award WinnersReg McLarenDarren WilsonStuart MoorePeter BeachKeeping it greenKooindah Waters ResearchBentgrass propagation and salinity tolerancePoa annua ecotypes and controlWater managementGlenelg ASR schemeThe Sands desalinationAGIC water use survey2007 AGCSA Award WinnersReg McLarenDarren WilsonStuart MoorePeter BeachKeeping it greenKooindah Waters Inside Augusta NationalAn Aussie™s odysseyResearchBentgrass propagation and salinity tolerancePoa annua ecotypes and controlWINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.5 SEPT-OCT 2007WINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTTournament TimeHuntingdale™s new masterOpen returns to RoseberyTournament TimeHuntingdale™s new master
Open returns to RoseberyNew technologyTelstra Dome sees the lightNew technologyTelstra Dome sees the lightResearchNitrogen leachingThatch or fiction?ResearchNitrogen leachingThatch or fiction?The good oilTurf techniciansThe good oilTurf techniciansWINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.6 NOV-DEC 2007WINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTEST1AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTCOVER: Lake HumeHolding a capacity of over three million 
megalitres, Lake 
Hume, just east of 
Albury, is one of the 
main engine rooms 
regulating the flow 
of water along the 
River Murray. With 
prolonged drought 
impacting across 
the country, the 
Murray-Darling 
system is feeling 
the pinch, with Lake 
Hume running at 
just 25 per cent 
capacity with the 
main irrigation 
season barely 
underway. Photo by: Brett RobinsonGraphic by: Jo CornecontentsSubcontinent sojourn 22-26AGCSA president Jeff Gambin, along with 
AGCSA general manager John Neylan 
and NSW Golf Club superintendent Gary 
Dempsey, were invited to attend the Golf 
Course Managers and Superintendents 
Association of India™s annual seminar last 
October. As well as encountering some pretty 
interesting cuisine, they also discovered a 
passionate group of superintendents eager to 
improve their skills and knowledge.OPINIONThe Pulse 38What do superintendents really think about bunker maintenance? Got a spare couple of 
hours? ATM condenses the opinions of five 
leading superintendents to determine whether 
one of the game™s quintessential components 
is still what it was originally designed to be Πa 
hazard.RESEARCHMulti-use stadia workshop and Cynodon wear tolerance trials 40Turf managers from Australia and New Zealand converged on Suncorp Stadium and Redlands Research Station late last year for the inaugural 
multi-use stadia workshop. As part of the two-
day gathering, they were invited to evaluate 
plots at Redlands where the QDPI&F is 
conducting couch wear tolerance trials.Cultivating to reduce organic matter 44US researchers conducted studies to 
determine how cultivating a sand-based 
putting green with various aggressive 
verticutting and core aeration treatments 
affected rootzone organic matter content and 
turf.PICTORIAL2007 Mastercard Masters 50ATM stopped by Huntingdale Golf Club before the second round of the 2007 Mastercard 
Masters to snap superintendent Michael 
Freeman and his crew in action.Running on emptyRiver Murray courses fight for survivalRunning on emptyRiver Murray courses fight for survivalResearchCouch wear toleranceOrganic matter removalResearchCouch wear tolerance
Organic matter removalIndia inspires2007 GCS&MAI seminarIndia inspires2007 GCS&MAI seminarThe PulseBunker battlesThe PulseBunker battlesWINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 10.1 JAN-FEB 2008WINNER OF 8 AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTGreat Dividing RangeNew South WalesVictoriaSouth AustraliaAlburyCorowaYarrawongaEchucaSwan HillMilduraBerriMurray BridgeLake AlexandrinaGoolwaTocumwalRunning on empty Πmaking ends meet on the Murray 6-20The River Murray has played a huge role in the development of Australia as a nation and today it remains as one of the major arteries keeping the heart of Australia pumping. That is 
under threat, however, as prolonged drought takes its toll on the entire River Murray system. 
Record low flows along the river have had a huge impact on irrigators with allocations in 
many cases being slashed to zero. For the many golf courses along its length, from South 
Lakes Golf Club in Goolwa to Thurgoona Country Club in Albury, the battle for survival has 
stepped up a notch in recent times with many being forced to seriously evaluate where 
their water is coming from. In this exclusive look, ATM gauges just how Murray supers are 
coping in these challenging times and discovers that while some are doing it tougher than 
others there is a common resolve to get through the hard times as well as be proactive about 
safeguarding their club™s future.2AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTSIGHT SCREENSAQUA WIZZTOW A TARPROLLERSwww.mentay.com.auFREECALL: 1800 037 075CRICKET PITCH EQUIPMENT     Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management Volume 10.1Nathan Bennett (The Sands, Torquay)Peter Boyd (NZGCSA)
Steve Burchett (Portarlington GC)
Rod Cook (GCSAQ)
Mark Everingham (Royal Adelaide GC)
Leith Fletcher (South Lakes GC)
Russell Fletcher (The Lakes GC)Michael Freeman (VGCSA)Mal Grundy (Murray Bridge GC)
Darren Harvey (Corowa GC)
Justin Haslam (TGAA ACT)
David Hastwell (Barmera GC)
Tim Hicks (Thurgoona CC)
Andy Hugill (NSWGCSA)
Andrew Johnson (Rich River GC)
Tony Johnston (Cobram-Barooga GC)
Jeff Kaines (Royal Adelaide GC)
Doug Karcher (University of Arkansas)
Josh Landreth (University of Arkansas)
Dr Don Loch (QDPI&F)Stephen Lewis (TGCSA)Keith McAuliffe (STI)
Matthew McLeod (Tocumwal GC)
Aaron Miller (Howlong GC)
Phil Moylan (Melville Glades GC)
John Neylan (AGCSATech)
John Odell (Royal Sydney GC)
Sam Olah (NSWTETA)
Andrew Peart (AGCSATech)
Mike Richardson (University of Arkansas)
Matt Roche (QDPI&F)
Greg Stringer (VTETA)
Rob Sundblom (TGAA VIC)
Mick Swanwick (Yarrawonga and Border GC)
Rod Tatt (Cranbourne GC)
Kym Traeger (Berri GC)
Darren Wilson (Wembley Golf Complex)You might not believe it, but this January-February 2008 edition marks the start of the tenth year that Australian Turfgrass Management magazine has been in existence. Hip, hip, 
huzzah! Where™s the cake?!Looking back at the very first edition Œ February-March 1999 Œ which many will remember carried that stunning cover of a green and golden bell frog perched on a golf ball (still one the 
magazine™s best covers, even though I had nothing to do with it), there are surprisingly many 
similarities to the edition that you currently hold in your hands.While a few superintendents and turf managers who appeared in that first edition look decidedly fresh-faced (I won™t divulge names but most of them are still kicking around now; you know who 
you are), some of the articles carried themes still highly relevant today. The push for irrigating with 
recycled water had well and truly gained momentum, while environmental management Πin this 
case the conservation of the green and golden bell frog Πwas demonstrating the integral role golf 
courses can play in preserving native flora and fauna. As ATM has matured over the years, it has started to receive recognition on a global stage. In the past two years it has collected a number of awards from US-based turf industry communication 
association TOCA, which is more a reflection of the great stories and characters the industry here 
generates. Just as this edition was going to press, ATM received further accolades, this time 
winning the best feature/story in a trade publication category at the Australian Golf Media Awards 
held during the Australian Open. The winning article was the lead story in Volume 9.2, ‚Combating the drought™. While Australian Turfgrass Management magazine has come a long way since that first edition, particularly in terms of its design, there is one common thread throughout all of the previous 53 editions Œ you, the superintendents, turf managers, assistant supers, groundsmen, 
apprentices and trade. Without the contributions and support from the industry this publication wouldn™t be where it is. Such support is again evident in this edition and you only have to take a look at the list of 
contributors directly to the left of this column to see the names of many turfies who have done 
their bit in weaving this edition together. We kick off the tenth year by taking an in-depth look at how superintendents along the length of Australia™s iconic River Murray are bearing up. As many will be aware, irrigation allocations have 
been sliced back to a pittance which has forced superintendents to make serious adjustments to 
water management practices as well as seek alternative sources. As you will read, some are well 
and truly between a rock and a hard place, while others are in the process of undertaking major 
projects to secure their club™s most precious asset. Elsewhere in this edition, The Pulse throws up an old chestnut for superintendents Œ bunker maintenance. Bunkers have become a major maintenance headache and the lengths 
superintendents now go to in preparing a ‚hazard™ is quite incredible. Take Huntingdale Golf 
Club superintendent Michael Freeman for instance. Having recently hosted the 2007 Mastercard 
Masters Πsee the pictorial spread in the latter half of this edition ΠFreeman estimated that if he 
added up the time each crew member spent preparing bunkers each day of the tournament, the 
total would be around 90 hours! Fair enough it was for one of Australia™s major tournaments, but 
even as Freeman comments, fiIf you are asking me have we lost the plot with the preparation of 
a hazard, yes we have.flEnjoy the read and I hope all in the industry have a great start to the new year. Brett RobinsonEditorWATERClubs reap round three grants 56Over 100 golf courses received more than $5.4 million in the latest round of the Federal 
Government™s Community Water Grants 
scheme. ATM looks at some of the big 
winners.IN EVERY EDITIONForeword Thinking 4AGCSATech Update 32
Tech Talk - Helminthosporium 36The Pulse 38News 52Around the Trade 54Turf Technicians 58
State Presidents™ Reports 603AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTJOHN NEYLAN AND SCOTT PETERSEN, AGCSA JOINT GENERAL MANAGERSforeword thinkingIt was back some 30 years ago when the idea of a national association servicing the needs 
of Australian golf course superintendents was initially discussed. At the time there were 
two schools of thought as to what form the 
organisation should take. One group wanted 
a union to help facilitate better wages and 
conditions, while the other wanted a fraternal 
organisation to meet, develop friendships and 
share ideas and experiences. The AGCSA as 
we know it today is based on strong fraternal 
relationships. Several recent experiences have got us thinking about the AGCSA and what it 
represents. In particular, is it still a fraternal 
association or a union? The question has 
been asked of the AGCSA on more than one 
occasion, fiAre you a union?fl One golf club 
manager was reluctant to pay the course 
superintendent™s membership fees because 
the club does not pay union fees and in his 
opinion the AGCSA sounded more like a 
union. When recently attending the picket line at The Golf Club, St. Andrews Beach following 
the unceremonious dismissal of staff, it was 
of great interest to observe the trade union 
(Australian Workers Union) organisers in action. 
They are confrontational and have a series of 
tactics available to them where they directly 
confront the employer in order to obtain justice 
and preserve workers rights. The dictionary 
defines a union as fian organisation of wage 
earners that is set up to serve and advance its 
members™ interests in terms of wages, benefits, 
and working hours and conditionsfl.Alternatively, what is an association? One definition for an association is fia group of 
individuals who meet for a common purposefl. 
When we consider what a fraternal group is, 
it talks of fia group of people associated or 
formally organised for a common purpose 
and interest or persons of the same class and 
professionfl.It is our belief that the AGCSA is strongly fraternal and based on the common interest 
of working with Mother Nature and sharing 
the experiences and challenges of preparing 
golfing surfaces over a range of environmental 
conditions and resources. As John Geary so 
aptly put it to the gathered throng at the gates 
of St. Andrews Beach, we (i.e. greenkeepers) 
are a conservative group and it is often the love 
of the job that keeps greenkeepers involved 
even when commonsense says it is time to 
leave. The greenkeeping profession is not just a means to an end but a strong connection to 
the land. It is this challenge of working with 
nature that brings like-minded people together 
to discuss their successes and failures.Over the past few years, as the AGCSA has worked with new superintendent associations 
in Thailand and India, there is no doubt that the 
primary aim of these associations is to bring 
like-minded people together as a means of 
improving themselves professionally. As with AGCSA members, there is more discussed over a beer and a meal than in any 
of the formal sessions. It is the coming together 
and the forming of friendships that is most 
important. At the Cairns conference it was the 
open forums involving fellow superintendents 
that generated the most interest and discussion and reinforces the notion that supers like to 
hear from fellow supers.As an association there is always the challenge of remaining relevant and to respond 
to changes. It is not so much about protecting 
working entitlements but more about assisting 
golf course superintendents and providing 
them with the tools that allow them to better 
do their job. Over the past 12-18 months the AGCSA has improved its communication and 
information to members through ATM, The Cut 
and the website, launched the environmental 
initiative, become a key member of the 
Australian Golf Industry Council, developed 
HR and management templates, developed an 
induction manual for golf club committees and 
worked through the minefield of what were the 
IR laws. In addition it provides an independent 
technical and diagnostic service. It is the hope of our association that we can continue to raise the profile and importance of 
the superintendent profession.AGCSA4AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTSPORTS TURF DRAINERS& CONSTRUCTIONSPECIALISTSSLIT DRAINAGESAND GROOVINGLASER LEVELLING/GRADINGLASER CONTROLLED TRENCHINGTURF DRAIN AUSTRALIABob Paddison Phone:  NSW (02) 8117 8100  VIC (03) 6328 1522Fax:    (02) 8117 8101Mobile: 0418 261 089Email: turfdrain@bigpond.comWebsite: www.turfdrain.com.auriver murrayIt™s just as well that South Lakes Golf Club superintendent Leith Fletcher can manage a joke or two given the situation that currently confronts him and the club. Given the last couple of years at the South Australian club, 
which has been Fletcher™s home his entire 
nine-year turf management career, you would 
need a sense of humour given the predicament 
the club faces in terms of its water resources.Situated in Goolwa, which is tucked in the south western corner of Lake Alexandrina, South Lakes is literally between a rock and a hard place. As the last official pump to pull 
water out of the River Murray system, more 
than most it has felt the acute pressure of the 
drought which has reduced the river to a mere 
trickle and sliced irrigation allocations back to 
almost nothing.As Fletcher bluntly puts it, South Lakes is at the arsehole of the Murray. Go any further and you hit the system of barrages which prevent salt water intruding back through the river mouth and into the lake. But as if current allocation restrictions weren™t enough Œ the club™s normal allocation of 136M was sliced to just 17M this financial year Œ there is one other slight problem; they can™t use any of it. River levels are so low that the club™s foot valve, located at the nearby marina, is over a The River Murray is unquestionably one of Australia™s great natural icons. Stretching 2530km from the Great Dividing Range in NSW to the mouth in South Australia, the River Murray has provided a livelihood for millions. In recent times, however, the worsening drought has put a huge strain on the system and those who draw water for irrigation. In the first part of this extensive feature on the River Murray, ATM looks at how three golf courses Œ South Lakes, Thurgoona and Cobram-Barooga, who have relied heavily on the Murray for their survival, are faring in these difficult times. VictoriaSouth AustraliaMilduraBerriMurray BridgeLake AlexandrinaGoolwaRunning on empty - making ends meet on the MurraySouth Lakes Golf Club superintendent Leith Fletcher hasn™t been able to draw water from the River Murray since March 2007. River levels are so low that the foot valve is over a metre out of the water and salinity levels upwards of 9000ppm have rendered the water useless for irrigationRunning on empty - making ends meet on the MurrayBY BRETT ROBINSON6AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTmetre out of the water. Even the local yacht club has been forced to dredge its marina. 
Then there are the salinity levels which have 
effectively rendered the water useless. When Fletcher measured levels prior to ATM visiting in early November, they were hovering around 9000ppm for the third consecutive month. In fact, Fletcher stopped pulling water out of the Murray back in March 2007 when 
salinity levels started hitting 2500ppm. Over 
the past 12 months the lowest that salinity 
levels have dropped to is 1800ppm, compared 
to the year before where the highest was just 
800ppm.Adding further to the predicament is the lack of feasible options South Lakes can pursue to secure alternative water sources. Whether it™s due to cost, lack of infrastructure 
or the location of the course, there is nothing 
in the immediate future which will turn the situation around. As Fletcher jokes, fiThere probably shouldn™t even be a golf course here!fl To get by this summer, South Lakes has sold off its river allocation and has negotiated a 
permit with the local government to use mains 
water from the nearby Myponga Reservoir. As 
part of that permit, Fletcher can water greens 
and tees three times a week at night and 
handwater sparingly to his discretion during 
the day. While the greens and tees have 
relished the fresh water input, Fletcher knows that this is far from a long-term solution. fiTo say we are in a predicament is an understatement,fl laments Fletcher, who took over as superintendent two years ago. fiIt 
can be a bit demoralising because there™s 
not much you can do about it. Until the flows 
get back to the level they were, we won™t pull 
anything out of the river. We still monitor the 
river levels each week in the hope that if we get a flush of water under 2000ppm parts we can give the fairways a quick water. fiIt™s going to be an interesting summer. A few hot days back-to-back will really crisp the place up. We™ll be doing a lot of split shifts and 
plenty of handwatering of greens. As for the 
rest of the course, we™ll just have to let it suffer 
a little. If the tees have to go, they have to go. 
We™ve even gone to the extent of shutting off 
nine sprinklers irrigating greens surrounds 
which is two full greens worth of water each night. fiOur situation does give me a few nightmares and it™s all that you think about. In my first year as superintendent we had a 100mm dumping across two days which flooded the course. Ever since then there has been a drought. We™ve had the two extremes 
so hopefully the coming year will be absolutely perfect; somewhere in the middle.fiObviously the situation has forced us to seriously look at alternative sources and the club has been extremely proactive in searching 
for alternate methods of getting water to the 
course. We have come up with a water options 
report but a lot of that doesn™t make for great 
reading. We™ve examined most avenues and they™re all dead ends for various reasons.flFormer South Lakes superintendent Les Lundstrom, who has clocked up over three decades at the club and is now Fletcher™s 2IC, 
says in all his years there the situation has 
never been so bad. fiThis is the worst I™ve ever seen it,fl agrees Lundstrom. fiBack in the early days you would 
get your salty moments, like if there was a king 
tide or storm which pushed water over the 
barrages, but it never got to the stage where we had to stop pulling out of the river for this length of time.fl It isn™t for lack of trying that South Lakes finds itself in the predicament it is. Water 
has been the number one agenda item at 
committee meetings for the past two years 
and many reports have been tabled looking 
at solving water issues. The sad reality is they have been consigned to the bin.Despite a number of small bores on the property in the past, studies have ruled out the option of groundwater due to quality and yield 
issues. A bore was sunk on nearby Hindmarsh 
Island to over 200m which produced nothing. 
As well, the risk of sinking a bore and not 
getting a strike would be very costly.CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 Great Dividing RangeNew South WalesAlburyCorowaYarrawongaEchucaSwan HillMilduraTocumwalRunning on empty - making ends meet on the MurrayRunning on empty - 
making ends meet on the Murray7AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTriver murrayThe River Murray stretches 2530 kilometres from the Great Dividing Range in New 
South Wales through to the mouth at Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. Each 
day, River Murray Water staff firun the riverfl 
by deciding on releases from storages along 
the River Murray and lower Darling. The River Murray system has four major storages - Dartmouth Dam, Hume Dam, Menindee Lakes 
and Lake Victoria.Water is released to meet the needs of irrigators and flows for South Australia 
within constraints such as minimum flow 
requirements, dilution of salinity, maximum 
rates of change of water level, and capacity of the river channels. Each day, more than 350 items of data are received from points along 
the river and tributaries to facilitate operation 
of the system. The river can operate in three modes Œ supplying, storing, and spilling. ‚Supply™ mode 
occurs for most of the irrigation season, which 
generally extends from the start of November 
each year until mid May. During supplying mode operations, the flow in the river is set to meet the demands (including the entitlement flow to South Australia) with little excess. Operation in supplying mode includes the following considerations:Setting releases from each storage to meet 
downstream water supply requirements, 
river transmission losses and dilution flow 
requirements; Setting releases from Lake Victoria to 
supply South Australia™s entitlement flow; Transferring water from the Menindee 
Lakes to Lake Victoria; Transferring water from Dartmouth 
Reservoir to Hume Reservoir; Making use of tributary flows;Limiting flows to within channel capacity, 
which varies along the system; Observing maximum rates of rise and 
fall of river levels set to minimise bank 
slumping and other problems; Maintaining minimum flows at key points 
in the system; andMaking releases for environmental 
purposes.‚Storing™ mode generally occurs during the winter and spring seasons, when the flows in 
the river are in excess of that required to meet 
diversions, water supply, and minimum flow 
requirements. ‚Spilling™ mode occurs when flow exceeds the river™s channel capacity at a point as a result of runoff generated by heavy 
rain. The channel capacity varies along the 
River Murray (channel capacity downstream 
of Dartmouth Dam is about 10,000 ML/day 
and between Hume Dam and Lake Mulwala is 
about 25,000 ML/day). CURRENT LEVELS According to the latest figures released by the Murray Darling Basin Commission on 7 December 2007, the River Murray system was running at 20 per cent capacity, despite good rainfall during November. Of the two largest 
storage dams, Dartmouth was at 17.1 per cent 
capacity and Hume 25.2 per cent.Murray system inflows through winter 2007 were marginally better than those received in 2006 (which was the driest year on record), but were still among the lowest on record. August and September were particularly dry.In July 2007 the southern half of the Basin received average to above average rainfall, while the northern half of the Basin was below average. However, in August and September 
the situation changed with most of the Basin 
receiving below average rainfall. Significantly, the upper catchments that feed the major storages of the River Murray 
suffered a severe rainfall deficiency. The 
Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has stated that this is the first time in records dating from 1900 that an El Niño drought in the Murray-
Darling Basin has not been followed by at least 
one three-month period with fiabove normalfl 
(Basin average) rainfall by the end of the 
following winter.The deficiencies have occurred against a backdrop of multi-year rainfall deficits and 
record high temperatures that have severely depleted water supplies. As a result of the below average rainfall in the main catchment 
area during August, Murray system inflows 
for August were only 360GL, which is well 
below the long term average of 1570GL. The 
dry weather persisted throughout September, 
with inflows of about 210GL, compared to the 
long term average of 1610GL. Monthly inflows have now been below average for the last 24 months.After three very dry months, some relief came in November with rainfall levels well above average across most of the Murray-Darling 
Basin. While welcome, the November inflow 
to the River Murray of about 170GL was well 
below the long-term average of about 950GL due to the preceding dry conditions. However, the November 2007 inflows were more than double the 70GL recorded in November 2006. Total storage (including Menindee Lakes) at the end of November was 1885GL, or 20 per 
cent capacity, compared to 2435GL this time 
last year.As of December 2007, Lake Hume Dam was at 25.2 per cent capacity Going with   the flow - Running the River Murray Going with   the flow - Running the River Murray8AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTCONTINUED FROM PAGE 7Class B water from the local treatment plant is currently contracted out for the foreseeable future (ironically to a turf farm) and even if some was available there is no infrastructure in place to get it to the golf club. Storage too is another big issue due to the course being 
at sea level.Desalination was quickly ruled out due to setting up and running costs which were 
beyond the club, while tanking in water over the summer was going to set the club back about $100,000. It even got to the stage where the committee made enquiries into artificial tees and greens! You can imagine Fletcher™s 
reaction to that!fiWe are really in a no-win situation at the moment,fl says Fletcher. fiThere™s no other way of getting water unless they put a better treatment plant in and that could be years away. None of the other options are feasible, 
whether it™s in terms of cost, the by-products 
created, or where we are going to store it. 
