OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Earlier this year, New South Wales assistant superintendent Shane Brogan (31) made the move from the world renowned course to take up the superintendent position at Torquay Golf Club on Victoria™s Surf Coast. In this first edition of Offshoot, we profile Brogan and find out the challenges he is facing in his new position.Nickname: BrogsyFamily: Fiancé Helen  Years as a superintendent: Six months Years as an AGCSA member: ThreePrevious clubs and positions: Apprentice The Vines of Reynella (four years); qualified greenkeeper Flagstaff Hill Golf Club (two years); intern Kingsmill Resort (six months) and Pebble Beach Golf Links (one year); assistant superintendent New South Wales Golf Club (four and a half years).Number of staff at Torquay: SevenCourse specs: 18 holes, 5743m, est. 1922; Bent/Poa greens, Legend fairways, Legend/Santa ana tees, cool-season/Legend roughs.You recently moved to Torquay Golf Club from New South Wales Golf Club. Why the move and how have you settled into your new position?Torquay is a beautiful township on Victoria™s Surf Coast. We thought it would be a great place to live and raise a family. I have settled in well after a busy first six months. The club has some great members and staff. Also, veteran local supers Peter Frewin and Brett Balloch have been very hospitable and great blokes to chat with.What challenges do you face settling in?Fitting in well with your staff is important. I have replaced three guys in the past six months and currently have a great team of guys that work well with each other. The weather also has been very challenging.  For someone who is about to take up a new position interstate, what piece of advice would you give them?Get to know your local supers. These guys have probably been around the area for a long time and their advice is invaluable. Ask questions. Study up on your local native flora and noxious species. Going from a course ranked in the world™s top 50 to a much smaller club, what challenges will you face from a turf management perspective? There are a lot of challenges to face like the obvious smaller staff and budgets, but the great thing about working at such high profile clubs is that it gives you a great eye for detail which you can take to any size club you want to manage.What are the main differences between Torquay and New South Wales?The budget, staff and the soil. Dig a hole anywhere at La Perouse and you find sand; dig a hole anywhere at Torquay and you will find anything from dune sand to clay you can™t pry off a shovel.Plans for the course in the short term?Rebuilding of two holes in line with the master plan. New maintenance shed and sand bays. Irrigation upgrade. Improvement of Legend fairways and completion of couch program.Best part about being a superintendent?Watching long putts run true and drop.Favourite spot on your course? 17th tee. Except when the surf is good and I have to sit and watch guys get barrelled at Bird Rock.Most embarrassing moment as a superintendent?While retrieving the pumps from our creek to be serviced, I fell into the creek up to my waist.Funniest moment you have seen on course?Nude photo shoot next to 5th tee at NSWGC.Career highlight?Meeting Jack Nicklaus or spending a year preparing for the 100th US Open, both things I will cherish.The overseas course you™d most like to visit?St Andrews or Ballybunion.Name 3 CDs you could not live without.Radiohead Œ The Bends; Red Hot Chilli Peppers Œ Californication; Chemical Brothers Œ The Singles.Sporting team you love/despise?Adelaide Crows/Sydney SwansWhat do you do to get away from it all?Surfing, photography. Shane Brogan - Torquay Golf Club Welcome to the first instalment of Offshoot, an exciting new-look supplement that will be a part of every future edition of Australian Turfgrass Management magazine. As part of its commitment to being the leading publication in the Australian turfgrass industry, ATM magazine is always looking at ways of expanding and giving readers a more rewarding experience.  Each edition of Offshoot will contain the latest positions vacant from around the industry, sourced from the extremely popular Job Watch section on the AGCSA website. The middle pages of Offshoot will contain the AGCSA Bookshop and Member Benefits pages which have been moved across from the magazine in order to free up space for more in-depth features. As well, Offshoot will carry the latest classified ads lodged on the AGCSA website.Offshoot is designed to complement ATM magazine, so once you've finished reading it why not pass it around to work colleagues and friends.  We hope you enjoy this new section and if you have any feedback or news of any recent appointments, then please feel free to email me at brett@agcsa.com.au. Enjoy the read.Brett Robinson,Editor, Australian Turfgrass Management. Australian Turfgrass ManagementATM Offshoot super spotlight cover.indd   120/09/2005   1:14:31 PMMoonah Mk II2005 Australian Open PreviewColin PhillipsRecollections From the TopOffshootYour Brand New ATM SupplementResearchSoil Moisture Retention in USGA GreensIrrigation Efficiency
Managing Rough to Reduce Run-offMoonah Mk II2005 Australian Open PreviewColin PhillipsRecollections From the TopOffshootYour Brand New ATM SupplementResearchSoil Moisture Retention 
in USGA GreensIrrigation Efficiency
Managing Rough toReduce Run-offOpinion - The PulseIs Contract Maintenance 
a Threat?Opinion - The PulseIs Contract Maintenance 
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systems from 1/4HP to 25HP, in both surface and sub-surface configurations.Clean Water SolutionsAerators & Fountains by Otterbine¨www.otterbine.com10 Mareno Rd,Tullamarine,Vic,3043.Freecall:1800 424 044   Freefax:1800 424 050   www.rainbird.com.au    Email:info@rainbird.com.auAvailable from:SUBSCRIPTION FORMAustralian 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: Scott Petersen Ph:(03) 9548 8600 scott@agcsa.com.au President: Jeff GambinDirectors: Martyn Black Allan Devlin  Jon PenberthyChief Executive Officer: 
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Website: www.agcsa.com.auPrinted by: PrintGraphics, 14 Hardner Road, Mount WaverleyVictoria, 3149 AustraliaProudly supported byCopyright © 2005 The AGCSA believes that material sourced and produced for Australian Turfgrass Management is 
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AGCSA, its subsidiary companies, its employees, agents or any other person which may arise from any person acting on the materials contained 
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reproduced without the written permission of the AGCSA.AGCSAI wish to apply for:One year™s subscription to Australian Turfgrass Management(6 editions per year) PLEASE TICK BOXONE COPY PER EDITION $45.10  O/S ONE COPY PER EDITION $66.00   TWO COPIES PER EDITION $82.50  THREE COPIES PER EDITION $121.00  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: ....................................................................................................Bankcard          MasterCard          VisaCard Number:  __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __Expiry Date:  _____/_____
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6.6Kuwait Calling˜˜˜˜˜˜The Perks and PitfallsLiving and Working AbroadThe Warringah VerdictIndustry Status One Year OnResearchBentgrass and Couchgrass TrialsDeveloping Poa annua CultivarsPesticide RunoffAussies Break New Ground in Middle EastKuwait CallingAussies Break New Ground in Middle East2Australian Turfgrass ManagementCOUNT ON TORO®TOLOOK AFTER YOU FROMTHE GROUND UP.With Toro you cancount on it.The Service Technicians at our ToroCommercial Service Centres are specialist
factory trained Technicians who know Toro
equipment (and other leading brands of turf
maintenance equipment) better than anyone. So if you need a service, repairs, grinding or justsome technical advice on your Turf equipment,
call your local service centre today or to find
your nearest centre call customer service on
1800 356 372 today.www.toro.com.auHERO/TOR9118COUNT ON TORO®TOLOOK AFTER YOU FROMTHE GROUND UP.With Toro you cancount on it.The Service Technicians at our ToroCommercial Service Centres are specialist
factory trained Technicians who know Toro
equipment (and other leading brands of turf
maintenance equipment) better than anyone. So if you need a service, repairs, grinding or justsome technical advice on your Turf equipment,
call your local service centre today or to find
your nearest centre call customer service on
1800 356 372 today.www.toro.com.auHERO/TOR9118contentsCOVER: Moonah Mk ll - 2005 Australian Open Preview 8In 2003, Moonah Links hosted its first Australian Open to much acclaim. Two years on and superintendent Leigh Yanner and his crew are preparing to host the 2005 Open 
which tees off in late November. ATM caught up with 
Yanner just months out from the tournament to see how 
the course has matured and what subtle changes have 
been made to further test the pros.
Photo: Brett RobinsonFEATURESCOLIN PHILLIPS - RECOLLECTIONS 
FROM THE TOP 14An at times controversial figure, Colin Phillips 
has witnessed the dramatic rise of golf at both 
the social and professional level in Australia. 
On the eve of his departure as executive 
director of the Australian Golf Union, ATM 
magazine caught up with a man who has 
been better placed than most to see how 
the greenkeeping profession has developed 
to meet an increasingly demanding golfing 
public.FROM THE OVAL TO THE OPEN- AUSTRALIAN GROUND MANAGERS UK STUDY TOUR 20After years of planning, three Australian ground 
managers spent the best part of July travelling 
around the UK on the first of what is hoped to 
be a regular facilities and ground managers 
study tour. Rob Savedra recounts their tour 
and gives an insight into wicket preparation at 
the major Ashes venues.OPINION
THE PULSE 26In the first of a regular new series in ATM, we 
pick the brains of five turf industry members on 
the contentious issue of contract maintenance 
and ask whether it™s the threat that many make 
it out to be. RESEARCHTHE EFFECTS OF ROOTZONE 
MATERIAL AND DEPTH ON MOISTURE RETENTION IN 
SLOPING USGA GREENS 34Researchers at Michigan State University 
investigated the hypothesis that reducing 
rootzone depth in higher-elevation areas and 
increasing depth of the rootzone in lower-
elevation areas of contoured putting greens 
may result in more even moisture distribution 
across the entire putting green. Their findings 
support this hypothesis and may help reduce 
moisture-related management challenges that 
inflict putting greens with significant slope.IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY OF AFL QUEENSLAND GROUNDS 40In a project to improve the condition of 
community-level playing surfaces, the 
Queensland DPI evaluated the irrigation 
systems on nine AFL Queensland grounds.  
Underpinning the need for evaluation and 
on-going maintenance, the research found 
all fields were operating at less than optimum 
efficiency and needed on-field maintenance.MANAGING GOLF COURSE ROUGH TO REDUCE RUN-OFF 44Environmentally sound golf course 
management is a major factor in most 
superintendents™ maintenance programs and 
the danger of nutrient run-off is small but 
nonetheless present. US researchers have 
found that using vegetative buffers maintained 
at multiple mowing heights improved the ability 
to limit both nitrogen and phosphorous run-off 
compared to buffers maintained at a single 
height of cut.4Australian Turfgrass Managementwww.lowlandsturf.com.au  All varieties of high quality nursery grown turfemail: sales@lowlandsturf.com.au     You don™t become a five-time British Open champion without having an extensive appreciation for the great game of golf. From the game™s traditions, the fundamentals of swing, stance 
and grip through to the fine art of turf management and golf course design, Australian golfing maestro Peter Thomson has lived and breathed the game all his life.  Recently, Thomson penned his first book, a small hardcover offering titled ‚Lessons I Have Learned™, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of his Open win at St Andrews in 1955. The 
engaging book contains small extracts of wisdom collected over Thomson™s many years of 
playing and observing, from anecdotes about iconic contemporaries Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, 
Jack Nicklaus, Bobbie Locke and the Von, through to his five Open titles and his views on modern-
day course design. However, it™s one particular entry that caught my eye. Under the heading ‚Integrity Matters™, Thomson espouses the virtues of some of the great Australian courses Œ Royal Sydney, Royal 
Adelaide and the wealth of sandbelt gems in Melbourne. But it™s his final comments which will be 
of most interest to superintendents. Thomson writes: fiIntegrity– means strength of features and 
proper dimensions– Add to this a high standard of maintenance which may well be the most 
important thing of all.flAnother iconic figure in Australian golf, albeit in a totally different capacity, is Colin Phillips. For the past three decades, Phillips has overseen the development of the game in Australia and has 
been better placed than most to witness the advances in golf course maintenance. In September, 
Phillips stepped down as executive director of the AGU and in this edition we talk with him about 
the greenkeeping profession and how he has seen it develop into the highly regarded profession 
it now is. One thing that quickly becomes evident is the high regard in which Phillips holds 
superintendents and the vital role they play in the senior management structure of any golf club.As you are probably aware by now, this edition™s cover story heads back down to Victoria™s Mornington Peninsula to see how preparations for the 2005 Australian Open are progressing. 
Thomson™s unique creation, Moonah Links, is set to host its second Open in three years and 
we stop by to discuss with superintendent Leigh Yanner how the monster has matured in the 
intervening years.Just as Moonah™s Open Course has undergone a few subtle changes in character, this edition of ATM magazine also contains a few tweaks which will become apparent as you flick through. The 
main difference is the addition of a brand new supplement called ‚Offshoot™. As well, we introduce 
a dedicated opinion section where we ask five members of the industry to cast their learned 
opinions on a certain topic. And what a subject to kick off with - contract maintenance.Enjoy the read and I look forward to seeing you at the Australian Open in November.Brett Robinson
Editorrespecting the fine art of golf course maintenanceContributors to Australian Turfgrass Management Volume 7.5Greg Bell (OSU)Michael Bradbery (NSWGCSA)Kaylene Bransgrove (QDPI)
Shane Brogan (Torquay GC)Brett Burgess (Hutt GC)Jason Foster (Arundel Hills GC)
Kevin Frank (MSU)John Gavegan (Star News Group)Peter Harfield (Blackwood GC)
Justin Haslam (TGAA ACT)Billy Hamshere (VGA)Craig Henderson (QDPI)
Graeme Logan (TGAA NSW)
Peter Lonergan (Coolangatta Tweed GC)Justin Moss (OSU)
Scott McKay (North Lakes GC)Dennis Newcombe (Southport GC)John Neylan (AGCSATech)
Andrew Peart (AGCSATech)Scott Petersen (AGCSA)Colin Phillips (AGU)Steven Potts (AGCSA)
Mark Prosser (VGCSA)Peter Ruscoe (TGAA WA)Cameron Russell (Toro)
Rob Savedra (Wesley College)Brad Sofield (Gosnells GC)Simone Staples (TGAA VIC)
Leigh Yanner (Moonah Links)In Every EditionForeword Thinking 6AGCSATech Update 28TechTalk - Castings 32News 50Around the Trade 51State Presidents™ Reports 52Welcome to ATM's fantastic new supplement called 'Offshoot'. Kicking 
things off we profile Torquay Golf Club 
superintendent Shane Brogan who 
recently came across from the prestigious 
New South Wales Golf Club. Inside 
Offshoot you will find the latest turf 
industry job vacancies, classified ads as 
well as AGCSA member benefits and the 
fully stocked AGCSA bookshop. Enjoy!OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Earlier this year, New South Wales assistant superintendent Shane Brogan (31) made the move from the world renowned course to take up the superintendent position at Torquay Golf Club on Victoria™s Surf Coast. In this first edition of Offshoot, we profile Brogan and find out the challenges he is facing in his new position.Nickname: BrogsyFamily: Fiancé Helen  Years as a superintendent: Six months 
Years as an AGCSA member: ThreePrevious clubs and positions: Apprentice The Vines of Reynella (four years); qualified greenkeeper Flagstaff Hill Golf Club (two years); intern Kingsmill Resort (six months) and Pebble Beach Golf Links (one year); assistant superintendent New South Wales Golf Club (four and a half years).Number of staff at Torquay: Seven
Course specs: 18 holes, 5743m, est. 1922; Bent/
Poa greens, Legend fairways, Legend/Santa ana tees, cool-season/Legend roughs.
You recently moved to Torquay Golf Club from New South Wales Golf Club. Why the move and how have you settled into your new position?
Torquay is a beautiful township on Victoria™s Surf Coast. We thought it would be a great place to live and raise a family. I have settled in well after a busy first six months. The club has some great members and staff. Also, veteran local supers Peter Frewin and Brett Balloch have been very hospitable and 
great blokes to chat with.What challenges do you face settling in?Fitting in well with your staff is important. I have replaced three guys in the past six months and currently have a great team of guys that work well with each other. The weather also has been very challenging.  For someone who is about to take up a new position interstate, what piece of advice would you give them?Get to know your local supers. These guys have probably been around the area for a long time and their advice is invaluable. Ask questions. Study up on your local native flora and noxious species. Going from a course ranked in the world™s top 50 to a much smaller club, what challenges will you face from a turf management perspective? There are a lot of challenges to face like the obvious smaller staff and budgets, but the great thing about working at such high profile clubs is that it gives you a great eye for detail which you can take to any size club you want to manage.What are the main differences between Torquay and New South Wales?The budget, staff and the soil. Dig a hole anywhere at La Perouse and you find sand; dig a hole anywhere at Torquay and you will find anything from dune sand to clay you can™t pry off a shovel.Plans for the course in the short term?Rebuilding of two holes in line with the master plan. New maintenance shed and sand bays. Irrigation upgrade. Improvement of Legend fairways and completion of couch program.Best part about being a superintendent?
Watching long putts run true and drop.Favourite spot on your course? 17th tee. Except when the surf is good and I have to sit and watch guys get barrelled at Bird Rock.Most embarrassing moment as a superintendent?While retrieving the pumps from our creek to be serviced, I fell into the creek up to my waist.Funniest moment you have seen on course?
Nude photo shoot next to 5th tee at NSWGC.Career highlight?Meeting Jack Nicklaus or spending a year preparing for the 100th US Open, both things I will cherish.The overseas course you™d most like to visit?St Andrews or Ballybunion.Name 3 CDs you could not live without.Radiohead Œ The Bends; Red Hot Chilli Peppers Œ Californication; Chemical Brothers Œ The Singles.Sporting team you love/despise?
Adelaide Crows/Sydney SwansWhat do you do to get away from it all?
Surfing, photography. Shane Brogan - Torquay Golf Club Welcome to the first instalment of Offshoot, an exciting new-look supplement that will be a part of every future edition of Australian Turfgrass Management magazine. As part of its commitment to being the leading publication in the Australian turfgrass industry, ATM magazine is always looking at ways of expanding and giving readers a more rewarding experience.  Each edition of Offshoot will contain the latest positions vacant from around the industry, sourced from the extremely popular Job Watch section on the AGCSA website. The middle pages of Offshoot will contain the AGCSA 
Bookshop and Member Benefits pages which have been moved across from the magazine in order to free up space for more in-depth features. As well, Offshoot will carry the latest classified ads lodged on the AGCSA website.Offshoot is designed to complement ATM magazine, so once you've finished reading it why not pass it around to work colleagues and friends.  We hope you enjoy this new section and if you have any feedback or news of any recent appointments, then please feel free to email me at brett@agcsa.com.au. Enjoy the read.Brett Robinson,Editor, Australian Turfgrass Management. Australian Turfgrass ManagementATM Offshoot super spotlight cover.indd   120/09/2005   1:14:31 PM5Australian Turfgrass Management  ...to the        next  level.Globe strip ad 2  12/7/05  1:24 PM  Page 1 AGCSA CHIEF EXECUTIVE, STEVEN POTTSWelcome to the October-November edition of Australian Turfgrass 
Management magazine. The world has watched in disbelief in late August the 
devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina on 
the southern American city of New Orleans. 
Many golf facilities in the Gulf Coast region 
have been impacted with storms and flooding 
and our thoughts and best wishes are with all 
who have been affected. After 27 years as executive director of the Australian Golf Union, Colin Phillips officially 
retired on 15 September, 2005, although he 
will stay on until his successor is named.  Colin 
has been a great supporter of superintendents 
and the AGCSA and on behalf of all Australian 
superintendents I would like to thank Colin for 
his ongoing commitment and wish him the 
best for his future.  A full interview with Colin is 
included on page 14 of this issue.I am pleased to announce that a draft golf environmental management policy has been 
endorsed by the Australian Golf Union.  The 
environmental policy will be officially launched 
in the near future and is a statement by the 
golf industry of its intentions and principles 
in relation to its overall environmental 
performance, which provides a framework 
for action and for the setting of environmental 
objectives and targets.It is recognised that of all the major land based sports, golf has the most significant 
interaction with the environment. Golf course 
superintendents are required to manage 
many situations and issues that impact upon 
the environment. The industry requires an efficient, systematic and proactive approach to 
managing its interaction with the environment 
and the Australian Golf Environmental 
Management Policy is the first step.This systems approach has been met with a very positive response from many of the 
state EPA™s regarding moving towards a self-
regulated industry.  This is a very positive step 
for our industry and I look forward to keeping 
you updated with our progress.More recently, the AGCSA has joined forces with the Irrigation Association of Australia, 
The Nursery and Garden Industry Australia, 
the Australian Institute for Horticulture, the 
Australian Landscape Industry Association, 
Parks and Leisure Australia and the Turf 
Producers of Australia to form the Lifestyle 
Horticulture Council.The Lifestyle Horticultural Council has been formed to develop a national proactive position 
on water restrictions and the ongoing challenge 
of access to water for lifestyle horticulture, and 
represents the people and businesses that 
deliver healthy, thriving and viable gardens, 
parks and open space to provide liveable cities 
and sport and recreation amenities for their 
communities. The aim of the Lifestyle Horticulture Council is to secure equitable water access for lifestyle 
horticulture by: Documenting the importance of lifestyle 
horticulture to healthy towns and cities; Developing industry positioning, media 
messages and credible argument; Influencing appropriate decision making at 
a national and subsequently state level;  Demonstrating the costs and impacts of 
changes in water policy on the community 
and industry.The Australian Open is set to return to Moonah Links from 24 to 27 November and 
once again the AGCSA will be looking for 
volunteers as part of the Course Quality 
Officials program. This is a great opportunity 
to be part of the Australian Open and is an 
excellent educational opportunity for assistants 
and aspiring superintendents to get an insight 
into major event preparation. Please see the 
website for details on how to register. The AGCSA website (www.agcsa.com.au) has continued to grow with 16,322 
visitors during the month of August which is an average of 526 a day. The website has become 
a very valuable communication tool for the turf 
industry and I would like to thank everyone for 
supporting the website.Enjoy the magazine. foreword thinking6Australian Turfgrass ManagementSPORTS TURF DRAINERS& CONSTRUCTIONSPECIALISTSSLIT DRAINAGESAND GROOVING
LASER LEVELLING/GRADING
LASER CONTROLLED TRENCHINGTURF DRAIN AUSTRALIABob Paddison Phone:  (02) 9652 2208
Fax:    (02) 9652 2209
Mobile: 0418 261 089
Email: turfdrain@bigpond.com
Website: www.turfdrain.com.au       In 2003, Moonah Links hosted its first Australian Open to widespread acclaim. Two years on and with maturity on its side, the Open Course will again play host to Australia™s flagship tournament this November. In the lead-up to the big event, ATM magazine caught up with superintendent Leigh Yanner to look back on the 2003 Open and what lessons he and the crew will take into 2005.the open '05Leigh Yanner cherishes tournaments. He loves the pressure, the scrutiny, the 
bringing together of a greenkeeping team dedicated to producing world-class turf 
surfaces. It was one of the prime reasons he took up the superintendent posting at Moonah 
Links back at the start of 2002, making the 
move after three-and-a-half invaluable years 
as assistant superintendent at Melbourne™s 
famous Metropolitan Golf Club. He knew the 
role the new Mornington Peninsula layout 
would play in hosting future Australian Opens, 
and like a moth to a lamp he was drawn.Having helped prepare Metropolitan for a number of high-profile tournaments, Yanner 
was thrust into the limelight just 18 months into 
his new posting when Moonah Links held its 
first Australian Open back in 2003. It proved an 
extremely hectic time for the then 30-year-old 
and his crew, but ultimately they passed the 
acid test admirably.Following the staging of the Open at one of its more established venues last year, the 2005 
tournament returns to a more mature Moonah 
Links Open Course. Just as the Legend fairways and Penn A1 greens have advanced, so too have Yanner, his 
lieutenants Scott Calder and Nathan Bennett and the devoted crew they oversee. Together 
they have nurtured the course through its 
formative years and are now eagerly awaiting 
the return of the pros come 24-27 November to 
see if they can once again tame the beast.VALUABLE LESSONSThe 2003 Open was a giant learning curve in 
many respects for Moonah Links. Not only did 
Peter Thomson™s self-proclaimed Leviathan 
get its first true test as a championship venue, 
the tournament also put Yanner and his unit 
through the rigours of preparing for this 
country™s flagship tournament. From a course perspective, Yanner can look back and feel pretty satisfied about the 
way the course came up. The greens were 
a challenging yet consistent 10-10.5 feet 
all week, the golden phalaris rough framed 
the lush couch fairways beautifully and the 
course™s signature bunkers snared more than 
their share of title hopefuls.The dramas that had befallen the Open the year before at Victoria Golf Club became 
a distant memory as the course received 
acclaim from far and wide Πplayers, media, 
even the chief of the Royal and Ancient Golf 
Club, David Harrison, who commented that the 
Open Course was fian absolute classicfl which Moonah Mk II -Moonah Mk II -             2005 Australian          Open Preview8Australian Turfgrass Management       BY BRETT ROBINSONwould rate comfortably alongside any course on The Open Championship rota.fiI was happy with the way the course came up,fl reflects Yanner. fiWe didn™t get the 
wind which would have made things more 
difficult and the rain kept the greens a bit 
softer. Obviously we learned a lot in regards 
to what™s actually required and where we need 
to improve. I think the fairways, bunkers and 
roughs were all of good quality but we can 
improve on the greens surfaces. fiOverall I was very happy with how it went first up, but there is still plenty of room for 
improvement. But in saying that, I don™t think 
there is a great room for margin because on 
this site we are restricted in how we can work 
the turf. We can™t cut our fairways down to 
9mm and have a nice tight surface. We have 
to provide a surface which is able to hold the 
ball on slopes. fiThe same goes for the greens. We can cut them down to 3mm and get 15 feet out of them 
and have a much better surface, but due to the 
site and particularly the weather conditions, 
we are restricted. The staff and I see it that we 
do pretty well given the restrictions we have to 
work under.fl From a personnel point of view, Yanner was able to gauge how his crew stood up 
to the demands of high-profile tournament 
preparation. In the lead-up to 2003 there was plenty of hype about how Moonah would match up to 
the more established Open venues and with 
the media™s intense focus on what happened 
at Victoria, Yanner was constantly having to 
reassure and reinforce to his staff that their 
job was simply to produce the best surfaces 
possible.Not only was there that pressure, there was also the incredible amount of extra work 
going on around the Open. The Legends 
Course was due to open four days after the 
tournament, while there were numerous last-
minute finishing touches needed to be made 
to the clubhouse and hotel surrounds. fiLast time we were exhausted after the event only because of what had been required 
in the lead-up to it,fl says Yanner.  fiI think one 
of the big things this time around will be trying 
not to overwork the staff. fiI think they may not have enjoyed the tournament as much last time due to the 
circumstances we had to work in, so in the 
lead-up this time I want it to be a good and 
enjoyable working environment so they can 
actually enjoy the tournament atmosphere. fiLooking back, the staff had very little experience as far as an Open tournament 
went but they handled it well. The feedback I 
got from our appraisals was that there wasn™t 
a lot more we could have done to improve the 
turf surfaces.flAs for himself, Yanner believes he measured up pretty well for his first time in charge. fiI love 
tournaments. I love the pressure of bringing 
the team together to present a course to the 
world. I think I coped pretty well. I took it upon 
myself being the senior person not to try and 
show my direct feelings to the staff because I 
wanted it to run smoothly. fiThe tournament wasn™t that stressful because of the rain. The most stressful thing 
for a superintendent during a tournament is 
how much water to put on the greens to still 
provide the best possible surface, and to have 
trust in the weather. But the rain alleviated 
those concerns last time.fiMy experiences from Metropolitan certainly paid off and realising that it™s all a 
timing issue. Obviously you™ve always got that 
battle with nature, particularly down here, but 
we tried to work to a plan and stick to it as 
much as possible to achieve the best possible 
surfaces for that week. And I think we achieved 
that pretty well.flTHE MATURE MONSTERTwo years may not seem a long time between Opens, but for the Open Course that time 
has proved immensely beneficial from a turf 
management perspective. In Yanner™s words the course has fisettled    With the experience of 2003 under their belts, the Moonah Links maintenance crew head into the 2005 Australian Open with plenty of confidence 9Australian Turfgrass ManagementTo obtain any of these varieties contact:ADVANCED SEED:  (03) 9462 0340Very heat tolerant-dark green colourSuperb putting QualityCombining the cold weather performance with disease resistanceThree of the best in Bentgrass varieties...downfl and one of the highlights has been the improvement in turf health, particularly on the 
fairways where growth is stronger and disease 
is not as evident as in previous years.  As well, 
the A1 greens have remained Poa free, the 
roughs Πcomprising of pasture grasses Πhave 
thickened up, while some of the course™s 77 
bunkers have changed in character due to the 
weather.As such, maintenance practices have also evolved and Yanner has moved from 
establishing and growing in to renovation and 
maintaining the surfaces to achieve a better 
sward of grass.In February this year the fairways were heavily de-thatched and aerated and fungicide 
applied to prevent spring dead spot. Greens 
renovation has changed little and Yanner still 
maintains an intensive dusting program and 
vertidrain with needle tynes to a depth of 7.5 
inches twice a year.fiThe thing is with a 36-hole complex compared with an 18-hole course, you do 
things that work for you because you have to 
spread your resources over a bigger area,fl 
says Yanner.fiWith the Legends Course coming online, resources have been stretched. Due to the 
focus on the Open this year the Legends has 
suffered a bit, but it is getting great accolades 
and a lot more return golfers. Once the Open 
has finished, the focus will be back on the 
Legends. fiIt™s mainly working on maintenance routines more now. We are still short-staffed 
which means in the past we have had to chop 
and change, and because of the weather it can 
get frustrating not being able to apply fertiliser 
or chemicals due to the wind.fl  The two years have also enabled Yanner to get a better handle on disease issues and 
patterns around the course, particularly in 
relation to spring dead spot, drechslera and 
winter fusarium.fiSpring dead spot was an issue last time and it™s still an issue,fl says Yanner. fiWith 
fertiliser and management practices over the 
past three years we have controlled the disease 
more but it™s still very evident and the fairways 
on 12 and 18 have been hit hard this year.fiThat™s the hard thing with this disease. You think you know where you are going to 
get it, but each year it changes and years gone 
by in areas where it was quite harsh it™s not so 
bad anymore. They all haven™t been treated 
any differently, but for some reason a different 
area gets hit hard. But if the weather is warm 
they will grow out naturally. fiWinter fusarium has also affected a number of greens quite badly this year which normally isn™t the case. That™s due to the high 
pH sands down here, and because of the 
weather we™ve been getting we haven™t been 
able to apply preventive measures as we 
normally would. But again, that won™t influence 
things come the last week of November. fiOverall, the turf is reasonably healthy. It™s at about 80 per cent of where I would like to 
see it but that will improve as soil temperature 
starts to warm up.fl Over the past two years, Yanner has also grown to appreciate the Moonah complex 
more. With the Legends Course complementing 
and contrasting the Open Course, Yanner is 
beginning to get to now their idiosyncrasies 
and respect the unique design features and 
character of each. Coming from Metropolitan and a mainly sandbelt background, Yanner has had to 
learn different techniques, some of which are 
new to course management in Australia Π
understanding how to get the grass to look its 
best given the climate, how the roughs present 
and play their part in the overall design, as well 
as the bunkers which are vastly different from 
the winding complexes of the sandbelt.fiThe main thing I think has been learning to appreciate two very different golf courses at 
the same time and being able to understand 
the different requirements and needs of each 
and pushing that on to the staff,fl says Yanner. 
fiGenerally about 70 per cent of things carry 
across to both courses but that extra 30 per 
cent makes the difference in the way each 
course is prepared.flIntegral in that learning and development process have been Yanner™s two assistant 
superintendents Scott Calder (Open Course) 
and Nathan Bennett (Legends Course).fiObviously it™s a massive help with Scott and Nathan,fl says Yanner. fiThey, as well as Yanner™s lieutenants Scott Calder (left) and Nathan BennettMoonah Links superintendent Leigh Yanner and the crew10Australian Turfgrass Managementthe open '05the rest of the staff that have stayed on since the last Open, have really cemented their 
position and knowledge of the site.fiTrust is a very important thing. I know that I don™t have to necessarily be out there that 
much because of the trust I have of all the staff. 
That™s particularly important with a 36-hole 
complex because you can™t be everywhere all 
the time. fiThey understand what I want and they are very proud of what they prepare and obviously 
having it associated with the Australian Open 
adds the enthusiasm and prestige of being 
here.flSUBTLE TWEAKSLittle physically has changed about the Open Course from 2003 bar a few subtle changes 
on and around the greens. In November last 
year minor contour changes were made to 
the 411m par four 9th to allow for more pin 
placements, while two of the par threes Π7 and 
17 Πhave also undergone some fine redesign 
work. Most daunting for the pros will be those alterations to the 17th, the Open Course™s 
signature hole. Already a 185m blast across a deep exposed valley to a long, narrow 
elevated green, the two greenside bunkers 
on the front right have been brought more 
into play by raising the putting surface behind 
them, enabling tighter pin positions.  fiWe were close to having pins there, so we carried out a few subtle changes with the 
permission of Peter Thomson which will make 
all the difference come the tournament,fl says 
Yanner. fiIt means the bunkers will come into play more on 7 and 17 and if the wind gets up it now means we are safeguarded as far as pin 
placements are concerned as we have more 
options to work with.flElsewhere, one of the greenside bunkers on the par three 5th has been given a more 
natural rugged look, while Yanner and his crew 
have laid about 3500 square metres of fescue 
to finish off some of the surrounds. New cart 
paths have also been constructed to help 
negate turf wear. One major change which the pros or spectators won™t notice is the new maintenance 
facility. At the time of the last Open the crew 
were confined to a glorified chicken coop 
as they awaited the construction of the new 
shed.The new facility was completed in September 2004 and while Yanner says it 
won™t make a difference to the way the course 
is prepared for the Open, it has boosted the 
morale of staff and, in particular, given his mechanics a proper space from which to maintain Moonah™s impressive fleet of John 
Deere machinery.THE SECOND COMING With the 2003 Open under their belts, it is not surprising therefore that Yanner and his 
crew head into 2005 with a fair degree of 
confidence. With course maturity on their side, 
and the fact there won™t be any outside issues 
causing distraction, in theory it should be 
business as normal. fiThe greens are our strength here and I want to portray thatfl11Australian Turfgrass Managementthe open '05One of the big differences this year, however, will be the timing of the tournament. In 2003, Seven™s coverage of the Davis Cup 
meant the Open was pushed back the best 
part of a month. This year it is back to its 
normal late November timeslot which means 
soil temperatures won™t be as high and the 
roughs may not be quite as aesthetically 
pleasing.fiThe roughs were absolutely perfect last time,fl says Yanner. fiThe roughs are our tree-
lines. They went golden and provided a perfect 
frame for the course. That™s the hardest thing 
this year with the tournament being earlier Πwe 
may not have that. If we get some good warm 
weather in November then yes we will, but if we 
get some rain they will be green.fl Over the past eight months Yanner has begun regular course inspections with outgoing 
AGU chief and Open organising committee 
chairman Colin Phillips and AGCSATech 
manager John Neylan. During that time Yanner 
and Neylan have been concentrating on turf 
health and looking at ways of achieving that, 
while there has also been plenty of discussion 
about the greens. fiOver the past six months we™ve looked at ways we can improve the greens without 
necessarily increasing the speed and playing 
around with different cutting techniques,fl says 
Yanner. fiThe last tournament we single cut in 
the morning at 4mm to achieve 10.5 feet. The 
greens were probably better the week before 
the tournament which was more to do with the 
weather, and also we were brushing a lot. fiThis time we are going to implement an evening brush. In no way are we trying to 
achieve faster green speeds, but we™re trying 
to achieve better putting surfaces. Whether we brush with reels and gauges or whether we just 
brush, that will be determined in the lead-up to 
the tournament. fiWe need to convince the organising committee that by doing this we will not 
increase green speed to the point where they 
become unplayable. But we have a belief that 
the grass will grow significantly overnight and 
won™t cause any difference in green speed 
throughout the day. We™re not allowed to roll 
them or else they just get too fast. Our greens 
are regarded very highly but we can™t work 
them to the degree where they can be really 
fantastic because of the restrictions due to 
wind.fiI think 10.5-11 feet will be our goal again and with some wind they could get up to 
13. We are not changing the course in any 
way because we have an understanding now 
because of history. We know that those 15-20 
knot wind days are going to be our tough days but the greens are able to cope with that given 
suitable pin placements. The greens are our 
strength here and I would like to be able to 
portray that during this tournament.fl IN THE LAP OF THE WEATHER GODSHow the Open Course will play this time is 
anyone™s guess, but as with any course down 
on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, set-up will 
be dictated by the weather. In 2003 the weather remained relatively benign and as such the much feared Leviathan 
didn™t bear its teeth. In deteriorating conditions 
on the final day, Peter Lonard managed to 
sneak home with a final round three-under 
to win by one shot from Stephen Leaney and 
Chris Downs. It was only hours after he had 
held aloft the Stonehaven Cup on the 18th 
green that the weather turned violent. Those Sunday conditions gave a slight hint of what the weather can throw the players™ 
way if it gets up.  The final round was played 
in steady rain and freshening south westerlies 
and as a result the course relinquished just 
19 sub-par rounds compared with 31 on 
Thursday, 39 on Friday and 26 on Saturday. fiThe course will definitely play different than last time because we can™t possibly have 
weather like we did then,fl concludes Yanner. 
fiWe™re going to have at least one day of wind.fiThe last day of 2003 made it interesting and highlighted more how we envisaged the 
course would play. The conditions meant the 
players couldn™t just rely on their set routine. 
They had to think more about how they would 
play the course and that™s just what Lonard 
said afterwards Πit was a course that made 
him think. We want the course to play fair but 
this time we want Mother Nature to add a little 
spice to it.flSubtle changes have been made to the course for the Open, including the fifth where one of the greenside bunkers has been altered. The main changes however are to the greens on 7, 9 and 17Final preparations for the Open will begin two weeks out when the course is closed12Australian Turfgrass ManagementSIMPLOT PRO-LINE (QLD).Paul Mclean0418 320 663Tim Kennedy0419 813 675SIMPLOT PRO-LINE.52 DeHavilland Rd, Braeside,VIC. (03) 9587 4993SIMPLOT PRO-LINE (NSW).3/1307 Botany Road, Mascot, NSW.(02) 8338 8730TOTAL TURF.2 Jessel Place, Duncraig, WA .(08) 9448 5263SIMPLOT PRO-LINE (QLD).Paul Mclean0418 320 663Tim Kennedy0419 813 675SIMPLOT PRO-LINE.52 DeHavilland Rd, Braeside,VIC. (03) 9587 4993SIMPLOT PRO-LINE (NSW).3/1307 Botany Road, Mascot, NSW.(02) 8338 8730TOTAL TURF.2 Jessel Place, Duncraig, WA .(08) 9448 5263September marked the end of an era in Australian golf. After 27 years at the helm of the Australian Golf Union, Colin Phillips officially stepped down from his role as executive director. In an exclusive interview with ATM magazine prior to his departure, Phillips recounts his thoughts on the greenkeeping profession and how he has seen it flourish in challenging times. profileFor the past three decades, the name Colin Phillips has been synonymous 
with the game of golf in Australia.  From his early days working in the back office at 
Metropolitan Golf Club through the 27 years 
as executive director of Australia™s premier 
golfing body, Phillips has been there at every 
major juncture the game has experienced in 
recent times.In mid-September, Phillips officially stood down from the helm of the Australian Golf 
Union, bidding farewell to a long and illustrious 
career and leaving the game at a time when it 
is about to enter a new era in this country. At times a controversial figure, Phillips has witnessed the dramatic rise of golf at both the 
social and professional level in Australia, and 
on the eve of his departure from the AGU the 
game was set to go through further change 
following the announcement that the men™s 
and women™s ruling bodies would merge to 
form Golf Australia.  That union will go a long way to securing the game™s future in Australia and will go down 
as one of Phillips™ final achievements. At the 
time of writing, Phillips™ successor had yet to be named and he was staying on to administer 
the AGU as well as continue his role as 
chairman of the organising committee for the 
2005 Australian Open. From the phenomenal success of Australian Opens in the 1980s, through to 
youth development programs and the advent 
of the new home of Australian golf, Moonah 
Links, Phillips has been better placed than 
most to see first-hand how the greenkeeping 
profession has developed to meet an 
increasingly demanding golfing public.What many superintendents may not realise is that Phillips is well versed in the art 
of turf management and actually completed 
the two-year course offered at the University 
of Melbourne™s Burnley campus back in the 
1960s. fiI started off working in the office at Metropolitan,fl recalls Phillips (61). fiI remember 
I was the first non golf course worker to do the 
course at Burnley and they actually had a bit 
of a row about whether they would let me do 
it or not.  fiIt was really interesting for me and as a result I have always had an appreciation of turf Recollections from the topAfter 27 years as the AGU™s executive director, Colin Phillips stood down in September14Australian Turfgrass ManagementBY BRETT ROBINSONmanagement and its major role in the game of golf.flLooking back at his years, there have been a number of highlights and lowlights. Giving 
Phillips the greatest sense of achievement has 
been the success in junior player development 
and the Australian Institute of Sport, as well as 
the growth of Australian golf in the international 
arena. However, he is under no illusions that 
his successor will face a raft of pressing issues 
from continuing player development through 
to the increasing concerns over water quality 
and water management.In retirement, Phillips plans to still be active in golfing circles and will take his place 
on a couple of boards, including becoming 
honorary secretary of the Asia Pacific Golf 
Confederation. As well, Phillips intends on 
re-acquainting himself with Richard Forsyth™s 
Metropolitan in an attempt to reduce his current 
handicap of 15 Œ which won™t be that hard if his 
recent 39 points on Moonah™s Open Course is 
any indication.ATM magazine caught up with Phillips at the AGU™s headquarters in South Melbourne 
just weeks before he was due to step down 
to discuss the greenkeeping profession, the 
upcoming 2005 Australian Open and some of 
the run-ins he has had with superintendents 
during his distinguished career.When you became the Australian Golf Union™s first full-time employee in 1978, what 
was the general perception of greenkeepers/
superintendents? 
It was obviously very different back then. I 
guess the biggest change I have noticed since 
then is that the quality of superintendents now 
is totally different. There were a lot of older 
superintendents around then that had been in 
the industry for many years who certainly knew a lot about it but never had the training or the 
background that the guys today do. My introduction to all this was at The Australian Golf Club and the Australian Opens 
held between 1975-78 which were the first of 
a new type of event in Australia. They were 
sponsored by Kerry Packer™s group and part 
of that arrangement with the golf club was to 
rebuild the course. In doing that they brought out a team of Americans under Jack Nicklaus to build it 
and stay on to manage the course. I think we 
saw a totally different type of superintendent 
come through that way and I think a lot of that 
rubbed off on the rest of the country. It gave the 
industry a shot in the arm.Back then was there that mentality that a superintendent was some bloke down the 
back shed who came out occasionally to 
cut the grass?
Certainly that would have been the case at a 
lot of golf clubs, but I have been in the industry 
all my life and grown up with it and I have seen 
that perception change a lot. If you look at the 
top clubs, they have always had top people 
there. In folklore that may be the case, but I 
don™t think that is the case now. You just have to look back at those guys like Claude Crockford at Royal Melbourne 
and the same at Metro and Kingston Heath; 
they may not have had the training but they 
certainly had the knowledge.How important is the role of a superintendent to a golf club and how has that role evolved 
over time? 
I think clubs have a much better appreciation 
of where the superintendent fits in the club 
structure. My comment has always been to 
clubs that the superintendent is the most 
important member of staff and I believe that 
firmly because he looks after the major asset of 
the golf club. I think that is such an important 
point and I found a lot of clubs didn™t appreciate 
that years ago, but I™m pretty sure most of 
them do now. There is much more golf played these days and I think that had a lot to do with the 
Canada Cup in the 60s. I go back to the 60s at 
Metropolitan and all the clubs were the same in 
those days. No one played December, January, 
February - they all went off somewhere else 
and the golf courses weren™t looked after as 
much. The big change over the past 30 years 
is that people want to play golf 12 months of 
the year and that means a different method of 
maintaining a golf course.How do you view the superintendent™s role? Would it be one of the most challenging 
senior management positions at any golf 
course?