There is nowhere we can build a dam above sea level, because as soon as we go down a metre we hit salt water.fiWe just hope and pray that water eventually comes back down through the river because it is our main source of water. We™ve gone to local government for help and that™s 
how we™ve got the three days a week permit 
at the moment. fiWhere are we going to be in the next 12 months? Well, probably where we are now unless it rains. We just need the rain to fall further upstream in the system. We™re hoping With the River Murray™s major storage dams and flow regulators, like Lake Hume, at extremely low levels, the likes of golf courses further down the system such as South Lakes are feeling the pinch more than most  9AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTColiseum HerbicideTHE NEW SOLUTION FOR WINTER GRASS CONTROLThe new herbicide Turf Culture Coliseum Herbicide is now available for selective post emergent control of Winter Grass (Poa annua) in turf.  Post Emergent Control Œ Coliseum is absorbed through the roots and 
shoots, and provides excellent post-emergence weed control. Biotypes of Poa annua ΠColiseum is effective against both annual 
and perennial biotypes of winter grass. Overseeding/Soil Half Life 3 to 7 Days ΠColiseum allows over-seeding 
to occur 7-10 days after application. Excellent Turf Tolerance - Coliseum does not injure or retard spring 
green-up in couch. Tracking & Lateral Movement ΠTo reduce the potential for tracking or offsite movement, short irrigation cycles are recommended just 
one hour after application and again if dew is present the following 
morning. (The first irrigation cycle should be applied prior to foot or 
machinery traffic through treated areas)ACTIVE CONSTITUENT: 250 g/kg RIMSULFURONFor the control of Winter Grass (Poa annua) in CouchTurf Culture Pty LtdABN: 38 117 986 615PO Box 381Brighton, Vic, 3186Ph: 0413 587 682Fax: 03 8621 0095river murrayand praying; that™s all we can do. Here would be nice, but until it rains in the catchments, 
we™re between a rock and a hard place.fl KEEPING THE FAITHSome 2000km upstream it™s a very different story at Thurgoona Country Club. Situated just downstream from the engine room of the River Murray, Lake Hume, it is home to superintendent Tim Hicks, a country lad at heart who has grown up with the River Murray playing a major part of his life. Even now when he finishes up a day™s work, he™ll often stop by the river en route home for quick dip.Born in the small NSW town of Berrigan before moving to a property bordering the river at Rutherglen, Hicks™ formative years are full of fond memories swimming and skiing on 
the Murray with his mates and four siblings. 
As he says, fiSome grow up on the coast and the beach. The Murray is my beach; it™s my backyard.flLike most who derive a living from the Murray, 32-year-old Hicks is only too familiar 
with how the current drought has impacted his ‚back yard™. He can recall back in the 1990s 
water skiing on Lake Hume when it was at 100 
per cent capacity and watching water tumbling 
in torrents over the spillway. Visit Lake Hume today and it™s a far different story. The main boat ramp at the Hume Dam runs almost 100m before hitting the water, 
while barely a trickle feeds what is supposed to be one of Australia™s great rivers. The Hume is currently at 25.2 per cent capacity, and it shows.  Having been raised in a Catholic family, Hicks still retains his faith and will often fihave a 
chatfl with the ‚boss™ upstairs if the need arises. 
And given the situation at Thurgoona earlier in Thurgoona Country Club superintendent Tim Hicks has been counting his blessings after the club sank two bores and struck liquid gold. Between them they produce 2.55M a week10AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT®Moncut is a registered trademark of Nihon Nohyaku Co., Ltd.Moncut® is a new generation fungicide that provides an effective tool in the management of Fairy Ring in golf greens. Effective management tool for suppression Low mobility in soils; unlikely to leach into ground water Low toxicity to birds, earthworms, honey bees Easy to use formulation Ideal for use in rotation with other fungicides, for resistance managementMoncut Fungicide is sold and distributed by Chemtura Australia Pty Ltd.For further technical information and supply, contact Jenny Haupt, Sales Agronomist Chemtura Australia Pty Ltd on 0427 013 665WITH THE REDESIGNED 2653B, YOU CAN TACKLE HILLS AND OPERATOR FATIGUE.  An improved traction system design powers the drive system for hill-climbing power with surprisingly even traction.  Operators get increased space between the seat and steering 
wheel, all with a clear view of every control.  Add increased sound reduction and 
more accessible belts and ˜ uid line and there™s simply nothing out of play.See for yourself why nothing climbs like the 2653B at your local John Deere Golf & Turf dealer today. INTRODUCING THE NEW2653B UTILITY MOWERNow, nothing is out of play. Nothing Runs Like A Deere www.deere.com.auMG-2653B - ATM-3-2007- 4122-20757river murray2007, the lines of communication have been well and truly open. When allocations were announced at the start of the financial year, Thurgoona received just 20M of its usual 125M high security 
allocation, its only source of irrigation water for 
the Thomson-Wolveridge designed 18-holer, 
which included a re-credit from last year.  Usually upbeat, Hicks admits the situation facing Thurgoona back in July was fipretty grimfl, so the decision was made to fast track investigations into groundwater options, a considerable risk given that the area isn™t known for producing high yielding bores.The club bit the bullet and sunk two bores about 200m deep at a cost, including pump 
and power, of $34,000 each (that doesn™t 
include the water). They struck liquid gold 
and between them the new bores are now 
producing 2.55M/week with quality around 1000ppm.The aquifer (015) is currently embargoed so no permanent transfer is allowed but the club is able to temporarily transfer groundwater 
from an existing licence holder. Currently a 
study is being conducted on the aquifer and 
once that is finished (sometime in the next 
18 months to five years!) recommendations will be implemented which Hicks is predicting will more than likely mean a reduction in allocation. After that, permanent groundwater trading will reopen. fiIt was a big risk to decide to sink bores but we went deep in the hope of hitting a fracture in the bedrock which we did both times. As it turned out it was money well spent. A private 
property owner not far from the course sunk a 
bore the same week as us and got nothing. If 
we hadn™t have struck with those two–well, I 
don™t even want to consider where we would be now!fiWhile their yield isn™t huge it means I will be able to get through summer comfortably without touching the river allocation. We have 
only been watering greens and tees this year, 
but now I™m hopeful I can give the fairways the 
occasional drink.flAs well as the bores coming online, Thurgoona is also set to benefit from a new housing sub-division to be built along the club™s boundary. Approval has been given for an 8.3-hectare, 96-lot sub-division adjoining 
the 2nd and 3rd holes and the stormwater from 
that Πan estimated 25M/year Πwill be piped 
into the club™s irrigation dam.There are also plans to develop land adjoining the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th holes with a similar amount in run-off.  That potential 50M, combined with 130M in bore water along with river allocation would set Thurgoona up well, virtually eliminating the need to purchase 
expensive high security water. Hicks is also pushing hard for the club to increase its current 30M storage capacity 
in the form of another dam or increasing the capacity of the existing dam, or both. fiThis, in the long term, is a very important aspect of our planning so we can catch it when it™s falling and use it when it™s not,fl says 
Hicks. fiWe are also in desperate need of a 
new irrigation system to make better use of the 
water and apply it more evenly and efficiently. 
We™ve achieved the first step by improving our water situation, now we need to take the next step. I might have to put in another call to ‚the boss™.flIn the battle to make as much use of what little water he has, Hicks purchased a Terraspike XF earlier in the year which he says 
has made a significant improvement in water 
penetration. It has become the most valued 
piece of machinery in his new maintenance 
facility in the fight against the drought. Hicks 
has also been using Aquatain to reduce evaporation rates from the dam.fiWith the new bores we have changed our situation for the better,fl reflects Hicks. fiIt won™t enable us to water fairways at will but I am Tim Hicks shows just how low the River Murray is a few kilometres downstream from Lake HumeLow river levels and severe reduction in allocations means golf courses are having to find alternative sources for irrigation water12AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENThopeful I can give them the occasional drink. I have been applying gypsum to the irrigated 
areas (greens, tees and fairways) and I will 
continue to apply it annually. I also applied 2.5 
tonnes of lime to the irrigated areas in October. We got 50mm of rain a week later and the couch bounced out of the ground.fiI use wetting agents monthly on greens from September to April with additional wetting 
agents used on dry spots as required. I hand 
water dry areas on greens and tees daily 
through the warmer months as required. fiI remain confident that we will manage, get through and go forward even in these 
trying times. You have to be proactive and research every option available to you. If I was sitting on my hands and doing nothing I would go insane stressing about the situation, but we are having a go and finding solutions. fiI am fortunate in the fact we have very progressive management and I have been well supported. Thurgoona has a growing 
population base and more and more people are enjoying our facilities. It™s a real community atmosphere here, our members are great and they love the place. They appreciate what we are doing so that makes it all worth it. fiTo draw a positive from this drought it has forced us to act to secure our future. If 
you look at the bigger picture, we really are in unchartered waters. It™s easy to point the 
finger and blame. The reality is though if 
you™re not part of the solution, you™re part of the problem.flPERFECT TIMINGAbout 130 clicks downstream from Thurgoona and Cobram-Barooga Golf Club superintendent 
Tony Johnston could be forgiven for questioning 
his decision to re-enter the turf management 
caper at the beginning of last year.After spending seven years as superintendent of the 36-hole facility between 1989 and 1996, Johnston spent a decade away from Cobram, including the last three 
years working on a farm growing cereal crops 
and lucerne. However, last February he was 
lured back to his old haunt and admits his 
timing couldn™t be worse considering just how much pressure the club is under. Needless to say, Johnston likes a challenge and he certainly has his hands full.fiTo put it simply, water is at the critical stage,fl says Johnston. fiI am still very much reliant on river water as my primary source. In a normal year I would have 80M of high security 
and 360M of general security. A present we 
have zero allocation, but received 45 per cent 
back of our suspended water from last year which equates to about 36M. Compounding matters is the lack of rainfall and from July to September we had just 5mm of rain!fiWith such a small amount of river water available we are also relying on a bore which was only put down 12 months ago. Because of restrictions on the depth we could drill, it can only produce 0.6M in eight hours. This means 
I have to watch my water very carefully trying to 
only use enough to keep the dams full.fiWhile the West Course is Legend couch, the Old Course is still a mix of common couch, 
Poa annua and rye. We were very keen to 
change all of the Old Course fairways to 
Wintergreen couch but this has been put on 
hold till next season due to the lack of water.flNot surprisingly Johnston has completely altered his watering practices. Soaker hoses 
are used on tees, greens are only hand 
watered, travelling irrigators are in operation 
on the fairways with the automatics getting a run just once a week. The maximum amount of water Johnston is trying to use is 700,000 litres a night, which as any turf manager will know is very little for a 36-hole facility.fiIt is going to be a very tough summer,fl predicts Johnston. fiLong hours and having 
a good staff which you can rely on to do the 
right thing is going to be very important. At the moment you can buy water for $1100 a megalitre which is beyond most clubs. To be able to afford that you would need to double playing numbers to recoup your outlay. fiHaving said that if it came down to just 13AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTFROM A SINGLE HOLE TO A COMPLETE GOLF COURSE,  WE CAN TURN YOUR VISION  INTO REALITYPhone: (03) 5966 6251  Fax: (03) 5966 6451  Email: chris@densal.com.au 655 Little Yarra Road, Gladysdale 3797   Key Contacts: Chris Young: 0417 380 298,  Paul Reeves: 0419 895 939 or Mick O™Shannessy: 0409 231 385river murraykeeping your greens alive, you would have no choice. The vertidrain as well as wetting agents 
are going to be even more important tools rather than just throwing water on. fiI still feel that if we are to get a wet winter next year we might get our high security water allocation next year, but if there is another dry 
winter then there would be little chance. Until 
the dams at Dartmouth and Hume are 100 per 
cent full I fear we will never get a complete 
allocation again.flWhile the immediate future is set to be tough for Johnston and his crew, there is some 
light at the end of the tunnel. The club is looking to build a dam to catch stormwater from the Barooga township which in a normal rainfall year could generate about 40 megalitres. As part of this project, the club was successful in 
the third round of the Federal Government™s 
Community Water Grants scheme, receiving 
$48,000. Looking at the wider picture, Johnston has some very firm ideas about the current situation and what could be done to remedy it.fiHaving worked on an irrigation property growing cereal crops and lucerne for the past three years, I know now that farmers are 
also very reliant on the river as well,fl says 
Johnston. fiMost irrigators now really must look at what they are growing and change their practices to suit the climate. We should never allow big properties to drain water the way they do for crops that should never be grown in this 
country. Every town should be on permanent restrictions. As supers we know that your house lawn will survive on one watering a week!fiI am lucky to have a wife and family that understand what I am going through and are very supportive. Getting up at all hours of the night changing hoses and making sure that the pumps have come on and the sprinklers have gone off when they are supposed to can get 
very draining on a relationship. fiI hope that all supers along the Murray stay strong and get through this period as it will 
rain eventually. I will say this Œ don™t be afraid 
to ask for help as there are plenty of guys out 
there who are in a similar situation to talk to if 
anything is troubling you.flFootnote* Just as this edition was going to press, river allocations had been increased. 
Goulburn-Murray Water raised allocations in the Murray system from 26 per cent to 32 per 
cent of high security allocation, while as of 14 
December allocation was increased from 22 
per cent to 32 per cent in South Australia.Monthly inflows into the River Murray system have now been below average for the past two years14AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTMELBOURNE(03) 8586 9111Fax: (03) 8586 9186SYDNEY(02) 98213277Fax: (02) 9821 3670BRISBANE(07) 3279 1588Fax: (07) 3279 1589PERTH(08) 9309 4388Fax: (08) 93094389ADELAIDE(08) 8177 2055Fax: (08) 8177 2044NEWCASTLE(02) 4950 5845Fax: (02) 4950 5895HOBART(03) 6273 0511Fax: (03) 6273 0686TOWNSVILLE(07) 4774 8222Fax: (07) 4774 8655BUNDABERG(07) 4155 9968Fax: (07) 4155 9968DARWIN(08) 8984 1600Fax: (08) 8984 1614GOLD COAST(07) 5563 2131Fax: (07) 5563 3727ELCO Solutions Pty LtdCertification Number: 8264Accreditation number: S1220792ASBunkerMat™s 1st quality UV stabilised fibres deliveringthe highest level of UV resistance.BunkerMat allows it to conform to naturalbunker contours.on the market.BunkerMatcontaminated from sub-soil.BunkerMat allows less sand to be used,thus less maintenance.BunkerMat®Contact Geofabrics  for worldwide casestudies, testimonials and test results.There is no justi˜able reason to ever use plastic or wooden tees againCANE-IT...NATURES FRIENDLIEST TEE: Creating a new ERA in golf  Environmental   Responsible    AlternativeStandard TeesStep TeesPencil TeesSPECIAL  INTRODUCTORY OFFEROffer lasts until 31st December 2007BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!RRP: $2.95 per packThere is no justi˜able reason to ever use plastic or wooden tees againCANE-IT...NATURES FRIENDLIEST TEE: Creating a new ERA in golf  Environmental   Responsible    AlternativeStandard TeesStep TeesPencil TeesSPECIAL  INTRODUCTORY OFFEROffer lasts until 31st December 2007BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!RRP: $2.95 per packADVERTORIALMaintaining a golf course today is a huge task that involves huge costs in course upkeep while complying with environmental standards and budgets. We can safely say 
that without the effort and hard work applied by our course 
superintendents and grounds staff, no one would be playing 
golf...no argument...they are the heartbeat of the golfing 
industry.Believe it or not, the golf tee has always been an enormous problem for ground staff to contend with. Most tee 
manufacturers have never considered or appreciated just what 
is involved with course maintenance, providing tees in strange 
shapes and sizes that will eventually break and be left behind 
on tee off areas. The clean up is left for greenkeepers to worry 
about.No consideration has been made as to what negative impact these tees may have on our environment (and this will continue 
to go on as long as they are made available for purchase)During our research we discovered some rather alarming facts that need to be exposed not only to the course 
superintendents but also to the general public and Global Environmental Authorities. On our recent trip to China, we called in on a golf tee manufacturer and took pictures of 
the timber being used to manufacture timber tees. Due to a 
ban on timber logging in China for disposable timber items, 
manufacturers have had to source timber from other countries 
such as Burma which are illegally imported into China. Simply go to an internet search engine and type in: ban on timber 
logging China. The images displayed are from a pile of timber 
dowels ready for production into tees, which will be imported 
into Australia and other countries. This timber has never been 
treated for any diseases or infestation, it is simply turned into 
tees, covered with a gloss paint and sent here to RIP in our 
soil. Any fumigation process on these imports after tees are 
made does not penetrate the paint or the plastic bags they are 
provided in; once they break they will be buried in our soil 
taking together with any diseases they may carry with them. Was anyone aware of this? This has been going on for quite a long time without anyone noticing and so the tee fragment 
problem extends even further and the risks on our environment 
are increasing. A huge amount of money is being spent on 
appropriate fertilisers to maintain healthy soil and yet this 
imported timber is what eventually finishes up in our soil, rather 
like a dog chasing its tail.There is a very simple, sensible and justifiable solution to all of this... Place a ban on timber tees or encourage retail 
outlets to stop buying them from importers. In today™s climate of 
environmental awareness, it is simply inappropriate to be using 
a valuable resource such as timber to make a disposable golf tee when alternatives are available; and we are not referring to plastic tees.The best sensible cure for this is prevention.The Tee Greenkeepers Have Been Waiting ForSupport Superintendents and Grounds Staff - The Heart of the Golfing IndustryCane-ItŽ will assist with course maintenance.Plastic tees and wooden tees are responsible for tons of waste that will eventually be buried into our soil, becoming an increasing burden to 
both our greenkeepers and our environment.Further problems arise as some manufacturers have started to insert steel components inside and outside of their plastic tees.Cane-ItŽ tees are 100% biodegradeable, consisting of a fibrous grass like structure. 
After being mowed by the greenkeeper, they 
shred into fibres which in turn increases 
decomposition without damaging expensive 
mower blades in the process. This results 
in massive savings to expensive machinery and assists in keeping the courses in pristine 
condition. The unsightly view of tee fragments 
that we have all become accustomed to will 
disappear.Cane-ItŽ tees are a simple, common-sense solution to a massive problem.What makes these tees even more unique is the impregnation of an organic formula 
consisting of minerals, nutrients and trace 
elements: during decomposition the fibres 
will assist with natural soil rejuvenation 
without compromising any turf management 
programmes in place. It™s the tee greenkeepers 
have been waiting for.Savings in maintenance and time, results in keeping with budgets allocated.Safe-Tees Down Under Pty Ltd ABN: 61 114 871 804TRADE & SUPPLY ENQUIRIES: Ralph Lennan & Sandie BiscoPhone: +61 7 543 76900 or 1300 361 509 Fax: +61 7 543 76766 Mobile: 0400 928 505Email: ralph@resort-sales.com.au sandie@resort-sales.com.auwww.cane-it.comThe tees available today...are responsible for this!Cane-ItŽ Golf Tees...resulting into fine fibres!A problem easily solved by simply using Cane-ItŽ bamboo teesRiver resolve River resolve river murrayTOCUMWAL GOLF CLUB Superintendent: Matthew McLeodThe 36-hole Tocumwal Golf Club has been 
surviving on bore water only for the past 
couple of years as White™s Lagoon (a major 
billabong fed by the River Murray) where our foot valve is located is virtually empty. Water levels in White™s Lagoon are just six inches and we would need at least three feet of water to enable us to draw water from it. The 
Murray needs to be 2.1m in order to flow into 
White™s Lagoon and at present the river level 
is just 1.5m.The club has a 325M groundwater licence and has brought an extra 150M so we can continue to fully water both courses this summer. When we did have access to river water, which was shandied with bore water, our general allocation was 345M and high security 
allocation 20M. Tocumwal is set to go online with Class A treated effluent which will be shandied with 
bore water. We received a $50,000 grant from 
the Federal Government™s Community Water 
Grants scheme to set up infrastructure for this. 
We will be able to take 80-140M per year.In the long term, the club is investigating a number of options. We are looking at costings of desalinating some of the bore water to use on greens and we are also thinking about relocating the foot valve in White™s Lagoon 
so we can at least get access to our river 
allocation. YARRAWONGA AND BORDERSuperintendent: Michael Swanwick
The current water situation at Yarrawonga 
& Border Golf Club is reasonably promising 
for the oncoming summer. We have 45 holes 
(two 18-hole championship courses and an ‚Executive™ nine), croquet lawns and two bowling greens. In this second part of a major look at how golf courses along the River Murray are bearing up in these drought-stricken times, superintendents Matthew McLeod, Michael Swanwick, Mal Grundy, Andrew Johnson and Kym Traeger give an insight into their current water situation. 16AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTRiver allocations are not as abundant as would be in a normal year, but we currently have (mid-November ‚07) 392M of river 
allocation comprising of high security (55M), 
general security re-credit (147M) and temporary transfer purchased water (190M). The club has also revamped its two bore water pumping spear systems. Bore allocation on two licenses is 269M which can be taken from both bores combined in a 12 month period.The club has relied on the river as its main water source for the past 50 years. In a normal 
year the club would use 550M per season, 
especially now all large turf areas such as 
fairways, intermediate roughs, tees and greens 
surrounds have been converted to Santa ana.  
Prior to the conversion, all the courses were a cool-season mixture which soaked up about 700M per season.We have seen major cuts in river allocation over the last two seasons with a 52 per cent cut to all NSW irrigators last season, with very little general security given out in that year.  This 
year again we have had only a small amount of 
high security allocated, no general security and 
only a re-credit of water which was taken away 
last year which has given us 147M.  Luckily the club has spent approximately $9000 on revamping both bores so that we could get access to the 269M allocated.Over the past 12 months the club™s water situation has been a very important and 
topical agenda item at golf club meetings, with 
many meetings discussing in depth current 
situations with water allocations or lack of 
allocation (06/07 season), exploring alternate 
water sources such as ground water, deep 
bores, stormwater harvesting and potential 
treated effluent use.  At all times the club has kept club members informed via newsletters and information sessions.  The next 12 months I envisage will be again be very cautious in regards to monitoring water use and rationing out available water recourses to get the best possible results. 
I hope that the next autumn, winter, spring seasons produce good rainfall to help fill the Hume and Dartmouth as I can see that by the end of the 07/08 irrigation season these storage facilities will be extremely low.We will be concentrating water resources on priority areas such as greens, tees and 
fairways. Hand watering has become the mainstay of keeping greens in good condition.  Other areas such as manually watered carries and quick coupling valves on intermediate roughs, along with town water-fed clubhouse lawns have been left unirrigated.Normally we would apply wetting agents to greens three times per season, but this year we 
will be adopting a more stringent programme 
with greens done every 4-5 weeks and tees 3-4 
times over the season. The club is also using 
anti-evaporation silicone based chemicals in 
course dams to help reduce water losses through evaporation.The club has been in negotiations with the Corowa Shire Council which is building a new sewerage treatment facility in Mulwala.  The 
site of the new plant is about one kilometre Tocumwal Golf Club superintendent Matthew McLeod stands above the club™s foot valve in White™s Lagoon. The club hasn™t been able to draw its river allocation for the past two years due to extreme low levels in the lagoon which is fed by the Murray17AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTSystemic Turf FungicideBayer Environmental Science 391Œ393 Tooronga Road  East Hawthorn, Vic. 3123. Ph. (03) 9248 6888  www.
bayercropscience.com.au   ABN 87 000 226 022Summer decline. It™s an inescapable threat to fine turf.  So make Chipco Signature your essential partner for  hot-weather turf management. Only Chipco Signature provides immediate protection against turf disease to strengthen turf™s 
natural defences. The result is stronger turf that builds up 
carbohydrates which lowers respiration during periods of stress. 
With Chipco Signature in your fungicide tank-mix, your fine turf won™t just survive Œ it will thrive.YOUR ESSENTIAL SUMMER SURVIVAL KITChipco® and SignatureŽ are Trademarks of Bayer.  Bayer Environmental Science is a business group of  Bayer Cropscience Pty Ltd. BET0005 The Hopkins Part.river murrayfrom the course and access to Class A water could be online for the 08/09 season.  About 
200M of treated effluent would be produced 
each year and the club has two storage dams 
which hold a capacity of 55M to store this water.  Another alternative that the club is investigating is the underground water aquifer running through the course which is currently 
being monitored by HLA Enviro Science on 
behalf of the ADI manufacturing plant. There 
have been three test bores sunk on the club™s 
land and regular water quality monitoring is being carried out.  The club has been contacted on numerous occasions regarding the use of this groundwater and in the future a trial site may be set up on the couch nursery.The club has also had on its agenda for the past few years to purchase more permanent high security water to boost the current 114M 
that exists on our license.  A purchase of 200M 
of Victorian high security water at a cost of $400,000 is currently being transferred onto the club™s license.  This is the first application for Victorian water to be transferred onto a NSW license under new interstate legislation that was passed last year.The purchase of water for this year and last year combined has at this stage halted 
our 07/08 machinery replacement programme and also slowed down our capital works programme which would be approximately $300,000 per year combined.  The club also had a greens replacement programme that 
was to be implemented on the Murray Course 
this year, but understandably this has had to 
be put on hold until water allocations are back to somewhere near normal.The course maintenance budget is still as per normal and a close eye is being kept on all expenditure areas. An increase on 
purchasing of wetting agents this season will 
occur but some of this cost can be offset as 
there has been a significant reduction in pre-
emergent herbicides purchased for summer grass control due to drought conditions.As for the wider picture, I have a few suggestions which may help towards improving the current situation:  Limit or restrict the amount of new allocation approvals until more storage facilities are 
built;Permanent Level 1 or 2 water restrictions 
all year around and incentives for 
householders to water their gardens with 
rainwater or grey water via tanks;All large turf facilities such as golf courses, councils and other sporting facilities should implement strategic water management plans;Large turf complexes, wherever possible, 
to source two or three different irrigation 
water sources.  A combination of any 
would help drought proof their facilities;Using drought-tolerant grasses;Prioritising water zones on turf facilities 
so that areas that are less important are 
left unirrigated in the event of drought 
conditions;Careful administering of water allocations 
each irrigation season by relevant state 
government authorities to all irrigators; 
andProposed studies should be conducted into 
the increasing population along the Murray 
system, the increase in irrigation and town 
water use along the system.  Over the past 
25 years that I have been involved in our 
area as an irrigator I have seen a huge 
demand on this precious resource that has 
a very limited catchments area compared to the ever increasing demand placed upon it.I am sure that most superintendents have moments of insanity when it seems 
that everything is stacked against them. Overwhelming events such as floods, droughts, heat waves and problem staff are all sent to try even the most knowledgeable, weather-beaten, hardnosed super.  Throw in a couple of teenage children into the mix and it is a wonder that there isn™t a special asylum just for golf course superintendents. I have found that in my area along the river all the course supers from Swan Hill through to Albury and as far south as Shepparton have With 45 holes, croquet lawns and bowling greens to irrigate, water management has been a crucial part of superintendent Michael Swanwick™s role at Yarrawonga and Border18AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTa great network that if any problem arises we can call each other and have a good old 
fashioned chat about what is going on and life 
in general. It™s the camaraderie and knowing you are not the only poor bugger going through these events that helps you get through any problem.  Most of the supers along the river have either been there and done that and have 
usually found some way to overcome or cope 
with whatever is thrown their way, be it by 
Mother Nature or situations that arise in their working life.  Like most things, necessity is the mother of invention and it™s usually the case of find a way 
to solve a problem or call someone that may know how to help you.  Most supers I know 
are an inventive lot and will try almost anything 
within reason to solve the problem and keep 
their sanity in tact.MURRAY BRIDGE GOLF CLUBSuperintendent: Mal Grundy
The Murray Bridge Golf Club is totally reliant 
on pumping irrigation water directly from the Murray River.  Due to the well documented drought and extreme low flows to the Murray-Darling system, our normal allocation of 216M, of which we use an average 60-65 per cent 
(130-140M) has been reduced to 16 per cent 
(34.5meg).To make things worse Murray Bridge has experienced extreme dry and windy 
weather when, in an average season, we get 
a bit of help.  This made us start our irrigation programme season in mid August and it hasn™t let up since.  As well as low rainfall levels, 
river data also predicts salinity to rise above 
1200ppm, which will also certainly have an impact on turf management, not to mention 
added cost of foot valve work.The club has now looked at the priorities of turf with the obvious of green/surrounds, tees, 
approaches and fairways (in order of priority).  
We need 35M for greens alone, a further 10M 
for tees and without purchasing more water there™s none for the fairways.  The club as ‚leased™ a further 25M at a cost of $26,000 and is crunching the numbers to see which rich members to suck up to for another 20M.We have a small flood mitigation area on the course being fed from council stormwater.  We currently pump out of these dams into 
our 600-litre spray unit to pick up hot spots on greens only, but this is only a band aid solution.  The local council has funded the testing of a bore which is used to dispose the storm water.  Primary testing shows that reasonable water quality at a rate of 2l/s but 
this has not been tried for longer than 5-6 hour 
periods. Effluent is not an option, as I suppose the mentality of the river being a renewable, 
endless, reliable resource has prompted the powers that be to pump all effluent as far as humanly possible from the town which therefore restricts the cost effectiveness of pumping it all the way back to use on reserves, 
parks, etc.The club relies on casual green fees to approximately 120,000-130,000 per year and 
as the course fairways dry off it™s fair to say 
so will the green fee dollars.  We are situated 
one hour from Adelaide on the south eastern freeway so our visiting clients pass four well maintained, bore-irrigated hills courses.  I also mentioned our foot valve.  It currently has approximately 200-300mm cover of water, with the boffins saying that river levels could 
drop a further 800mm by March.  We are 
looking at spending in excess of $10,000 to put 
in a new foot valve system to reach the water 
we have bought.Among all the doom and gloom, Geelong won the AFL premiership and our shed™s strategic playing of a wildcard to win the AGCSA footy tipping comp (hello Berri boys!) gave us some light relief. Looking at the bigger picture, though, I don™t have to look far to see family farms being left by the score and I do feel that this situation 
has got the potential to change the social 
fabric of this state™s Murray irrigation area forever! There are a lot of people doing it a lot tougher than us, but if significant rains don™t fall soon things will be a lot worse.RICH RIVER GOLF CLUBSuperintendent: Andrew JohnsonRich River, a 36-hole club, draws all its water 
from Murray River for its total water supply. 
Irrigation has been limited on fairways to once 
a week while greens and tees are watered 2-3 times per week. Dry areas on fairways are topped up with extra water via stand sprinklers.It has only been the last couple of years that watering the course has been extremely tough, due to no water allocations from a lack 
of rainfall in the water catchments of Hume and 
Dartmouth. The club has a general security 
water allocation of 1391M and 56M of high 
security. In a normal year, which we have not seen for a long while, our water usage from the 
Murray is between 600-700M. This is probably 
a lot of water to most clubs but the club also 19AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTtentlltvtktekltlDavid Golf & Engineering Pty Ltd    VIC 1300 790 890      NSW 02 9524 5131     QLD 07 3353 6196   www.davidgolf.com.ausupplies water to a 100-acre vineyard and maintains water levels in five hectares of lakes 
and dam systems on course.The water situation is far worse now than 12 months ago. The club has less water 
available but there has been more rain late 
in the season, which has taken pressure of watering for the time being. If the current water situation dose not improve over the next 6-8 
months I do not envisage much water available 
for the 2007-2008 watering season. Our 
watering regime has been adjusted months 
ago. Wetting agents on tees and greens have 
been applied fortnightly and water has been 
purchased as it is required.Considering that water from the river might not be available next year, the club has investigated two alternative water supplies Πeffluent and bore water. Unfortunately we 
cannot get access to effluent water but are 
have made an application for a test bore 
licence for access to ground water in early 
2008.The 2006-2007 watering season the water authority suspended 52 per cent of water allocations three months into the season. This hurt a lot of primary producers and also our 
club. Prior to this announcement I had put in 
place measures of reducing our evaporation 
and seepage losses in our dams and lake 
systems. Closing off the lakes that were not required for irrigation and using the water for watering gave the club a good backup water supply. 
Unfortunately it did leave all the lakes very 
barren and desolate but the course was alive 
and in fairly good condition (we lose up to 80M 
a year in seepage and evaporation losses). In 2006, the club was successful in a community water grant of $47,000 for harvesting stormwater off an adjacent industrial estate. This pump station and pipeline was installed 
in the spring of 2006. It is estimated when the 
industrial estate is fully operational we expect 
to receive 50M annually.At this stage our water management issues have taken a high priority and other major 
capital works have been put on hold. Generally the golfing public do expect to have a green course when they play golf. There has been a down turn from green fees over the past two years. Whether this is from the drought 
or increased competition from other courses 
I don™t know.Looking into the future, I strongly believe that local and federal governments have to invest huge amounts of money on improving infrastructure on how and the way we store water. BERRI GOLF CLUBSuperintendent: Kym TraegerThe Berri Golf Club is in a reasonable position 
at the moment, thanks to the EPA, Health 
Department, United Utilities and the Berri-
Barmera Council. Fortunately through those parties we have been able to access recycled 
water for our tees and fairways, at a reduced 
application at our ‚farm gate™ of 0.5M.Previously reliant on mainly River Murray waste and some factory waste water, we are 
in the situation where we can water fairways 
twice weekly with recycled and greens with river water.  Through community grants, we are in the process of installing a new irrigation 
system including pumps to service the greens 
and approaches with Murray water while it 
lasts.With summer on our doorstep our annual allocation of 161M, reduced to 22 per cent, 
along with some carry over, stands at about 
39M which leaves us short 12-15M based 
on 2005-06 consumption.  We started with a 
management plan but with so little water at this time what™s the point!  The hoses and water birds are out and the Toro hand held is almost worn out.  Capital expenditure has been all but suspended as we 
concentrate on a new system for the greens 
using river water.The next 12 months will be interesting to see where things go, especially with Victoria 
refusing to sign up with other states on the federal government scheme for one.  With more fiwater authoritiesfl bobbing up, more levies to pay, and not a compromise or a 
worthwhile brain between the decision-makers, 
who knows where we will be in 2008 and 
beyond.river murraySome of Yarrawonga and Border™s aesthetic lakes have completely dried up due to the drought20AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTHe won™t lie awake at night worrying about his turf. Or his reputation. And nor will you, thanks to HERITAGE MAXX®from Syngenta. Designed exclusivelyfor turf, the smaller particles of the new micro-emulsion formulation enable a 25% faster foliar intake and 100% faster root uptakeŒproducingearlier protection against disease*. Liquid HERITAGE MAXX not only provides longer lasting, broad spectrum control but also negligible odour, 
stabletank mixes and ease of measurement. So, for peace of mind and a playing surface second to 
none, choose new liquid HERITAGE MAXX. Protect your turf and your reputation. For more informationvisit www.greencast.com.auor call the Syngenta Technical Product Advice line on 1800 067 108.Protect your turf and your reputation*University studies show an increase in efficacy by up to 15% against anthracnose. ®Registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company ABN 33 002 933 717SYN027 FP AT 05/181Rest assured with new HERITAGEMAXX.The liquid fungicide designed exclusively for turf.indiaIn December 2002, Colonel K.D. Bagga (retired) on a visit to Australia met with NSW 
superintendents Gary Dempsey (New South Wales Golf Club) and Martyn Black (Castle Hill 
Country Club).  The discussions that occurred 
inspired Col. Bagga to establish an association 
for Indian golf course superintendents.In 2005, following a meeting between then AGCSA chief executive Steven Potts, 
Martyn Black, Gary Dempsey and Col. Bagga, 
the AGCSA was able to provide some small 
inspiration and assistance to the newly formed 
Golf Course Superintendents and Managers Association of India (GCS&MAI).In 2006, Martyn Black represented the AGCSA at the inaugural conference and 
provided further inspiration and a sense of what a fraternal association is all about Πfriendship, fun and shared experiences. In typical Blacky fashion he wrote himself into the annals of Indian history by winning the 
GCS&MAI™s golf championship and then the 
World Amateur Inter-Team Challenge.In October 2007, the AGCSA was again invited to be part of the second GCS&MAI golf 
show and seminar and along with president Jeff Gambin and Gary Dempsey we gave 10 presentations and shared our experiences with about 100 attendees in New Delhi. With a burgeoning economy and greater discretional spending, the sport of golf in India 
is increasing in popularity, as is the number 
of golf courses.  What is apparent is that the demand for improving the condition of golf courses is out-pacing the current greenkeeping expertise and the number of experienced golf course superintendents.  While Australian golf courses are trying to ease back in the maintenance stakes, in India there is a demand for increased maintenance 
and presentation. Our impressions from the 
conference are that there is a lot to learn, the potential is high and the enthusiasm is increasing.  My impression of the Indian golf scene during this relative short stay is one of a 
dichotomy of contradictions.  On the one hand Subcontinent sojournSubcontinent sojournBY JOHN NEYLANIn 2006, then AGCSA Board member Martyn Black represented the AGCSA at the inaugural seminar hosted by the Golf Course Superintendents and Managers Association of India (GCS&MAI). That pioneering journey, during which he wrote himself into Indian folklore by winning the annual GCS&MAI golf championship, sparked an ongoing relationship between the two associations. In October 2007, the AGCSA was invited to attend the second seminar hosted in New Delhi, with AGCSA president Jeff Gambin joining AGCSA general manager John Neylan and NSW superintendent Gary Dempsey for a week-long subcontinent sojourn.Dehli Golf Club is routed through an ancient burial site where the tombs of forgotten Moguls provide a spectacular backdrop to the course.  There are 22 significant monuments on course dating back some 1200 years22AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTthere are environmental concerns such as the desire to preserve the native flora, while on 
the other hand some work practices would 
challenge any WorkCover official.GCS&MAI SEMINARThe GCS&MAI seminar and golf industry show 
began amid much fanfare with the opening 
ceremony featuring an Indian military pipe 
band, just one of the many British influences 
that remain throughout the country.The seminar started early Saturday morning under the chairmanship of Colonel Uberoi. He is well known for his dry wit and somewhat close to the edge jokes and 
was easily encouraged to share one with the 
audience. It was a calming surprise in what 
appeared to be a very formal atmosphere.Col. Bagga opened proceedings with a passionate speech about where the Indian 
association had come from and how it was starting to achieve some of the aims that had initially been set. Col. Bagga is a golf course 
architect and a visionary with a passion for 
taking golf in India to a new level. A large 
part of achieving this vision is acknowledging 
that education is a critical factor in the 
training and advancement of the skills of turf 
managers employed on Indian golf courses. His catchphrase was that you required fisuper intentfl in being a superintendent.Col. Bagga has been the key person driving the GCS&MAI and was faced with the onerous task of organising this seminar at a time when he was grieving for his wife who died earlier in the year. It gave us much 
pleasure to share a meal with him after day one 
of the seminar and to hear him express that the 
success of the day had lifted a great weight off 
his shoulders.The seminar was great fun and the local speakers appeared to attract the most scrutiny. As Martyn Black experienced last year, discussions quickly turned into raging 
blues. With the AGCSA contingent we were 
very politely treated and usually swamped at 
the breaks with a multitude of questions.One of the more intriguing presentations was by Mr. G.S. Mani and his talk on ‚Virtuous 
Indian Fertilisation Programs, Bio-dynamic Ways™. It was an interesting talk on the use of a combination of cow horn and other manures that are buried in the ground to compost and then extracted and water filtered through to produce an organic liquid fertiliser. Mr. Mani was passionate about his indigenous flora and the removal of the dreaded water-stealing eucalypts and was undertaking 
the planting of indigenous trees on his golf 
course. One of the more intriguing aspects of 
his talk was the effect that dehorning cattle has 
on their well-being and the resulting cosmic 
imbalances that occur!A local agronomist, Dr. Naresh Pancholi, also spoke on the use of organic fertilisers 
and the importance of keeping the cost 
of maintenance low. This created another 
animated discussion about the convenience 
and availability of applying various plant 
extracts such as neem and castor cake. 
Dr. Pancholi has applied for an Australian Government-sponsored study bursary and we hope to see him in Australia in 2008.Gary Dempsey, John Neylan and Jeff Gambin represented the AGCSA at the GCS&MAI seminar in New Dehli last October. Here they are pictured with Col. Bagga (second from left) and staff from Royal Spring Golf Course in Kashmir, including female superintendent Nuzhat Gul23AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTCreeping BentgrassThe Masters TouchEXCELLENT YEAR ROUND PERFORMANCEUNIFORM PUTTING SURFACEEXCELLENT WEAR TOLERANCEREDUCED FUNGICIDE REQUIREMENT
FINE LEAF TEXTUREREDUCED BALL MARKSindiaAs for the AGCSA contingent, we gave 10 presentations. Jeff Gambin spoke about the AGCSA, managing warm-season grasses and 
weed control,  while Gary Dempsey spoke 
on ERI disease, strategic planning and the environment. I spoke on cost vs quality, new warm-season grasses, and diseases, and co-presented with Jeff on weed control. Jeff and Gary represented the AGCSA and the superintendent profession extremely well and 
were very well received.During our stay we visited several golf courses, all different and providing a variety of layouts and back drops. With the majority of golf courses in India owned by the military, there is a strong military presence at many of the privately owned golf courses. Retired military officers work as club managers, secretaries 
and course managers. Every course we visited 
had a special problem area that the AGCSA 
contingent was asked to comment on. DELHI GOLF CLUBThe Delhi Golf Club dates back to at least 1930 and possibly earlier with the club having a trophy dating back to 1911.  The course is 27 holes and was remodelled by Peter Thomson in 1977-1978. Over time it has been 
finetuned by various greens committees and 
currently Australian golf course architect Phil 
Ryan (Pacific Coast Design) is providing a 
redesign of the ‚Peacock 9™.  The golf course is routed through an ancient burial site where the tombs of forgotten Moguls provide a spectacular backdrop to the golf course.  There are 22 significant monuments on the golf course dating back some 1200 years. The Delhi Golf Club is in the 
middle of a bustling and bursting metropolis 
and has provided a means of preserving these 
significant artefacts.  It was following WWII that the government of the day prevented the neglected course 
(due to the war) from being developed as 
housing and it now provides a green wedge in the middle of one of the most highly urbanised cities of the world (Delhi has a population of 
about 10 million).Staff averages about 100, with superintendent Pradeep Joshi having an 
agricultural degree.  Traditionally the course has relied on lots of cheap labour and not a lot of equipment, however this is changing with the need to lift the course to a new level and to manage around 100,000 rounds a year.  To cope with the divots there are 10-12 ladies out 
divotting each day.The green s are Tifdwarf, which were very well presented and maintained at about 
4-5mm cutting height.  The fairways consist 
of a beautiful native Cynodon sp. called Doob (also Doub) grass and appears superior to the Tifway seen at other courses.  The main weed problem is Cyperus sp. (sedges) and without a registered herbicide available, hand-weeding 
is a primary form of control.As the golf course is carved through what was once jungle, an injudicious slice or hook 
takes you into dense vegetation and cobra 
country. Trees surround several greens which impact on turf maintenance, however the trees are protected under various environmental laws and any thinning or clearing is a drawn out bureaucratic process. The Delhi region has an extreme climate with a winter minimum temperature of 2-4oC (with a 20oC max) where the Cynodon sp. goes into dormancy for about eight weeks. 
In summer, temperatures can reach a 
regular blistering maximum in the mid-40s 
and combined with a two-month wet season 
provides a very hot, wet and humid climate. The Delhi Golf Club was an absolute highlight and very well presented and again hosted the 2007 Indian Open and will host a European PGA event in early 2008. Following our first day dodging all manner of traffic Πthree-wheel taxis, cows, cars, trucks, 
bicycles and pedestrians, which were all going 
somewhere in a hurry, even up the wrong side 
of the road Πwe spent an evening with the 
Delhi Golf Club greens committee.  Hosted by club captain Ranji Chaudhri and secretary Rajiv Hora, we discussed a number of turf issues and it just goes to show that committees have the same concerns no matter where you go in 
the world. JAYPEE GREENSThis Greg Norman-designed course is proclaimed to be the longest in India at 7343 yards. It is an open course, with few trees and a penalising series of nine large waterways and five smaller ponds that are always in play. 
Jaypee Greens also boasts a five-hectare 
driving range and teaching facility.It is typical of many modern courses and is an integral part of a housing subdivision 
on a land area of 75 hectares.  The 88 white 
sand bunkers are a prominent feature of this layout and provide the 65 staff with plenty to do. The general manager (maintenance) is Colonel K.K.K. Singh (retd.) and the book on golf course management by Dr. James Beard 
is their ‚bible™.On the day of our visit the course was hosting a tournament and there is no doubt 
that professional golfers have attitude no 
matter where you go.The greens are Tifdwarf and there has been considerable mutation resulting in the typical patchy appearance that is often seen on old hybrid Cynodon sp. greens.  The plan 
is to convert to TifEagle in the future.  The 
greens are maintained at 4-5mm for general 
play and at 3mm for the tournament.  The 
fairways are Tifway (or Evergreen) and both fairways, greens, tees and roughs were very well presented.The soils on the site are calcareous and combined with alkaline water presents Dusting greens, Indian style, at Dehli Golf ClubA team of up to 12 women are responsible for divotting at Dehli Golf Club24AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTchallenges in maintaining turf health due to increasing soil pH and salinity.GOLDEN GREENS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUBOff early again and into the crush of traffic and out into the rural back blocks to a real hidden gem.  Down a long country track that challenged our driver™s skills, we arrived at a ‚desert™ links course that had a similar aspect to the Alice Springs Golf Club.  With dry mountains as 
the backdrop, this Martin Hawtree-designed 
course is something special. In the middle of farm land, this course is truly minimalist and follows the principles of links maintenance and is lean, mean, hard, fast and bouncy. The golf course is constructed on a sandy loam soil and experiences a range of weather conditions Πlight winter frosts, 
summer temperatures up to 45oC and dense fogs in January/February with the monsoon 
during July/August. The combination of an 
open landscape, firm and fast surfaces and 
winds that are funnelled through the course by 
the surrounding hills provide a major golfing 
challenge.The greens are Tifdwarf and without an automatic irrigation system they are watered 
by hand by a crew of 20 ladies that is also 
responsible for divotting.  The fairways are 
common couchgrass and are watered via quick 
couplers. The course is maintained by 35 staff 
under the management of Wing Commander 
K.K. Singh (retd.) who is a devotee of links courses and their management.Lunch at Golden Greens was an introduction to traditional Indian fare with a selection of dishes. The small, innocuous green chillies 
disguised as beans, sitting beside the sedate 
tomato, cucumber and carrot, was president 
Jeff™s first experience of hot and feisty. Trying to pretend everything was ok, the flush in the face and the sweating brow soon alerted the rest of us that he was in strife. Welcome to Indian cuisine! NOIDA GOLF CLUBThe Noida Golf Club hosted the GCS&MAI Golf Championship and it was a pity that 
Blacky couldn™t defend his title. The course 
is managed by Blacky™s humorous mate Col. 