It is the key position. I don™t think it has 
changed but I think there is more of an 
appreciation than there was. As we™ve seen 
a lot of superintendents have gone on to be 
course architects and do a lot with course 
design, so they are pretty much multi-skilled 
in all aspects. Do they get the recognition?   One thing Phillips will miss most upon his retirement Œ the Australian Open15Australian Turfgrass ManagementfiBuilding golf dreamsflfiBuilding golf dreamsflPhone: (03) 5966 6251  Fax: (03) 5966 6451  Email: chrisy@tpg.com.au36 Hazeldene Rd, Gladysdale, Victoria 3797   Key Contacts: Chris Young: 0417 380 298,  Paul Reeves: 0419 895 939  or Mick O™Shannessy: 0409 231 385CLIENT FOCUSED: We build to plans, budgets, desires and dreams! SPECIALISTS: All construction methods and styles. EXPERIENCED: Large and small projects and budgets. Total construction packages through to individual plant hire rates.Experienced in Golf Course landscape constructions.Previous construction experience includes:  Heritage G&CC   Hidden Valley G&CC  Eastwood GC   Medway GC  Drouin G&CC  Patawalonga GCIf your club is thinking of undertaking any course improvements please contact Densal to arrange an obligation FREE appraisal of your requirements.                                   I certainly think some of them do, but some of them don™t. I think it depends to a certain 
extent on what events the club has as well.Do you see the demands on superintendents changing in the future? 
I don™t think so. Today the emphasis is on the 
bank balance rather than on maintenance. I think 
superintendents have got their maintenance 
practices pretty right. Now committees are 
looking more to the superintendents to give 
them value for money. That™s the same across 
every industry. There has been a general swing in the way golf is played. More people want to play golf 
but less people want to join a club and we™re 
seeing the results of that in the fringe areas 
of the big cities and the country areas where 
membership numbers are struggling. If membership is struggling the money isn™t there to maintain the golf course and if 
the course is not up to scratch people don™t 
play. It™s a vicious cycle. It™s an issue for the 
AGU to see if we can™t help in that area. We 
have introduced some programs recently to 
encourage people to join clubs. A lot of clubs have to look at the way they present their membership and what they offer, 
particularly for the younger golfer. Recently 
we™ve seen clubs swapping courses with each 
other for a day which was unheard of years 
ago. That shows what members want.Have player expectations increased as far as course presentation goes?
I think dramatically so, particularly when you 
see what some of the superintendents are 
achieving. I have been at Metro for 40 years 
and when you go there and see the great 
standard the course is in all the time it does 
rub off, and when visitors go they question 
why their course can™t look like that. That™s 
had an enormous bearing on the way courses 
are presented.Do golfers have a full understanding of what 
it takes to maintain and present a course?
I think some of the older golfers do but maybe 
some of the younger fellas don™t appreciate 
the time and effort and the problems that 
superintendents have in preparing a golf 
course. There are peculiarities at each course, whether it™s drainage, soils or climate. I admire 
some of the supers for what they can produce 
with what they have to work with.Do you think superintendents have become more professional over the years?
Well, they all wear ties when they come 
to my meetings (laughs). I always like the 
superintendent to attend the organising 
committee meetings for the Open. That wasn™t 
always the case and it was sometimes hard to 
get the club to agree with that, but it™s important 
from my point of view that the superintendent 
knows what™s going on with it all, not just what 
affects him. Superintendents are facing increasing issues such as environmental compliance and 
water management, with some experiencing 
difficulty with greens committee managers 
in getting this message across. Warringah 
was a case in point. Are clubs starting to be 
more aware and getting their superintendent 
more involved?
That is the case and I think it™s probably more 
the other way around. The superintendents 
are now getting their committees to be more 
aware of what their requirements are and their 
liabilities and the ramifications if they don™t. In the past, I think a lot of club committees were prepared to sweep things under the 
carpet if they didn™t have a system in place, 
but the superintendents in my view have been 
the leaders in understanding the problems and 
bringing it to the attention and getting support 
at committee level.Contract maintenance is another issue for 
superintendents. What are your thoughts 
on the issue?
I haven™t had a lot to do with it, but I don™t support 
it. I think the club needs a superintendent 
to be on staff and be the person that has 
the responsibility of looking after the golf 
course, whereas my understanding of contract 
maintenance is that you can™t always get 
things done. We were certainly not a supporter of that at Moonah Links. Initially there were discussions 
with the crew that built the course that they 
would stay on and do the maintenance, but we 
were not in favour of that and I think the way it 
has worked out has vindicated that decision.Maintenance costs are rising as are many costs associated with running a golf 
club. Do you think clubs see their course 
maintenance budget as one of the main 
areas where they can make cuts?
I don™t see it as one area they can cut back on, 
but obviously it™s one of a number of areas that 
clubs are looking at saving some money. The 
committees are seeking superintendents to 
have more of an input in the area of costs and 
to find ways of keeping costs under control. I don™t think the major clubs have had a problem in that area and those clubs with a 
waiting list don™t seem to have the financial 
strains on them than those that don™t.During your time at the AGU you have seen the rise and development of the AGCSA. 
How has the AGU™s relationship with the 
AGCSA developed during that time?
I™m quite proud of the fact that we helped to 
get the national secretariat up and running. We 
hosted the office for some years to give them 
a start, knowing that™s how we started. I was 
the first employee the AGU had and I knew 
how difficult it was to get up and running. It 
was a catalyst to get the secretariat on a stable 
financial footing before it went out on its own 
and I have admired the way it has progressed 
since then. How do you see that relationship developing into the future?
There are a lot of issues that the AGU and the 
AGCSA will need to work together on. I think 
the major issue for the future is water. Currently 
there are issues at club and state level and 
eventually I think there is going to have to be 
a national approach on water, looking at the 
whole issue of drought, use of effluent, use of 
potable water and so forth. Whatever the issue, 
it™s important that we do work together.Phillips™ appreciation for turf management stems from when he completed the Burnley course back in the 1960s16Australian Turfgrass ManagementprofileThe Australian Open returns to Moonah Links this year. Now that the course has had 
a chance to mature, are you looking forward 
to seeing how differently it will play?
The course is a couple of years older and has 
settled down a lot. It was pretty good in 03 and 
I think it will be just as good this year. I think 
the major factor this year will be the weather. 
We were lucky in 03 with four relatively perfect 
days which is pretty unusual down there, 
although the day after the tournament finished 
you couldn™t stand up on the first tee.It would be nice this time to see a day that wasn™t perfect to see how the players handle 
the course under those conditions. The course 
is just perfect for an Open event or any big 
event. We™re not going to do anything different 
from last time but we are restricted with the 
weather conditions. There have been a few 
subtle changes to some of the greens to allow 
for more pin positions which will make those 
holes more interesting. We think we are now 
safeguarded if it does become really windy as 
far as pin placements go.How did you feel the first Open at Moonah Links was received?The first practice day was pretty nervous for all 
of us particularly coming off what happened 
at Victoria the year before. But when the first 
players started coming in and saying they 
thought the course was great, there was a 
large sigh of relief I can assure you.I suppose there was a bit of damage done at Victoria? Does that still haunt you? 
There was a fair bit of damage done that day. 
It was disappointing. It™s easy to look back 
now and say maybe if we had a third party that 
situation may not have occurred.Victoria doesn™t haunt me. I certainly think back to it and look at things we could have 
done differently. I just don™t think we were fully 
informed and I don™t think the club was fully 
informed of what was happening, so it has to 
be written off to experience.Following the drama at Victoria, the AGU is now working with the AGCSA in relation 
to course preparation for the Open. How 
important is that relationship to the future 
success of the tournament?
I think the arrangement has helped the AGU™s 
image as well as the AGCSA™s. I™ve been very happy with the way it has worked both at 
Moonah in 03 and last year at The Australian. 
It™s a completely third party being involved and 
gives us an assurance that we™ve got someone 
with an independent view looking at things.What it has done is give the superintendent another avenue to seek advice if they need it. 
I have noticed over the last couple of years 
with John Neylan and the superintendent, 
who obviously know each other well, there 
has been such a good relationship between 
them and they feed off each other which is 
great to see. Would you like to see it develop into something like the USGA has in place where 
Tim Moraghan works up to five years out 
from each US Open.
I™m not sure we would ever go down the same 
path the USGA does. I don™t think we want to 
make our golf courses so hard that you are 
on the edge the whole time. When we had 
that problem at Victoria I spoke to David Fay 
of the USGA afterwards and he said to me, 
‚Well I know how you feel, we have been in 
that position a number of times but we™ve 
always managed to get out of it™, which was    17Australian Turfgrass ManagementNOW THERE™S NOWHERE TO HIDE.  Introducting the long-lasting     insecticide with greater penetration      for protection against African black         beetles and billbug larvae.  For further information please call the Syngenta Technical Product Advice Line on 1800 067 108 or visit www.greencast.com.au. ® Registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company      TN05/125profileironic because I don™t think they got out of it at Shinnecock the other year. I was on the rules 
committee the last time the US Open was at 
Shinnecock (1995) and it was very hot that 
weekend and I remember it was pretty close to 
going over the edge. I don™t think we want to be in that position. We don™t want to grow rough that™s unplayable 
six inches off the backs of greens and have 
greens running at 15 feet. I™m satisfied with 
us going in two to three years in advance and 
then doing the course inspections every month 
or so throughout the year in the lead-up to the 
tournament.What is Moonah™s future role with the Australian Open?
At this stage the arrangement is to host the 
Open at Moonah one in every three years. 
It™s obviously better for us if we stage it at a 
course that we have an interest in. There™s 
a fairly large financial saving having it down 
there but we will always keep the Open on a 
national roster.We don™t want to lose the right to play it at other major clubs around the country. I™d 
like to see it get to Perth occasionally and up 
to Queensland a bit more often, but you can™t 
always do that because television dictates so 
much these days and it™s not always financially 
viable to take it away from Melbourne and 
Sydney.Turf surfaces have changed a lot over the past 30 years. What have been some of the big changes you have noticed?
Instant turf. Thirty years ago you could never 
go out and buy a green or buy enough turf to 
fix up something that had gone wrong. I recall 
an Open we had at Metro, I think it was 1986. 
Metro had two new USGA greens Πone and 
two Œ but the grass just wouldn™t grow. So Kingston Heath loaned them enough to re-turf those greens about a month out. Even 
though it was close, we got by because they 
were one and two rather than 17 and 18. Then 
a couple of years later we had a problem at 
the Heath Πthe 17th green Πand Metropolitan 
returned the favour. So that turf was used on 
two different courses at two different Opens. I guess that greens surfaces have improved, particularly in regards to Poa control. The new 
grasses have certainly contributed to that and 
you are seeing a lot of courses adapting the 
new bentgrasses.Have you had any interesting run-ins with superintendents over the years?
There are certainly some characters out there 
and I™ve had plenty of memorable discussions 
(laughs). I recently spoke at the annual dinner 
at Kingston Heath and recounted the story 
of the time when Graeme Grant was the 
superintendent and the course was hosting the 
Australian Match-play Championships. I went out on a Sunday afternoon about a fortnight before the event just to walk a few 
holes by myself to see how things were going. I got around the bend to the 12th and I looked 
down the fairway and saw about 25 bums up 
in the air on the green and Graeme™s standing 
there replacing the grass! Needless to say we had words over that and we often had words, particularly about 
hole placements because he had definite 
ideas on things even if we had decided on 
something else the day before. But at the end of the day we have always been good friends and I think it was just the 
way that it worked; we had some very funny 
times together but we also got a bit close to 
the bone at times. As an interesting aside, we are looking at the possibility of an Open going to Woodlands 
at some stage in the future. The first time I went 
down there I was introduced to the chairman 
of the greens committee and guess who it was 
- Graeme Grant!How do you view the strength of the greenkeeping profession?
I™ve seen a lot of good young superintendents 
coming on in the industry and I was very 
pleased this year at The Open at St Andrews 
to see a couple of Australians working on the 
crew there. It shows how well respected the 
industry is becoming over here.It™s great to see these young greenkeepers going to different parts of the world and 
working their way around. It™s not only fantastic 
for them, but it™s also fantastic for us when they 
come back with broader experiences. Phillips, pictured here inspecting the 17th at The Australian last year, believes the superintendent™s role is the most pivotal at a golf club18Australian 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.He 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.In July, Wesley College grounds supervisor Rob Savedra was part of the inaugural TGAA study tour to the UK which compared maintenance practices and set up future exchange opportunities. Here he provides an overview of the tour which included visits to austere Ashes venues Lords, Old Trafford, Edgbaston and The Oval.on tourAfter two years planning, during July this year three Turfgrass Association of 
Australia representatives travelled to the UK on the first of what is hoped to be a regular 
facilities and ground managers study tour.The tour was set up to foster links with educational institutions, parks and gardens 
managers and elite sporting venues. By 
targeting various world-renowned venues the 
tour was able to; Measure Australian practices against 
another country™s schools, venues and 
research facilities; Provide a balance between educational 
and management content; Create a foundation for continued 
exchange opportunities; and Learn and implement ideas picked up 
from the study tour.After launching the tour at the 21st Australian Turfgrass Conference in Melbourne, 
three people accepted the invitation ΠRob 
Savedra (grounds supervisor Wesley College, 
Melbourne), Bill Sciarretta (facilities manager 
Scotch College, Melbourne) and Warwick Starr 
(Parks and Gardens, Bankstown City Council, 
Sydney). The timing of the trip could not have been better. Wimbledon had just finished, The 
Open Championship at St Andrews was being 
played, while Australia was in the middle of The Ashes tour. The trip also coincided near 
the end of the British school year as well as the 
International Turfgrass Research Conference.Among the venues visited were Lords, The Oval, Old Trafford, Edgbaston, Headingly, 
St Andrews, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Stowe 
School, Rugby School, Haileybury College 
and the Cranfield Soil Science Laboratory. ASHES VENUESOne of the highlights of the tour was taking 
in the various cricket grounds playing host to 
the 2005 Ashes series. And considering the 
dramatic way in which the Tests unfolded, we 
can look back at being there during one of the 
most riveting Ashes series ever.OLD TRAFFORDFlying into Manchester, our first port of call was 
Old Trafford. After visiting Manchester United™s 
home ground, we were taken to the cricket 
ground where head groundsman Peter Marron 
gave us a tour of the facilities.Old Trafford has 11 on staff Πfive for maintenance and five for grounds with an extra 
to help on game days. The ground holds a 
capacity of 23,000 and has a 12-pitch square. 
Soil composition comprises a sandy loam 
outfield with fibresand run-ups on the practice 
wickets. There is no irrigation system.Equipment included a typical assortment From The Oval to The OpenAustralian ground managers 2005 UK study tourThe Oval, one day out from the 2005 NatWest one-dayer between Australia and England. The centre table contains 27 wickets20Australian Turfgrass ManagementBY ROB SAVEDRAof mowers, scarifiers and rollers. The new ‚Hovercover™, which many would have seen 
during the Ashes coverage, was an innovative 
idea; a small engine pumps the cover up and it 
is so light it only takes four groundstaff to guide 
it into position and then deflate it over the pitch. 
At a cost of £100,000 pounds only the elite 
grounds can afford it but the guys love it.According to Peter, test wicket preparation begins seven days prior to the game, reducing 
the sward each day to a final height of 2mm. 
Peter judges rolling requirements by instinct, 
feel and experience. All watering is done by 
hand as required. Covers could be down for 
days leading up to the match so the pitch is 
close to ready well before the start day.THE OVALfiIn affectionate remembrance of English 
cricket which died at The Oval, 29th August, 
1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of 
sorrowing friends and acquaintances, RIP. NB: 
The body will be cremated and the Ashes 
taken to Australia.fl Australia™s first victory on English soil over a full strength England squad back in 1882, 
inspired a young London journalist, Reginald Shirley Brooks, to write this mock ‚obituary™ 
which appeared in the Sporting Times. The Oval, the scene for the fifth and fateful final 2005 Ashes Test, is situated in London™s 
south west and is steeped in Ashes history. 
Therefore it was a privilege to have head 
groundsman Bill Gordon give us a tour of his 
facility just a day out from the NatWest ODI.The Oval has recently undergone a £25 million facelift with the reconstruction of the 
Vauxhall end which was opened by the Duke 
of Edinburgh before the one-dayer. Unfortunately, no consultation took place between the curator and project organisers 
during construction of the new stand so 
ground orientation, surface levels and practice 
facilities all suffered and it cost a lot of money 
to make the ground fit the stand rather than the 
other way around.The main pavilion was lower than the new stands so the National Trust took it down 
brick by brick. They then built a new bottom 
level and replaced the original pavilion back 
exactly as it was, only higher to match the new 
stands.The wicket block at the Oval is something to behold. The table includes 27 wickets including four practice wickets on the end. Bill, 
who heads a staff of six (this swells to nine on 
matchdays), has been involved with Surrey 
cricket for the past 40 years and knows The 
Oval like the back of his hand.He said one of their main tasks leading up to the fifth Ashes Test was protecting the 
Test wicket with covers during the ODI and 
county fixtures to avoid damage from players 
and weather.Bill said that preparation begins two weeks prior with mowing, verticutting and scarifying 
to remove grass from the wicket, gradually 
dropping the height to 2mm.Weather permitting, Bill said he and the staff will carry out up to 15 hours of rolling to 
achieve a true and consistent surface. EDGBASTON
Scene of England™s dramatic two-run victory 
in the second 2005 Ashes Test, Edgbaston in 
Birmingham has a staff of six and a budget 
of around £85,000. The main wicket table 
comprises 14 ryegrass wickets, with the 
practice oval containing an eight-wicket table.Head groundsman Steve Rouse is a real hands-on curator who maintains his wickets   21Australian Turfgrass ManagementWhy risk anything else?A single application of Merit will give you      ultimate African black beetle, billbug and 
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Merit - proven protection, now guaranteed!* Terms & Conditions applyMerit® and Chipco® are Registered Trademarks of Bayer. Bayer Environmental Science is a  business group of Bayer CropScience Pty Ltd. Bayer Environmental Science 391Œ393 Tooronga Road East Hawthorn, Vic. 3123.  Ph. (03) 9248 6888  www.bayercropscience.com.au  ABN 87 000 226 022Protection...Protection...Guaranteed!on tourat 12mm. With the Test starting on 4 August, Steve flooded the wicket on 24 July and said to 
achieve the desired result he must control the 
rate in which the wicket dries out. A series of 
rolling and covering when cracks appear help 
achieve the drying process with the gradual 
lowering of the height of cut down to 3mm.In the lead-up to the Test, Steve had plenty on his plate after a mini tornado ripped through 
Birmingham, narrowly missing the ground but 
causing extensive damage to surrounding 
houses.The storm brought with it torrential rain which caused surface flooding on the ground 
and put preparations back a couple of days. 
The wicket was a little greener than what Steve 
had hoped and as a result Ponting didn™t trust 
it, sent England in and chased leather for the 
next day and a half.LORDS
Picture perfect all year round, Lords hosted 
the first 2005 Ashes Test which the Australian™s 
won comfortably by 239 runs.We were fortunate to meet with Lords™ head groundsman Mick Hunt the day prior to 
the Test who pulled back the covers to show 
us the wicket. It was remarkable how calm and 
confident he was ahead of the big occasion, 
which obviously comes down to his many 
years of experience.Mick heads a staff of six with a seemingly unlimited budget. The main wicket table 
comprises 17 wickets, while the ‚Nursery™ 
practice facility has three main centre wickets 
plus two synthetics and three net facilities 
including a drop-in wicket area.Lords has recently been reconstructed with fibresand at 150mm depth to cater for heavy vehicles and marquees on the surface 
for events and the drop-in wicket technology. It 
was interesting that during this reconstruction 
they did not take out the famous slope for the 
wicket table dictated the levels of the ground.As the wickets in England are built with far less clay content than in Australia, it takes three 
to five years to get a new wicket consolidated 
enough for First Class cricket. This timeframe 
was not acceptable for Lords to go without 
cricket.All the groundsmen at Lords cite the weather as being the biggest influence on 
the way the wicket will present and play. They 
are all confident of their techniques but this 
cannot happen if it is raining or if damage has 
occurred from earlier matches.For further information on pitches in England and the processes they implement, 
check out www.pitchcare.com.ST ANDREWS ΠTHE OPENAs part of any turf study tour, an opportunity to 
get to St Andrews is a privilege. Fortunately it 
was hosting The Open when we were there and 
through contacts at Toro, including Tim Coram 
at ADE Turf Equipment, the doors opened 
for us not only to attend the tournament but 
also to meet with superintendent Gordon Moir 
who took us on a tour of the course while the 
tournament was in progress. We were shown the maintenance sheds that housed the equipment for course 
maintenance along with two other compounds 
that housed the bigger machinery including 
spare parts, three hydrojects and spray units. 
The equipment was unlimited and attended to 
by seven full-time mechanics.More than 50 groundstaff oversee the five courses and this swells to 100 for the 
tournament, with nine solely on divot duty. Tour party members (from left) Rob Savedra, Warwick Starr and Bill Sciarretta22Australian Turfgrass ManagementDID YOU KNOW THAT EVERYTHING YOU OWN, CARS, CASH, REAL ESTATE, BUSINESSES, EVEN YOUR HOME CAN BE LEGALLY TAKEN FROM YOU?It doesn™t have to be that way, not if you legally protect your assets. If you own anything of value, you must do 
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someone sends a subpoena to YOU.  CHECK OUT YOUR OPTIONS BEFORE IT™S TOO LATE!FREE REPORT & DVD Reveals fiHow To  Legally Protect Your  Assets!flMichael & Helen HoffHT INVESTMENTS PO Box 8095, Newtown, VIC 3220  Email: helen@htinvestments.com.au  www.htinvestments.com.au ph. 1 300 889957Many international turf managers were included in this staff and it was nice to say 
hi to Michael Love from Royal Melbourne 
Golf Club who was working there during The 
Open.During the tournament the other courses still needed maintenance and some fairways 
were being vertidrained.  The pumphouse 
where the four bores join as one was 
fascinating, as was the idea of running the 
sprinkler system on fairways for as little as 
one revolution.WORSLEY GOLF CLUBIn complete contrast to St Andrews, while 
in Manchester we stumbled across a golf 
course that typified a traditional English 
course. Designed by James Braid, Worsley 
Golf Club comprised pure bentgrass greens, 
tees and fairways.Maintained by six staff, this little jewel has 650 members and a budget of £40,000. 