Uberoi who gave us the tour with two of his ground staff. There was much to discuss and the greenkeepers were most interested in the opinions of Jeff and Gary. 25AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTExclusive Australian Distributorwww.toro.com.auFor more information speak with your local Toro representative.For Customer Service call 1800 356 372HERO/TOR1652JWE™RE ON YOUR TURF.MAKING LIFE EASIERTHE FORMULA FOR TOP-NOTCH TURF BEGINS WITH THE MH-400 MATERIAL HANDLER AND THE PP-180 TOP DRESSER. TOP DRESS ALL YOUR  GREENS IN UNDER TWO HOURS USING THIS UNBEATABLE COMBINATION.WWW.TYCROPTURF.COMindiaThe golf course has been remodelled by Col. Bagga and the local  Doob grass has been used to great effect on the greens, tees and fairways.  This natural selection of Cynodon (considered to be an agricultural weed in India) is fine-leafed and under close cutting produces a dense turf and a good putting surface. The grass selections follow the philosophy of Col. Bagga in utilising native grass species that require minimal 
maintenance.The golf course relies on groundwater that is alkaline and high in salinity and it poses 
problems around the course.  A vertidrain and wetting agents would undoubtedly assist the maintenance of this golf course. The golf course has developed a stormwater and aquifer recharge system to catch water during the monsoon in a flood basin which soaks into the soil and recharges 
the aquifer. With the recent development of the 
aquifer recharge schemes in South Australia it 
is interesting that India has already started a similar programme of water conservation.TAJ MAHALOne of the many highlights of the trip to India was visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the 
World Πthe Taj Mahal.  The trip to Agra is 
an event in itself with all manner of transport 
sharing the road. As we ran into a procession of 50,000 people walking to Delhi in protest 
against some of the government™s policies on 
developing rural areas, all hell broke loose as 
four clogged lanes shared two lanes for several 
kilometres. At our breakfast stop, president Jeff learnt that if a man offers to wash your hands in the toilet you are expected to pay! The 
ensuing discussions and explanations were 
most amusing. The scale, geometry and workmanship of the Taj Mahal are breathtaking and challenge 
the mind in how such a wonder could have 
been constructed some 400 years ago.  
Another great feature is the beautiful gardens that frame the Taj which add to its precise geometry.  The gardens provide a unique 
tranquillity where peace and quiet is a rare commodity.The lawns are a feature of this beautiful landscape and consist of the local Doob grass and there was not a weed in sight.  The lawns leading up to the Taj have a unique pattern of paving that appeared to be used to direct water over the lawn area via flood irrigation. Another feature of the lawns was watching them being mown with a push cylinder mower.  
As curious turfies, we approached the workers for a few photos and Jeff and Gary were quickly 
invited to put their skills to the test.  They must 
have looked like greenkeepers or maybe just 
another chance to score a few rupees.HOSPITALITYThe hospitality provided during our stay is 
incalculable and there are many people to 
thank. Thanks must go to Col. Bagga. He is a 
wonderful gentleman and a great enthusiast for 
golf in India and assisting in the development and training of golf course superintendents. Blacky™s host Brigadier Bains (retd.) provided us with a memorable evening at his home and regaled us with stories of how Blacky drank all 
his beer (and some more). Our host for most of the trip was Rakesh Sharma from construction company Alert Golf. 
Rakesh looked after us wherever we went and taking us into the depths of Old Delhi was an absolute highlight, albeit a little confronting. A 
skilled negotiator, Rakesh managed to beat down the price on everything we purchased and provided us with a unique insight into India. We will forever value his friendship and 
hope that one day we can return some of his 
generosity. Among the many interesting people we met were the staff from the Royal Spring Golf 
Course in Kashmir.  At several thousand feet above sea level it is a Trent Jones Jr course using cool-season grasses.  The course manger is Nuzhat Gul who is one of the few 
female turf managers in India and is indicative 
of the enthusiastic future for golf course 
superintendents and the profession.Gary Dempsey and Jeff Gambin get a once in a lifetime opportunity to tend to the turf at India™s iconic Taj Mahal26AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTContact: John PurtellMobile: 0418 264 290www.turfcraftmachinery.com.auTel: 02 9771 9030Fax: 02 9771 9060Email: John@turfcraftmachinery.com.auEmail:john.purtell@bigpond.comTRF1099618TINES/SLITTERS/SCARIFIERSFor Turf Maintenance Machinery -Engineered by Turfcraft Machinery Australia.to suit Australian ConditionsAll tines are manufactured from high qualityAustralian Steel and heat treated to exactspecification to ensure Long Life andDurability.Nestled in the Adelaide suburb of Seaton resides one of Australia™s celebrated sand belt courses. Royal Adelaide Golf Club needs little introduction and it is 
widely acknowledged in golfing circles as being among the best in Australia and the world.Indeed, when US Golf Magazine released its list of the world™s top 100 
golf courses late in 2007, the Alister MacKenzie masterpiece easily retained its status among the world™s elite layouts. Coming in at 75, it was one of six Australian courses 
to make the exalted list, again reaffirming not only the excellent 
courses this country boasts but also the fine work being undertaken by those superintendents employed to keep them in world class condition.Royal Adelaide is home to superintendent Jeff Kaines who is about to enter his ninth year at the helm. Together with long-serving assistant Mark Everingham and a greenkeeping crew of 14, Kaines always has Royal Adelaide looking in top condition and helping achieve that, not surprisingly, is a full complement of Toro equipment. Royal Adelaide™s ‚red shed™ houses:  Seven Greensmaster 1000 walk-behinds  Three 3250-D triplex mowers  One Reelmaster 3100-D 
Sidewinder surrounds  Nine Workman 2110 utility vehicles  Two 5500-D fairway units  328-D and 3000-D rough cutters  One Multi Pro 1250 spray unit  Two Sand Pro bunker rakes  Toro Site Pro 2.2, central decoder 
systemWhile Kaines is an admirer of all his Toro equipment, the one product that really stands out in his mind is 
the SitePro irrigation central control system. Royal Adelaide was one of the first courses in Australia to install the original version of SitePro 
back in the late 1990s with Toro using it as a test site. fiThe SitePro system is probably the best tool we have on the course,fl says Kaines. fiIt™s very flexible and makes watering the course a breeze.flSince its introduction, SitePro has grown to be the most widely used central control system in the golf course industry, giving superintendents the features they need and the options they want. One of its key features is that it can 
be customised to suit the specific needs of any golf course. Royal Adelaide has recently taken delivery of the latest SitePro version (v2.2) which in addition to the many excellent standard features 
boasts a number of new features and enhancements:  Supports new Network VP 
Satellites and GDC (Golf Decoder Control) systems  New graphics to freshen the look and feel  Sequential station group multi 
manuals  Hardware changes to improve speed and performance  New architecture to improve 
navigation and enable users to select screens simultaneously  Faster, new reporting structures 
allowing users to extract into spreadsheets   New alarm responses and 
projected flow views  Pump integrationAs far as fine turf management is concerned, Toro™s precision line-up of mowing equipment helps maintain Royal Adelaide™s 
predominantly bent greens and native couch fairways in pristine condition all year round. Toro™s Greensmaster 1000 has earned a legendary reputation for superior greens mowing worldwide 
and is the mower of choice for many prestigious courses. Royal Adelaide Toro Turf TourRoyal Adelaide has a proud reputation as one of Australia™s elite coursesRoyal Adelaide™s greens are always in peak condition thanks to the Greensmaster 1000Royal Adelaide has nine Workman 2110s 28AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTcan certainly vouch for that and Kaines has seven of the units at his disposal.fiWe will always use the walk-behinds to mow the greens here at Royal Adelaide and you really can™t beat the Greensmaster 1000 for their 
performance,fl says Kaines. fiThe 1000s certainly produce that superb 
finish on the bent greens.fiAlso with the fine turf cutting equipment like the Greensmaster 
1000s, as well as the 3250-D triplex, our turf technician finds them very easy to work on, and the reliability is, of course, second to none.fl The whisper-quiet performance of the 3.7 hp (2.8 kW) OHV Kawasaki engine on the Greensmaster 1000 has also won many fans in both operators and neighbours. The low noise level is safe on ears and won™t wake the neighborhood when mowing in the 
morning. And to keep technicians happy, the engine design provides 
easy access to service points while 
a sealed gearbox and drive belts require no lubricants that could 
damage greens. Kaines can also call on three 3250-D triplex mowers, two of 
which are set up for greens and the 
other for tees. The versatile 3250-D is powered by a large, 3-cylinder, 
21hp Briggs and Stratton, Vanguard/Daihatsu liquid-cooled diesel engine 
which provides the performance needed. The revolutionary cutting system on the 3250-D offers a single high 
performance cutting unit, with a choice of 8- or 11-blade reels. The new cutting system is standard on all Toro riding greensmowers and as replacement units for any existing Toro riding greensmowers. Features include the ability to cut as low as 1.6mm for new cultivars and the quality of cut is enhanced with the aluminum cutting unit frame which holds 
adjustment and maintains constant cutting edge position. Sealed reel 
and roller bearings eliminate daily 
maintenance and the popular dual point adjustment system from the 
Greensmaster 1000 makes any adjustment simple and accurate. Kaines is also a big fan of the Toro Workman 2110 utilities Πas is the rest of his crew for that matter Πso much so that Royal Adelaide 
has a fleet of nine. Kaines says the 2110 is a lot quieter than its main 
competitor and from a comfort point of view is superior to any 
other utility on the market. The Workman 2110 utility features hydraulic front disc and rear drum brakes that provide optimum braking performance under hilly or heavy load conditions. The powerful 16hp engine and the hydraulic braking system also allow for extraordinary towing capacity of up to 550kg when using a heavy-duty tow hitch.fiMore than anything though, what I particularly like is Toro™s 
customer service and their backup,fl adds Kaines. fiIf we™ve 
got something on like a major 
tournament and we need extra Location: Royal Adelaide Golf Club Superintendent: Jeff KainesToro Turf TourADVERTISEMENTRoyal Adelaide recently upgraded to the latest version of Toro's SitePro irrigation control systemRoyal Adelaide has three 3250-D mowers, 
two used on greens and one for tees29AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTLocation: Royal Adelaide Golf Club Superintendent: Jeff Kainesmachinery, or if something has broken down and is out of action, I know I can always 
source additional or replacement machinery quickly. Whether it™s 
lending a new one out of the showroom or picking up one from somewhere else, there is no issue.fiAnd the trade value with Toro equipment is always very good. We actually get quite a lot of smaller clubs contacting us wanting to know when we are purchasing new 
machinery. They want to get hold of our old Toro equipment because 
they know we look after them very well and they do such a good job.flAll eyes on AdelaideRoyal Adelaide is no stranger to tournaments and over the 
years has hosted nine Australian Opens and 16 Australian Amateur 
Championships. 2008 is set to be another big year for the club and 
in October it will play host to one of the game™s biggest and most 
anticipated tournaments.From 4-19 October, Royal Adelaide, in conjunction with the 
nearby The Grange Golf Club, will be hosting the World Amateur Teams Championships for the Eisenhower Cup and Espirito Santo trophy, which will see the world™s leading amateur male and female golfers converge on Adelaide. The World Amateur Team Championships was founded in 1958 and is a bi-annual event run by the International Golf Federation 
in conjunction with the host nation™s governing body of golf. 
The global event is the pinnacle of the amateur game for the world™s leading amateur golfers and 
2008 marks the second occasion that Australia has hosted the championships and the 50th year since the inaugural Eisenhower Trophy was played at St Andrews.With the eyes of the golfing world set to focus on Royal Adelaide, Kaines is acutely aware of the need to get the course in peak condition. Fortunately he will be able to call on the expertise of his elite crew and the reliability and performance of his Toro fleet which is tailor-made for bringing the best out of golf courses come 
tournament time. fiWe™re really looking forward to the tournament and showcasing the 
course to the world,fl says Kaines. fiBeing the biggest amateur golf event in the world, the expectation 
from the International Golf Federation is that the greens will 
be very, very good and all over 
course presentation will be hugely important.fiIn that regard it™s great to know that we can rely on our equipment 
to deliver the results and having 
Toro on board will certainly make our job that little bit easier.flToro Turf TourADVERTISEMENTThe Reelmaster 3100-D always gets a good workout on the Royal Adelaide surroundsThe 
5500-D fairway 
unitThe Toro 3100-D rough cutter30AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT31AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTHERO/TOR1798JROYAL ADELAIDE IS COUNTING ON TORO IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE.Consistently ranked in the top 5 courses in Australia, Royal Adelaide had been a host to many of Australia™s greatest 
tournaments and golf™s most heroic moments.With Alister McKenzie™s unmistakable in˜uence in its design, this classic Australian course maintains its high standards with 
the help of Toro Total Solutions, an integrated approach to 
course management and maintenance with Toro commercial 
turf equipment and Toro irrigation systems.They also know they can count on Toro for backup support, advice and service. It™s nice to know we are helping in more 
ways than one.For more information speak with your local  Toro representative. 
For commercial customer service call 1800 356 372 
For irrigation customer service call 1800 130 898www.toro.com32 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTagcsatech updateBY JOHN NEYLANAGCSA ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE LOGOGolf courses often occupy significant tracts of urban land that may be in ecologically sensitive 
areas and provide a number of benefits to the 
community and the environment.Golf course management is an intensive form of horticulture and requires moderate 
levels of inputs in order to sustain the quality 
of golfing surfaces. High quality turf requires a 
constant, good quality water supply, moderate 
nutrient levels, applications of pesticides; and 
energy inputs in operating machinery, pump 
stations and facilities.  All this often occurs in environmentally sensitive locations where the golf course 
operation not only has to manage the turf 
but also native flora and fauna, waterways, 
wetlands and soils.Golf course management has become a high-tech industry, with an increasing range 
of new technologies available to assist golf 
courses in becoming more eco-efficient. The 
rapid adoption of new technologies and new 
practices has led to a greater understanding of 
potential environmental impacts.   Environmental responsibility is a core value of the Australian golf industry which recognises 
the important role it plays in maintaining golf 
courses in a sustainable and environmentally 
responsible manner. To help facilitate this, over the past year the AGCSA has rolled out its Environmental 
Initiative which has an ongoing commitment 
to improving environmental management. 
Through the Environmental Initiative the 
golf industry is committing to environmental 
excellence by:  Integrating environmental factors into business decisions;  Striving to meet and, where appropriate, 
exceed the requirements of all relevant 
legislation, regulations and other 
requirements to which the industry 
subscribes;   Developing and maintaining the AGCSA™s 
Golf Environmental Management 
Strategy that distinguishes the Australian 
golfing industry as the world leader in 
environmental management;   Encouraging commitment to the 
environment through training and 
awareness programmes;   Constantly striving to achieve continual 
improvement and the prevention of 
pollution in the environmental performance 
of golf courses;   Promoting water management strategies 
to all members;   Continuing to support and further enhance 
integrated pest management strategies;  Setting environmental objectives and targets and assessing the golf industry™s 
achievements;  Annually reviewing the Environmental Initiative and to communicate it to all 
members of the Australian golf industry 
and the public. John Neylan looks at the AGCSA™s environmental management initiative and outlines the latest results to come from the warm-season grass trials at Redlands and Poa annua control trials being conducted in Victoria and NSW. The new AGCSA Environmental Initiative logoTABLE 1: POA ANNUA COUNTS AT COMMONWEALTH GOLF CLUBTreatment % Poa annua plants    20/12/06 20/03/07 11/05/07 2/07/07 24/08/07 24/10/07T1 8.8 5.5 8.0 13.8 9.3 9.3T2 8.8 5.0 5.5 13.0 9.8 5.8T3 8.8 3.0 7.3 6.8 7.3 2.0T4 6.3 3.5 8.5 9.3 8.5 3.3T5 7.5 3.5 6.0 5.5 5.0 1.3T6 6.3 2.3 8.5 6.5 6.5 2.3T7 8.8 3.5 9.3 10.5 11.8 12.5Control 10.0 5.0 16.3 15.5 15.5 19.3P<0.05 ns ns 3.2 5.1 6.6 5.533 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT Encouraging a similar environmental commitment from material suppliers and contractors; Being part of such an initiative is a positive step for any golf club and one that should be 
widely promoted by superintendents and the 
club to members, the industry and the wider 
golfing community. To that end the AGCSA has 
designed a unique logo (pictured opposite) 
which those who have signed up to the 
initiative can now display to demonstrate their 
commitment to environmental excellence.Many superintendents will well remember the first cover of Australian Turfgrass 
Management magazine some 10 years ago 
which featured a striking photo of a green and 
golden bell frog perched contently on a golf 
ball. That image has become synonymous 
with golf and environmental management and 
the AGCSA has incorporated it into the new 
environmental initiative logo.Using this image is particularly appropriate as the frog is a creature highly sensitive to 
environmental conditions and changes in the 
environment. The presence of frogs in the 
environment indicates a healthy environment, 
clean water and low pollution. In the case of the green and golden bell frog, its numbers have gradually declined to 
the point where it is now listed as endangered 
under the New South Wales Threatened 
Species Act and classified as vulnerable 
nationally. Long Reef Golf Club in Sydney is one of the few remaining areas where this species of 
frog still thrives and is a prime example of the 
role golf courses can play in both maintaining 
and enhancing the environment. It is therefore 
appropriate that the AGCSA Environmental 
Initiative has adopted this image as a symbol of golf™s commitment to the environment.The green tick logo represents your club™s commitment to being environmentally 
aware and that you are documenting your 
environmental activities through the preparation 
of a dedicated environmental management 
system.  The logo is now available to all clubs and organisations signed up to the AGCSA™s 
Environmental Initiative who are free to use 
it on letterheads, newsletters, golf course 
signage and, in the case of suppliers to the 
turf industry, in their promotional literature. 
For more information about the AGCSA™s 
Environmental Initiative and the new logo, 
contact the AGCSA on (03) 9548 8600 or email 
info@agcsa.com.au POA ANNUA CONTROL TRIALSIn recent editions of ATM we have looked at 
the Poa annua control trials currently being undertaken at both Commonwealth Golf Club 
(VIC) and Bonnie Doon Golf Club (NSW). 
The spring application of herbicides has 
been undertaken while herbicide tolerance 
screening trials of the seven Poa annua types have also been made. The results at this time 
are detailed in Table 1 and Figure 1.The treatments are:Treatment 1: Monthly applications of Shortstop 
(a.i. Paclobutrazol @ 200g/l). 
Treatment 2: Shortstop (a.i. Paclobutrazol @ 
200g/l) @ 2.0/ha + Dimension @ 2l/ha.
Treatment 3: Shortstop (a.i. Paclobutrazol @ 
200g/l) @ 2.0l/ha + Bensulide @ 30l/ha.
Treatment 4: Shortstop (a.i. Paclobutrazol @ 
200g/l) @ 2.0l/ha + Dimension @ 2l/ha + 
Ethephon @ 8l/ha.  
Treatment 5: Shortstop (a.i. Paclobutrazol @ 
200g/l) @ 2.0l/ha + Bensulide @ 30l/ha + 
Ethephon (480g/L) @ 8l/ha.  
Treatment 6: Shortstop (a.i. Paclobutrazol @ 
200g/l) @ 2.0L/ha + Bensulide @ 30l/ha + 
Ethephon @ 8l/ha + Poacheck @ 1.5l/ha.
Treatment 7: Endothal @ 1.5l/ha.
Treatment 8: Untreated control. The results at this time show that all treatments have significantly less Poa annua than the control, with combination treatments 
(i.e.: T3-T6) providing the best results. The 
endothal-only treatment is the least effective of 
the treatments. The use of paclobutrazol and Figure 1. Poa annua counts at Commonwealth Golf ClubThe effects of endothal (left) and paclobutrazol (right) herbicide applications on the seven Poa annua types as part of the AGCSA™s control trials34 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTagcsatech updateBY JOHN NEYLANethephon is also providing a very high quality playing surface as well as good Poa control.The Poa annua type herbicide screening trial has demonstrated a variation in herbicide 
sensitivity depending on the Poa annua biotype. The dense, prostrate types show a greater 
resistance to herbicides compared to the more 
open and taller types as demonstrated in the 
photos (for a full description of the variation in 
Poa annua types, see AGCSATech Update Vol. 9.5). The herbicides tested are paclobutrazol, 
propyzamide and endothal.WARM-SEASON GRASS TRIALS AT REDLANDS The warm-season grass project at the QDPI&F™s 
Redlands Research Station has been under 
way for more than 18 months. The trials 
are already showing noticeable differences 
between the couchgrass hybrids and the 
seashore paspalums. With reduced cutting heights, thatch accumulation and general maturity in 
the grasses, we are starting to get a good 
appreciation of the attributes of the different 
species and cultivars.There are several off-site trials being started (or about to be started) and these will 
provide useful information on species and 
cultivar performance under different climatic 
conditions and maintenance regimes. Sites are 
being established in Victoria, South Australia, 
New South Wales and Queensland.Following the appointment of experienced superintendent Jon Penberthy in January 2007, 
each cultivar plot was scarified to remove 
thatch, topdressed with sand, and mowing 
height gradually reduced to bring them down 
to target treatment heights.This height-reduction process was slowed when at 5mm the Sea Isle 2000, in particular, 
showed signs of scalping. These plots were 
dusted with sand to encourage re-growth in the 
scalped patches. The hybrid couchgrass plots 
were not affected adversely by the reduction 
in height.  Currently the cutting height of the hybrid couchgrass and seashore paspalum cultivars 
is at 2.7mm using a John Deere walk-behind 
greens mower. Jon has received a set of 
grooming heads from overseas (John Deere) 
and a Jacobsen walk-behind mower has also 
been delivered which will enable the research 
team to reach lower heights where required.The first set of ratings was conducted on 5 June, 2007 to assess turfgrass colour, quality 
and levels of thatch. Subjective visual ratings 
were made on a 0-9 scale (0 = poor, 9 = best) 
over the replicated plots and later analysed 
by research staff. The mean values of the two 
species can be seen in Tables 2 and 3. PATCH DISEASES IN HYBRID COUCH PLOTS Despite a preventative fungicide programme 
throughout 2006/07, two distinctly different 
patch diseases became evident in late winter 
2007 in plots of the various hybrid Cynodon cultivars on the research green at Redlands. 
Samples of these two diseases were sent to Dr 
Percy Wong for identification.The first of these showed classic symptoms of spring dead patch, with dead 
grass across the whole patch. The presence 
of Leptosphaeria sp., the causal organism of spring dead patch, was confirmed by Dr 
Wong in the two submitted samples from 
Tifgreen and MS-Supreme. He also found 
Rhizoctonia solani present in the sample from 
MS-Supreme.The second patch disease showed up as a ring of dead grass around recovering 
green grass in the centre. Dr Wong isolated 
Gaeumannomyces incrustans from samples of 
TifEagle. Tests on these fungi are continuing to 
determine whether or not they are pathogenic 
to hybrid green couch.Counts of the number of diseased spots in each plot were made on 31 August, 2007. All 
cultivars were affected to a greater or lesser 
degree by both diseases as the figures in Table 
4 indicate. Two observation plots of Champion Dwarf were also badly affected by both patch 
diseases (averages of 16 and 18 diseased 
spots per plot for patch diseases one and 
two, respectively). Interestingly, however, in 
two similar observation plots of FloraDwarf 
there were no spots present of either patch 
disease.  TABLE 4: INCIDENCE OF PATCH DISEASES (NUMBER OF DISEASED SPOTS PER 6x3M PLOT) IN HYBRID CYNODON CULTIVARS ON THE REDLANDS RESEARCH GREEN 31 AUGUST, 2007Cultivar Patch 1 Patch 2  (spring dead (ring spot)   spot)
MiniVerde 5.0 4.0MS-Supreme 7.0 6.3Novotek 3.5 12.3Tifdwarf 1.0 4.8TifEagle 7.5 12.8Tifgreen 12.3 7.8LSD (P=0.05) 7.6 5.7The warm season trial plots at RedlandsTABLE 2: MEAN HYBRID COUCHGRASS COLOUR, QUALITY AND THATCH VISUAL OBSERVATIONS 5 JUNE, 2007Cultivar Colour Quality ThatchMini Verde 7.63 7.63 3.88MS-Supreme 6.38 7.00 2.25Novotek 6.38 6.63 2.38Tifdwarf 4.88 5.00 1.00TifEagle 6.75 6.75 3.13Tifgreen 6.13 6.75 1.63LSD (P=0.05) 0.73 0.84 0.38Champion 6.50 6.75 2.75FloraDwarf 5.75 6.75 2.00TABLE 3:  MEAN SEASHORE PASPALUM COLOUR, QUALITY AND THATCH VISUAL OBSERVATIONS 5 JUNE, 2007Cultivar Colour Quality ThatchSea Isle 2000 7.50 7.13 1.05Sea Isle 
Supreme 7.50 7.00 1.48Velvetene 7.50 6.50 1.15LSD (P=0.05) 0.58 0.25 0.14Install Con˜dence.® Install Rain Bird® Pump Stations.Smart PumpŽ reduces water consumption and power costs while ensuring the best possible growing conditions on your golf course. Exclusively from Rain Bird,® Smart Pump continuously compares pump station performance and irrigation demand. It will even shut the system down if a break is sensed.  Consult with your Rain Bird Golf Distributor about all the water  and cost saving advantages of a Rain Bird Pump Station.Rain Bird Australia10 Mareno Rd, Tullamarine, Vic, 3043.   Freecall: 1800 424 044   Freefax: 1800 424 050Contact: Wayne Brown (0419 669 679)  Troy Barbour (Vic, WA, SA, Tas 0409 123 191)  Greg Smith (NSW, QLD 0438 503 070)Dale Sta˜ord (Technical Support 0409 115 000)  Scott Johnstone (Pump Station Sales 0437 078 677)www.rainbird.com.au   Email: info@rainbird.com.au© 2007 Rain Bird CorporationOnly Rain Bird® Smart PumpŽ Provides  Real-Time Communication With Your Pump StationRESERVOIRTO ROTORS35 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTInstall Con˜dence.® Install Rain Bird® Pump Stations.Smart PumpŽ reduces water consumption and power costs while ensuring the best possible growing conditions on your golf course. Exclusively from Rain Bird,® Smart Pump continuously compares pump station performance and irrigation demand. It will even shut the system down if a break is sensed.  Consult with your Rain Bird Golf Distributor about all the water  and cost saving advantages of a Rain Bird Pump Station.Rain Bird Australia10 Mareno Rd, Tullamarine, Vic, 3043.   Freecall: 1800 424 044   Freefax: 1800 424 050Contact: Wayne Brown (0419 669 679)  Troy Barbour (Vic, WA, SA, Tas 0409 123 191)  Greg Smith (NSW, QLD 0438 503 070)Dale Sta˜ord (Technical Support 0409 115 000)  Scott Johnstone (Pump Station Sales 0437 078 677)www.rainbird.com.au   Email: info@rainbird.com.au© 2007 Rain Bird CorporationOnly Rain Bird® Smart PumpŽ Provides  Real-Time Communication With Your Pump StationRESERVOIRTO ROTORStech talkLeaf spot diseases were once referred to as those caused by Helminthosporium 
spp. fungus. In recent times, however, this group of fungi have been divided into 
three genera - Drechslera spp., Bipolaris spp. and Exserohilum spp., although in some circumstances are still referred to as 
Helminthosporium leaf spot disease. Drechslera spp. and Bipolaris spp. are generally the more two common diseases of turfgrasses and will 
be the focus of this article.These genera of diseases are known as facultative saprophytes as they are best 
equipped to be parasites, obtaining their food 
from living in or on another living organism, but 
have the ability to grow as a saprophyte (using 
dead organic matter as a food source).Drechslera spp. are mainly diseases associated with the pooid group of grasses 
(cool-season grasses) with one exception D. 
gigantea that can be the causal agent of leaf spot in couchgass (Cynodon spp.). Bipolaris 
spp. on the other hand are primarily the causal 
agent for diseases of chloridoid and panicoid 
grasses (warm-season grasses). The exception 
is B.sorokiniana that is pathogenic to nearly all turfgrass species. Table 1. outlines the genera 
and species associated with causing disease 
to common turfgrass hosts.DRECHSLERA SPP.All Drechslera spp. diseases tend to form leaf lesions as the first symptom of the disease. 
The lesions caused by the different Drechslera 
species are different on each host plant. Leaf 
lesions on Kentucky bluegrass first appear as 
small, water soaked areas that soon become 
reddish brown to purplish black, that are 
often surrounded by a yellow zone fading into 
adjacent healthy green tissue.Leaf lesions caused by D.dictyoides on fine fescue first appear as small, reddish brown, 
irregular shaped spots. These lesions then 
girdle the leaf causing initial yellowing and 
then dieback from the tip. On tall fescue and 
ryegrass the disease causes a fine network of 
short brown streaks parallel and perpendicular 
to the leaf axis rather than lesions (hence the 
name net-blotch) before the network pattern 
coalesce forming dark brown solid spots.D. siccans produces small chocolate brown lesions on perennial ryegrass before 
they enlarge, leaving white to tan centres. D. erythrospila on bentgrass tends to form small brown to reddish brown circular to oval lesions. 
If lesions enlarge and coalesce it may give the 
diseased turf an overall reddish appearance.On couchgrass, D.gigantea produces tiny brown spots. As they enlarge they become elongated with the central area fading to tan. 
Theses elongated lesions have the ability 
to girdle the leaf and in some cases often 
produce concentric bands, giving rise to the 
common name known as zonate leaf spot.Drechslera spp. survive unfavourable conditions as conidia (spores) and as dormant 
mycelium in infected plant tissue and debris. 
During periods of cool, moist weather the 
conidia may spread by various means including 
wind, rain, equipment or foot traffic. During 
optimal conditions these conidia can quickly 
germinate producing germ tubes that are able 
to infect leaf tissue.Optimum conditions for conidia production is 15-18oC but they can be produced from 3-27oC. However, for infection to occur there must be moisture on the leaf surface. Therefore, 
ideally these diseases occur during cool, wet 
periods, with the exception of D. erythrospila 
(red leaf spot on bentgrass) and D. gigantea 
(zonate leaf spot) with these occurring during 
warm, wet periods on cool-season grasses 
and during autumn on warm-season grasses.Drechslera spp. form mycelium, conidiophores and conidia. The mycelium 
tends to be dark brown which grows either 
inside the leaf tissue or along the surface. 
Conidiophores then emerge from within or 
arise from the leaf surface producing conidia. 
Cylindrical 3-10 septate (having walls) conidia 
are borne and range in size from 8-23µm in 
width by 25-130µm in length. As mentioned, leaf wetness and mild temperatures are ideal for the development of 
the majority of diseases caused by Drechslera 
spp.  In addition to these two factors, other 
conditions favouring the disease are;Leaf spot diseasesIn this instalment of Tech Talk, Andrew Peart takes an in-depth look at two common leaf spot diseases ΠDrechslera and Bipolaris spp. Leaf spot diseasesHelminthosporium leaf spot disease on couch can be caused by Drechslera or Bipolaris species36AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT High humidity;Lack of air movement;Low light intensity (excessive cloud coverage or shading);Too low a mowing height for the specific 
host; Excessive nitrogen applications;Application of hormonal type fungicides or 
herbicides; andExcessive amounts of thatch and leaf 
clippings.BIPOLARIS  SPP. B. cynodontis generally causes leaf, crown and 
root rot disease of Cynodon spp.(couchgrass). Leaf lesions are brownish green to black 
in colour and irregularly shaped. Severely 
infected leaves can die leaving them light 
tan to straw coloured. The other disease 
caused by Bipolaris spp. is, B.sorokiniana and is essentially identical to those diseases 
caused by Drechslera spp. on turfgrass hosts including Cynodon, Festuca, Lolium, Agrotis and Poa annua.The disease cycle is similar to that of Drechslera with B. cynodontis infecting the foliage of warm-season grasses during the 
cool, moist periods from autumn through to 
spring. B. sorokiniana, however, affect cool-season grasses during wet weather in summer 
and more severely as the temperature rises 
from 20oC to 35oC. The fungal identification can easily be mistaken for Drechslera spp. as there is very 
little difference between the two. The only 
difference is the conidia produced by Bipolaris 
spp. tends to be less cylindrical and more 
fusoid (width gradually tapering towards both 
ends), curved rather than straight and have a 
darker pigmentation. Conditions for disease development of Bipolaris diseases are very similar to those 
of Drechslera, with the key aspect being prolonged periods of leaf wetness and 
favourable temperatures.CONTROLThe cultural control methods for both species 
of disease pathogens discussed are very 
similar and include;Fertiliser applications should encourage 
moderate plant growth and avoid 
overstimulation especially in early spring 
and midsummer;Avoid frequent light irrigations, especially 
in the evening;Mow grass as high as practical;Reduce thatch depth, particularly if more 
than 2cm deep;Reduce impact of nearby plants that may 
cause shading or reduced air movement;If possible utilise cultivars of specific species such as Kentucky bluegrass or 
perennial ryegrass that are resistant to leaf 
spot diseases.There are also a number of fungicides available that can be used either preventatively or curatively for use in controlling leaf spot 
diseases. The following are a list of those 
active ingredients registered for the control of 
Helminthosporium, although it must be noted that not all products that contain these active 
ingredients may be registered for use on turf.AzoxystrobinBitertanolIprodioneMancozebMetiram/ThiramProcymidoneQuintozene/ThiramThiramTriadimenolREFERENCESSmiley, R., Dernoeden, P. & Clarke, B. (2002). 
Compendium of Turfgrass Diseases. APS Press 
2nd Edition.
Turgeon A.(1999). Turfgrass Management. 
Prentice Hall 5th Edition.
Watschke, T., Dernoeden, P. & Shetlar, 
D.(1995). Managing Turfgrass Pests.TABLE 1. GENERA AND SPECIES ASSOCIATED WITH CAUSING DISEASE TO COMMON TURFGRASS HOSTS.Host Common Name of Disease PathogenKentucky bluegrass Leaf spot, melting out Drechslera poae& other bluegrasses (Poa spp.) Leaf spot, melting out Biploaris sorokinianaTall fescue Net-blotch D. dictyoidesCreeping red fescue Leaf spot, melting out B. sorokiniana Net-blotch D. dictyoidesPerennial ryegrass Leaf spot, melting out B. sorokiniana Net-blotch D. dictyoides Brown blight D. siccansBentgrasses Red leaf spot D. erythrospila Leaf spot B. sorokinianaBermudagrass Leaf spot, melting out B. cynodontis  D. giganteaTable adapted from Watschke et. al, 1995 & Smiley et al, 2002WITH ANDREW PEART37AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTTERRA SPIKE ® SerieTERRA SPIKETERRA SPIKE®GXiTERRA SPIKETERRA SPIKETERRA SPIKE®®®XXX®X®®X®®X®FFFXFXXFXXFXTERRA SPIKETERRA SPIKE®®®XPXP®XP®®XP®The look of your turf lies in your handWe offer everything for turf maintenance. Please contact us for detailed information.Glenmac Sales & Service Pty Ltd.14 Rushdale St.Knoxfield, VIC 3180Phone: 03 9763 8255tony.toth@glenmac.com.au
www.glenmac.com.auMetropolitan Machinery Pty Ltd.Lot 9, McLeod Court Cavan, SA 5094Phone: 08 8349 5499mark.norsworthy@bigpond.comwww.bigpond.comTurf Link Australia Pty Ltd.Unit 2/37 William St. North Richmond, NSW 2754 Phone: 02 4571 1198mpauna@turflink.com.au
www.turflink.com.auTurf Equipment NZ Pty Ltd.358 Flaxton RoadRangiora 8254 . New ZealandPhone: + 03 3106 000 
chris@turfequipment.co.nz
www.turfequipment.co.nzT-Quip36 Abernethy RoadBelmont WA 6104Phone: 08 9478 7000 jp@tquip.com.au
www.tquip.com.auBlacktrac123 Beaty Road Archerfield QLD 4108Phone: 07 3277 7599stuart@blacktrac.com.au
www.blacktrac.com.auOur local dealers:QTurf Machinery Pty Ltd.9 Clifford Court . Capalaba Qld 4157Fax: + 61 (0) 7 3245 1340Phone: + 61 (0) 7 3245 6082terry@qturf.com.au . www.qturf.com.auTHE PULSEIf there is one area of a golf course guaranteed to get superintendents talking, it™s bunkers. With increasing standards in course presentation, expectations of highly manicured bunkers have become the norm to the point where one has to ask are they a hazard or an actual playing surface. The Pulse wanted to know how superintendents viewed bunker maintenance, whether it has reached unsustainable levels and whether they have been forced to bite the bullet and make significant changes to their bunker maintenance practices.NATHAN BENNETTThe Sands, Torquay, VICAt The Sands, Torquay bunker maintenance is without question 
a major issue. The course has 
118 bunkers with a total sand 
surface of about four hectares. 
A normal weekly maintenance programme consists of touching up faces, 
although time doesn™t allow us to broom the 
entire face as this would take all staff all day. 
We would spend around 60 hours a week on 
our normal bunker maintenance routine, and 
this doesn™t account for edging and spraying.The bunkers at The Sands, Torquay have been constructed with coarse sand that luckily 
enough doesn™t blow out of the bunker. From a 
golfer™s perspective the coarse sand isn™t ideal 
as it doesn™t lock together very well hence we 
get plugged balls on faces. The complaints 
about plugged balls is reducing as the faces 
are becoming firmer and members come to 
terms with it and realise that plugging balls 
aren™t unique to The Sands.Overall the club is reasonably happy with bunker maintenance and realises that spending 
more time in them would take away from other 
important jobs like providing a great surface to 
hit off and putt on rather then preparing a great 
hazard to hit out of.Current maintenance practices haven™t nullified the original concept of a bunker being 
a hazard, it has just made it a more uniform 
hazard. The golfer knows he will get a good 
lie and have enough sand under his ball. 
The problem is that the new golfer has only 
experienced the uniform bunker conditions and 
not the fihazardfl of old so they don™t know any 
better. If members and public golfers continue 
to push to have bunkers perfect 365 days a 
year then bunker maintenance will become 
unsustainable. I think that supersintendents 
have unintentionally made a rod for their own 
back by producing great bunkers, and now 
golfers expect that and more.RUSSELL FLETCHERThe Lakes GC, NSWBunkers comprise a relatively small part of a golf course, but 
they can generate just as much 
controversy as the greens. The 
fact that bunkers are classified 
as a hazard doesn™t reflect on the hours spent in maintenance.Over a period of 14 years the club has embarked on overcoming bunker issues 
relating to golfers and maintenance. Initially 
the bunkers were traditional sand belt, with 
high sand faces which needed to be kept 
firm to prevent plugging. Due to different 
perceptions, this then led to changing to grass 
faced, smaller English traditional bunkers. Both these style bunkers have their different maintenance issues with the latter 
style requiring the turf to be kept short so that 
the ball would roll into the hazard. This needs 
constant manicuring to give a high calibre 
presentation. In the height of summer six staff 
members will take six hours a week to maintain 
the edges and faces for a total of 132 bunkers. 
This is separate to the every day bunker 
presentation that takes two people every day 
2.5 hours each to rake and maintain the 
bunkers.  All up, 72 hours a week is spent in 
maintaining the bunkers. It would be fair to say 
that bunkers and greens are nearly on an equal 
basis for the hours spent in maintenance. This 
is no fault of the superintendent but rather from 
higher expectations from golfers as the same 
scenario applies for increase in green speed.     Do we need to go back to where the bunkers originated from? At present we are 
pursuing doing two holes using the concept of 
the unmanicured appearance.  This has been 
a huge challenge and turn around from where 
the club was a decade ago but each course is 
unique and committee and architects need to 
ascertain which style best suits their landscape. 
As with everything, nothing stays the same and 
the golf course will be no different.opinion38 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTAGCSAEducationOur first dvd is NOW available for purchase‚Environmental Issues for Golf Course Architecture™Order through our Bookshop (Offshoot)$66incl gst$66incl gstMembersMembersJOHN ODELLRoyal Sydney GC, NSWBunkers create undoubtedly the most comment, controversy 
and labour input than any other 
area of a golf course. Philip A. 
Truett in his essay ‚To Rake 
or not to Rake Bunkers™ said, fiThe rot must have set in when some unknown 
club secretary sent a man out to rake the 
bunkersfl. He went on to say that fifrom that 
point onwards bunkers became pleasure 
grounds, not places of repentancefl. From 
humble beginnings bunkers are now intricately 
designed showpieces that have just as many 
design criteria as a putting green. At Royal Sydney we are no different from most other golf clubs where bunker playability, 
access, design, position and golfer angst are 
never too far from the agenda of the day. It is 
without doubt the area on our golf courses that 
attracts the most criticism. Much time has been 
spent in the planning and design of bunkers 
but infinitely more is spent on their upkeep.  More time and money is spent on bunker maintenance than any other area. Each bunker 
is hand raked every morning with specially 
designed and made in-house wooden scrapes, 
which takes between 12-16 man hours. Leaves 
are also removed and sand pulled up over turf 
entries is pushed back into the bunker. Another 
12-16 hours each day is then spent trimming, 
re-levelling floors, relocating windblown or 
water eroded sand, fly-mowing faces, weed 
removal, reshaping, installing geotextile cloth 
on faces, rotary tilling hardpans and firming 
soft sand with the addition of humic sand.I would like to see bunkers returned to the object of their being i.e.: a hazard. As a true 
hazard one would generally find it a place to 
avoid and an area that extracts penalty. I agree 
with Peter Thomson who says that if he had 
his way fibunkers would be real hazards, a 
holy terror to get caught in and a frightening 
experience to get out of .flROD TATTCranbourne GC, VICWhen Cranbourne first opened 
50 years ago there were 67 
bunkers. At present there are 
74, with 20 of those being 
reconstructed since the late 
1990™s. The original bunkers had always come under much criticism 
during winter when they would get very wet 
and again in summer when they would be 
exceptionally hard even with constant machine 
raking. The club made a decision during 
the late 1990™s that would see the start of a 
bunker reconstruction programme to alleviate 
these problems. Although it has been a major 
improvement, they are now taking more hours 
to maintain than the original bunkers.Players rarely leave a bunker how they found it and as the imported sand is a little 
softer on the walls than the native soil, the 
bunkers can get out of shape very quickly 
without daily maintenance. With a crew of 
nine we generally machine rake the original 
bunkers and hand rake the new bunkers twice 
a week. This is a recent change in an attempt 
to have the finewfl and the fioldfl play similar, 
and not machine raking every bunker every 
week. Generally two or three staff would do 
this, taking four to five hours as the tree-lined 
course can produce a lot of debris!Players of today certainly focus on the condition of bunkers a lot more and sometimes 
rate a course on the their condition alone and 
expect constant depth and texture of sand. I 
think this comes with the new generation of 
players who have learnt to play golf using GPS 
measurements on sprinklers, pin placement 
sheets and bunkers manicured as much as 
the playing surfaces. Being a golfer, I have 
played courses worldwide and believe bunkers 
should be a true hazard that tests the player.  
Predictability in bunkers is alien to the traditions 
of the game and we must fight to keep the true 
relevance of bunkers alive.PHIL MOYLANMelville Glades GC, WAMelville Glades Golf Club has 56 bunkers dug into the natural 
sand of the Perth Bassendean 
dune system. The members 
expect the bunkers to be raked 
at least three times per week and the base to be free of sticks, leaves, roots 
and other debris. Also the edges must be kept 
in a sharp condition at all times. This takes 
approximately 300 man hours, four to five 
times per year to achieve this, along with nine 
hours per week of machine raking.Being a realist, I know our members are not going to be convinced now to go back 
to the old line of thinking that bunkers are a 
hazard and maintenance should be minimal. 
We have, as an industry, created this problem 
for ourselves by trying to copy tournament 
levels of preparation on a daily basis.We have recently appointed Ross Watson Golf Design to draft a master plan for a course 
upgrade. A major part of my input was to 
look at solving maintenance problems, so we 
started with bunkers. Bunker numbers won™t 
be reduced, but the method of construction 
will have a large bearing on how they 
are maintained in future. We took a lineal 
measurement of our bunkers and found that 
all edges combined measured 2600 metres in 
length. That™s over 10km in edging per year! Our new strategy in upgrading the bunkers is to use Plateau couch in a one metre strip 
around the entire bunker edge. This should 
reduce edging to only two times per year. 
Also, the back edge will be planted with local 
Western Australian wild flowers and grass trees. 
which will eventually require little maintenance. 
When the upgrade is complete we hope the 
amount of time edging bunkers will be reduced 
to 150 man hours twice a year. Bunkers will still 
be machine raked three times per week; we 
cannot change the way our members think the 
bunkers need to be prepared for play.39 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTMulti-use stadia workshop and Cynodon wear tolerance trialsresearchWe pride ourselves on our nation™s sporting prowess and, in general, we place high expectations on our professional athletes and major sporting stadia. Historically, there was greater acceptance of the playing surface condition. Good or bad, 
it was considered the same for both sides. 