Superintendent Nigel Smith makes his own 
soil from tree litter, sand and scarifying debris 
to use around the course. He uses bore 
water that needs acid to fix pH levels and the 
clubhouse is a relocated cricket pavilion.Nigel has fairy rings that telltale when it is time to feed the greens. His predecessor 
used this technique, so the fairy ring is 
estimated to be at least 50-years-old.  He 
feeds very little with 8.5-1-2 and maintains a 
natural habitat as much as he can with the 
funds available.Nigel typifies a passionate turf manager that knows every blade of grass on his course 
and works tirelessly to give his members the 
best possible conditions day in, day out.THE SCHOOLS Schools visited during the tour were those that had the most in common with Australian 
independent schools. We visited Rugby, 
birthplace of rugby union, and Stowe, both 
highly regarded and steeped in history.Rugby School, established in 1557, moved to its current location in the 1800s. Rugby is co-ed with 800 students, of which 
65 per cent are boys, and sits on more than 
112 hectares plus London estates.  It has 12 
boarding houses and two-day houses plus 
75 dwellings in the town of Rugby for staff 
residences. The head groundsman gets a 
house in the town.The number of sports pitches were impressive. They include rugby (11), cricket 
(7), soccer (11), hockey (2), lacrosse (1), 
rounders (4), softball (2) and volleyball (2). 
The facilities are managed in-house with 
a five manager system including architect, 
estates manager and project manager.Under these managers are 18 groundstaff and 12 maintenance staff. All maintenance 
includes the school buildings and staff 
dwellings around town. The groundstaff 
are broken into grounds and gardens, with 
gardeners being issued with one boarding 
house each to care for the gardens and 
helping the Housemaster.Over 7000 annuals are planted in gardens, hanging pots and planter pots throughout the 
school. Line marking of all the grounds is 
time-consuming as is mowing and the travel 
time of getting to and from locations.Stowe School is located at the site that was owned by the Duke of Buckingham. 
Built in 1650, the school is on 295 hectares. 
As the National Trust oversees the entire site, 
Stowe School management are responsible 
for about 74 hectares.  The school has a nine-
hole golf course that has 300 members. A groundstaff of 10 maintain 13 turf fields, 10 synthetic tennis courts and a synthetic 
hockey field. During summer months the 
groundstaff work seven days a week. With 
covers for cricket and greens mowing for 
golf, it is not uncommon for them to work 12-
hour days all week.The site used water from its own lakes that make up part of the golf course and school 
grounds.  The buildings are heritage listed 
and are currently going through a £42 million 
restoration over the next 10 years. However, 
with the announcement that London was to The hallowed turf of Lords the day before the first 2005 Ashes Test23Australian Turfgrass ManagementMust be the Floratine.Support to strengthen  your turf.

biohormonal technology



The Turf Strength Peopleon tourhost the Olympics, this funding may now be diverted.  Stowe hosted the British Grand Prix ball on its oval and hired out the entire boarding 
facility to media, catering and ancillary staff 
as the Silverstone track is just down the road.  
This brings in good money for the school 
which has a recurrent budget of about £60,000 
pounds, £20,000 of which is for the golf course 
along with a further £38,000 in capital items.Mowing is an obvious issue along with line marking and tree maintenance around 
the facility. As the public come to tour both 
buildings and grounds, issues associated with 
public liability are always hovering. Stowe is a truly magnificent school and the stories associated with its maintenance and 
upkeep are too numerous to portray in this 
overview, especially the house set aside for the 
school beagle keeper!The final school we visited was Haileybury College. Established in 1858, Haileybury took 
over the land and buildings of the East India 
Company training academy. It has a sports 
academy with state of the art pool, indoor 
sports centre and huge grounds.Every staff member is offered dwellings on site. The grounds are vast and there is land 
everywhere for future development such as 
a synthetic track and soccer pitch. When we 
were there they had just renovated the main 
rugby pitch the day before and had spent most 
of the day hand-picking the stones out of the 
topdressing. It just goes to show that issues are the same in turf management everywhere. Some 
simple things end up costing time and give 
unnecessary angst. The renovations included 
a heavy scarify, seed and topdress much the 
same as here following the winter rigours.The schools on the whole had quite similar hierarchical structure, turf management teams, 
budget and philosophies. The issues were the 
same - vandalism, rubbish, security, worker 
wellbeing and appreciation of commitment 
by groundstaff. Even though these underlying 
factors were similar, it was well worth the visit 
and we can still take away many ideas to 
implement here.CONCLUSIONSIt was evident that many of the same issues 
transcend the globe as far as turf management 
is concerned and the tour proved to be a real 
eye-opener on how they prepare turf surfaces 
in the UK. It was obvious the weather dictates the level of success a consistent and fair surface 
brings for each event and therefore their 
covering systems are revolutionary. The Blotter 
(super sopper) is a must for all sports facilities 
and most venues that can afford it have one 
or two.Across the board, golf, tennis, cricket and rugby don™t seem to fertilise as often as we do. 
Considering the intermittent rain received and 
the leaching of nutrients, we expected most grounds to be lush green and slow. In fact they 
were lean and quick.The clay content of UK wickets is around 30 per cent so any damage from skidding and 
divots cause major problems and the areas 
must be patched up. The issues associated 
with low clay content on the wickets include 
cracking, spooning, layering and thinning 
grass. The wickets deteriorate quickly and can 
only be used once for a four or five day game. 
If plating occurs, the roots of the grass are 
literally torn off and full renovation has to be 
done to fix the wicket for the following year.As there is no couchgrass used on the wickets, the ECB is constantly funding research 
into superior varieties of superfine ryegrass 
that have little or no crown on the surface to 
affect ball deviation.The lack of irrigation if any on some major venues surprised us. With our water 
management issues so prominent in Australia, 
the English don™t need to worry about such 
matters and are happy moving travellers if 
needed at all. One main point highlighted by all the curators and groundstaff was the level of 
scrutiny the media pays to their craft. SkyTV 
shows most major sporting events including 
county matches, 20/20 matches, golf, tennis 
and rugby. The pressure the groundsmen are 
under to produce an optimum facility under 
any circumstances has become so important 
to each club. The money involved is enormous 
and there are many venues vying for an 
opportunity to host these ‚earners™.Many people are now involved with the way the turf is to be prepared for different 
reasons and the curator just tries to do the best 
with all those interests at heart.In true groundsman spirit they just get on with the job and do their very best.The Oval™s head groundsman Bill Gordon 
takes time out ahead of the ODI.24Australian Turfgrass ManagementThe Andersons are coming  13/9/05  2:59 PM  Page 1THE PULSEThis edition of ATM marks the start of a regular opinion section where we pick the brains of five members of the industry. To kick things off we have come up with a topic which constantly polarises opinion Πcontract maintenance. The question posed was Π   "Is contract maintenance the big threat to the industry that many make it out to be, and how does this perceived threat affect the way you conduct yourself or your business?"Here are their responses.opinionI think in Western Australia the threat from turf maintenance 
contractors based here, offering total contract maintenance, 
is minimal. We have a few 
local companies offering legitimate contract services for golf courses, 
including renovations and construction, but to date no contracts for the maintenance of private 
golf clubs. I am positive this scenario could 
easily change. Golf clubs in WA have been receiving business profiles from a particular 
eastern state company for over a year now with little result. But we do keep a close eye on 
their performance nationally. My opinion is that in WA our private clubs are maintained in accordance with 
strict regulated budgets. Are there the margins available within tight budgets for contractors to be financially successful while value adding 
to the presentation of the course, as well as 
realistic cost saving for clubs under such 
contracts? I don™t believe so. Most superintendents have been proactive in highlighting the sound benefits of in-house 
maintenance to managers, and I believe they 
appreciate the flexibility maintenance and 
service internal course staff offer. We must be 
vigilant in protecting our livelihood and the best 
step in achieving this is to assess ourselves and our operations and make sure we maintain a professional competent standing within our 
own workplace and industry as a whole.Keep the door securely locked by going above and beyond your perceived call of duty. 
Offer your club more than anyone else can. 
State based associations play a considerable 
role in providing a platform for members to 
share information and guidance on a regular 
basis and thus developing and securing the 
roles of superintendents for the future.  Brad SofieldPresident GCSAWA, Supt. Gosnells GCManagement of a golf course is a complex relationship between 
the classical management of a 
business and the agronomical 
management of a green 
environment. Bringing these two styles together in a cohesive and co-
ordinated manner is wide and varied. An ideal 
result can be achieved in a number of ways. 
Contract maintenance is one of many options. 
It is not for everyone, but can be of use to some 
courses. It is like any business that operates 
today. Some companies prefer to provide all 
services inhouse and have the ability to carry 
out this function in a professional manner. 
Some businesses will prefer to outsource. When you outsource you must be very clear about the scope and intent of the project. 
There are very competent businesses that 
carry out these functions. There are others that 
offer one thing and provide something very 
different. As with anything, ‚buyer be aware™.It is a concern that some clubs, who undertake to have full contract maintenance, 
wake up in the morning and wonder what they 
have done. Proper research is crucial. In short, I do not see contract maintenance as a threat. It has its place like any other 
businesses in other industries. Depending upon 
the level of commitment, good management 
and communication between manager and 
super will play a pivotal role and always win.From our position, contract maintenance companies will always run the product for 
longer and will usually have less of it. This 
does have some bearing on re-sale values, 
but overall we find it has little bearing on 
our business. We must have the focus of a 
supplier of product that meets and exceeds the 
expectations of the purchasers, no matter what 
the ultimate usage is. Cameron RussellToro Commercial Turf Equipment Manager26Australian Turfgrass ManagementKnowledge, Innovation .....www.greencast.com.auThe Golf Course Company designs, constructs and 
maintains golf courses.  We 
do not perceive ourselves 
as a threat to the ‚traditional™ 
superintendent, but rather a support network to them.  Without question, 
the complexity of a superintendent™s role has 
increased dramatically in recent times. A super 
must now be well versed in industrial relations, 
environmental responsibility, OH&S, fiscal 
management, risk assessment and many other 
‚supplemental™ areas.  This is matched by the 
development in modern turfgrass practices.The Golf Course Company places a great value on the inputs from staff and supers.  
Our sites, with regard to agronomic decision-
making, are run autonomously. Budget and 
policy are set in consultation with the super, 
it is then their responsibility to implement and 
manage those decisions. So, as far as The Golf Course Company is concerned, we employ supers who are charged 
with maintaining a golf course.  The company 
provides the labour, capital and management 
framework to complete these tasks efficiently.  
Hardly a threat to the profession.  The Golf 
Course Company does not actively pursue the 
maintenance of clubs, however we respond to 
requests to provide maintenance proposals.A more accurate question may be how is it that superintendents came to think of 
contract maintenance as a threat?  Some may 
argue that the performance of some supers 
has remained static while the demands of 
modern greenkeeping has increased.  As golf 
courses evolve in their complexity to manage 
and maintain, clubs will be faced with two 
choices; take on more skilled and expensive 
administrators, or outsource to a company that 
specialises in employing the very best.  Scott McKaySupt. North Lakes GC, The Golf Course Co.There is probably no more contentious issue concerning 
supers than outsourcing. I 
can take an objective view as 
I have seen both sides of the 
coin. I worked for Pacific Golf Operations and  am now super at Arundel Hills 
where I took over from contactors.A lot of clubs decide to outsource for the wrong reasons. Clubs that outsource for 
purely financial reasons are not looking at the 
whole picture, but at a short-term financial fix. 
There are so many factors to consider with 
outsourcing. The biggest concern for supers 
is job security. If all parties are upfront and 
honest from the start, the process will run 
smoothly. Clubs who decide to outsource for financial reasons should sit down with their 
super and discuss where money is being 
spent and where it can be saved. A contactor must have a long-term vision for the course, as we all know if you cut corners 
now you will pay double to fix problems later. 
A club that chooses to outsource for the 
right reasons should not have this problem. 
Clubs who outsource will also have less admin costs, and for those who include machinery, less overheads. In saying that, the best advice 
I can give is if you have decided to outsource 
and sell all your machinery - don™t. Put all your 
equipment into storage for a year and have a 
get out clause, just in case. Outsourcing is here to stay. There are contractors out there looking to make a fast 
dollar without any concern for the industry, but 
there are contactors who are raising the bar. As supers, we can never let our guard down. Stay 
up to date with industry trends and never get 
complacent. If you do this your course should 
always be perfect and your club should never 
have a reason to look elsewhere.   Jason FosterSupt. Arundel Hills Country ClubWhat is the primary objective of a golf club board?  It is simple 
Πthey want to have their course 
presented in the best possible 
condition at all times and have 
it accessible for members as often as possible.  Is this always possible and 
at what expense?  The manager must review 
this every time he puts a budget together.What does a club gain from having permanent staff to conduct maintenance?   First, 
and most essential, they have direct control 
over staff.   The club has a professional super 
who controls the way the course is maintained 
and presented.   The superintendent and his 
team are very dedicated to their job and will 
do almost anything to keep the course in prime 
condition.   The course is a reflection of their 
abilities and pride. In comparison, a club that 
engages a contractor to maintain its course 
does not always have the control it wishes.   
Many contractors are very skilled in their trade 
and are often from the industry, but do they 
have the same passion for the job that an 
employed superintendent has?   Some do, but 
if you pick the average Joe you could have a 
lot of expensive problems down the track.While some clubs have transitioned to contract maintenance the majority are 
remaining with status quo for good reasons 
and will continue to do so.   However, this topic 
is not going to just go away and will remain 
a threat to the industry.   General managers 
will continue to entertain the idea of contract 
maintenance as pressure comes to bear on 
them to continually reduce expenditure. But be warned. Examine everything prior to making such a decision.   Make sure the 
decision is right for all the right reasons and 
not just a decision based purely on financial 
considerations.  Dennis NewcombeGeneral Manager, Southport Golf ClubSYNGENTA VALUES THE OPINIONS OF THE TURF INDUSTRY AND RECOGNISES THE CONTRIBUTION OF SUPERINTENDENTS' RESPONSES WITH A $50 EDUCATIONAL VOUCHER27Australian Turfgrass ManagementKnowledge, Innovation .....www.greencast.com.auUpdateBY JOHN NEYLAN28Australian Turfgrass ManagementIn June, John Neylan was part of a strong Australian contingent represented at the International Turfgrass Research Conference in Wales. In this instalment of AGCSATech Update, he reviews the conference as well as the recent racecourse managers gathering in Ballarat.10TH INTERNATIONAL TURFGRASS RESEARCH CONFERENCEI was fortunate to attend the 10th ITRC which 
was held in the old Victorian seaside resort 
of Llandudno (pronounced fiKlan-did-nofl) in 
northern Wales.  The ITRC provides a forum 
every four years for turf researchers from 
around the world to gather and discuss recent 
research findings.There were close to 300 registrants at the conference presenting 95 oral papers and 138 
posters, all of which is published in a two-part 
journal.  The amount of information at such 
a conference is quite extraordinary and with 
concurrent presentations running it is only 
possible to absorb a portion of the information 
presented. Australia was well represented at 
the conference with 15 attendees and there 
were seven papers and four posters presented 
by the Australian contingent.  PAPERS INCLUDED:1. Comparison of the effects of potable water versus saline effluent used for irrigating 
bentgrass and Poa annua cultivars.  J. Neylan, A. Peart and D. Huff.2. The relationship of Australian Football 
League grass surfaces to anterior cruciate 
ligament injury.  I.H. Chivers, D. Aldous, 
Dr J. Orchard.  3. Player perceptions of Australian Football 
League grass surfaces.  D. Aldous, I. Chivers and R. Kerr.4. Effect of organic amendments on microbial 
community activity in sand-based greens.  
F. Holl, D. Aldous and J. Neylan.5. Taxonomy, distribution and ecology of 
Zoysia macranthra, an Australian native 
species with turf breeding potential.  D. 
Loch, B. Simon and R. Poulter.6. Morphological and developmental 
comparisons of seven greens quality 
hybrid Bermudagrass (c.dactylon x C. 
transvaalensis) cultivars.  M. Roche and D. 
Loch.7. Warm-season turfgrass diseases in 
Australia.  K. Bransgrove.POSTERS INCLUDED:
1. Can we have perfect greens all the time? D. Barr2. Control of Guildford grass (Romulea rosea) with iodosulfuron. J. Kaapro.3. Control of winter corbie (Oncopera rufobrunnea) in turf with the nematode 
Heterorhabditis Zealandica.  P. Ford and 
D. Nickson.4. Diseases in warm-season turfgrass plots 
in south east Queensland, Australia.  K. 
Bransgrove.  The Australasian contingent at the ITRC in Wales29Australian Turfgrass ManagementIn addition to the traditional topics of plant breeding, soils, pest management and weed science, there were also three specific themes 
for the conference. Turf management with no pesticides; Non-turf sporting surfaces; and The impacts of turf in the current urban 
environment.TURF MANAGEMENT WITH NO 
PESTICIDES
This was a particularly interesting topic as 
the world continues to face the prospects of 
maintaining turf without traditional pesticides, 
with a number of European countries already 
highly restricted in their use.  Dr Daniel Potter, from the University of Kentucky, spoke on alternatives to the use 
of synthetic insecticides for the control of 
insect pests.  One of his central themes 
was plant health and managing the soil/plant 
environment so that it does not favour insect 
pests.  In particular, he discussed the importance of irrigation management and keeping the soil 
relatively dry during the egg-laying phase of 
soil-inhabiting insects. Nitrogen management 
was also considered to be a key in not 
having the turf too lush and soft and therefore 
easily attacked by sucking and chewing type 
insects.The development of insect-resistant turfgrass cultivars is seen as a good prospect, 
however, there is little or no natural plant 
resistance to root damaging insects.  Endophytes in turfgrasses, and in particular ryegrass, have provided improved resistance 
to particular pests and are also seen as a 
longer term alternative.  However, endophytes 
are limited to particular turf species and pests.Dr. Potter discussed the use of biological alternatives and manipulating the natural 
predators that exist in turf systems.  This requires a greater knowledge of natural predators and to avoid applying an 
insecticide that will kill these natural predators. 
Biological insecticides such as bacteria, 
entomopathogenic nematodes (EN™s) and 
fungi are all possible alternatives. EN™s have been proven to be very effective, however, Dr Potter indicated that there have 
been problems with turf managers using them 
appropriately.  Biological alternatives are 
certainly seen as the long-term alternative to 
synthetic pesticides but are unlikely to provide 
the same level of control.   Dr. Bruce Clarke, from Rutgers University,   spoke on the alternatives for managing turfgrass 
diseases without protectant chemicals.  He 
discussed the concept of Integrated Disease 
Management (IDM) by reducing the use of 
fungicides, increasing the diversity of soil 
micro-organisms and minimising the non-
target effects of disease control strategies. The main concept of an IDM program is to improve plant health and to reduce plant stress 
by reducing mowing frequency and increasing 
the height of cut, improving cultivation 
programs, improving turf nutrition (i.e. better 
control of N, using acidifying sources of N, 
applying manganese for the control of Take 
All patch) and re-evaluating the use of growth 
retardants and pre-emergent herbicides which 
can reduce the disease resistance of turf.The use of biological agents was discussed, however, at this time there has 
been a low adoption rate because it requires 
turf managers to be more attentive to fungicide 
selection and disease monitoring.Dr. Bert McCarty, from Clemson University, discussed the management of weeds using 
non chemical alternatives.  While there are 
alternatives, the opinion was that the effects 
are variable and can cause turf damage.Dr.  Frank Rossi, from Cornell University, described the trials he has been undertaking 
on one of the golf courses at Beth Page.  
He has six treatments, replicated three times 
across the 18 greens on the golf course.  The 
treatments vary from using biocontrols only, 
through to only using traditional chemicals.The trials to date have demonstrated that a biological only approach will not work 
and that an approach with reduced use of 
pesticides will provide the best opportunity 
for maintaining satisfactory turf quality while 
minimising pesticide use.Dr. Rossi suggested that biological alternatives such as Trichoderma for disease 
control should be introduced gradually, which 
in time is expected to reduce the overall use 
of pesticides.  This is rather than trying to 
make a direct and sudden substitution and 
expecting the biological agent to provide the 
same control as the chemical alternative.  He 
also stated that any biological program will 
be more labour intensive and therefore more 
expensive.In summing up the presentations, there are no direct substitutes for the pesticides currently 
being used.  Biological alternatives are variable 
and require a greater level of management but 
are expected to provide a reduction in the use 
of traditional pesticides.NON-TURF PLAYING SURFACES
Non-turf or synthetic sporting surfaces are an 
unlikely topic at a turf research conference.  
However, with the improvement in synthetic 
surfaces and a greater acceptance as an 
alternative to natural turf, it is a topic that cannot 
be avoided. There were several speakers on 
this topic and the general consensus was 
that there are very good non-turf alternatives 
available.  Work undertaken by Dr. Stephen Baker from the STRI comparing the characteristics 
of synthetic and turf surfaces showed that well 
maintained turf and non-turf sportsfields are 
very comparable. His work also demonstrated 
a dramatic improvement in the playing 
characteristics of synthetic surfaces over the 
past 10 years.  A common message from all speakers was that synthetic surfaces are only as good 
as the installation and on-going maintenance.  