However, in this new era of professional sport, 
the playing surface, like all other aspects of 
the game, is required to meet a standard. A below par surface will not only impact on the quality of the match, but also the likelihood of 
player injury. In order for an athlete or team to successfully perform it is essential that the 
playing surface be safe, consistent and 
appropriately managed. Major stadia and particularly multi-use stadia are continuously under pressure to 
increase performance and to be at the top 
of their game to accommodate a wide array 
of venue hirers such as attracting various sporting events or concerts.Such a demand places the managers of major outdoor sports arenas with one of the toughest jobs in sport.  Imagine having to cope 
with the realisation that a wrong decision could jeopardise a major event, such as a State of Origin decider or Bledisloe Cup. The reality is that the pressure on top tier turf managers are ever-mounting as more is asked of the playing surface by venue owners.In October, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Turf 
Research Group, in conjunction with its New 
Zealand collaborators, the Sports Turf Institute (STI), hosted an invitation-only workshop at Redlands Research Station and Suncorp 
Stadium, designed to assist leading multi-use 
stadia turf managers in coping with ground 
usage pressure.  The seminar was attended by turf managers from 25 leading Australian and New Zealand venues, along with scientists and advisors from Australia, New Zealand and the UK.Suncorp Stadium general manager Paul Sargent kicked the seminar off by clearly defining the challenge facing curators. He 
recounted his experiences, including Wembley 
and Millennium stadiums, stating that stadium management was a business and venues needed to maximise revenue in order to 
survive.  He expected his turf management 
team to come up with workable solutions to 
any sports surface usage demand.One of the greatest challenges with playing surfaces in today™s major stadia is 
shade. The audience at the seminar heard from HOK Sport™s Shaun Gallagher about new stadium developments, such as Wimbledon Multi-use stadia workshop and Cynodon wear tolerance trialsIn October 2007, the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Turf Research Group, in collaboration with the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute, hosted an invitation-only workshop at Redlands Research Station and Suncorp Stadium, designed to assist leading multi-use stadia turf managers in coping with today™s pressures in managing field performance. The seminar was attended by turf managers from 25 leading Australian and New Zealand sports venues, along with scientists and advisors from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.Around 25 turf managers from Australia and New Zealand attended the first multi-use stadia workshop conducted in October last year at Suncorp Stadium and Redlands Research StationBY KEITH MCAULIFFE, MATT ROCHE AND DR DON LOCH40AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTand Melbourne's Telstra Dome, which have major challenges in acquiring adequate light 
for optimal grass growth.  Participants also heard from Dr. Andy Newall of the Sports Turf Research Institute, 
UK, about his work to model lighting requirements of stadia playing surfaces.  Andy has worked with many of the world™s leading stadia and has developed software 
and systems to demonstrate light levels on a 
surface throughout the year and how much 
supplementary light would be needed to 
ensure adequate turf growth.  The audience heard how this leading edge technology has been combined with the design and construction of artificial lighting rigs, and that a large number of football grounds in 
Europe have moved to purchase such rigs. Telstra Dome is set to become the first Australian venue to use them on a large scale and will take delivery of its lighting rigs in January ahead of the 2008 AFL season (see ATM Volume 9.6 for Gavin Darby™s exclusive in-depth article on the Dome™s new artificial lighting system - Ed). In addition to shade issues, the seminar offered sessions on key design and 
management issues, including logo marking, 
use of rootzone stabiliser products and surface performance benchmarking. The audience also heard from leading curators, such as Graeme Logan (Telstra Stadium) and Mark Perham (Eden Park, NZ) about how they have 
dealt with the challenges faced managing an 
intensive and multi-use playing surface. A significant part of the first day was allocated to presenting recent and current 
research being conducted by the QDPI&F Turf Research Group and STI.  Presentations were made by Dr. Don Loch, Matt Roche, David Nickson, Keith McAuliffe and Alex 
Glasgow, followed by a tour of the Redlands 
Research Station and the various projects 
being undertaken on the research plots.  Field visits were also made to the Gabba to see Kevin Mitchell Jr. add the finishing touches to the one-day wicket for the Queensland Bulls-Tasmanian Tigers match. The afternoon was then spent at Suncorp Stadium being 
shown around the venue by Paul Sargent and 
head curator Mal Caddies.Redlands trial plots showing differential effects of equivalent amounts of weekly wear on three Cynodon varieties ranked with high, medium and low tolerance to wear (left to right) 41AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTESD Bioremediation...at it™s bestInstalled at over 800 facilities including Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass, The Ritz Carlton, Isleworth Country Club, Wimbledon Tennis Club, 
Briarwood Country Club, Merion Golf Club, The Concession, The Founders 
Club and many more throughout USA, Europe and now AustraliaSee the full product range - www.waste2water.com or call Country Club International for an information packageThe latest fully closed loop washdown system for the golf & turf industries from ESD Waste2Water USA has now
been released in Australia.ESD Waste2Water is the world™s major supplier of golf course bioremediation washdown 
systems Πnow being introduced into Australia 
and New Zealand through Country Club International.All models are closed loop systems which means all water is fully recycled and there is no 
risk of environmental contamination.25 Cumberland Drive, Seaford 3198FREECALL 1300 138804Email: infor@countryclub.com.au  Representatives available in all states for information and demonstration.Fully recycle your wash water Πup to 3 million litres PA!Fully contain & treat most chemical spills & wash residuesresearchDuring the Suncorp Stadium visit Matt Roche from the QDPI&F demonstrated the methodology used to measure and benchmark 
surface quality and performance at elite 
grounds such as Suncorp and the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre (QSAC).This was later followed up by an open forum on the need for surface performance 
testing and benchmarking and how such information could be used as a management 
tool. There was general agreement that there is a need for standardisation of the methodology being used in order to allow ‚apples for apples™ comparison, and both the DPI&F and STI are working to address such concerns.WEAR TOLERANCE VISUAL ASSESSMENT EXERCISEOf particular interest to participants was the couch cultivar wear trial being undertaken 
by the QDPI&F, which has clearly highlighted 
significant differences in the wear tolerance 
and recovery of different couch types.  Workshop attendees were asked to rank the eight Cynodon varieties in a replicated wear trial according to their visual tolerance to wear after 14 weeks of wear beginning on 5 
July 2007. The eight varieties tested included 
Conquest, Grand Prix, Hatfield, JT1, Legend, 
Princess, TifSport and Wintergreen. The full experiment involved five different wear treatment combinations imposed on strips 
running across plots of the different varieties, 
which had been planted in a randomised block design. The five wear treatment combinations were pure Cynodon with weekly, fortnightly, or no wear, and ryegrass-oversown Cynodon with fortnightly or no wear (two treatments). Over 
each two-week period (three treatments), the 
same total amount of wear was applied to both 
the weekly and the fortnightly wear treatments using a Brinkman-type machine with two rollers rotating at different speeds to cause scuffing of the turf surface. (Further information on the trial setup and earlier wear studies can be found in Loch & Roche 2007).Visiting curators were asked to rank the eight varieties within each of the four randomised blocks according to their tolerance for wear within each block, with the best variety in each block scoring eight and the worst scoring one. Tied rankings were allowed, with 
two varieties coming equal third, for example, 
both scoring six and the next variety (fifth) 
scoring four. For the sake of simplicity, this practical exercise was restricted to the weekly wear on 
pure Cynodon treatment, which was showing the most dramatic and obvious effects of wear. 
For comparative purposes, rankings of the 
same plots were also made by three Redlands scientists.The ranking scores from the curators group (20 samples) and the Redlands group (three samples) were analysed separately 
by standard analysis of variance (ANOVA) 
techniques using Genstat v.9. This particular exercise conducted during the stadia workshop visit provided both 
researchers and the attending turf managers with a snapshot of the turfgrass quality/wear tolerance and resistance on the day that 
ratings were undertaken. Overall, both groups placed the eight Cynodon varieties in the same order of tolerance 
to wear as shown in Table 1. The effect of 
wear on examples of grasses showing high, 
medium and low wear tolerance is illustrated in the photo on page 41.Additional information on wear tolerance studies of Cynodon and other warm-season 
turfgrass cultivars, along with information on current trials being undertaken by the QDPI&F 
Turf Research Group can be found at www.dpi.
qld.gov.au/turf. While the two-day workshop only scratched the surface of several critical issues facing participants, it was very apparent that participants were well aware of the need to 
embrace new technology to cope with the 
challenges being laid down by major venue 
owners.  Participant feedback strongly supported the need for more seminars of this nature and 
discussions have already been held on the 
likelihood of undertaking a second workshop 
in the winter of 2008. If you would like further 
information or wish to register your interest, contact Matt Roche via email Matt.Roche@dpi.qld.gov.au.TABLE 1. MEAN RANKING SCORES FOR WEAR TOLERANCE OF CYNODON VARIETIES AS RATED BY CURATORS AND REDLANDS SCIENTISTSCynodon Variety Curators1 Redlands1A  5.6c 6.3bcB  7.2a 7.3aC  6.3b 6.8abD  1.7g 1.4eE  4.0ef 4.1dF  2.1g 2.0eG  5.2cd 4.8dH  4.2e 4.0d(LSD=0.05) 0.5 1.01 Ranking scores followed by the same superscript letter are not significantly different.Typical damage imposed to the test facility at the completion of wear testing42AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTBuy any new Groundsmaster 7200/7210 before  March 31, 2008 and Toro will not only give you 
unbeatable prices, they will provide $500 worth  of Caltex fuel vouchers to assist your business.Features includes:

For more information speak with your local  Toro representative.  For customer service call 1800 356 372  
or visit www.toro.comGroundsmaster 7210®  now only $27,582,  was $31,900Groundsmaster 7200®  now only $24,588,  was $27,500Includes a $500 Free  fuel voucher*. * Conditions applyCOUNT ON TORO TO CUT YOUR GRASS AND 
YOUR EXPENSESBuy any new Groundsmaster 7200/7210 before  March 31, 2008 and Toro will not only give you 
unbeatable prices, they will provide $500 worth  
of Caltex fuel vouchers to assist your business.Features includes:

For more information speak with your local  Toro representative.  For customer service call 1800 356 372  
or visit www.toro.comGroundsmaster 7210®  now only $27,582,  was $31,900Groundsmaster 7200®  now only $24,588,  was $27,500Includes a $500 Free  fuel voucher*. * Conditions applyCOUNT ON TORO TO CUT YOUR GRASS AND 
YOUR EXPENSESresearchPutting greens constructed according to USGA guidelines contain a medium to 
coarse sand rootzone, which provides rapid water infiltration, drainage and oxygen 
diffusion, while maintaining acceptable water retention (7).  It is a considerable investment for a golf facility to construct USGA putting greens, so it is important that they are maintained 
to perform as designed with regard to water 
retention and drainage.  It is not uncommon for newly constructed creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) 
greens to perform very well during the first few years following establishment, but then decline in subsequent years, especially during periods of high temperature and humidity. This is likely the result of the rootzone physical properties changing over time, 
especially near the surface where organic 
matter (OM) accumulates.  It has been 
demonstrated that OM concentrations > 
4-5% in a USGA rootzone will decrease water percolation through, and air movement into, the rootzone (5, 6), resulting in wetter than 
desirable conditions.  Such conditions can be devastating when temperatures are high and bentgrass respiration 
rates (and rootzone oxygen requirements) are 
greater than oxygen diffusion rates into the 
rootzone, ultimately causing summer decline.Recent cultivation techniques that may be effective in reducing OM and maintaining 
desirable rootzone physical properties include 
aggressive verticutting and core aerification 
with closely spaced tines.  Verticutting 
equipment, such as the Graden GS04, has 
been demonstrated to aggressively cut channels through surface organic layers in putting greens, removing more OM than traditional core aerification treatments. However, some turf managers have expressed concern with the difficulty involved in backfilling cultivation channels and slower 
recovery times associated with aggressive 
verticutting. Another recent trend in putting green core aerification is the use of more closely spaced 
tines, either by retrofitting older aerification units with adapters or through the introduction of new aerification units with closer tine 
spacing. It is important to note that superintendents and turf managers can quadruple the affected 
area when cultivating putting greens by 
reducing the tine spacing in half.  It also 
stands to reason that decreasing tine spacing should not affect turf recovery since individual hole sizes do not change.  This may allow 
for a more aggressive OM control approach 
without the limitations that are associated with 
aggressive verticutting practices.Another factor to consider is tine depth.  A moderately aged USGA putting green typically has desirable physical properties throughout the profile, except near the surface where OM has accumulated.  So, it is probably not beneficial to remove desirable rootzone sand from below the surface OM layer during 
aerification.  Under such conditions, an aerification tine only needs to be long enough to completely 
penetrate and remove cores from the OM layer.  
Longer tines would only result in excess sand 
debris being pulled to the surface, increasing the labour required to remove the debris and the amount of sand needed to backfill 
aerification channels.Cultivating to manage  organic matterAmerican researchers have conducted studies to determine how cultivating a sand-based putting green with various aggressive verticutting and core aeration treatments affects rootzone organic matter content and turf.Cultivating to manage 
 organic matterBY JOSH LANDRETH, DOUG KARCHER AND MIKE RICHARDSONOrganic matter accumulation can be detrimental to the physical properties of sand-based putting greens.  Aggressive verticutting and core aerification using closely spaced tines are two relatively new management options effective in removing such material44AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTThe objective of this research was to determine the effects of various aggressive verticutting and core aerification treatments on 
surface OM removal from a sand-based putting 
green.  Various verticutting blade widths and 
core aerification tine diameters, spacings and 
depths were investigated.CULTIVATION EXPERIMENTAL METHODSA two-year experiment was initiated in the 
spring of 2003 at the University of Arkansas 
Research and Extension Center (Fayetteville, 
AR) on a one-year-old Penn G2 creeping 
bentgrass putting green built according to 
USGA recommendations (3, 7). The research green was mowed six days a week at a 0.125 inch height (3.1mm) and N, P 
and K were applied at annual rates of 3.5, 0.5 
and 3.5 lb 1000 ft-2 (1.59, 0.23, 1.59 kg/92m2) respectively.  Deep irrigation was applied 
as needed to encourage root growth and 
prevent drought stress.  In addition, light sand 
topdressing was applied bi-weekly throughout each growing season.Cultivation treatments were applied using either a Graden verticutter or a Toro greens aerator in the spring and autumn of each 
study year.  Verticutting treatments were made to a 1 inch depth (25mm) to ensure complete 
penetration through the thatch/mat layers and included varying blade widths (1, 2 and 3mm).  Core aerification treatments included various combinations of tine spacing (1.25x1.50 
or 2x2.5 inches), tine diameter (1/4 or 1/2 inch), 
and tine penetration depth (1.5 or 2 inches).  Cultivation treatments were made to individual plots measuring 5x20ft (1.5mx6.1m) 
and each treatment was applied to four 
replicate plots.The day before cultivation treatments were applied, the percent OM in the surface inch, 
and from 1 inch to the depth of cultivation, was 
measured in each plot. Immediately following 
cultivation treatments, scoop shovels were used to collect the debris (sand and OM) from each plot.  Once the debris was collected, sand topdressing was applied and brushed into the turf until the cultivation channels were filled.  The amount of debris removed and topdressing sand incorporated into cultivation 
channels were recorded for each plot.  The 
OM in the cultivation debris originating from the surface inch was calculated based on the distribution of OM from the surface inch and 
to the depth of cultivation (evaluated the day 
prior to treatment applications).  In addition, 
each plot was rated for recovery and overall 
turf quality twice weekly following cultivation 
treatments.ORGANIC MATTER REMOVALAll of the verticutting treatments removed more The Graden verticutter is capable of cutting channels through the surface organic layer of a putting green rootzone45AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTAGCSATechWATER MANAGEMENT PLANNINGDo you know where your water comes from and its quality?... ...How much water you use?... ...And how much water you really need?Let us help you with your water management planningPh. 03 9548 8600 Suite 1Fax. 03 9548 8622 Monash Corporate CentreEmail. john@agcsa.com.au 752 Blackburn RoadEmail. andrew@agcsa.com.au Clayton 3168 Vicresearchsurface OM than any of the core aerification treatments (Fig.1).  In fact, the 3mm verticutting 
treatment removed more than four times the 
amount of OM than each core aerification 
treatment.There was not much difference in OM removal between the 1mm and 2mm verticutting treatments; however, they only removed about half the OM compared to the 3mm treatment.  
Turf managers with sand-based rootzones very 
high in OM content should consider aggressive 
verticutting to quickly remove excessive OM 
near the rootzone surface.  Among the core aerification treatments, the larger diametre, closely-spaced, deeper 
penetrating treatment removed the most OM from near the rootzone surface.  Although core aerification was not as effective as verticutting in removing large amounts of OM from the rootzone, it was more 
efficient in completely penetrating through the 
OM layer without bringing excess sand material 
to the surface, especially those treatments with shorter tines.  Verticutting treatments and the deeper-penetrating hollow tines had significantly less OM in the cultivation debris compared to the 
more shallow-penetrating hollow tines (Fig. 1).  Cultivation debris that was not surface OM was predominantly rootzone sand with 
desirable physical properties and thus could 
be considered wasteful to deal with when 
cultivating.TURFGRASS RECOVERY AND QUALITYTurfgrass recovery evaluations following cultivation are summarised in Figure 2.  To 
improve the clarity of Figure 2, the 2mm verticutting treatment and core aerification treatments with 1.5 inch deep tines were not included.  However, it should be noted that the 2mm verticutting treatment recovered similarly 
to the other verticutting treatments, and the 1.5 
inch tine depth treatments recovered similarly 
to those with 2.0 inch tines.  Cultivation channels healed over more quickly for core aerification treatments compared to the verticutting treatments.  The 
time required for the verticutting treatments to 
heal following cultivation was nearly 60 days, 
approximately twice that necessary for turf that 
was core aerified.  This difference was likely the result of the problems in backfilling cultivation channels with sand.  Once the cultivation debris was removed from those plots, many of the 
verticutting channels had partially closed, 
making it difficult to fill the channels with sand 
and smooth the surface. Aerification holes created by coring treatments were less prone to collapsing and 
were more completely filled with topdressing sand, creating a smoother surface which hastened recovery.  In fact, in all plots that were core aerified, the amount of topdressing sand that was 
incorporated back into the turf canopy was 
greater than 100 per cent of the volume of the 
debris that was removed during cultivation. 
In contrast, only 70 per cent of the volume of 
cultivation debris could be incorporated back into the canopy as topdressing sand for turf that was verticut.  After this research was completed, a new Graden verticutting unit was released 
which verticuts and backfills channels with 
sand in a single operation (1).  Turf recovery 
from aggressive verticutting would likely be 
enhanced with sand injection, although at this time no published research has documented this.Among core aerification treatments, recovery time was affected predominantly by Once the debris was collected, sand topdressing was applied and brushed inFig 1: Surface OM removed and percent OM in the cultivation debris as affected by cultivation treatment.  Data collected May 21, 2003 in Fayetteville, AR.  Within 
evaluations, treatment with bars sharing a letter are not significantly different46AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTtine diameter.  Turf cored with 1/4 inch diameter tines recovered in 14 days, about half the time of turf treated with 1/2 inch tines.  Neither tine depth nor tine spacing affected turf recovery in this study.  Consequently, a turf manager can use a closer tine spacing to affect a larger percentage of the putting surface, without affecting recovery 
time.  This is a better alternative to increasing tine diameter, which would also increase the affected area, but would delay recovery time of the turf surface.  In addition, a shallow tine is preferable to a deeper tine (so long as the tine completely penetrates the surface organic layer), since 
less debris is brought to the surface, and the 
amount of OM removed and recovery time is 
equivalent.Cultivation treatments did not affect turf quality in this trial, except during periods of recovery from treatment.  This study was conducted in a full-sun location with considerable air movement, resulting in minimal disease pressure and summer stress 
symptoms.  Cultivation treatments would have been more likely to enhance turf quality in an environment with limited sun exposure and air movement.  Although visual quality was not affected by cultivation treatment in this study, untreated plots were considerably softer by the end of the study and probably had less desirable ball roll characteristics.  In a follow-up study on the same plots, uncultivated turf consistently had 
lower hardness values than all treated turf (2).Fig 2: Turfgrass recovery from cultivation as affected by cultivation treatment.  Data collected September through November 2003 in Fayetteville, AR.  Error bar represents least significance difference value between treatments within a single evaluation date47AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTQuick Treatment SurfactantLong Lasting Surfactant New Technology Surfactant IMMEDIATEMONTHLYQUARTERLYDefcon ad-3.indd   16/12/07   3:00:47 PMresearchORGANIC MATTER CONTENTAfter three sets of cultivation treatments and 14 months after the study was initiated, aggressive 
verticutting was most effective at minimizing 
OM content in the surface inch of the rootzone 
(Fig. 3). In particular, the 3mm verticutting treatment reduced surface OM content significantly below that of the untreated control and all core aerification treatments.  These results are not surprising considering the large amounts of OM brought to the surface by 
verticutting treatments (Fig. 2).  Although all of the closely spaced core aerification treatments resulted in lower surface OM content than the control, differences were slight and not statistically significant after three sets of treatments. It is important to note once again the ideal environment (full sun and 
air movement) under which this study was 
conducted, providing favorable conditions for 
microbial breakdown of OM.  A putting green with limited air movement and sun exposure would probably have 
greater moisture content at the rootzone surface, limiting microbial activity.  Under such conditions, core aerification treatments would be expected to significantly reduce surface OM content compared to untreated turf.CONCLUSIONSVerticutting treatments were more aggressive 
and effective at removing OM from the surface 
inch of the putting green rootzone than core 
aerification treatments.  However, the verticutting 
treatments removed a disproportionately large amount of debris and recovered slower.  Therefore, aggressive verticutting may be most useful when a large amount of OM must be removed at once and recovery time is not a primary consideration, such as a putting green renovation.  Core aerification with closely spaced tines may provide more general surface OM 
maintenance for putting greens that must 
return to a high level of quality shortly following 
cultivation. REFERENCES 1. Dickson, S., K. Ross, T. Girardi, and T. 
Bryant. 2007. Garden with sand injection. TurfNet Mon. 14(1):p. 6-7.
2. Kauffman, J.M. 2007. Long-term cultivation effects on rootzone properties of a sand-based putting green. M.S. thesis. Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville.3. Landreth, J.W. 2005. Cultivation techniques to maximize the efficiency of organic matter removal from sand-based putting greens. M.S. 
thesis. Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
4. Huang, B., X. Liu, and J.D. Fry. 1998. Effects 
of high temperature and poor soil aeration on 
root growth and viability of creeping bentgrass. 
Crop. Sci. 28:1618-1622.5. Murphy, J.W., T.R.O. Field, and M.J. Hickey. 1993. Age development in sand-based turf. Int. 
Turf. Soc. J. 7:464:468.
6. Neylan, J. 1994. Sand profiles and their 
long term performance. Golf & Sports Turf. Aus. 
Aug:22-27.
7. USGA. 1993. USGA recommendations for 
putting green construction. USGA Green Sect. 
Rec. 31(2):1-3ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe authors thank the United States Golf 
Association™s Turfgrass and Environmental 
Research Program (USGA TERO) and the 
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture 
for the financial support of this research. Josh Landreth is a research technician, Doug Karcher is an associate professor, and Mike 
Richardson is a professor in the Department of 
Horticulture at the University of Arkansas. 
Australian Turfgrass Management Magazine is 
grateful for the assistance of the authors and 
the USGA TERO in publication of this research 
(USGA TERO Vol 6, No. 19: Oct 1, 2007). Although verticutting treatments (left) removed more surface organic matter, plots that were core aerated (right) recovered significantly fasterFig 3: OM content in the surface inch of 
the rootzone as affected by cultivation treatment.  Data collected June 21, 2004, two months after the third set of 
treatments were applied.  Treatments with bars sharing a letter are not significantly different.48AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTGPlex-III_Jan08.indd   17/12/07   2:03:30 PMGPlex-III_Jan08.indd   17/12/07   2:03:30 PMthe mastersPHOTOS BY BRETT ROBINSONThe 2007 Masters crewScottish assistant Barry Proctor strikes a pose on the 15thScott Powell on a rollThe 6th green gets an early morning trimSome 90 hours a day was spent on bunker presentation during the 2007 MastersBeautiful lines, dodgy moJustin Crowe is a picture of concentration cutting the 16th50AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTHuntingdale Golf Club lived up to its ability to produce some of the best finishes in professional golf following the 2007 Mastercard Masters held in November. Aaron Baddeley added the coveted Gold Jacket to his wardrobe after edging Swede Daniel Chopra in a four-hole playoff hole, continuing the tournament™s uncanny knack of playoff finishes. As he has done for the past six years, Huntingdale superintendent Michael Freeman had the Melbourne sand belt course presented in superb condition and his crew deserved the many accolades 
directed their way during the event™s coverage.  Conditions during tournament week tested the ability of Freeman™s charges, with back-to-back 37-degree days at the start of the week contrasted by a 30mm dumping of the wet stuff prior to the first round. Freeman™s usual crew of 15 swelled to around 25 for the tournament with volunteers coming from country courses Leongatha, Mt Beauty and Corowa and as far afield as New Zealand and Scotland.Huntingdale crew continues the traditionHuntingdale crew 
 continues the traditionHuntingdale Golf Club greenkeeper Tracey Allen gives the par 5 7th a shave before the second round at the 2007 Mastercard Masters.51AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTnewsRoyal Melbourne™s East Course has been rated in the world™s top 100 golf courses 
for the first time following the recent release of Golf Magazine™s elite course listing.In previous rankings, Royal Melbourne™s Composite Course was a perennial top 
10 entry, however for its latest listings the 
US-based magazine has decided to rate both 
the East and West courses separately. The 
end result is that the East Course comes in at 
72nd while its much famed sibling drops a few 
spots to 15th.Pine Valley in New Jersey continues to be the judges™ favourite, topping the rankings for 
yet another year, followed by Cypress Point, 
St Andrews Old Course and Augusta National. 