Poor installation and in particular poor levels 
can result in a potentially dangerous and 
unplayable surface.  The other strong message was that on-going maintenance is absolutely critical.  In fact, 
unless the manufacturer™s strict maintenance 
program is adopted, it may result in any 
warranty being voided.THE IMPACTS OF TURF IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENTThere were several papers presented on this 
topic relating to the use of fertilisers, pesticides 
and irrigation in the urban area and particularly 
the home garden.  The general theme was that 
the urban environment is potentially a greater 
polluter than professionally maintained turf 
surfaces and this is primarily due to a lack of 
training and expertise among home owners in 
maintaining their lawns.More significantly was a paper presented by Dr D. Park form the University of Florida on 
the research they have undertaken comparing 
the water use of landscaped areas (eg trees, 
shrubs etc) and lawns.  In Florida, 30-70 per 
cent of potable water is used for landscape 
irrigation and lawns have generally been seen 
as high water users.  In this study, it was 
observed that many so called low water use 
and drought tolerant shrubs and trees were 
greater water users then a well established 
lawn.  The research demonstrated that as the trees and shrubs matured they used more 
water compared to the adjacent Buffalograss 
(Stenotaphrum spp.) lawn.  It was also UpdateBY JOHN NEYLAN30Australian Turfgrass Managementinteresting to note that if the shrubs and trees were placed under water stress they suffered 
considerable (and potentially permanent) 
damage compared to the lawn area.OTHER RESEARCH PAPERSAmong the many other papers that were presented, some of the topics that were of 
particular interest included; A paper that questioned the accuracy 
of soil testing and whether you should 
try to make a literal interpretation of the 
results. Soil testing is a monitoring tool for 
interpreting trends over time and not the 
absolute answer for determining fertiliser 
requirements. Plant tissue testing was discussed as a 
more useful tool for determining plant 
nutritional requirements. There was a paper on the evaluation of 
controlled-release fertilisers that indicated 
that they may not always provide the 
expected longevity, particularly in warm 
and humid climates. Organic fertilisers made from a range of 
waste products are being evaluated and 
the evidence to date does not indicate that 
they are any better or worse than the non-
organic alternatives. GOLF COURSE VISITS
During the conference there were several 
field trips organised where two golf courses 
were inspected. These were Heswall and 
Brombrough golf clubs which are located on 
an area of land between the rivers Mersey and Dee and the Irish Sea to the north west. This 
area is called the Wirral and with water on three 
sides it provides a unique climate where the 
winters are less severe.Heswall is an interesting course where the front nine is typical links and is on the shores 
of the Dee River while the second nine is 
typical parkland.  The most interesting aspect 
of this course is the native bentgrass and fine 
fescues that dominate the roughs and are the 
predominant species on the fairways.Brombrough is a typical parkland course and has recently reconstructed all 18 greens 
to USGA specifications.  It was interesting 
to note that there had been a week of warm 
weather (high 20™s) and course staff were 
busily hand watering and treating localised dry 
spot with wetting agents.  The greens were 
predominantly Poa annua and the fairways were a mix of bentgrass, fine fescue, ryegrass 
and Poa annua.  SAGCSA/GMA SEMINAR
I recently attended the annual SAGCSA/GMA 
seminar where golf course superintendents 
and their managers get together for two days 
of presentations, discussions and workshops. I was fortunate to share the floor with John Odell (Royal Sydney) who spoke on managing 
upwards. It was a most interesting insight into 
how to develop a good working relationship 
with your general manager, greens chairman 
and president and how to fisellfl your ideas up 
the line of management. One key message that I took from the presentation was that instead of grizzling about how bad things are in dealing with 
management, you need to establish a strategy 
of co-operation.I spoke on cost versus quality, looking at the importance of balancing expectations and reality, benchmarking your golf course and identifying its strengths and weaknesses and 
developing a course presentation document 
on which the maintenance standards and 
budgets can be based.It was terrific to see the managers and superintendents in the same forum as it 
provides a great opportunity for both sides to 
discuss issues from both sides of the fence. 
I would strongly recommend that all states 
follow South Australia™s lead.RACECOURSE MANAGERS™ CONFERENCEI was pleased to attend the Racecourse 
Managers Conference at Ballarat in August 
after a five-year absence. It™s an event that 
I was involved in at its inception and it is 
pleasing to see how the event has evolved and 
particularly with the formation of the Australian 
Racetrack Managers Association.During the conference there were animated discussions that evolved around 
monitoring racetracks and in particular how 
to determine the figoingfl. It is obvious that 
the lack of research data is inhibiting any 
resolution of these issues and the racing 
industry is being challenged to invest more 
money into research.As with the turf industry in general, the demand for knowledge and resolution of 
problems in the racing industry is again being 
driven by the practitioners. The challenge 
then becomes one of selling the importance 
of undertaking this basic research to the 
administrators. During the conference we had a track inspection at Bendigo Race Track where track 
manager Bernard Hopkins is presenting a 
high quality racing surface despite some 
challenging soil issues. During the visit we 
inspected the tall fescue plots that he had 
established and it was particularly interesting 
to observe the rhizomatous tall fescue and 
how it was spreading out from the edge of the 
plot (see photo). Bernard was the Victorian winner of the Racetrack Managers Award with Lindsey 
Murphy (Rosehill and Canterbury) taking out 
the national award. Congratulations to them 
both.Rhizomatous tall fescue from the trial plots at Bendigo Race TrackPHOTO COURTESY OF ALISTAIR DOWIE, TURFCRAFT INTERNATIONALTIME FOR SPRING SOIL TESTING! Send samples to AGCSATechJohn Neylan and Andrew PeartPh. 03 9548 8600 Suite 1Fax. 03 9548 8622 Monash Corporate CentreEmail. john@agcsa.com.au 752 Blackburn RoadEmail. andrew@agcsa.com.au Clayton North 3168 VicEarthworm castings can be a small yet frustrating maintenance issue to deal with for the superintendent. In this instalment of Tech Talk, Andrew Peart digs beneath the surface to shed some light on the often-asked question: Earthworm Πfriend or foe?Unearthing a menacetech talkWith the passing of another winter, once again many superintendents 
faced the backlash from members playing off dirty lies, not from bare ground but 
from an abundance of worm casts littering their 
fairways.Castings are a result of excretions from worms that are most prevalent in the winter 
months. Not only are they a frustration to 
golfers but a management issue for ground 
staff. Are these macro-organisms a real benefit 
to the soil profile or simply a pest that seem to 
cause an annual disruption to the playability of 
golf course fairways.  SPECIESThere are reportedly about 6000 species 
of earthworms worldwide and an estimated 
1000 species native to Australia and about 
80 species that are introduced. Of the 6000 
species there are 20 families of which three 
make up earthworms native to Australia and 
eight in total that represent both native and 
introduced species.One of the most common native earthworms in Australia may well be the Gippsland Giant 
earthworm, Megascolides australis growing up to 3 metres in length. Some of the introduced species are from the family Lumbricidae that are native to Britain 
and countries in North America and Asia. 
Earthworms from this family are known as 
‚peregrine™ species because of their ability to 
travel from place to place. Lumbricus terrestris, known in North America as the night crawler, 
is often presented in Australian schools as a 
typical example of an earthworm. Native earthworms are found more readily in undisturbed environments whereas the 
introduced species tend to dominate disturbed 
habitats such as home gardens and pastures.HABITATEarthworms live in burrows because of the 
requirement for moisture to enable them to 
breathe. They do not have lungs but instead 
breathe through the skin and in order for 
gaseous exchange the outermost layer of 
an earthworm is very thin and must be kept 
moist. The golf course fairway therefore provides the ideal environment for earthworms due 
to the constant irrigation that maintains 
soil moisture as well as a constant food 
source. The turfgrass canopy also provides 
insulation to help maintain a relatively constant 
temperature protecting the earthworm from 
extreme weather conditions.The earthworm only emerges at night when the evaporating potential is low but retreat 
deep underground during hot dry weather. 
Light sensitive tissues near a worm™s head 
enables them to detect light and therefore 
avoid venturing out during the day.BURROWSEarthworms tend to have two types of burrows, 
temporary and permanent. Temporary burrows 
are made by the earthworms when moving 
from one feeding site to another. Permanent 
burrows on the other hand are the earthworm™s 
home which are usually more extensive and 
are open to the surface. This allows the earthworm to select the most favourable microenvironment for feeding, 
such as moisture content and soil temperature. Castings are a result of excretions from worms that are most prevalent during the winter months32Australian Turfgrass ManagementPermanent burrows are regularly cleaned or rebored to remove castings, organic matter or 
soil that has washed into the burrow. CASTINGSEarthworms cast for two primary reasons. 
Firstly, they must excrete the left over material 
after ingesting soil and organic matter for 
nourishment. Secondly, due to living in 
permanent burrows they ingest any deposited 
soil from washing after heavy rains to clean out 
their burrow. Backman 1999, reports that fairways are often established on heavy soils that are more 
prone to compaction, which forces Lumbricus 
terrestris to expel the majority of their castings on the surface instead of in the voids within 
the soil. BENEFITS
Some of the reported benefits to the soil from 
earthworm activity include; Initiation of thatch decomposition;  Stimulating microbial activity; Releasing certain plant nutrients;  Increasing soil aeration; and  Increasing infiltration rate (Backman, Miltner, Stahnke & Cook 2002).ELIMINATING CASTING 
With the banning of Chlordane, a previous 
effective worm killer, there are few pesticides 
effective at severely reducing earthworm 
numbers and subsequent castings (Baker, 
2002). However, with a greater emphasis 
on environmental issues today the use of 
pesticides to control earthworms may not be 
viewed as an appropriate method to reduce 
castings.There are many hypotheses on minimising earthworm numbers and castings through the manipulation of the soil environment. 
These have included soil pH, food supply and 
topdressing. Backman et.al. 2002 and Baker 
2002, reported on experiments undertaken 
investigating soil pH, clipping removal while 
Backman et. al. 2002 also investigated the use 
of sand topdressing on the effect on casting. Backman et.al. 2002 reported that the effect of clipping removal from turf showed no 
sign on reducing earthworm casting caused 
by L. terrestis  after two years. The spring and autumn hollow-core aeration treatment also 
had no effect on casting after two years.  Baker 2002 reported that collecting clippings consistently reduced the rate of 
casting by nearly 30 per cent over the whole 
year compared to the areas where clippings 
were not removed.Backman et.al. 2002 reported that applications of ammonium sulphate, ferrous 
sulphate, dolomitic lime and Nitroform had 
no impact on casting after two years from the 
acidification of the soil in the 0-2cm and 2-6cm 
range of the soil profile. Likewise, an increase 
in casting was not observed due to heavy lime 
applications. Baker 2002, however, reported that sulphur applications applied to a clay loam in an 
aqueous suspension reduced castings one 
year after the initial application by 48 per cent. 
It was also reported that on a sandy clay loam 
with an initial pH of 5.7 a total application of 
65g/m2 of sulphur and 360g/m2 of aluminium sulfate applied in four dressings was sufficient 
to reduce castings by 50 per cent. Backman et.al. 2002 observed the effect of sand topdressing on earthworm casting. It has been reported that the abrasiveness of 
sand particles and its susceptibility to drought 
can influence casting. Three treatments were 
established of 38, 19 and 0mm per year, 
applied over six equal applications from 30 
May to 22 August. Results were taken in 
September 2000, October 2000 and March 
2001.  The high sand plots had significantly 
less casting than the low sand plots and the 
control on all three occasions.  CONCLUSIONWhile earthworm castings can be detrimental to 
turfgrass surfaces, particularly heavy textured 
fairways, over the winter months they tend to 
provide far more hidden benefits.Research has been done to manipulate the soil environment through cultural practices 
in an attempt to reduce the severity of casting. 
Results have shown contradictory results and 
may well be dependant on the species of 
earthworm present.It must be remembered that conditions that favour earthworm activity are the same 
as those that favour excellent plant health 
and by manipulating the soil environment 
to discourage earthworm casting may be 
detrimental to the overall plant health and 
other soil micro-organisms.REFERENCESBackman, P., Miltner, E., Stahnke, G., & 
Cook, T. 2002. Worming Your Way Out of a 
Turf Situation. USGA Green Section Record: 
July/August Baker, S. 2002. Earthworms and Casting Control in the United Kingdom. 2002 Rutgers 
Turfgrass Proceedings. Volume 34Backman, P. 1999. Earthworm casting creates maintenance nightmare. Grounds 
Maintenance: July 1999WITH ANDREW PEARTCastings can lead to unsightly fairways33Australian Turfgrass ManagementresearchResearch was undertaken at Michigan State University to determine if altering the rootzone depth of a USGA spec green Πdecreasing it in high areas and increasing it in low areas Πincreases soil moisture uniformity across the slope of an undulating putting green.The USGA introduced guidelines for constructing putting greens over 30 
years ago and since then the USGA green has become the standard.  The concept 
behind the USGA recommendations is to build 
a green that provides a measure of resistance 
to compaction in the rooting zone and drains 
quickly to an optimum soil moisture level.Specifications for a USGA green require that the sandy rootzone mixture be at a uniform 
depth of 300mm plus or minus 25mm across 
the entire surface. If greens lacked slopes there is little doubt that most, if not all, USGA greens would 
perform well.  However, with the slopes present 
on greens today, USGA greens do not always 
perform ideally. USGA spec greens function very well on a level surface (Taylor et al., 1993); however, 
when the green has undulating areas, moisture 
extremes in the rootzone can lead to turfgrass 
decline (Prettyman and McCoy, 1999).  Two 
conditions associated with this are localised 
dry spot (LDS) and black layer.Moisture extreme problems on USGA greens could be attributed to the uniform 
depth of the rootzone layer.  In theory, on a 
level surface, there is minimal lateral flow of 
water within the rootzone and the green drains 
at a uniform rate.However, Nektarios et al. (1999) has shown that drainage in the rootzone is not 
always uniform. In an unsaturated putting 
green rootzone, water does not drain from the 
rootzone into the gravel layer, thereby allowing 
water to move laterally along the rootzone/
gravel layer interface to lower elevations in 
the green.  The resultant problems associated 
with this down slope water movement are particularly evident at the higher elevations 
of the green where hand syringing is often 
necessary to prevent turf loss. Research was initiated to investigate if altering the rootzone depth, decreasing it 
in high areas and increasing it in low areas, 
will increase the water content near the soil 
surface in high areas and decrease the water 
content near the soil surface in low areas.  
Our research objective was to determine if 
modifying the rootzone depth increases soil 
moisture uniformity across the slope of an 
undulating USGA putting green.    MATERIALS AND METHODS
A sloped USGA green was constructed at 
the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center at 
Michigan State University in 1998.  The green 
was designed for monitoring the down slope 
movement of water in the rootzone.  Time 
domain reflectometry (TDR) instrumentation 
was installed to monitor soil volumetric water 
content (VWC).  The green was constructed with a summit 0.37m in height, with two downhill slopes 
of different magnitude (Fig. 1).  The peak of 
the summit was constructed 7.9m from the 
northern edge of the green, and 16.7m from 
the southern edge.  North of the summit, 
the green had a seven per cent slope (north 
slope) to the level north toe slope.  South of 
the summit, the putting green had a gradual 
three per cent slope (south slope) to the level 
south toe slope.  These gradients were chosen 
to represent average and extreme slopes that 
occur on modern greens.  The green was divided into 12 plots, 2.4m wide and 24m long.  Six test plots were built 
to standard USGA specifications consisting The effects of rootzone material and depth onThe research objective at Michigan State was to determine if modifying the rootzone depth increases soil moisture uniformity across the slope 
of an undulating USGA putting greenMoisture retention in sloping USGA greens34Australian Turfgrass ManagementBY KEVIN FRANK ET ALof a uniform depth (300mm) rootzone.  The remaining six test plots were built with variable 
depth rootzone Π200mm at the summit and 
gradually increasing in depth to 400mm at the 
toe slopes (Fig. 1). Three rootzone mixes were used in the construction of the test plots. Four plots of each 
construction method (standard or modified 
USGA) were built with a sand rootzone, four 
plots were built with an 85:15 sand/peat 
(reed-sedge) rootzone, and four plots were 
constructed with an 85:15 sand/soil rootzone.  Prior to construction, rootzone materials were tested for particle size distribution, organic 
content, and soil physical properties following 
USGA guidelines. The sand/peat rootzone mix 
conformed to USGA specifications but the 
sand/soil and sand rootzone mixes did not 
conform (Table 1).  The sand/soil rootzone 
did not conform because of particle size 
distribution.  The sand rootzone mix did not 
conform for hydraulic conductivity and per 
cent capillarity.After the construction of the green, 108 TDR probes were buried to measure volumetric 
soil moisture at four locations within each plot 
Πprobe location 1 at the base of the north slope, probe 2 at the summit, probe 3 at the 
base of the south slope, and probe 4 in the 
middle of the south toe slope (Fig. 1).The TDR probes were positioned in the soil at a 45-degree angle to measure VWC at depths of 
100mm-200mm, 200mm-300mm and 300mm-400mm.  A hand-held TDR recorded VWC at the 
four locations of the surface (0mm-100mm).        
After installation of the probes in the summer 
of 1998, the green was seeded with L93 
creeping bentgrass.  To evaluate soil moisture 
relationships, the green was subjected to ‚dry        300mm300mm300mmStandard USGA GreenModified USGA Green400mm200mm400mmGravelLayerRoot
Zone
MixGravel
LayerRoot
Zone
MixFigure 1. Cross section three-dimensional view of standard and modified construction types with TDR probe locations (1-4)12341234NORTHSOUTH35Australian Turfgrass ManagementNo Odour  .  Excellent Tank Stability  .  Mixing Flexibility  .   professional turf manager.For further information please call the Syngenta Technical Product Advice Line on 1800 067 108 or visit www.greencast.com.au® Registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company    AD05/256researchdown™ cycles, four cycles in each year from 2000 through 2002.Dry down cycles were scheduled during dry periods without rainfall, and no irrigation 
was applied to the green.  During each cycle, 
VWC was monitored daily.  VWC was recorded 
at each location at depths of 0mm-100mm 
and 100mm-200mm.  At the locations where 
depths were present, VWC was recorded at 
200mm-300mm and 300mm-400mm.  Each dry down cycle began with uniform, healthy turf across the entire surface.  To 
establish near field capacity soil moisture 
content, irrigation (25mm) was applied the 
night before each cycle, and the morning of 
‚day 0™ (12.5mm).  After morning irrigation, 
TDR readings were taken on each individual 
plot.  The TDR readings were taken at 24-hour 
intervals for the length of the cycle.  Each dry 
down cycle was ended after three or four days 
at which time there were visible signs of severe 
turfgrass moisture stress on the sand rootzone 
plots at the peak of the summit.  Statistical analysis was conducted independently for each day and for the 
measurement depths 0mm-100mm and 
100mm-200mm, as these were the only depths 
present at each location within each test plot.  
Coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated 
for VWC data in each plot and analysed for treatment differences.  The CV is a relative 
measure of variation in the data.  For our 
purposes, the CV will be used to assess the 
uniformity, or lack thereof, in VWC across the 
slope of the putting green.RESULTS  DIFFERENCES IN ROOTZONE TYPEVWC for rootzone type, when averaged across 
the two construction types, was significantly 
different throughout the dry down cycles in 
2000 and 2002.  For the 0mm-100mm depth, 
for the majority of sampling days there were 
no differences in VWC among the sand/soil 
and sand/peat rootzones (Table 2).  The sand 
rootzone consistently had the lowest VWC 
among the rootzones. For the 100mm-200mm depth, the result was similar.  There were no differences among 
VWC for the sand/soil and sand/peat rootzones, 
and the sand rootzone had the lowest 
VWC.  The results indicate that regardless of 
construction type, the water holding capacity 
of the rootzone mixes containing soil or peat 
is higher than the sand rootzone.  Sand 
rootzones with peat or soil added should 
reduce the extremes in VWC that are often 
encountered in 100 per cent sand rootzones.        TABLE 1.  ROOTZONE MIX PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION. ROOTZONE MIX  USGA PHYSICAL PROPERTIES RECOMMENDATION* SAND SAND/PEAT SAND/SOILOrganic Matter (%) 1-5 1.2 3.2 2.0Hydraulic Conductivity (cm hr-1) Minimum 15 86.2 27.9 15.7Bulk Density (g cm-3) N/A 1.75 1.57 1.74Particle Density (g cm-3) N/A 2.64 2.35 2.66Porosity:            Total (%) 35-55 35.2 42.8 36.0    Capillary at 40 cm tension (%) 15-25 8.9 16.7 15.8    Air Filled at 40 cm tension (%) 15-30 27.3 26.1 20.2  Particle Size (mm)   % 2.0 - 3.4ƒ Maximum 0.1 0.1 0.8 1.0 - 2.0  10 7.6 7.3 12.0 0.5 - 1.0 Minimum 26.0 25.4 24.6 0.25 - 0.50 60 45.4 46.6 36.8 0.15 - 0.25 Maximum 20 19.1 18.3 16.6 0.05 - 0.15⁄ Maximum 5 0.6 1.1 1.3 0.002 - 0.05⁄   Maximum 5 1.2 1.2 7.9  0.002⁄   Maximum 3      *The USGA Green Section Staff, 2004ƒ Maximum of 3%, preferably none.  ⁄ Maximum of 10% total between the three categories.TABLE 2. MEAN PER CENT VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT FOR THE DIFFERENT ROOTZONE TYPES.0mm-100mm depth    SAND SAND/SOIL SAND/PEAT   %Aug. 23, 2000  15 Bƒ 25 A 27 AAug. 24, 2000 14 C 21 B 24 AAug. 25, 2000 13 C 18 B 23 AAug. 26, 2000 12 C 18 B 23 A   July 23, 2002 18 C 25 A 27 AJuly 24, 2002 17 B 23 A 27 AJuly 25, 2002 14 B 20 A 21 AJuly 26, 2002 12 B 18 A 21 A   Sept. 28, 2002 20 B 27 A 29 ASept. 29, 2002 16 B 22 A 25 ASept. 30, 2002 18 B 24 A 25 AOct. 1, 2002 13 C 21 B 24 A   100mm-200mm depth      July 10, 2002 17 B 20 A 22 AJuly 11, 2002 15 B 19 A 20 AJuly 12, 2002 14 B 18 A 20 A   Sept. 28, 2002 18⁄ 20 31Sept. 29, 2002 15 B 19 AB 22 ASept. 30, 2002 16 19 21Oct. 1, 2002 15 B 17 AB 21 Aƒ Means in a row followed by the same letter are not significantly different according to t-test (p=0.05).⁄ Data not followed by letters are not significantly different.36Australian Turfgrass ManagementresearchAmong the standard USGA greens, the sand rootzone had the highest CV, indicating that the sand rootzone green had the greatest 
variation in VWC across the slope of the green 
(Table 3).  Generally, for the USGA greens 
there were either no differences in CV among 
the sand/soil and sand/peat rootzones, or the 
sand/peat rootzone had the lowest CV.  For the 
modified USGA greens there were either no 
differences in CV among the rootzones or the 
sand rootzone had the highest CV.  DIFFERENCES IN CONSTRUCTION Comparisons between the two construction 
types reveal that the standard USGA sand 
greens had a higher CV than the modified 
USGA sand greens on almost all dates (Table 
3).  For the sand/soil greens, there were no 
differences between the construction types in 
2000, but in 2002 the modified USGA greens 
had a lower CV on three of four dates.  The 
sand/peat rootzones did not have a different 
CV regardless of construction type.   The CV 
data supports our hypothesis that by altering 
rootzone depth, the variability in VWC across 
the slope of the green, especially for the sand 
rootzone greens, can be greatly reduced.                 TABLE 3. COEFFICIENTS OF VARIATION FOR VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT FOR CONSTRUCTION AND ROOTZONE TYPE, 0mm-100mm. ROOTZONE DEPTH.2000 CONST. TYPE SAND SAND/SOIL SAND/PEAT      COEFFICIENT OF VARIATIONAug. 23: Day 0 Standard   31 12 9  Modified 12 11 9    Aug. 24: Day 1 Standard    44 Aƒa⁄ 15 Ba 20 Ba  Modified 20 Ab 18 Aa 16 Aa    
Aug. 25: Day 2 Standard 38 16 13  Modified 29 16 25    
Aug. 26: Day 3 Standard 43 Aa 19 Ba 16 Ba  Modified 11 Ab 17 Aa 15 Aa    
2002    July 23: Day 0 Standard 24 Aa 24 Aa 8 Ba  Modified 14 Aa 10 Ab 14 Aa     July 24: Day 1 Standard 30 21 10  Modified 10 12 12     July 25: Day 2 Standard 45 Aa 35 Ba 15 Ca Modified 32 Ab 19 Bb 19 Ba    July 26: Day 3 Standard 42 Aa 32 Ba 22 Ca Modified 22 Ab 13 Bb   16 ABaƒ Means in a row followed by the same upper case letter are not significantly different according to t-test (p=0.10).⁄ Means in a column, for each date, followed by the same lower case letter are not significantly different according to t-test (p=0.10).  Data not followed by letters are not significantly different.37Australian Turfgrass Management
˜˚˛˛˜˜˚˛˚˝˚˝˙˚˝˜“˜˙˘˛˙˚˝˜ˇ˚˛˝˜˙˘˛˙˚˝
˜˙˝˝˝˜˚˛˝˙ˆˇ•˘˘˙˝˚ˇ˙˚‡˜˚˛˝˙˝˚…—–ƒ˝⁄˝€˙˚˝“˛˙˝“˘˛˛˝‘˝‹›−……˝„››˝––ƒ˝””–˝‚™…˝–˝–„−‹˝−›−‰˝›–˝–„−‹˝−›„„˝‚˝™…˝–˝–„−‹˝−›„„€˝‰˝˛˚fiˇ˙ˇ‘ˇ˘˝‘ˇ˘˙‘˚˙ˆˆ˝‰˝˝ˇ˙’˝•˘˘†††˘˛ˇ˘˚˛˜˚˛˝˙ˆ˙ˇ˘ˇ˚ˆ˛˘˛˛˘researchMEAN VWC: CONSTRUCTION TYPE AND SOIL TYPEMean VWC for all dry downs and years 
is presented in Table 4 and explains the 
differences in CV for construction and soil 
types. The consistency of VWC data for the 
modified USGA greens for all rootzone mixes 
is clear.  On day zero, the greatest difference in 
VWC among sampling locations for all rootzone 
mixes within the modified USGA greens was 4 
per cent.  On day three, the greatest difference 
among sampling locations was still 4 per cent.  
Differences in VWC among locations remained 
consistent as the green dried down. In contrast, for the USGA greens the greatest difference in VWC among locations 
on day zero was 6 per cent and for day three 
was 11 per cent.  The differences between the 
standard and modified USGA construction 
types on day zero was small (2 per cent) but 
by day three was large (7 per cent).  This data 
further supports our conclusions that for the 
modified USGA greens the VWC was more 
uniform across the slope of the green. Also, the difference in VWC among the sampling locations explains the high CV of 
the standard USGA greens.  For the standard 
USGA sand greens on day 3, the range in VWC 
was a low of 7 per cent at location 2 (summit 
of slope) and a high of 18 per cent at location 
3 and 4 (base of south slope and south toe 
slope) (Fig. 2).  In contrast for the modified 
USGA sand greens, there was only a 1 per 
cent difference in VWC among the locations.CONCLUSIONSThe USGA specifications for putting green construction were designed to improve the 
quality of greens.  Although the USGA has published several revisions, most recently in 
2004, the recommendation for a uniform 300mm 
rootzone layer has remained unchanged.  The 
layering of a sand-based rootzone mix over 
a gravel layer maintains optimum moisture 
across the putting green on a level-putting 
surface, however, in areas of undulation the 
uniform rootzone depth can result in moisture 
extremes at the different elevations.  Our research confirmed that the addition of peat and/or soil to the rootzone mix increased 
the water holding capacity.  Modifying the depth 
of the sand rootzone mix greens improved the 
uniformity of VWC across the surface of an undulating green.  When soil or peat was 
added to the sand rootzone mix, extremes in 
soil moisture content between the high and 
low elevations were reduced regardless of 
construction type.  For greens constructed with a 100 per cent sand rootzone, it would be beneficial to modify 
the depth of the rootzone to maintain uniform 
soil moisture content across the surface of the 
putting green. The uniformity of soil moisture 
content within the modified USGA greens was 
due to the variable depth rootzone.  Even if greens are not constructed with a variable depth rootzone this research reveals 
the importance of closely following rootzone 
depth specifications during construction.  In certain situations rootzone material might be excavated from lower areas and moved to 
other regions of the green to increase elevation 
changes.  The result is the green would 
have a shallower rootzone depth in low areas 
and rootzone depths in excess of 300mm in 
higher areas.  This research emphasises the 
importance of closely monitoring construction 
activities to ensure that at the minimum, the 
rootzone is a uniform 300mm depth from low 
to high areas.    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSA full list of references can be obtained from the AGCSA. The AGCSA and ATM magazine 
are grateful to the authors and USGATERO for 
allowing publication of this research (Vol 4, No. 
11, June 1, 2005).TABLE 4. MEAN PER CENT VOLUMETRIC WATER CONTENT FOR THE 0mm-100mm DEPTH, 2000-2002. LOCATION                                                                           DAY 0 1 2 3 4    USGA Sand 21 15 21 20USGA Sand/Peat 30 26 28 27USGA Sand/Soil 29 23 27 25    Modified Sand 16 17 18 17Modified Sand/Peat 26 28 24 24Modified Sand/Soil 24 26 22 22    DAY 3        USGA Sand 17 7 18 18USGA Sand/Peat 27 20 26 25USGA Sand/Soil 27 16 24 21    Modified Sand 11 11 12 11Modified Sand/Peat 21 22 18 19Modified Sand/Soil 18 19 16 15Figure 2. Mean per cent volumetric water content for the 0mm - 100mm. depth rootzone for the standard and modified USGA sand rootzone on day 3 of the dry downs, 2000 - 200217%7%18%Standard USGA GreenModified USGA Green11%11%12%18%12%12341234NORTHSOUTH38Australian Turfgrass ManagementEver seen electricity leak all over a green?Neither have we.The run-all-day, 2500E Hybrid Greens Mower by John Deere.It™s about advanced technology. And common sense. The 2500E is a hybrid mower that puts power in its proper place. With a choice of a gas or diesel engine, the 2500E powers 
the reels using a belt-driven alternator. By removing all the hydraulics from the cutting 
units, we™ve eliminated 102 potential leak points. And since 90 percent of all hydraulic 
leaks occur in and around the reels, the possibility of a leak is extremely remote.Also, the 2500E is battery-free. So the reels get consistent power right from the moment of engagement. Which in turn leads to a consistent cut, all day long. When you factor 
in lower sound levels and less fuel consumption, the 2500E makes even more sense.Better than a battery: an alternator powers the reels on the 2500E, giving it consistent power all day long.For more information contact your local John Deere Golf & 
Turf dealer on 1800 800 981 or 
visit www.deere.com.auMG-2500E-Australian Turfgrass Management-9-2005 4122-17859 Ever seen electricity leak all over a green?Neither have we.The run-all-day, 2500E Hybrid Greens Mower by John Deere.It™s about advanced technology. And common sense. The 2500E is a hybrid mower that puts power in its proper place. With a choice of a gas or diesel engine, the 2500E powers 
the reels using a belt-driven alternator. By removing all the hydraulics from the cutting 
units, we™ve eliminated 102 potential leak points. And since 90 percent of all hydraulic 
leaks occur in and around the reels, the possibility of a leak is extremely remote.Also, the 2500E is battery-free. So the reels get consistent power right from the moment of engagement. Which in turn leads to a consistent cut, all day long. When you factor 
in lower sound levels and less fuel consumption, the 2500E makes even more sense.Better than a battery: an alternator powers the reels on the 2500E, giving it consistent power all day long.For more information contact your local John Deere Golf & 
Turf dealer on 1800 800 981 or 
visit www.deere.com.auMG-2500E-Australian Turfgrass Management-9-2005 4122-17859researchWith more and more sports fields being irrigated, increasing urban water 
restrictions emphasise the need to irrigate in an efficient manner.  An important 
component of improving irrigation efficiency is 
evaluating system performance of application 
infrastructure.  In a project to improve condition on community-level playing surfaces, the 
Queensland Department of Primary Industry 
and Fisheries evaluated systems on nine 
AFL Queensland sports fields in south-
east Queensland.  Underpinning the need 
for evaluation and on-going maintenance, 
we found all fields were operating at less 
than optimum efficiency and needed on-field 
maintenance.As many curators and clubs across the country are aware, a considerable amount 
of money is becoming available for new 
turf irrigation infrastructure.  State and 
Commonwealth bodies are administering some 
of the funds as grants, while improvement 
programs administered by local councils are 
also providing means to upgrade or install 
irrigation systems.  Considering new irrigation systems are worth $30,000 and upwards, and represent a 
sizeable increase in the capacity of a club to 
provide a quality turf surface, it is prudent to 
investigate the efficiency with which any new 
system is working.A key set of easily made checks, most of which are components of an irrigation 
system audit, can help any irrigator to identify 
if their system is working appropriately.    
These checks would include sprinkler health 
(apparent working condition of the sprinkler), 
mainline/underground leakages, pressure 
(static and dynamic), pressure variation and 
head to head coverage.A component of the joint Sureplay research project (principally funded by Horticulture 
Australia, Department of Primary Industries 
and Fisheries, AFL Queensland and Brisbane 
Lions) investigated the status of existing or 
new irrigation systems installed on nine of 
the 11 fields included in the overall study. The 
fields are community based, on which AFL 
(from junior to premier league) is played. In 2004, project staff audited the field irrigation systems.   The fields supplied by town 
water are irrigated at night to take advantage of 
the usually higher water pressure available 
after peak community usage has ceased.  The 
audits were therefore conducted during the 
night to simulate normal operating conditions 
of the irrigation system.To conduct the irrigation audits the research team recorded;  The health and pressure of each sprinkler 
on each field; The static and operating mainline pressure 
of each system; The static flow rate and the flow rate of 
selected operating stations; andResearch conducted by the Queensland Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries on irrigation systems at nine AFL Queensland sports fields in south-east Queensland has discovered some major inefficiencies.Irrigation efficiency ofAFL Queensland groundsIn this current climate of water restrictions and strict water management practices, irrigation system efficiency is a crucial component for any turf facility40Australian Turfgrass ManagementBY KAYLENE BRANSGROVE AND CRAIG HENDERSON The precipitation over a defined area around a selected sprinkler (used to calculate the 
average precipitation rate over an area and 
the DU over that area).THE FINDINGS
Our findings from auditing the nine fields are 
consistent with results of researchers and 
irrigation audit experts across Australia Πmost 
irrigation systems on community based sports fields are operating at significantly less than optimum efficiency.  A need for significant sprinkler maintenance was identified across eight of the nine fields.  It 
was in fact unusual if more than approximately 
60 per cent of the sprinkler heads were in 
apparently optimal working order (Figure 1).  Pressure at sprinkler heads varied considerably 
within and between fields (Figure 2).The percentage variation in sprinkler pressure across each field was divided 
between the variation due to the system 
design (e.g. length and size of piping, distance 
from mainline entry, number of sprinklers 
in a station) and the variation from system 
malfunctions (e.g. sprinklers sunken or broken, 
line blockages).  On most fields, the variation due to system malfunction was equal to or greater than 
inherent systemic pressure drops, indicating 
system efficiencies could be improved simply 
by conducting regular sprinkler maintenance 
checks (Figure 3).A key consideration of system installation is the pressure available from the water 
source.  Clearly if a pump and tank system is 
used, available pressure will not limit system 
efficiency.  Where the AFLQ irrigation systems 
were operated on town pressure, even at 
night, a general lack of operating pressure was 
identified.  The mainline supply on two of the    Figure 1Figure 2Figure 1. Only two of nine fields had more than 65% of sprinklers functioning optimally.Figure 2. Sprinkler pressures across fields varied enormously.41Australian Turfgrass ManagementThe Delfino Walk Behind Sand Cleaning Machine is a versatile and compact sand sieving machine ideal for
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economical enough to do even the largest of fairway
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bunkers to achieve a perfect result every time. The Delfino has been specifically designed to work in confined areas (even pot bunkers) while being economical enough to do even the largest of fairway traps. The only problem 
you™ll find is getting the players out of the bunkers long enough for you to clean them!Free call: 1800 244 300researchnine fields was insufficient to raise sprinkler operating pressures to the manufacturer™s 
sprinkler specifications.  Under-pressured 
sprinklers contribute to low distribution 
uniformities and decreased precipitation rates.Calculating distribution uniformity (DU), a measure of how evenly the water applied 
is distributed over the turf surface, is useful 
when investigating the efficiency of irrigations 
systems.  High DU indicates the water is being applied evenly to the surface and increases 
the ability of the system operator to apply 
specific amounts of water to their surface and 
to produce a surface of even quality.  It is 
therefore accepted the higher the DU of one™s 
system the better, though realistically a DU of 
85 per cent is the highest expected DU of a 
pop-up rotor sprinkler system.While it seems low, the reality is that few installed systems reach 70-75 per cent 
DU.  The average DU values of the audited 
AFLQ fields ranged from 51-72 per cent, with 
most between 55-65 per cent (Figure 4).  The irrigation system of one of these fields was only 
months old (DU 55 per cent), underscoring the 
need to check new systems.In addition to DU, the catch can (precipitation) data was plotted to visually 
represent the precipitation over the area around 
each sprinkler.  The patterns of precipitation 
for a dysfunctional sprinkler (ceased rotating 
occasionally), and systemic problems with 
sprinkler coverage, are clearly demonstrated 
in Figure 5.  The plots illustrate classical dry areas around sprinklers and wet areas where 
all the contributing sprinklers overlap.The Sureplay team carried out an experiment on one of the fields to investigate 
the effect of conducting basic maintenance (raising or straightening sprinklers) and of 
changing nozzles to those more appropriate 
to the available pressure and found doing so 
raised the DU from 61 per cent to 76 per cent.CONCLUSIONOur work has shown most sports field irrigation 
systems are working at below capacity and 
would recommend conducting the key 
checks discussed to help identify problems 
or maintenance issues, to increase the 
working efficiency of the system, the improved 
distribution uniformity across the field and the 
subsequent quality of the field surface. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSKaylene Bransgrove is a scientist and Craig Henderson the principal horticulturist at the 
Queensland Department of Primary Industries 
and Fisheries.Figure 3. Sprinkler pressure variability due to both systemic pressure drops and individual sprinkler malfunction.Figure 4. Average distribution uniformities across eight of nine fields were less than 65%.Figure 5. Precipitation patterns 
with (a) faulty sprinkler rotation or (b) systemic problems with sprinkler 
coverage.Figure 3Figure 442Australian Turfgrass ManagementLOWARADelivering Pumping SolutionsRChristchurchPhone (03) 365 0279 Fax (03) 366 6616
Auckland
Phone (09) 525 8282 Fax (09) 525 8284
Melbourne
Phone (03) 9793 9999 Fax (03) 9793 0022
Sydney
Phone (02) 9624 2577 Fax (02) 9624 2561Email info@brownbros.com.auWeb Site www.brownbros.com.aufiA new pumping station is a significant investment and is one that we had to get right. These pumps are world class and following our philosophy of conserving energy and reducing inputs wherever possible, the Hydrovar pump 
mounted system controller was the obvious choice. After sales service was another high priority and so far, I have been nothing but impressed.flPeter Frewin,Golf Course Superintendent
Barwon Heads Golf ClubHow 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 a 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 speed drive in one compact and unique package.How the 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.LOWARADelivering Pumping SolutionsRChristchurchPhone (03) 365 0279 Fax (03) 366 6616
Auckland
Phone (09) 525 8282 Fax (09) 525 8284
Melbourne
Phone (03) 9793 9999 Fax (03) 9793 0022
Sydney
Phone (02) 9624 2577 Fax (02) 9624 2561Email info@brownbros.com.auWeb Site www.brownbros.com.aufiA new pumping station is a significant investment and is one that we had to get right. These pumps are world class and following our philosophy of conserving energy and reducing inputs wherever possible, the Hydrovar pump 
mounted system controller was the obvious choice. After sales service was another high priority and so far, I have been nothing but impressed.flPeter Frewin,Golf Course Superintendent
Barwon Heads Golf ClubHow 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 a 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 speed drive in one compact and unique package.How the 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. researchResearchers at Oklahoma State University found that using vegetative buffers maintained at multiple mowing heights improved the ability to limit both nitrogen and phosphorous run-off compared to buffers maintained at a single height of cut.There were approximately 16,000 golf courses in the United States in 1999 and 
on average, each course maintained approximately 14 hectares of fairways. Golfers 
prefer excellent playing conditions and in some 
cases, demand them.  Therefore, golf course 
fairways tend to be highly fertilised compared 
with most turfgrass areas to promote good 
turf cover, high turf density, and minimal weed 
encroachment. There is a slight, but nonetheless dangerous, possibility that a small portion 
of the fertilisers applied to these fairways 
could dissolve in surface water runoff and 
contaminate lakes, streams, and other water 
features.  There is a need for superintendents 
to practice turf management procedures that 
can maintain adequate playability but reduce 
the potential for nutrient run-off. Consequently, it is necessary for turf scientists to pursue and investigate management 
methods that help superintendents develop 
environmentally sound practices that reduce 
the potential for nutrient run-off.Environmentally sound golf course management is a major factor in most 
superintendents™ maintenance programs and 
the danger of nutrient run-off is small but 
nonetheless, present.  For instance, fertilisers 
are not applied to saturated soil because 
those conditions promote nutrient losses to 
surface run-off. Most turfgrass sites such as 
home lawns and parks are not irrigated so it is 
a common practice to apply fertiliser just prior 
to predicted rainfall.  This can be dangerous to 
the environment because the first rainfall event 
following fertilisation is the most likely event to 
produce nutrient run-off (Shuman, 2004). Fairways, on the other hand, are usually irrigated.  Consequently, superintendents do 
not apply fertiliser when rainfall is predicted.  
Instead, they fertilise during dry periods and 
use light irrigation to water in the fertiliser.  
This practice substantially reduces potential 
nutrient losses in run-off (Shuman, 2004).  The higher-cut golf course rough that commonly surround fairways acts as a 
vegetative or buffer that reduces run-off (Cole 
et al, 1997).  Research suggests that the higher 
the buffer, the longer the period between 
rainfall initiation and run-off and the more likely 
that run-off will be eliminated or reduced by a 
particular rainfall event (Easton and Petrovic, 
2004).  Turf density on the fairway or in the 
rough also has an impact on run-off (Easton 
and Petrovic, 2004 and Linde et al, 1994).Superintendents strive to maintain full turf cover and maximum turf density reducing 
the likelihood that run-off will occur.  The 
presence of turf is a strong deterrent to run-off 
even if additional run-off management is not 
performed.Although nutrient run-off may only occur a few times each year, that run-off can be 
very detrimental to surface water, particularly 
through eutrophication. Eutrophication is a 
process of oxygen depletion caused by algal 
growth that is encouraged by N and P.  This 
oxygen-depleted water cannot support plants 
and fish. Although excess N is important, 
it appears that P may be the element most 
responsible for encouraging eutrophication 
(Sharpley et al, 2000).Although superintendents tend to be good environmental stewards and employ several 
management practices to reduce run-off, some Managing golf course rough to reduce run-off The water runoff research site at Oklahoma State University44Australian Turfgrass Management BY GREG BELL AND JUSTIN MOSSof the fertiliser applied to golf course turf is still lost to surface water.  The search for 
management practices that further reduce 
nutrient run-off from fairways and other turf 
areas continues to be necessary.The search for management practices that reduce nutrient run-off is conspicuously 
important to the turfgrass industry and to golf 
courses in particular.   Based on previous research, we reasoned that it is difficult for water to flow through the 
dense system of shoots formed by closely-
mowed turf (Easton and Petrovic, 2004 and 
Linde et al, 1994).  Consequently, because 
turf density tends to increase with decreasing 
mowing height, a low mowing height should be 
more effective than a higher one for providing 
resistance to flow. That may be the case for turfgrass stands of a single mowing height but did not prove 
correct for turfgrass stands that include 
vegetative buffers (Baird et al, 2000).  When 
run-off flows from a low cut turf to a higher cut 
turf, its passage is further restricted (Cole et al, 
1997).   Based on the density principle, water 
flowing from a short mowing height to a taller 
mowing height should pass easily through 
the relatively low density of the higher height 
of cut.  Research indicates, however, that 
this does not occur.  Buffers of 38mm did not 
restrict flow as effectively as buffers of 76mm 
(Baird et al, 2000).When surface run-off from a fairway encounters rough, it tends to slow and puddle 
until sufficient energy builds to allow the water 
to flow through or over the higher height 
of cut.  The higher cut turf forms a barrier 
to gravitational flow that must be overcome 
before the surface run-off continues down the 
slope providing more time for the run-off to 
infiltrate the thatch and soil.Therefore, a graduated system of rough such as apron to first cut to primary rough 
would provide three heights of cut resulting 
in three barriers.  Since wider buffers do not 
seem to deter run-off with greater effectiveness 
than shorter ones (Cole et al, 1997) and 
since exceptionally high mowing heights could 
negatively affect playability, this multiple-barrier 
strategy could provide the best alternative to 
reducing nutrient run-off from fairways.  The objective of this research was to effectively compare this multiple-barrier 
strategy with the single-buffer strategy that is 
already known to be effective.THE RESEARCH SITEThe water run-off research site at Oklahoma 
State University consisted of three irrigation 
blocks with two 12.2m x 24.4m plots per 
block for a total of six plots on 0.18ha.  The 
site is mature common couchgrass (Cynodon dactylon) on compacted silt loam soil with 
a surface infiltration rate of less than 13mm 
per hour. The turf irrigation system delivers 
a precipitation rate of 51mm per hour and a 
series of 18 time domain reflectometer probes 
monitor soil moisture.  The turf was mowed at 
13mm across the upper sections of each plot 
three times per week to simulate golf course 
fairways.The fairway sections were 12.2m wide by 18.9m long and were bordered by rough 
12.2m wide by 5.5m long at the bottom of the 
slope. The single-barrier rough was mowed at 
51mm for the full 5.5m length from fairway to 
collection trough and the multiple-barrier rough 
was mowed at increasingly higher heights 
every 1.8m down the slope.  The mowing 
heights for the multiple-barrier rough increased 
from 25mm at the highest surface elevation to 
38mm then to 51mm at the lowest elevation.  