Pebble Beach jumps one spot to 5th at the 
expense of Shinnecock Hills.The inclusion of Royal Melbourne™s East Course means Australia now has six courses 
rated in the top 100. After Royal Melbourne™s 
West Course, Kingston Heath is the second 
highest ranked course, coming in at 26th, 
down six from the last rankings.The big Australian mover is Tom Doak™s Tasmanian gem Barnbougle Dunes. Debuting 
49th when the last rankings were released, 
Barnbougle has leapt up to 35th and is now 
ranked one spot ahead of New South Wales 
Golf Club in Sydney, which drops two places. Royal Adelaide Golf Club rounds out the 
Australian contingent dropping from 54th to 
75th. Across the Ditch and two New Zealand courses hold their own in the top 100 with 
Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay ranked 47th 
and Kauri Cliffs in the upper North Island 
63rd.Meanwhile, the 2008 Golf Course Guide has released its list of the top 100 public courses 
in Australia. Not surprisingly Barnbougle 
Dunes retains its top spot and much interest 
will surround the development of the second 
18-hole course which is due to get underway 
midway through 2008. Kennedy Bay came in second, while Joondalup (Quarry/Dunes) moved into third at the expense of Laguna Turtle Point. According 
to the judging panel the reason for Joondalup™s 
elevation was due to fistunning conditioningfl 
which is a credit to former superintendent Jeff 
Lane who departed the Perth course in late 
2007. Moonah Links™ Legends Course jumped 
up a spot while the Open Course dropped 
down two spots to 10th. Some of the big movers were Pacific Harbour (up 10 places to 14th), St. Michaels 
(top 100 to 33rd) and The Cut in WA (up from 
21st to 8th). The Graham Marsh-designed 
Eynesbury Golf Course in Melbourne™s west 
debuts at 35th (see profile on Eynesbury 
superintendent Garry Collins in Offshoot - 
Ed) while Victorian links gem Port Fairy breaks 
into the top 50.ROYAL MELBOURNE EAST DEBUTS IN TOP 100 COURSESThe par 3 16th, Royal Melbourne East. Royal Melbourne™s two courses Œ East and West Œ have been rated separately for the first timeWith holes like the par 3 15th, it™s no wonder Port Fairy has broken into Australia™s top 50 public courses52 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTAustralian golfing institution Greg Norman is set to be honoured by the Golf Course 
Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) in late January. The World Golf Hall of Fame member will be presented the GCSAA™s highest accolade 
Πthe Old Tom Morris Award Πat the opening 
session of the association™s 2008 conference 
to be held in Orlando, Florida.Norman will join an exalted list of previous winners including inaugural winner Arnold 
Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Robert 
Trent Jones Sr., Pete Dye, Byron Nelson and 
Ben Crenshaw.fiI have always had the utmost respect for the GCSAA and I believe its members are 
truly the unsung heroes of our sport,fl Norman 
said. fiIt is a distinct honour to be selected 
for the Old Tom Morris Award and to join this 
distinguished list of past recipients.flThe Old Tom Morris Award is presented by the GCSAA each year to an individual who 
fithrough a continuing lifetime commitment 
to the game of golf has helped to mould the 
welfare of the game in a manner and style 
exemplified by Old Tom Morris.fl Morris (1821-1908) was greenkeeper and golf professional at the St. Andrews Links 
Trust Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, a 
four-time winner of the British Open (1861, ‚62, 
‚64 and ‚67) and ranked as one of the top links 
designers of the 19th century.Labelled the ‚Great White Shark™ by a headline writer for the Augusta Chronicle after 
the first round of the 1981 Masters, Norman 
achieved 91 professional victories, including 
20 PGA Tour titles and two British Open 
Championships (1986 at Turnberry and 1993 
at Royal St. George™s). A longtime supporter of the golf course superintendent profession, Norman is a vocal 
leader in the movement to make the game of 
golf more compatible with the environment 
and is a trustee of GCSAA™s philanthropic 
organisation, The Environmental Institute for 
Golf.fiGreg Norman truly embodies the spirit of this award,fl says GCSAA President Ricky D. 
Heine, CGCS. fiA true friend to our profession 
and association, he has made countless 
contributions to the game and is therefore a 
deserving recipient.flSHARK RECEIVES GCSAA™S HIGHEST HONOURGreg Norman will receive the GCSAA™s Old Tom Morris Award at the upcoming conference in Florida53AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTBayer Environmental Science 391Œ393 Tooronga Road  East Hawthorn, Vic. 3123. Ph. (03) 9248 6888   www.bayercropscience.com.au   ABN 87 000 226 022Chipco Rovral GT controls Dollar Spot and a range of other turf diseases within 24 hours Œ and in most cases keeps 
working for 14 days. Mixed with Chipco Signature,  
Chipco Rovral GT will also beat the stress of Summer 
Decline. So for performance that outstrips other turf fungi-
cides, insist on Chipco Rovral GT. RESTORE YOUR TURF™S PERFECT FINISH IN RECORD TIMERovral® and Chipco® are Registered Trademarks of Bayer. Bayer Environmental Science is a business 
group of Bayer Cropscience Pty Ltd. Available fromaround the trade HOLE, REIN SHARE AGCSA BOARD TRADE REP ROLESam Hole (Syngenta) and Robert Rein (Toro Australia) have been elected as industry 
representatives to offer opinion and feedback 
to the Australian Golf Course Superintendents 
Association (AGCSA) board.Hole and Rein were elected by industry peers following a decision by the AGCSA in 
late 2007 to welcome a trade representative to 
sit in on board meetings to provide advice on 
certain matters affecting the turf industry and 
the companies which service it.The suggestion of a trade representative initially came from Globe Australia™s John 
Cooper and was well received by the AGCSA 
Board and management at its September 2007 
meeting. Shortly after Hole and Rein were 
chosen to act as trade representatives with 
Rein sitting in on the November 2007 board 
meeting.AGCSA trade members who would like to raise any issues or provide feedback to the 
AGCSA can get in contact with either Sam or 
Robert who will then have the opportunity to 
raise it with the AGCSA Board. DSMA LABEL CHANGES GET APVMA APPROVALBarmac Industries recently received approval from the APVMA for a number of improvements to the label of its product DSMA Clear Selective 
Herbicide. Three major changes to the use 
patterns on the label have been made and 
these are:  The required water volume on the old label 
was not consistent with the application 
methods used by modern turf managers. 
After extensive trial work, Barmac was 
able to demonstrate to APVMA that the 
product was safe and efficacious at water 
volumes as low as 450 litres per hectare. 
The label now has a range of water 
volumes approved.  Reduced application rates where multiple applications are planned have now been 
included on the label. Users can now 
legally reduce the rate of product when 
they plan to repeat the application after 
7-14 days. This allows for more flexibility 
in spray programmes and will also reduce 
the discolouration of the turf.  The product is now registered in 
Tasmania.Barmac general manager Wayne Sear says the new labels will start appearing in the 
market over the next few months. Interested 
parties can download the approved label from 
the PUBCRIS database on the APVMA website 
www.apvma.gov.auNAME CHANGE FOR AGRILINKSouth Australian-based Agrilink, the company 
behind GolfLinx water management solutions, 
has changed its name to AquaSpy.AquaSpy Group designs, produces and distributes moisture sensors and smart 
information technology which saves water 
and maintains optimum plant health. There 
are more than 50,000 AquaSpy sensors in use 
around the world.fiOur new identity sends a message that AquaSpy Group is positioned to provide 
immediate solutions for people who want 
to save water, save money and reduce their 
ecological footprint,fl says AquaSpy Group 
chief executive Nigel Hennessy. AquaSpy Group last year launched GolfLinx, taking the company™s water saving 
technology directly to the golf course industry.  
GolfLinx provides turf managers with a visual, 
two dimensional ‚x-ray™ below the turf, replacing 
traditional manual methods of soil moisture 
measurement.  By creating smart irrigation 
control systems, AquaSpy products measure 
soil moisture, salinity and temperature levels 
for best practice irrigation.Rain Bird™s Maxicom2 has become the first irrigation central control system to receive 
the prestigious Smart Approved WaterMark 
Award certification in Australia.With features such as multiple scheduling, weather monitoring, automatic and manual 
control options, flow management and 
Cycle+Soak, Maxicom2 is designed for large commercial and industrial applications 
such as those managed by local councils, 
sporting clubs, retirement villages and park 
and recreation departments.Hundreds of sites and weather sources can be controlled and monitored from one 
location through telephone, cellular modem, 
radio (450-470 MHz), spread spectrum radio 
(900 MHz), direct cable connect, short-haul 
modem, fibre-optic modem, Ethernet device 
server, Wi-Fi device server, or fibre-optic 
device server communication.Now available in version 3.5 with the additional features of Low Flow Alarm 
and Odd/Even Scheduling, Maxicom2 is sophisticated yet easy to operate. And it™s one of the most water efficient systems 
as well after judges awarded it the Smart 
Approved WaterMark in early September 
2007. For further information on Rain Bird™s Maxicom2 visit www.rainbird.comMAXICOM2 WINS SMART APPROVED WATERMARKAs part of its continued 
emphasis on service 
and technical support, 
Toro Australia has 
recently appointed a 
specific field engineer 
to oversee technical 
training and support 
within Australia and 
Asia.Garry Price has been with Toro for eight years and in that time has built up a solid 
reputation with dealers and superintendents. His new role, officially titled Field Engineer, 
Turf Equipment Sales and Service, will 
encapsulate a number of important new 
areas including the provision of technical 
assistance to company personnel and end 
users as well as on-going training.Price will be based at Toro™s Victorian headquarters in Braeside, but will travel 
extensively to Toro™s Asian business centres 
including China, Korea, Japan and India as 
part of this new role. For further information contact Toro Australia on (02) 8887 4100.PRICE RIGHT FOR TOROMaxicom2 has been awarded the Smart Approved WaterMark Award Garry PriceAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT54According to Hennessy water consumption from irrigation can be reduced by 30 per cent or more with AquaSpy and produces better 
results at a fraction of the cost of desalination 
or recycling. Hennessy says the new identity was being rolled out across AquaSpy Group™s operations 
in Australia and the US. AquaSpy Group is 
based in Adelaide and has two offices in 
Santa Rosa and Santa Ana, California.  It also 
has staff based in a number of areas around 
regional Australia. For more information, visit AquaSpy™s website at www.aquaspy.comKUBOTA ON THE MOVEKubota Australia is set to shift its Melbourne 
headquarters in 2008. The company, which 
is in its 30th year in Australia, will move 
from its existing Tullamarine location to a 
new warehousing facility in Truganina, near 
Laverton, in Melbourne™s south west. The new 15,000m2 facility, which will cost $18 million, represents a 50 per cent increase 
on Kubota™s current storage capacity and will 
help improve the company™s ability to deliver 
machinery to dealers.Orica Watercare™s remediation business 
was awarded the technology and innovation 
award for its Landguard technology at the 
annual Agribusiness Awards for Excellence, 
held last October.  The award recognises innovation of high value to the customer and demonstrated 
high potential profitability through successful 
adoption. The Agribusiness Awards for 
Excellence were established by Monash 
University in 1996 and are recognised as the 
premier national awards for the agribusiness 
industry.Landguard enables the rapid treatment of pesticide residues. Through hydrolysis of the 
pesticide, Landguard creates by-products 
of significantly reduced toxicity and greater 
biodegradability than the parent pesticide. Commercial manager of the remediation business Kate Dawson believes this product 
is of great importance to the agricultural 
industry, at a time when environmental issues 
such as water quality are critical.fiLandguard provides a real opportunity for best practice management to treat 
contaminated soil and water,fl Dawson says. fiOrganophosphate compounds can take years to break down naturally and 
can cause great environmental harm. The 
benefits of using Landguard include reduced 
environmental impact, lower risk to human 
health and the reduced public liability of the 
greater agricultural industry. fiLANDGUARD WINS NATIONAL AWARDAustralian Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology president Claude Gauchat presents the award to Orica™s Kate Dawson55AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT Instantly restore dormant or discoloured turf to a natural green with Green Lawnger turf colourant. Easy to apply, Green 
Lawnger blends beautifully with most types of grass by simply controlling the amount of application.GREEN LAWNGER® Fast, Economical Turf Colourant 
 
WETTASOIL®  ULTRA 
 
 
Australia™s Most Effective Wetting Agent 
Reduce water usage with Wettasoil Ultra, the industry standard in 100% non-ionic wetting agents. Newly formulated without 
harmful NPEs, Wettasoil Ultra is now even safer and more convenient to apply. It is the ideal wetting agent for parks, athletics ˜ elds, race tracks, schools, councils, lawns, golf courses and more.email: info.au@beckerunderwood.comwww.beckerunderwood.com.auNational Sales Manager Dale Skepper 0407 880 521 dale.skepper@beckerunderwood.comSpecialty Products Manager Andrew Doyle 0409 313 026 andrew.doyle@beckerunderwood.comToll Free 1800 558 399always thinking ahead.TURF MARK®Spray IndicatorTurf Mark  is an ideal temporary spray colourant that leaves a distinctive blue dye to show exactly where you™ve sprayed. Registered with the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, it helps prevent skips and overlaps and assists in pinpointing drift.water managementBY BRETT ROBINSONGolf clubs around Australia have again benefited in the latest round of the 
Federal Government™s Community Water Grants scheme, with a total of 114 projects receiving in excess of $5.4 million. Successful round three projects were announced in early November 2007, with golf clubs in Victoria, NSW, South Australia, 
Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia 
successful in receiving grants for a wide 
range of water-saving projects. A number of sporting facilities and bowling clubs were also successful in obtaining grants.The round three allocations take the total amount of grants given to golf clubs across the three rounds to nearly $14 million, with around 
300 projects benefiting since 2006. Of the golf club projects awarded in round three, Victoria came out on top with 58 projects 
obtaining a combined total of $2.6 million, representing an almost twofold increase from the second round announced in November 2006. Thirty NSW projects received $1.8 million in funding, a slight decrease from round two, while Western Australia had its most 
successful round with six clubs collecting a 
total of $223,000. Projects that received grants 
in round three included:  Irrigation system upgrades to improve 
water use efficiency and to cater for treated 
effluent/waste water coming online;  Stormwater diversion and harvesting;  Installation of waste treatment systems to 
recycle wash water and construction of 
washdown bays; Installation of rain water tanks to capture 
water from maintenance facility and 
clubhouse roofs;  Construction of dams to store stormwater/
waste water and increasing existing storage 
capacities;  Construction of wetlands to aid in nutrient 
stripping and to reuse water for irrigation;  Sewage recycling schemes;  Creek stabilisation;  Bore capping; and  Groundwater conservation.Among the recipients in round three was Portarlington Golf Club on Victoria™s Surf 
Coast. Superintendent Steve Burchett says 
the club has been in negotiations with Barwon 
Water regarding the use of recycled water from 
its treatment plant since June 2006 and the $100,000 in grant money will be used to bring this onto the course.fiFortunately the club has been progressive in the pursuit of securing its own water supply 
for a few years now,fl says Burchett.  fiWe 
currently harvest stormwater from the town 
before it goes out to sea.  We divert the 
water into an underground pump well then transfer the water via pump and underground piping about two kilometres to the club™s storage facility.  When it rains this is a fantastic resource for the club.  fiTo complement this we now have the ability to access recycled water.  The grant will 
be used to lay pipe underground about five 
kilometres to the golf club where we are able to shandy this water with the stormwater we already harvest.  The club™s storage capacity 
is now around 47 megalitres.  fiFuture water projects include making provision for greater stormwater harvesting and we are currently pursuing options with a 
proposed nearby housing estate.   We will also 
be planning to increase our storage capacity on site by about 20 megalitres. We will also be looking at another pump well situated on another ocean outfall not far from the club.fiWe are committed as a club to reduce our need for potable water to the clubhouse only and would like to be self sufficient in regards 
to water supply.  Obviously through the water 
grants scheme we are going a long way 
towards that and we have also had fantastic 
support from Barwon Water, Geelong City 
Council and the EPA.flNot far down the road, and Barwon Heads Golf Club was also one of the big winners from 
the latest round of allocations. Attendees of 
the 24th Australian Turfgrass Conference in 
Cairns would have heard superintendent Peter 
Frewin talk about the extensive undertaking 
by the club to secure its water source, and 
the $223,636 received in round three will be ploughed into this wide-ranging project.Elsewhere in Victoria, Riversdale Golf Club (superintendent Michael Picken) received a grant of $125,000 which will be used to upgrade 
the course™s 1970s-era irrigation system. Put together by club general manager Bob Taylor, the Riversdale application comes on the 
back of extensive stormwater harvesting work already undertaken by the club in recent years, Clubs reap round three water grantsRound three of the Federal Government™s Community Water Grants scheme was announced late in 2007 with over 100 golf courses successful in receiving grants for various water-saving initiatives. ATM looks at who some of the big winners were.Clubs reap round three water grantsGolf clubs received more than $5.4 million in funding for water-saving projects from the latest round of the Federal Government™s Community Water Grants scheme56AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTwhich included the extensive refurbishment of Damper Creek that runs through the property. 
The new irrigation system, costing around 
$750,000, will be installed starting this year 
with a completion date of 2009/10. North of the border and two of the big grant recipients in NSW were Cronulla and 
Mudgee golf clubs, between them netting almost $500,000. Mudgee received $212,000 to upgrade its irrigation system, while at Cronulla, home to superintendent Paul Duffy, a $272,727 
grant will also go towards an irrigation system 
overhaul.The new system, which will cost Cronulla about $1 million, will hook up to a pipeline 
to be built by Sutherland Council, feeding 
tertiary treated effluent water from the Cronulla 
Sewerage Treatment Plant.  The pipeline initiative and irrigation upgrade will enable Cronulla to significantly reduce its reliance on bore water from the Botany Aquifer and 
potable water from the Sydney Water system, 
with estimated savings of over 100 megalitres 
from these sources. The council™s pipeline will also service Woolooware Golf Course, as well as the Cronulla Sharks and Toyota facilities, schools and numerous playing fields, ultimately reducing the amount of effluent water flowing 
into Bate Bay.Round four applications of the Community Water Grants scheme are expected to be called for in the first half of 2008. Golf clubs can register for information updates through the scheme™s website (www.communitywatergrants.gov.au) as well as find out more information on guidelines and how to apply. TABLE 1. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY WATER GRANTS TO GOLF COURSES - ROUNDS 1-3  Round 1 (Mar 06) Round 2 (Nov 06) Round 3 (Nov 07)State Projects Grants* Projects Grants* Projects Grants*VIC 28 1,001,000 23 1,072,000 58 2,618,000NSW/ACT 23 886,000 37 2,039,000 30 1,862,000QLD 16 545,000 10 622,000 11 422,000SA 15 528,000 9 366,000 5 193,000WA 5 186,000 3 137,000 6 223,000TAS 5 210,000 7 594,000 4 121,000TOTAL 92 $3,356,000 89 $4,830,000 114 $5,439,000* These figures, taken from the www.communitywatergrants.gov.au website, have been rounded to the nearest thousand.Footnote: The Australian Golf Industry Council is currently looking at making 
approaches to the federal and state 
governments to support the AGCSA's 
water initiative and long-term security of 
water for the golf industry.57AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTOur popular Safetee Pro® OHS diary system is now available to e-par® users online at www.epar.com.au.Designed to keep your staff, contractors and visitors safe, the system provides regulatory documentation as well as a full range of Risk Assessment and Safe Work Procedure templates. These assets are provided from the collective resources of our 
member clubs and turf facilities (see below) Œ fiit™s a real industry collection facilitated 
by the experts at e-par® Safetee Pro®, we couldn™t do without it.fl David Warwick, Superintendent, Avondale Golf Club
–but don™t just take our word for it Œ ask some of our partners in safety–..Avondale, Manly, Mona Vale, Pennant Hills, Twin Creeks, Kooindah Waters, Newcastle, Dubbo, Pacific Dunes, Mollymook, Sea Temple, The Sands, Kingswood, 
Glenelg, Royal Adelaide, Brookwater, Lakelands, Pacific Harbour, Settlers Run. . . 
For more information and order forms for Safetee Pro® and all training packages please go to www.epar.com.au What the Superintendent needs . . . .  e-par / Safetee proWhat the Superintendent needs . . . .  e-par / Safetee proturf techniciansBY GREG STRINGERWe have seen and read in the last edition of Australian Turfgrass 
Management magazine about how the turf technician needs to be up to date with 
the latest technology, especially with all the 
advances in electronics and hydraulics, even 
now touching on equipment such as hydrogen 
powered machines. The fact still remains, however, that even with the latest technology, machines and 
components can and do break down, whether 
due to a mechanical fault or from an operator 
error. As much as companies manufacture 
machines and parts to high standards, quite 
often once a machine has been put into 
service there is a tendency to find weak points 
or maybe an area which needs to be changed 
to suit the prevailing conditions. Following are three areas, not necessarily high tech, where a turf technician once again 
comes into his own with his innovation and 
ingenuity. MODIFYIt is quite easy to dismantle an item and 
replace it with a new part, but quite often this 
part or item will wear out or break again.  This 
is where the ever-thoughtful technician relies 
on his experience and training to modify the 
existing components to make them perform 
just as they did when new or perform even 
better. Sometimes the modification can be carried out on new machines or components, perhaps 
for safety reasons or maybe, as previously 
stated, to suit prevailing conditions.  An 
example of this is where a new bunker rake 
had been purchased and put into service 
but because of the type of bunker sand 
and underlying surface the new tines had to 
be modified (shortened) so as to effectively 
groom the bunker. A different example was on our golf course where we had a Toro 4500-D that kept wearing down the roller supports causing damage to 
the grease nipples. The simple modification 
in this case was to beef up and extend the 
supports which eliminated the problem.  MANUFACTURETurf industry machines are still very unique 
(i.e.: made for individual purposes) and as 
such you cannot just buy any so called ‚after 
market™ parts or options to bolt on or use for a 
particular purpose. I don™t think that there would be one turf technician that hasn™t schemed up an idea 
either out of necessity or under instructions 
from a superintendent to manufacture an 
item, be it small and simple to large and 
complicated.  One great example of this that I came across was a purpose built cylinder mower.  This 
mower had been designed and manufactured 
to be used on a miniature village display where 
a normal mower would be too wide to use. What made it unique was that the cut was only about 25cm wide.  The machine used 
a brush cutter engine that drove, via belts, a twin-bladed cylinder which in turn cut against 
a modified wood chipper blade for a bedknife.  
It came complete with a fixed rear roller, 
adjustable front roller and bedknife along 
with a grass deflector so as not to scatter the 
clippings. IMPROVISEFor whatever the reason, be it budget 
constraints, lack of new parts or just to get an Modify, manufacture or improviseIn the last edition of ATM we launched our new dedicated turf technicians section with Royal Melbourne™s Luke 
Spartalis looking at the changing nature of a mechanic's 
role. Continuing on from that, Greg Stringer from Heritage 
Golf and Country Club looks at three areas where turf 
technicians truly earn their keep. Modify, manufacture or improviseBeing able to improvise is a key skill for a turf technician to possess. One of the all time classics is the simple glass fuse wrapped in foilImprovising is a means of making do 
with basic items at hand. Here some electrical conduit had been used as a bearing supportThis purpose built 25cm cylinder mower was designed to be used on a miniature village displayAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT58item working with as little down time as possible, it seems that almost everyone has 
at one stage or another improvised on a part 
or piece of equipment to achieve a positive 
outcome.  Improvising is a means of making do or getting by with the basic items at hand, be 
it just a very quick fix to get you going or 
maybe a full-blown repair job.  One of the all time classics is the simple glass fuse wrapped in a cigarette packet foil. I 
thought they only did this in the movies until I 
was fault finding an electrical circuit and came 
across a fuse holder hiding a fuse that I guess was now rated at about 100amps. There was another case where I pulled apart a castor wheel from a rough cutter deck 
only to find a section of electrical conduit had 
been used as the bearing support. Surprisingly 
this had lasted quite a while and it was only the 
bearing that had collapsed and not the conduit. 