The buffers were mowed once each week.   Ultrasonic modules (ISCO 710) mounted over each Parshall flume used ultrasonic 
reflection to measure runoff levels45Australian Turfgrass Management 2005 Australian Open The Australian Open represents a fantastic educational opportunity for all levels of turf managers to see a course prepared to championship standard.Register now for the opportunity to be part of Australia™s most prestigious tournament at  or email AGCSAFERTILISER, PRECIPITATION AND SAMPLE COLLECTION
To test run-off, urea and triple super phosphate fertiliser were applied at 49kg/ha-1 (N) and 24kg/ha-1 (P) four hours before irrigating and again following irrigation events to await natural 
rainfall.  The fertilisers were applied as granules 
and were not ‚watered in™ so that the study 
represented worst-case conditions.  Fertilisers 
were applied to the simulated fairway area six 
times in 2001 and six times in 2002. Fertiliser 
was not applied to the rough.Covered troughs collected run-off water from each plot and channelled it through 
calibrated Parshall flumes by gravity flow.  
Ultrasonic modules (Isco 710) mounted 
overeach Parshall flume used ultrasonic 
reflection to measure water level.  Isco 6700 
portable samplers were secured to concrete 
platforms located between each experimental 
block.The samplers were programmed to determine water flow rate from these water level 
measurements based on a pre-determined 
calibration of each flume and to collect run-off 
samples every five minutes for 60 minutes. 
These samples were tested to determine the 
amount of N and P in the run-off.  The time 
from the beginning of precipitation to the 
beginning of run-off was also measured for 
each plot during each event.  Run-off caused by irrigation was collected three times in 2001 and three times in 2002.  
Natural rainfall run-off was collected once in 
2001 and three times in 2002.  Each time precipitation occurred, multiple samples of the irrigation or rainfall 
were collected and the concentrations of 
N and P in the samples were determined.  
Background concentrations were subtracted 
from the nutrient concentrations in the runoff 
to determine the actual amount of N and P 
removed from the turf.The irrigation system provided precipitation at 51mm per hour resulting in applications of 
8510l/ha-1/min-1).  The coefficient of uniformity for the system averaged 81 per cent (one trial 
per plot = six trials) compared with 95 per cent 
for natural rainfall calculated as the average of 
four natural rainfall events.  Run-off during irrigation events began slowly reaching an average maximum flow rate 
of 3677l/ha-1/min-1 at 45 minutes after run-off began (Table 1). (See page 48)RESULTSRUN-OFF RATE
During irrigation, the multiple-barrier rough 
reduced the peak run-off rate by 14 per cent 
compared with the single-barrier rough and 
reduced the total run-off in 60 minutes by 16 
per cent. By contrast, peak run-off occurred more rapidly during the natural rainfall events 
producing an average 4777l/ha-1/min-1 at 10 minutes after run-off began (Table 1).  The 
multiple-barrier rough did not significantly 
affect the peak natural rainfall run-off rate but 
did significantly reduce the cumulative run-off 
volume by 19 per cent during 60 minutes of 
run-off.TIME TO RUN-OFFThe multiple-barrier rough significantly delayed the time from the beginning of precipitation to 
the beginning of run-off compared with the 
single-barrier rough during both irrigation and 
natural rainfall.  The multiple-barrier rough delayed run-off initiation by approximately four minutes during 
irrigation and by two minutes during natural 
rainfall.  The average time to initiation of run-off 
during irrigation events was 20 minutes for the 
multiple-barrier rough and 16 minutes for the 
single-barrier rough. Time to runoff for natural 
rainfall events was 39 minutes for the multiple-barrier rough and 37 minutes for the single-
barrier rough. Both results were significantly 
different (P < 0.05).  The delay from the beginning of precipitation to run-off of four (irrigation) or two 
(rainfall) minutes resulted in a minor reduction 
in nutrient losses compared with the reductions 
resulting from lower run-off volumes.  FERTILISER LOSSESFertiliser losses in run-off were small compared 
with fertiliser applied.  On average, across 
treatments, 1.5 per cent of N applied was lost 
to irrigation run-off and 0.5 per cent to natural 
rainfall run-off during 60 minutes of run-off.  
Irrigation run-off caused a 5.5 per cent loss of 
applied P and natural rainfall run-off caused 
a 3.3 per cent loss of applied P during 60 
minutes of run-off.These results compare favourably with the results of other researchers and further 
support the contention that turf has a positive 
influence on the reduction of nutrient losses 
from run-off (Easton et al, 2004 and Walker et 
al, 1992).WORST-CASE CONDITIONSFertiliser application methods applied to irrigation experiments in this study were 
established to provide worst-case conditions.  
Shuman, 2004 demonstrated that light 
irrigation following fertilisation reduced nutrient 
losses. Walker and Branham, 1992 stated that 
as the period between the first runoff event 
and fertiliser application is extended, a greater 
proportion of nitrogen will be immobilised by 
plants or soil or leached past the active mixing 
zone reducing nitrogen run-off. Because of these and other recommendations, superintendents generally 
do not apply fertiliser within 48 hours prior to 
predicted rainfall and nearly always ‚water in™ 
the fertiliser to minimise possible losses.  The 
nutrient losses in this study are representative 
of a worst-case scenario and are likely to be 
more severe than what typically occurs.NUTRIENT LOSSESThe reduced run-off volume resulting from the 
use of the multiple-barrier rough compared with 
the single barrier rough caused a significant 
reduction in the amount of N and P lost to both 
irrigation and natural rainfall run-off (Table 1).The multiple-barrier rough reduced the amount of N lost to 60 minutes of irrigation run-
off by 18 per cent and the amount of N lost to 
60 minutes of natural rainfall run-off by 17 per 
cent.  The multiple-barrier rough reduced the 
amount of P lost to irrigation run-off by 14 per Covered troughs collected runoff water46Australian Turfgrass Managementresearchcent and the amount of P lost to natural rainfall run-off by 11 per cent during 60 minutes of 
run-off.This study found the same run-off activity Πhigh nutrient runoff concentrations in the 
early stages of run-off followed by declining 
concentrations with time  Π suggested by Walker 
and Branham, 1992.  The N concentrations in 
both irrigation and natural rainfall accelerated 
rapidly from five to 25 minutes and were highest 
between approximately 25 to 35 minutes, 
causing rapid nutrient losses early in the run-
off events (Table 1).  The P concentrations also 
accelerated rapidly and were highest in both 
forms of precipitation at approximately 20 to 35 
minutes (Table 1).The rapidly accelerating nutrient losses during the beginning of run-off overcame the 
delay in time to run-off between treatments and 
effectively neutralised the beneficial effects 
of the multiple-barrier rough during the initial 
stages of run-off.  After 20 to 25 minutes of run-off, nutrient losses were nearly equal among treatments in 
spite of the average four or two minute delay 
in time to run-off caused by the multiple-barrier 
rough and the greater volume of irrigation run-off from the single-barrier rough (Table 1).Consequently, the multiple-barrier rough did not affect nutrient run-off significantly 
for the first 30 to 35 minutes of run-off but 
maintained an advantage following 35 minutes 
and until at least 60 minutes of run-off during 
both irrigation and natural rainfall.Assuming an average 37 minutes from the beginning of precipitation to run-off and sufficient precipitation to cause run-off, a rainfall event would have to last at least 72 minutes 
(37 min time to run-off + 35 min to significant 
run-off results) for the multiple-barrier rough to 
make a significant difference in the amount of 
nutrient run-off that occurred.RUN-OFF REDUCTIONAs expected, the multiple-barrier rough caused 
significant delays in time to run-off and lower 
run-off volume regardless of whether the run-
off occurred as a result of irrigation or natural rainfall. These results agree with our hypothesis 
that mowing at multiple heights results in 
multiple-barriers that reduce run-off.A turfgrass stand is very dense, generally including 300 shoots or more per square 
metre.  Because of this shoot density, 
multiple researchers have demonstrated 
and recommended grass buffers along crop 
production fields to reduce run-off.  The dense shoot system in a grass buffer creates considerable resistance to water passage.A simple observation of turf following a severe rainstorm will indicate that run-off not 
only occurs through the shoots but also occurs 
over the leaves.  Areas of severe run-off 
are identified by the prostrate appearance of 
the turf.  When run-off water from bare soil 
encounters a grass barrier, the run-off slows 
due to shoot resistance until sufficient volume 
accumulates to provide the energy necessary 
to bend the shoots and the lower leaves fiA multiple-barrier rough strategy could reduce nutrient run-off while maintaining playabilityfl47Australian Turfgrass Management˜˚˛˝˙ˆˇ˘˛˚˘˘˙ˆ˛˘˙˛“˙‘˛˙˛˘˛˘˚˛‘˚
ˆ˚˝˛
…—–˛ƒ⁄⁄–˛˙˙˘˛˙ˆ˛˚˚˛˚
−˙˘˛•˚
˙ˆ˛ƒ‰⁄⁄˛⁄„”˛ƒ⁄‰˛˜˜˜˚˛˝˜˚˛˝˙ˆ˝ˇ˚ˆ˚˝˛˘˙˛ƒ—–˛“ŒŒ˛⁄⁄…˛ŠŒŒ˛”ƒ”’ŸŁ⁄…”˛˜−˛⁄—Žƒ‰…researchallowing the run-off to flow over or around.  We hypothesised that when the water encounters a second mowing height, a similar resistance occurs and sufficient volume must 
be accumulated to overcome this second 
barrier. During the study, a puddle of water formed each time the run-off encountered a buffer.  
The puddling was most noticeable at the 
interface of the fairway and initial buffer but 
also occurred at the interface of each height 
increase in the multiple height buffers. Although turf density can be expected to increase with lower mowing height and have a 
negative effect on run-off (Easton and Petrovic, 
2004 and Linde et al, 1994) the work of Baird et 
al, 2000 indicated that when a buffer strategy 
is employed, the shoot height of the buffer 
vegetation had a greater effect on run-off than 
turf density. Baird et al, 2000 reported that a 76mm buffer height was more effective for reducing 
water run-off than a 38mm buffer in spite of the tendency for increasing turf density with 
decreasing mowing height.  Multiple mowing 
heights result in multiple barriers that slow run-
off and reduce run-off volume. PRACTICALITYAccording to Baird et al, 2000, increasing 
the height of a vegetative buffer from 38mm 
to 76mm reduces run-off.  Consequently, 
increasing the height of the multiple-barrier 
rough may cause higher reductions in run-off 
compared with those reported by this study.  
However, increasing the mowing height of 
couchgrass golf course rough to 76mm or 
more is not always practical.A survey of 47 Oklahoma golf courses in 2004 indicated that the maximum mowing 
height of couchgrass rough ranged from 19mm 
to 102mm with only six courses mowing rough 
at 76mm or more.  The remaining courses 
maintained a mean maximum mowing height 
of 49mm and a median mowing height of 
51mm in couchgrass rough. Although high cut couchgrass rough could effectively reduce water run-off, golf courses 
must also maintain adequate playability.  
Dense rough mowed at more than 51mm 
makes finding golf balls difficult and slows 
play considerably.  The multiple-barrier rough 
described in this study could reduce nutrient 
run-off while maintaining playability.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFunding for this research was provided by the USGA, Oklahoma Turfgrass Research 
Foundation and The Oklahoma Agricultural 
Experiment Station. Associate professore 
Greg Beel and graduate student Justin Moss 
hail from The Department of Horticulture and 
Landscape Architecture, Oklahoma State 
University. A full list of references can be 
obtained from the AGCSA. The AGCSA and 
Australian Turfgrass Management magazine 
are grateful to the authors and USGATERO for 
allowing publication of this research (Vol 4, No. 
12, June 15, 2005). TABLE 1. THE MEAN RUN-OFF FLOW RATE, AMOUNT OF N AND P, AND N AND P CONCENTRATIONS DURING FIVE-MINUTE INTERVALS IN RUN-OFF PRODUCED BY SIX IRRIGATION EVENTS AND FOUR NATURAL RAINFALL EVENTS.  TIME FLOW RATE N LOST TO RUN-OFF P LOST TO RUN-OFF N CONC. P CONC. MULTIPLE SINGLE MULTIPLE SINGLE MULTIPLE SINGLE MULTIPLE SINGLE MULTIPLE SINGLE  min gal/ac/min lb/ac/min ppmIRRIGATION RUN-OFF  5 62 73 0.0005  0.0005 0.0015 0.0010 1.0 0.7 2.9 *1.7 10 151  182 0.0018  0.0015 0.0050 0.0043 1.4 *1.0 4.0 *2.8 15 234 *286 0.0046  0.0042 0.0120 0.0122 2.3 1.7 6.2 5.1 20 285 *345 0.0075  0.0081 0.0185 0.0204 3.2 2.8 7.8 7.1 25 313 *381 0.0093  0.0112 0.0215 0.0254 3.5 3.5 8.2 8.0 30 334 *398 0.0102 *0.0126 0.0221 *0.0260 3.6 3.8 7.9 7.8 35 347 *412 0.0102 *0.0128 0.0207 *0.0243 3.5 3.7 7.1 7.1 40 348 *422 0.0097 *0.0126 0.0180 *0.0220 3.4 3.6 6.2 6.3 45 363 *423 0.0096 *0.0122 0.0164 *0.0197 3.2 3.5 5.4 5.6 50 365 *412 0.0090 *0.0113 0.0144 *0.0172 3.0 3.3 4.7 5.0 55 354 *406 0.0082 *0.0105 0.0125 *0.0150 2.8 3.1 4.2 4.4 60 341 *406 0.0074 *0.0102 0.0104 *0.0135 2.6 *3.0 3.6 4.0NATURAL RAINFALL RUN-OFF 
 5 284 277 0.0037  0.0034 0.0090 0.0061 1.6 1.5 3.8 *2.6 10 512 508 0.0073  0.0066 0.0205 0.0145 1.7 1.6 4.8 *3.4 15 349 409 0.0057  0.0057 0.0188 0.0183 2.0 1.7 6.5 5.3 20 191 *266 0.0034  0.0041 0.0124 0.0160 2.1 1.8 7.8 7.2 25 153 *195 0.0027  0.0033 0.0104 0.0127 2.1 2.0 8.1 7.8 30 170 *198 0.0029  0.0035 0.0107 0.0127 2.0 2.1 7.6 7.7 35 157 *218 0.0026 *0.0039 0.0091 *0.0130 2.0 2.1 6.9 7.1 40 126 *194 0.0019 *0.0033 0.0064 *0.0102 1.8 2.1 6.2 6.3 45 82 *143 0.0012 *0.0023 0.0037 *0.0066 1.7 2.0 5.3 5.5 50 45 *  93 0.0006 *0.0015 0.0017 *0.0038 1.6 1.9 4.6 4.9 55 18 *  55 0.0002 *0.0008 0.0006 *0.0020 1.5 1.8 4.0 4.4 60 11 *  33 0.0001 *0.0005 0.0003 *0.0011 1.4 1.8 3.4 3.9* Indicates a significant difference between the multiple-barrier and single-barrier rough (P<0.05) N.B: Figures in this table are given in US measurements48Australian Turfgrass ManagementCOUNT ON TORO TOMAKE IT LESS TOUGH
IN THE ROUGH.With Toro you cancount on it.If it™s rough, if it™s tough, if it™s wet, long, thickor heavy, the Groundsmaster® 4100-D will cut
it down without fuss.Its rugged 58 hp Kubota® turbo-diesel enginedelivers more power and torque than any
other mower in its class and hills and terrain
changes won™t slow the Groundsmaster 
4100-D with full-time, bi-directional 4WD.Find out more about how Toro can makeyour toughest jobs easy by calling your localSales Manager today.For Customer Service call 1800 356 372.www.toro.com.auHERO/TOR9119newsOne of Melbourne™s longest-serving superintendents Chris Bardsley could be in 
line for a hectic couple of years if plans for a 
multi-million dollar upgrade of Centenary Park 
Golf Course go ahead.Frankston Council is considering a master plan put forward by Golf Strategies which 
recommends major upgrading of the course 
in stages over the next few years including 
enlargement of all greens to twice their current 
size, bigger, longer tees, more bunkers and the 
redesign of several holes. Fairways would also 
be improved, beautified and resown with Santa 
ana couch in line with other fairways which 
have been successfully converted.Other major changes recommended are the redesign of the present 445m par five 
4th, into a par four to stop mishit golf balls 
causing problems to passing traffic. It is also 
recommended that the present 15th, a 510m 
par five be lengthened by more than 30m, 
making it one of the longest in Australia and 
Centenary Park™s signature hole.So that the course can maintain 18 playable holes, the master plan also includes the construction of a new par three, with a 
synthetic green on the present practice area 
abutting the pro shop to be used while other 
holes are being reconstructed.Frankston Council™s general manager of planning and development, Peter Fitchett 
said Golf Strategies™ principal architects Paul 
Mogford and Neil Crafter had inspected the 
course hole by hole earlier this year as part of 
the master planning process. fiThey were very impressed with the course and suggested how it could be improved and 
these are included in the master plan,fl Fitchett 
said. Bardsley, who has been superintendent at Centenary Park for 30 years, said improvements 
recommended in the master plan would make 
the course a first-class facility and he hoped 
the council would commit funding.fiOver the years I have been involved with many improvements, but these are easily 
the most excitingfl he said. fiThe council has 
continually put money back and has spent 
thousands on drainage, upgrading fairways, 
beautification works and tree planting.TURF™S TOP TIPSTERS
September saw the conclusion of yet 
another highly successful and tightly 
contested AGCSA footy tipping competition. 
Presented in association with Nuturf, the 
respective AFL and NRL competitions drew 
a record number of punters with nearly 
1000 taking part each week.Both competitions went right down to the wire with the winners only decided following 
dramatic final rounds. The AFL finished in 
a tie with Robert Ryan, (Beaconhills Golf 
Club) sharing the spoils with a fast-finishing 
Shannon Nicholls (The Groundsman). In the NRL, the Lakelands Golf Club shed had a season to remember, collecting 
a grand total of $1500 after winning not only 
the overall competition by a single point, 
but the inaugural shed v shed competition 
as well. The AGCSA thanks everyone who took part and to Nuturf for sponsoring the 
competition.CENTENARY™S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR TEE-OFF50Australian Turfgrass Management22nd Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition 17-21st July, 2006, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre The Scientific Approach to Turfgrass Management2006 Australian Turfgrass Trade Exhibition, Brisbane goes on Sale 10AM WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBERCall Scott Petersen for a copy of the prospectus. Ph 03 9548 8600Now SellingExhibitionstate reportsGCSAQAll of the Queensland golf industry conveys its condolences to our esteemed president 
Rod Cook and his now Globe representative 
brother and GCSAQ member Russell and their 
entire family network on the recent passing of 
their father.There has been a flurry of activity in the sunny northern state of late with a number 
of events drawing excellent attendances and 
providing members with great educational and 
entertaining opportunities.Of course, one of the highlights of the year is our annual bus trip and this year was no 
exception.  The stories are many and varied 
and a great report is available on the AGCSA 
website under the GCSAQ banner.Suffice to say that a fantastic time was had by all and it is still the best value $120 can 
buy.  Those who missed out can only plan 
to join the fun next year, and our organiser 
of the weekend, Barry Cox, deserves all the 
accolades he receives for a fantastic job.The last issue of ATM carried an excellent report on the massive rain event that engulfed 
the Gold Coast in late June and broke records 
for 24-hour rainfall totals across the region.  
There was even a chance for a compo claim 
for a strained back emptying the rain gauge!  
Seriously, do you know how much 450mm 
weighs in a rain gauge??In August I had the pleasure of playing three of the worst hit courses ΠThe Glades, 
Arundel Hills and Lakelands Πand it is a 
testament to the respective superintendents 
and their staff on the fantastic condition of the 
golf courses.  Losing all the sand from your 
bunkers to scraping mud off greens seemed 
a world away as we enjoyed pristine golfing 
conditions.  Congratulations to these guys and 
to those other supers and staff who took it all 
in their stride and got their courses back to 
normal in no time at all.There was a great turnout at our recent AGM at Virginia Golf Club where Barry Lemke 
not only turned on the weather (well we are in 
Queensland) but provided a pristine course.  