This is what improvisation is all about.    In an ideal situation you would have all spare parts in stock with everything being 
over-engineered but apart from being too 
impractical it would also be far too costly.  Just remember that old adage that one man™s trash is another man™s treasure.  It could be that the box of so-called trash lying around, 
whether it be old parts, steel or whatever, could 
be the saving grace for your predicament.  Your turf technician may just be able to modify, manufacture or improvise using these 
items to get your equipment up and running 
again to save the day. I guarantee that if you stand in your work shed and have a look around at your equipment 
you will be surprised to see how many items 
have either been modified, manufactured or 
improvised.TETA STATE CONTACTSNSWTETA
Membership enquiries
Sam Olah
M: 0418 296 111
E: s-m-s@bigpond.com
Next event: 12 Feb 2008, Sponsor Toro 
Australia
VTETA
Membership enquiries
John Phelan
E: john@vteta.info
Next event: 19 Feb 2008 (TBC)Modified roller supports on this fairway unit helped eliminate the problem of damaged grease nipples 59AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTTo join contact Pip Dudley on (03) 9548 8600 or info@agcsa.com.auan invitationto become a trade member AGCSAAGCSA trade membership is open to individuals working in the turf or related industries.  The AGCSA offers all trade members a range of benefits designed to foster the growth and development of yourself and your organisation.  As a valued trade member, you will receive the following:Benefits5% Discount to Trade Exhibition  5% Discount of Ads in Magazine Exclusive listing on AGCSA Trade directory (Web)Copy of ATM MagDiscount to advertising jobs on internetFree Legal Advice AGCSA NewsletterEnvironmental Initiative Discount  The Cut email newsletterPermission to use AGCSA logo on your material.Discount of AGCSATech servicesDiscount to Conference (education)state reportsWith 2007 nearly over it™s time to reflect on a busy year, prepare for Christmas 
and plan for 2008. The recent loss of Joondalup superintendent Jeff Lane to Cairn™s Paradise 
Palms Country Club leaves our association 
without a treasurer. Craig New and I will share 
the role until next year™s AGM where there will 
be a vacant committee position available. Jeff has been involved with the GCSAWA for as long as I can remember, being the 
treasurer for over five years and also a past 
president. We all wish him the best for the 
future and hope the family settles in well in the 
tropical north.Congratulations must go to Peter Fleming on winning the Golf Masters Cup for 2007 from 
Brad Anderson. The golf events will be slightly 
reduced next year with results incorporated 
into other yearly events. The GCSAWA is planning a busy 2008 with the bi-annual conference set down for May at 
Rottnest Island. Craig New is organising and 
gathering options for what should be a great 
couple of days. We will be endeavouring to attract a couple of very special guests as well as a few local 
superintendents showing us what they have 
been doing over the last two years. The team 
building events will be also be very different 
due to the location. Registration and further 
details will be sent out in the new year.The departure of many long-serving golf course personnel from the industry, such as Alan Morley from Secret Harbour, has created 
a few worries with people leaving the industry 
looking for greener pastures. As most superintendents in this position will know, finding new staff can be an onerous 
task and there are many clubs running with 
staff numbers at 70 per cent. Apprentices in 
particular are very difficult to attract at the 
moment which is a real worry for the future of 
the industry. Rainfall has been better in 2007 compared with 2006 easing the pressure on the industry, 
especially licensed bore owners with no 
restrictions on use as long as we stay within 
our allocation. Spare a thought for our counterparts on the east coast with water restrictions so tight 
that some states have very little available 
irrigation water and households restricted to 14 
litres per person per day including showers.In closing I would congratulate all our members on a great 2007 and wish them all 
the best for 2008. I hope to catch up with as 
many members at our various association 
events coming up throughout the year.  These 
events can only continue with your support and 
if I can be of assistance to anyone in any shape 
or form during my tenure as president please 
do not hesitate to contact me at gcsawa@
aapt.net.au. DARREN WILSONPRESIDENT, GCSAWAGCSAWAI hope everyone has had a quiet and peaceful 
Christmas and a well earned break. Since 
the last report from the TGCSA the board has been busy setting up the programme for 
2008. Our last meeting for 2007 was held in Hobart on 27 November with the main topic on 
irrigation and recycled water. The Clarence City 
Council has extended its reach and is now the 
largest recycled scheme in Tasmania, which 
has enormous benefits for five golf clubs on 
the eastern shore currently using the water. During the day we viewed the new Toro irrigation system at Royal Hobart Golf Club 
and its operations, as well as the new storage 
dam at Tasmania Golf Club. Peter Rand from 
ARM gave a very informative presentation on 
the recycled scheme, its background, OH&S 
items, water quality and management.The next TGCSA meeting will be in Launceston on 27 February 2008. More 
information will be sent out early in the new 
year.On the weather front, September and October were two extremely windy months 
drying everything out very quickly after a 
dry winter. Some rainfall figures for the 11 
months from around the state are: Hobart 
Airport (356.2mm), Launceston (509.6mm), 
Devonport (493.2mm), Smithton (747.8mm) 
and Swansea, on the east coast, (338.8mm). 
Compare that to Mt Read on Tassie™s west 
coast which has had (3014.8mm).Some sad news came our way in October with Stu Matthewson™s resignation from 
Devonport Golf Club. Stu has moved into the 
retail side of the industry and we wish him 
all the best and thank him for his efforts as 
TGCSA secretary. Dan Gilligan (pictured) has keenly stepped into the role 
until the next AGM, while Kane 
McDonald from Port Sorrell Golf 
Club has taken on the role as 
superintendent at Devonport.Further east, and progress is steadily taking place for the planning of the second 18 
holes at Barnbougle Dunes. Superintendent 
Phil Hill has informed me that everything is 
on schedule, plans have been submitted to 
council and earthworks are due to start in 
mid-2008. Stay tuned!STEVE LEWISPRESIDENT, TGCSAOne of Queensland™s longest serving golf 
course superintendents has called it a 
day. Ian Earp, a well known name within the golfing industry in the Sunshine State has 
retired after serving as superintendent for 32 
years at Oxley Golf Club. All up Ian has been in the industry around 48 years, starting his career at Royal 
Queensland Golf Club. Ian spent some time 
on the GCSAQ committee in his earlier days 
when meetings were held at the Bellview Hotel 
in the city. We wish Ian a happy retirement in 
Cardwell, fishing and lawn bowling. The GCSAQ turf research day held at Royal Pines was very successful with 130 in 
attendance. The day started with breakfast, 
then 18 holes of golf. Thank you to Paul McLean and his team for the presentation of 
the golf course. This was followed by lunch and a few words from our major sponsor of the day, Twin View 
Turf. Then the QDPI&F™s head ‚experimentalist™ 
Jon Penberthy gave us a rundown on what 
was happening with the many trials being 
conducted at Redlands Research Station. To finish the year off, the Christmas party at Wet ‚n™ Wild was another success with 150 in 
attendance. On behalf of the GCSAQ we hope 
everyone has a great Christmas and a happy 
New Year. ROD COOKPRESIDENT, GCSAQGCSAQTGCSAAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT60TGAA ACTFirst, I would like to take the time to congratulate all those local and interstate 
apprentices who have completed the last year of their tech studies.  Although many of 
you may still have another year of on-the-job 
training to complete it must be a good feeling 
to know that you have finished the theory side 
of your training.  For those who are now fully qualified, the TGAA ACT wishes you all the best for the 
future and hopes to see you continue working 
within the turf industry. Although you may have 
finished studies for your trade certificate it is 
in your best interest that you continue with 
your training and the local Canberra Institute 
of Technology, Horticultural Department, is 
constantly looking for enrolments into the 
diploma level of training. For more information 
please contact Bruce Davies on (02) 6207 
4623.Locally the region has received some significant rainfall during November which has 
topped up many dams and impoundments and 
helped to alleviate many problems associated with the drought.  Although recent rain has 
helped to reduce total water usage, local turf 
managers are facing the real threat of tight 
water restrictions.  If these restrictions are 
imposed it will result in the significant loss 
of assets for many clubs and businesses 
throughout the district.  The local water authorities/regulators and representatives from both the horticultural and 
turf industries are in constant discussion on 
exactly what impact this may have.  It is vital 
that industry assists in developing strategies 
to combat the issue of the reduction in water 
allocation.In local news, a district golf club which is in the final stages of a five-year maintenance 
contract with a large outsourcing firm has 
decided not to continue with the option of 
contract maintenance and has decided to go 
back to the ‚in-house™ option.  This is a big step for the Canberra-based club with a number of reasons behind the 
decision, the main one being so as to maintain 
better control of the day-to-day maintenance of the golf course and its facilities. Initially things 
will be difficult for the club, although this is the 
beginning of the building of the foundations for 
success.  All current staff are being retained 
which is good news for all concerned.On a final note, Smartrain is holding a series of chemical user and handler courses 
that run for two days and are fully certified.  The 
course itself is AQF Level 4 accredited.  Due 
to the constant changes made to legislation 
affecting chemical users, it is essential for 
staff who are involved in the supervision and 
training of workers to practice the correct 
methods in transport, handling, mixing and 
applying chemicals in the workplace.  For 
further details please contact Chris Houghton 
on (02) 6284 4533.The TGAA wishes all members and their families a safe and festive holiday season and 
a prosperous 2008. JUSTIN A.K. HASLAMCOMMITTEE, TGAA ACTAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT61Foley sets new standards in grindingwww.toro.com.auFor more information speak with your local Toro representative.For Customer Service call 1800 356 372Exclusive Australian DistributorWith newer grass strains, shorter cutting heights and the challenges of newer reel and traction systems, Foley United is the proven world leader in grinding solutions.

If the answer is yes to these questions you need Foley United.www.foleyunited.comHERO/TOR1799JNSWGCSAAs I write this report New South Wales is receiving some much needed rain. At 
my club we have had 550mm rainfall over the past five months. Let™s hope we get 
some dry weather too for a little while Πthen 
rainfall from 23 December until five (it™s nice 
to dream a little!). Despite that dam levels are 
again on the decline and NSW can expect 
another tough summer.I recently attended the NSW Turf Technicians Association™s (NSWTETA) annual 
general meeting at Stadium Australia in 
Sydney. I was invited along with AGCSA joint 
general manager Scott Petersen. The turf technicians are concerned about the lack of apprentices coming through the 
industry and also losing good technicians to 
other industries. The NSWGCSA is fully aware 
of the current shortages of turf technicians and 
would like to help in any way possible.We are looking to meet some career officers to ensure they are aware of the role 
and what it has to offer. I would encourage any 
superintendent to join up their turf technician 
to the NSWTETA. You can contact president 
Nathan Healy on 0416 317 056 or Sam 
Olah 0418 296 111. AGMThe NSWGCSA annual general meeting was 
held at Cabramatta Golf Club in August, and 
I would like to thank all 61 delegates who 
attended. A big thanks to Toro for sponsoring 
the day yet again. To Craig Wright, host 
superintendent, and Cabramatta Golf Club, 
thank you for allowing us to use your great 
facility. Scott Riley is no longer on the board after four years of service. Scott has been in 
charge of field days for the past four years 
and his commitment to the industry has been 
outstanding. I would like to thank Scott for all of his help and dedication and wish him all the best in 
his future endeavours. In turn, I would like to 
welcome Stuart Hall from Asquith Golf Club who has come on to the board; I™m sure he will 
be a great asset. Comments and topics that arose from the AGM included: Concern about the lack of available apprentices and turf technicians;Promoting the NSWTETA within our 
industry;Improving the NSWGCSA website;More feedback required to improve the 
association™s education days;Possibilities of a state phone book for 
superintendents.With regards to the speakers, John Odell gave a short talk on the AGCSA and why he 
decided to return to the ring, while John Neylan 
finished off the meeting with a presentation on 
AGCSATech projects as well as a brief report 
on the AGCSA.  Thanks to both for their 
valuable input on the day.EDUCATION DAYThe annual Education Day was held at Roseville 
Golf Club on 30 October and focused on the 
highly topical issue of water. The day was 
sponsored by Nuturf and Rainbird. I would 
like to thank Roseville superintendent Mark 
O™Sullivan for allowing us to use the fantastic 
conference facilities.It was decided earlier in the year that we give more air time to our sponsors in a 
way to thank them for their ongoing support. 
Consequently, we asked Nuturf and Rainbird 
to present on their own products, which have 
had a positive impact in regards to water 
management.The AGCSA shared the day with an abridged version of Daryl Sellar™s presentation on human 
resource management and an update on the 
salary survey recently conducted. As always, 
Daryl had everybody™s undivided attention 
and presented a great session. Thanks again 
to Daryl and the AGCSA in continuing to 
improve the standards for our industry - and 
if you haven't completed the wages survey, 
please do.MEMBERSHIPMembership numbers are going well and we 
have received 283 renewals. Craig Wright will 
be chasing up those who haven™t renewed.The new apparel range is also now available. New shirts and sleeveless jackets 
have been purchased and will be shown off 
at our field days. Anyone wishing to purchase 
these items can contact Mark O™Sullivan 
directly via email mark@rosevillegolf.com.au TOURNAMENTS The latter part of 2008 saw a number of NSW 
clubs host major tournaments. Congratulations 
to Mark Parker and all of his staff for the 
recent tournament success at Concord Golf 
Club which hosted the Men™s and Ladies 
Senior Australian Open. The tournament was 
a great success, the course looked fantastic 
and was understandably very well received by 
all players. Well done also to Steve Harris and all staff at the Vintage Golf Club in the Hunter Valley 
which hosted the NSW Open. I™m sure we 
will score better than the pros when we grace 
your fairways in June for the annual Ambrose 
event!And finally, congratulations to David Honeysett and his crew for the wonderful 
presentation of The Australian Golf Club at the 
Australian Open in mid December.CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTSPlease ensure you diary the following meetings for 2008.
Directors meeting ΠShortland Shortland 
Waters Golf Club (25 February);
Rube Walkerden Day ΠKillara Golf Club (10 
April);
Directors meeting ΠAsquith Golf Club (19 May);
Annual Ambrose Event ΠThe Vintage Golf Club (16 June);
Directors meeting ΠSt Michaels Golf Club (4 August);
2008 AGM Πdate TBA.Wishing everyone a great Christmas and a wet New Year!ANDY HUGILLPRESIDENT, NSWGCSANZGCSAstate reportsThe 2007 NSWGCSA AGM was held at Cabramatta Golf ClubAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT62On behalf of all NZGCSA members we hope you have all had a prosperous 
and safe festive season and the new year is treating you and your courses well. With 
the start of another year we always seem to be 
reflecting on were the last one went and how 
fast they seem to go. As with all associations leading up to Christmas, most of our regional associations 
wind down their field day activity and focus 
more on the social side. I was fortunate to once 
again attend the annual Central Turf Managers 
Association annual Christmas golf tournament 
weekend held in Whitianga on the Coromandel 
Peninsula. The organisation and enthusiasm of this association in not only putting on this weekend 
but all of their days is a credit to all involved. 
The involvement of not only their present 
members but all who attended typify what this 
industry is about.Prior to Christmas, as a guest of NZ Golf, I was invited to attend the New Zealand Golf 
Open in Queenstown at The Hills Golf Club. This stunning property and golf club is privately 
owned and has secured the rights to the event 
which is now co-sanctioned with the Australian 
PGA and European Tour for three years. If you managed to see the coverage of this event you would have seen the absolutely 
stunning facility that has evolved coupled with 
the surrounding landscape. It is hard to believe 
but it was the first time the NZ Open had been 
in the South Island for 22 years and the first 
time ever in Queenstown. The building of not only this course but other projects, along with the quality of all the 
existing golf clubs, means this region is fast 
becoming a golfing mecca. While Queenstown 
is regarded internationally as a ski retreat, 
pretty soon I believe it will rate even higher as a golfing destination.In other association news, it was with regret that at the start of December the NZGCSA 
board received the resignation of our executive 
officer Peter Macintosh. Peter, along with his 
wife Carol, has been in charge of the day-to-
day running of our association™s affairs. While this is a part-time role, the effort and enthusiasm that they applied to the position 
more often than not stretched past the allocated 
hours available and their commitment will be 
sorely missed. We wish them all the best with their new ventures. Peter will finish at the end of 
February, by which time the NZGCSA hopes 
to have a new person involved to ensure a 
smooth change over and minimal disruption to 
our members. PETER BOYDPRESIDENT, NZGCSANZGCSAThe Hills Golf Club recently hosted the 2007 New Zealand OpenAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT6324th Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade ShowMelbourne Conference Centre - 23-24 July 2008ON SALE NOWCall or email now for a copy of the trade exhibition brochure.For more information or to book your position contact Scott Petersen or 
Melissa Wallace on 03 9548 8600 or 
melissa@agcsa.com.au or 
scott@agcsa.com.au.Exclusive sales window for 2007 
trade exhibitors until Wednesday 21st November then open to whole industry 
to book your space at the Southern 
Hemisphere™s largest turf 
trade exhibition.96 - 38 REMAINING96 - 38 REMAININGstate reportsThe TGAA VIC held its summer seminar last month with water as the theme for the 
day. Storage, efficient use and weather patterns were all discussed and someone 
must have done a rain dance as it rained 
all day. While the wet stuff was great to see, 
much more is needed in the catchment areas, 
although we have had good supplementary 
rain compared to the last five years and 
hopefully it will continue over the summer.Dave Morrison from the Bureau of Meteorology gave a very informative talk on 
comparisons of the current drought conditions 
with past trends and what we can expect in 
the near future. Peter Fitzgerald gave a talk on catch-can tests and how to relate these figures 
on the efficiency of your irrigation system.Stephen West and Daniel Schwartze from Haileybury College talked of how they coped 
with the problems caused by drought and 
what changes they have made to get through 
this summer. We had a number of other very 
interesting talks on the day and some of the 
speakers™ notes are on the TGAA website 
(www.tgaa.asn.au) for your convenience.Coming activities include a field day in March 2008 (details to be posted on TGAA 
website soon) and the Cricket Wicket Seminar 
in conjunction with the 24th Australian Turfgrass 
Conference at the Melbourne Exhibition and Conference Centre next July.The new Victorian committee is on track to move forward with TGAA business and invites 
feedback and suggestions for educational 
events to be arranged in the future. Please 
email your suggestions to admin@tgaa.sn.au. 
Our newsletter is to be emailed in December, 
so if you have not supplied your email address, 
then please do so as soon as possible.The Committee wishes you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year.ROB SUNDBLOMPRESIDENT, TGAA VICTGAA VICA merry Christmas and a happy New Year 
to all in the turf industry. To all our trade 
sponsors, the VGCSA wishes to thank you for your ongoing support in 2007 and looks forward to your continuing involvement 
in our great association throughout 2008.The 2008 VGCSA Calendar was delivered in December, so if any members have not yet 
received a copy please get in contact with one 
of the committee members. At this stage the following 2008 meeting dates have been locked in:
Education Meeting (disease ID, fungicide 
combinations, water projects/water qualities) Π
NMIT (26 February)
Country Meeting ΠPort Fairy Golf Club (6-7 April)
Annual General Meeting ΠRoyal Melbourne 
Golf Club (26 May)
Education Meeting (soil and tissue testing) ΠEynesbury Golf Club (25 August)
Annual Open Golf Day ΠWoodlands Golf Club (17 October)Christmas Meeting ΠRosanna Golf Club (1 
December)Thanks to all the clubs who will host VGCSA meetings in 2008. Without your support we 
can™t offer our members education, golf days 
and the chance to share information with their 
fellow superintendents. l hope that all our 
members support these meetings.With 3A water restrictions in place, low rains in September/October combined with 
some major falls all over Victoria in November, 
the skills of superintendents have been put to 
the test in recent times. With some clubs still 
having to truck water onto their golf courses, costing as much as $16000 per megalitre, let™s 
hope summer can bring some good rainfalls 
to ease the financial strain on Victorian golf 
clubs.The 2007 VGCSA calendar concluded with the Christmas function held at Huntingdale Golf 
Club on 8 December. It was a fantastic night 
with around 120 attending and included the 
presentation of the 2007 VGCSA Recognition 
Awards which went to Michael Picken and 
Alan Phillips.Michael is a 26-year veteran of the turf industry and has been superintendent at 
Riversdale Golf Club for the past 12 years. Prior 
to that, he spent 12 years at Cape Schanck, 
including eight years as superintendent. Michael also spent a decade on the VGCSA committee 
and served three years as president. Alan also falls into the veteran category and earlier in 2007 retired after 24 years in 
the turf industry. Alan spent five years with 
Deveson-Jahn before moving to Toro where he 
spent 19 years servicing the needs of Victorian 
superintendents. Both Michael and Alan have made massive contributions to the VGCSA over the years and 
this was just a small way the association could 
recognise their efforts in an industry which they 
are very passionate about.MICHAEL FREEMANPRESIDENT, VGCSAVGCSAMichael Picken (Riversdale Golf Club) and Alan Phillips were the recipients of the 2007 VGCSA Recognition Award for their services to the VGCSA AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT64For more information, contact Scotts  Australia Freecall 1800 789 338  www.scottsaustralia.com New Zealand (09) 299 6558  www.scottsnz.com   To ˜nd your nearest local Distributor, go to the Scotts website.Professional Business Group, Scotts Australia Pty Ltd 11 Columbia Way, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153 Phone (02) 8853 7300 Fax: (02) 8853 7310  ©Scotts Australia Pty Ltd 2007   ®Registered TrademarkNew Sierraform® GT is an improved,  unique formulation combining slow release potassium and nitrogen, for:  increased ef˜ciency of turf  water consumption  
maintaining a higher bank  of fiavailable Kfl optimum protection against stress  
enhanced cold, heat, drought  and wear tolerance minimised disease activity accelerated disease recovery proven minimal mower pick-upBUILDING WATER EFFICIENCY INTO YOUR GREENSA world of local knowledgeŽ5400 SierraformGT WateringCan ad1   17/12/07   4:01:34 PMLOWARADeliveringPumpingSolutionsRChristchurchPhone (03) 365 0279Fax (03) 366 6616AucklandPhone (09) 525 8282Fax (09) 525 8284MelbournePhone (03) 9793 9999Fax (03) 9793 0022SydneyPhone (02) 9624 2577Fax (02) 9624 2561BrisbanePhone (07) 3200 6488Fax (07) 3200 3822Emailinfo@brownbros.com.auWeb Site www.brownbros.com.aufiThe growing-in phase of a new golf course is critical and requires detailed planning, particularly when it comes to irrigation.When the new Settlers Run Golf Course at Cranbourne was in the early stages of planning we had no hesitation in recommending a Lowara pumping system because of its better control, long term reliability and ease of maintenance.The Settlers Run pump installation incorporates 4 variable speed Hydrovars which are uniquely linked to Toro Irrigations™ Sitepro software which delivers to the Superintendent precise information on the performance of the total pumping system, which is absolutely critical to the grow-in phase.Combine that with Brown Brothers™ exemplary after sales service and Settlers Run couldn™t be in better hands.flBrendan Graham, A&M WateringHow the Hydrovar reduces energy consumption.Most applications involve the pump operating either along its full speed performance curve or the pumps performance is throttled or regulated by a valve. The Hydrovar eliminates these operating methods by regulating pump speed and hence output to match the system demand. This saves wasted energy traditionally lost in these conventional pump systems. Energy savings of up to 70% can be realized. (figure 1)What is Hydrovar?Hydrovar has gained a reputation as THE pump mounted microprocessor pumping system controller. But it does much more than just change motor speed.It actually manages the performance of the pump to match a wide range of system conditions and requirements.Hydrovar is fully programmable on site as it incorporates the microprocessor and the variable drive in one compact and unique packageHow Hydrovar reduces maintenance cost.Hydrovar software is designed specifically for centrifugal pump operation, control and protection. Hydrovar can thus be setup to protect the pump from operating under various unfavourable conditions eg. cavitation, operating against closed head, low NPSHa or operation past a pumps maximum flow rate. Hydrovar will automatically shut down and alarm if adverse conditions occur.Hydrovar provides the Golf Course Superintendent with the flexibility of watering required with substantial savings on installation, power usage and maintenance. For details about the experience of some of Australia and New Zealands most prestigious Golf Clubs who have installed Hydrovar pumping systems, contact the Lowara distributors nearest you.What is Flowlink?To assist green-keepers and Superintendents in the golf course, turf and irrigation markets,  Lowara and TORO Irrigation teamed up together to develop a link between the Toro Sitepro software  and Hydrovar.The link operates with up to 4 Hydrovar pump systems and monitor running / fault conditions and measures pressure and flow of the pump system.All these parameters are displayed on the central irrigation control computer