Full results will be available on the website 
soon but suffice to say that joint winners of 
the day Barry Cox and Russell Millner tore 
the layout apart to just pip Duncan Lamont 
in A Grade.  Murwillumbah™s Brian Cox (no 
relation they tell us) won B Grade with Brad 
Butler blitzing C Grade.  Trade winner was 
Paul McLean who fell in from Brendon Hill from 
Country Club International.The GCSAQ committee for the next 12 months has one new face with Gainsborough 
Greens superintendent Justin Kelly coming 
onboard. The line-up is:
President: Rod Cook
Vice-president: Barry CoxSecretary: Peter LonerganTreasurer: David MorrisonCommittee: Colin Caulfield, Jason Foster, 
Justin Kelly, Scott McKay.A very big thank you is extended to Darren Moore from Lakelands GC for his contribution 
to our association over the past year, but a 
promotion, study and a young family has 
prompted Darren to hang up the boots, but he 
has promised he will be back. Our next GCSAQ day is the annual Turf Research Golf Day, which is to be held at 
Arundel Hills on Monday, 7 November.  All 
indications are that we will book out very early 
so don™t delay in getting your entries in. Okay, I can hear you gossipmongers looking for the juice on the bus trip so here are 
three morsels. If you want more, then make 
sure you are on board for next year™s tour.  Quote of the weekend goes to the buck who 
having been helped out of an establishment 
after several hours on Saturday night 
arrived at the same place on Sunday night 
and spluttered, fiGee what a great place, I 
haven™t been here beforefl.  Golf shot of the week belongs to Twin View 
Turf™s John Shaw who had a fresh air!  
Sorry, I know what goes away stays away, 
and names shouldn™t be mentioned, but a 
fresh air from Shawy? Priceless! And he 
kept it very quiet– until now.    Conundrum of the week belongs to our host 
superintendent at Laidley Golf Club Danny 
Gowing who is not only superintendent but 
also club president!  And the plot thickens 
as at one stage prior to being president, 
Danny™s 2IC on the course was actually the 
club greens chairman!Scott McKay and Barry Cox were two very happy men following the recent AGCSA 
financial management workshop and they are 
already employing everything that presenter 
Rod Dell put across. Let™s hope Rod knows 
what he is talking about or the boys might be 
looking for a loan.  All reports were of another 
successful day with all those attending suitably 
impressed.PETER LONERGAN,SECRETARY, GCSAQ.GCSAQTGAA WA Our Annual General Meeting was held in 
July at Maylands Peninsula Golf Course 
and was well supported by members. I™d 
like to welcome Ian Clark from St Mary™s 
Anglican Girls School on to the committee 
as events officer. 
The TGAA (WA) committee for 2005/06 
is as follows:
President: Peter Ruscoe 
Vice-president/Treasurer: Tony Guy Secretary: Peter Maclachlan Events Officer: Ian Clark I was pleased to announce at the AGM that all 18 existing sponsors renewed 
their sponsorship of the association for 
2005/06. The revised constitution received 
unanimous approval by members at the 
AGM and has now been registered. Membership of the association continues to grow and at last count we 
had 156 members. We will produce a 
new member™s directory for 2005/06, 
issue membership cards and update the 
membership list on our website.The WACA turf wicket seminar was held in early September. I™d like to thank John 
Airey for coordinating the day™s activities 
and the groundstaff at the WACA for their 
assistance. It has been very encouraging 
to have members come forward and offer 
their support to help with the organisation 
of events. The winner of the TGAA (WA) ‚Lin Hambleton Bursary Award™ is Patrick 
O™Leary from Aquinas College. Patrick 
will be undertaking part-time turf studies 
at Challenger TAFE, Murdoch in 2006, 
sponsored by the association. Finally, congratulations to Cameron Sutherland on his appointment as head 
curator at the WACA. Cameron has been 
a TGAA (WA) member for four years in 
his position as principal of Plant and Soil 
Management, a sports turf contracting and 
consulting business based in Perth.PETER RUSCOE,PRESIDENT, TGAA (WA).TGAA WA New WACA curator Cameron Sutherland52Australian Turfgrass ManagementGCSAWAWith another AGM over, it would be fair to say it has been a busy year again for all of us, and a year of consolidation 
for the GCSAWA after a couple of years of 
expenditure on various major projects.We are comfortable again this year in terms of meeting our objectives as an 
executive committee, particularly in providing 
our members with vital technical assistance 
in the form of the Chemical Induction Training 
and Risk Assessment Manual for Golf 
Clubs, hosting of regular social networking 
opportunities and honouring those people 
who have professionally excelled or given so 
much to the turf industry in WA. It has been a great year with good support by members to most events and hopefully 
the support for the format will continue and 
improve again in this coming year.
The executive committee for the coming 
year is:
President: Brad Sofield
Vice-president: Craig NewTreasurer: Jeff LaneSecretary: Darren WilsonGolf Secretary: Andrew FortuneCo-opted Trade Delegate: Geoff Kirk Co-opted Committee Person: Michael 
Dennis The AGM, hosted at Joondalup Resort and kindly sponsored by Toro, was well 
attended by members who enjoyed a fabulous 
18 holes and a tidy lunch and beer or two to 
top it off. Joondalup again demonstrated why 
it is the number one resort course two years 
running and we thank them very much. Many 
sincere thanks to Peter Black and Robert 
Rein from Toro for sponsoring this event. The GCSAWA was proud to announce David Higgins as the 2005 Best Indentured 
Award Winner. David, a greenkeeper at 
Meadow Springs Country Club, was selected 
out of 15 applicants and was previously 
recognised by Challenger TAFE Murdoch 
as winner of the Lecturers Award - Turf 
Management in 2004. We look forward to 
hosting David at Margaret River next year, 
and without question expect him to be a valuable contributor to turf management in 
the future. The day was also special as I was able to honour a gentleman with a Distinguished 
Service Award on behalf of the GCSAWA. 
Lin Hambleton was the cornerstone for the 
development of turf management training 
programs in WA with over 30 years service to 
training and R&D. Through his ambition and 
commitment to build a new industry that would 
be regarded and respected by others for 
being driven by trained professionals, Lin can 
be acclaimed for the early informal formation 
of several state based turf associations.To the future, the GCSAWA looks forward to the successful completion of this year™s 
Golf Masters Cup format. Plans are also under 
way for the 2006 Southwest Conference in 
Margaret River in late August and we look 
forward to another few days of educational 
excitement and guest speakers.BRAD SOFIELD,PRESIDENT, GCSAWA.GCSAWA  53Australian 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.state reportsNSWGCSAA dry and windy greeting to members leading into the busy spring period. Renovations are in full swing and before we know it summer and the hectic pace of maintenance will be with us. 
Hopefully by the time you read this we have all 
received some widespread soaking rains. BOARD NEWSAnother two members of the Board have 
resigned their positions in what has been a 
year of change. In the last report I mentioned 
Richard Kirkby and now Guy Thomas has 
decided to step down.Guy served five years, the majority of which was spent managing the newsletter and more 
recently field days. He brought some valuable 
humour and interest to the newsletter albeit 
while frying a few of his fellow members.Guy has decided to take on the ex-president on the road in his new role at 
Maxwell and Kemp. On behalf of the members 
and Board I would like to thank Guy for his time 
and professionalism.FIELD DAYSA very successful day again at Cypress Lakes 
Resort this year with the 124 limit to the field 
leaving some members without a game.The education day at Pennant Hills on 24 October is also shaping up well. All members 
will be asked to bring someone from their 
club™s management to take part in the day. The theme for the day is ‚Better Management™ 
with forums and presentations from leading 
superintendents on outsourcing, labour 
requirements and management systems.Speakers include John Neylan, John Odell, David Scaife and Mark Parker. Richard Kirkby 
and Peter Watts will give a presentation on 
their visit to the US including the conference, 
golf courses and other facilities. WATERLevel 4 restrictions are likely in spring if 
substantial rain does not eventuate. Sydney 
Water has been monitoring the use of water 
by all golf clubs and it appears some clubs 
are flouting the exemption conditions and 
risking large fines, loss of supply and possible 
damaging effects for the whole industry.I urge all members to adhere to the restrictions and the exemptions provided. We 
need to be responsible as an industry or 
risk the consequences. If you have problems 
working with the exemptions provided, contact 
John Ethel from Sydney Water.WATER SAVINGS PLANSMany clubs may have received a letter from Sydney Water regarding a Water Savings Plan. 
All high energy or water users must submit a 
Savings Plan by March 2006 with affordable 
initiatives implemented by 2007.Completing the plan involves identifying the club™s use and ways of reducing use and increasing efficiency. This applies to all 
businesses and local government in the high 
use category.EDUCATIONEducation convenor Andy Hugill and myself 
recently visited the facilities at Kurri Kurri 
TAFE near Newcastle. After being evicted from 
the Charlestown campus with little warning, 
the new facilities are evolving very well. A 
golf hole, cricket pitch, bowling green and 
turf plots are already established. They have 
excellent equipment and facilities including a 
soil laboratory.It has taken a huge effort by head teacher Kevin Johnston and his staff to get the 
facilities up and running which now provide 
an excellent location for turf education. There 
is also accommodation on site for their block 
release students.The board of the NSWGCSA is holding its next meeting at Ryde TAFE to meet with 
teachers and discuss training of our staff and 
the facilities at Ryde campus.DEC TRIALSThe organic trial being run by Tony Hodgins 
from the DEC should be up and running 
very soon. Participating clubs are Muirfield, 
Northbridge, Kiama, and Vineyards.MICHAEL BRADBERY,PRESIDENT, NSWGCSA.NSWGCSATGAA NSW       Hello to everyone from TGAA NSW. In August we held our Sydney TGAA Seminar 
at the Sydney Showgrounds with some 200-
plus patrons and sponsors enjoying a very 
relaxed and informed day. Our special guest 
for the day was former New Zealand rugby 
league great Gary Freeman who provided 
some entertaining stories. The speakers covered some hot topics including turf management for golf courses 
and sports fields, WorkCover issues, risk 
management, and assertiveness in the 
workplace which proved to be a real eye-
opener.  To all the presenters we thank you 
- Peter Devlin (North Sydney Oval), Terry Muir 
(EBS), Darren Jones (St Michael™s Golf Club), 
Terry Palmer (Insight Consulting Partners) 
and Bruce Marshall (WorkCover NSW).  I 
would like to thank all the sponsors for their support towards making the day a success.There have been some strong messages at recent industry seminars about safe work 
practices ΠOH&S and WorkCover related issues. These items have been a timely 
reminder to all of us about our duty of care 
to all fellow staff members, our places of 
employment and the general public and 
environment.We should all take it upon ourselves to be responsible for all the acts covered 
under these bodies. These items should 
not be feared or ignored but simply used 
as part of our management systems and 
continually implemented and improved as 
often as possible.The unusually warm approach to spring we have been experiencing has been great 
for turf growth, however, we all know that 
unless we receive some much needed rainfall 
we are going to face a very long and tough summer. But be warned about the false start 
to summer as in previous years a sudden 
cold snap seems to hit, slowing down the 
breaking of couch dormancy.TGAA NSW is now focusing on its biggest event of the year Œ the Sportsman™s 
Charity Luncheon on Friday, 18 November at 
Canterbury Hurlstone RSL Club Πand we are 
anticipating a crowd in excess of 400. I look 
forward to seeing you there.GRAEME LOGAN,PRESIDENT, TGAA (NSW).Graham Logan, Gary Freeman, Peter Devlin and John PurtellTGAA NSW 54Australian Turfgrass ManagementTGAA ACTTurf managers throughout the district, and I suspect throughout NSW, are welcoming spring with mixed emotions.  After a good 
post-renovation period with excellent results, 
turfies are preparing for a possible extended 
drought that may continue to affect NSW. Currently within the ACT, public/private recreational and sporting grounds are 
encouraged to reduce town water consumption 
used in reticulated systems to irrigate turf. 
What this means for turf managers is the need 
to format viable water reduction plans which 
can be implemented while maintaining quality 
playing surfaces.In local association news, the recent AGM held at Weston Creek Bowling Club 
was an informative night enjoyed by all.  Guest speaker was MCG curator Tony Ware 
who shared his long experience with turf 
management and gave the audience a serious 
but sometimes comic view of greenkeeping 
and pitch preparation at the highest level.Recent enthusiasm shown by turfies to be involved with the association has seen an 
increase in committee members nominated for 
positions this year. We have always encouraged 
new ideas and fresh blood into the association.  
Many thanks go to those committee members 
who continue to provide an invaluable service 
and welcome any new committee members.The recent feedback from those delegates and sponsors who attended the mid-year 
seminar has been positive and constructive, 
and we are taking any ideas for improvement 
on board, so please don™t hesitate to contact a 
committee member.If there are any greenkeepers out there, or if you have recently completed a trade certificate 
in turf management, you may be interested 
in continuing your studies and improving 
your qualifications.  The Canberra Institute 
of Technology (CIT) School of Horticulture in 
Weston is considering offering various courses 
at the certificate and diploma level for 2006.The future of these tertiary courses is dependent on the number of enrolments.  
Expressions of interest by anyone interested 
in furthering their skills in turf management 
should contact CIT.  On the same note, the 
CIT also conducts regular chemical training 
courses (AQF Level 3).Best of luck to all over the summer months and keep your eye out for the latest up to date 
news and information around the district.JUSTIN HASLAM,COMMITTEE, TGAA (ACT).TGAA ACTNZGCSAGreetings from across the Ditch. We have just gone through a quiet period in the golf turf industry here in New Zealand. The dust has well and truly settled 
after the conference and everybody has gone 
about their winter chores with a fair amount 
of ease.Most, if not all of New Zealand, has been experiencing record low rainfall as well as 
record sunshine hours. Parts of the South 
Island are already recording near drought 
conditions with varying degrees of fire bans 
in place. It has also been reported that some 
wells are nearing 50-year lows.It doesn™t look that great for the summer at the moment but the weather in New 
Zealand can be fickle given that the country 
is a relatively narrow land mass and the 
weather can and does change. We just have 
to look at the weather patterns of the last 
12 to 18 months - floods in January and 
superintendents irrigating in August!There has been a bit of movement among superintendents in recent times with the most 
recent and noteworthy that of Brian Hinton 
from Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club just 
north of Wellington.Brian has been superintendent at Paraparaumu for 35 years and in that time 
he has prepared the course for over 10 New 
Zealand Opens, the most recent when Tiger 
Woods played in 2003.Brian has also hosted various other New Zealand golf tournaments over the years and 
was presented with the NZGCSA Distinguished 
Service Award in 2001 in recognition of his 
30 years continual service at Paraparaumu. 
At a recent dinner held by the Wellington 
Golf Course Superintendents™ Association in 
Brian™s honour, he was bestowed with a life 
membership of the WGCSA.Brian has attended many conferences and been very prominent in the industry 
given his employment at a club with a profile 
such as Paraparaumu.I™m sure everybody involved in the golf turf industry in New Zealand will want to wish 
Brian all the best for the future.As always we seem to get through one conference and plans are already being 
made for the next one. So it is timely to let 
those that are interested know about the two 
regional fine turf seminars to be held in May 
2006. The Otago GCSA is hosting the South Island Fine Turf Seminar during the first week 
in May. This will be held in Queenstown 
with a full program that will suit everybody. 
The Central North Island Turf Managers 
Association is hosting the North Island Fine 
Turf Seminar in Tauranga in the last week of 
May and they too will have a very full and 
informative program.The NZGCSA fully endorses these seminars and encourages all members to 
take part and extends an offer to Australian 
superintendents to make the trip across.Planning is also underway for the next New Zealand Turf Conference to be held in 
Wellington in 2007. More information will be 
provided on all three events in Vol 7.6. Finally, it wouldn™t be a New Zealand report without mentioning the recent success 
of the mighty All Blacks. We now have a very 
full trophy cabinet with the Bledisloe Cup 
and the Tri Nations Cup, but alas there is still 
one missing and it™s the one that every red 
blooded Kiwi wants. Roll on 2007!BRETT BURGESS, PRESIDENT, NZGCSA.NZGCSA 55Australian Turfgrass ManagementSIGHT SCREENSAQUA WIZZTOW A TARPROLLERSwww.mentay.com.auFREECALL: 1800 037 075CRICKET PITCH EQUIPMENTstate reportsVGCSAOn Sunday, 7 August a large contingent of members ventured to Horsham Golf Club for 
the VGCSA™s annual country meeting. We all gathered at the golf club for dinner and witnessed an almost impossible comeback 
by the Australian cricket team over England - I 
never knew we had so many cricket experts 
in our association.  The 30 members, eight 
partners and nine children all enjoyed the 
hospitality shown by Horsham Golf Club and 
we appreciate them staying a little later than 
normal to host us on a Sunday evening.The next day golf club president Bob Hayes welcomed everyone to the meeting 
and voiced his appreciation that we were at 
Horsham.We then went on a thorough course inspection conducted by host superintendent 
Tim Warren. With cobra/Poa greens and the 
development of Santa ana fairways, the recently 
increased staff of four has to be congratulated 
for the end product they produce. Horsham 
was all we have heard about and we thank 
Tim, Bob and the whole golf club for a terrific 
two days where the hospitality and sunshine 
were turned on. A special mention must be made of the superintendents from the local area and 
Melbourne for attending. To potential new 
members in Peter McCall from Stawell, Brendan 
Murphy from Warracknabeal, Shane Grover 
from Nhill, Cameron Gordon from Bacchus 
Marsh and Steve Birchett from Chalambar, it 
was great to see you all in attendance and Bill 
Reid and Col Winterton as usual. A special 
mention also to John Stapleton, who made the 
long haul from Lakes Entrance Golf Club.A GOOD NEWS STORYIn late March 2005, after attending a VGCSA committee meeting, Trevor U™ren from Devil 
Bend Golf Club spent the following days in 
hospital while his wife Kelly gave birth to their 
daughter 24 weeks premature.For those of you who saw the story on Seven news in late August, their fit and healthy 
daughter Ella is coming home to play with her 
brother after spending five months in hospital. 
We wish the proud parents all the best.SPONSORSHIP PACKAGESAll trade members were recently notified in regards to new sponsorship packages available 
for 2006. We believe we have catered for all 
trade members in the flexibility of packages 
available.We are pleased to announce that those that have proudly sponsored the VGCSA in the 
past are again onboard.  We have several new 
sponsors that have accepted our sponsorship 
packages and they will be listed once all 
details have been finalised. We thank you all 
for your support of this growing association.UPCOMING MEETINGSSanctuary Lakes Golf Club (superintendent 
Peter Jans) will host the next VGCSA meeting 
on 22 November. Enter a team of four from your 
club to have a go at the major prize Πa trip to 
the AGCSA conference in Brisbane in July 
2006 Πproudly sponsored by Bayer and the 
VGCSA. Sandhurst Golf Club (superintendent 
Chris Grumelart) will host the final meeting of 
the year on 12 December. GET WELLAnd finally, Colin Cowden, superintendent at 
Rossdale Golf Club, is resting in hospital after 
surgery. Our thoughts and best wishes are 
with Colin and his family. Colin was rewarded 
with life membership at the VGCSA's AGM at 
Peninsula Country Golf Club and has been 
superintendent at Rossdale since 1969. MARK PROSSER,PRESIDENT, VGCSA.VGCSASAGCSASpring is now with us all, so let™s hope that 
the rain keeps tumbling down well into the 
season as our reservoirs are only at 70 per 
cent capacity. For us South Australia this will 
mean water restrictions again this summer, 
but to what degree only Mother Nature 
knows.Speaking of the dear old lady, she certainly let us know who is boss with a 
severe storm ripping through Adelaide at 
the end of winter, bringing down many trees 
which made life difficult for crews across the 
state.The recent golf managers and superintendents two-day seminar was 
held at Clare Golf Course. The two ‚Johns™ 
held the floor on day one, with John Odell 
(who is fast becoming an honorary South 
Aussie) speaking to the group on managing 
structures and strategies in golf clubs. John 
Neylan then led a discussion on budget 
levels verses sustainable levels of course 
presentation.Day two saw South Lakes Golf Club general manager Alan Tarry speak on the 
different levels of planning used in golf clubs. 
Alan drew on his years in the Air Force to 
detail the different levels of planning needed 
to achieve common goals.While in Clare it was terrific to catch up with superintendent Kevin Clarke. Kevin is 
to retire in November and will be hitting the 
road with the caravan. Kevin will become 
one of the few supers to retire on their own 
terms which is testament to Kevin™s skill and 
dedication as a super. We wish Kevin all the 
best for the future and hope his car is gas 
powered!! Our next meeting will be our country visit to Naracoorte (host superintendent Paul 
Clarke) on 10 October, not 10 August as was 
my mistake in the last ATM magazine. See 
you all there.PETER HARFIELD,PRESIDENT, SAGCSA.SAGCSAVGAVGAThe VGA held its AGM and seminar day on 
24 August at the East Malvern RSL Bowling 
Club.  Those attending enjoyed three 
informative talks from Phil Ford (NMIT), 
Alan Stobbie (MCG) and Gary Vankessel 
(Webbcona Bowling Club). The new 2005/06 VGA committee consists of: 
President: Doug Agnew
Vice-president: Shane HarlingSecretary: Andrew KentTreasurer: David SharpCommittee: Greg West, Darren Martin, 
Greg Dunn, Gary Vankessel, Adrian 
Marston and Bill Hamshere.During the AGM, the VGA™s two most prestigious awards were announced with 
Mark Vezey from Heathmont Bowling 
Club winning the Victorian Greenkeeper 
of the Year, while Keith Fleetwood was 
awarded the VGA™s Distinguished Service 
Award.  Both recipients thoroughly deserve 
their awards and are popular and ardent 
supporters of the VGA.A big thank you to those who attended the AGM and I wish all greenies smooth 
sailing for the upcoming season.BILL HAMSHERE,COMMITTEE, VGA.56Australian Turfgrass ManagementTGAA VIC      Spring has sprung and we™re all very busy once again.  Since our last report we can confirm our re-appointment as Cricket 
Victoria™s turf wicket consultants for the next 
12 months.  In this role we can continue to 
assist and offer advice on wicket problems 
and preparation to any CV affiliated club.The 2005/2006 committee has been elected following the September AGM at 
Blackburn Bowling Club.  The new-look 
committee is Bill Turner, Ian Beel, Ted Boltong 
and Ron McCartney.  Anthony Uhr-Henry 
continues as president, with Steve West and Michael Holohan stepping up to vice-
president roles.  We also welcome new 
appointees Nathan Tovey (Mt Scopus) and 
Matt Hanrahan (Geelong Grammar).Jim Marchbank and Gavan Hegan have stepped down and we thank them immensely 
for their time and effort. Jim has worked 
tirelessly over the past five years, the last 
three as vice-president.  Jim has agreed to 
remain as a TGAA representative at VICSWU 
and we are sure he will continue to help out 
behind the scenes.  Gavan departs after two 
years and was the driving force behind the 
Sports Celebrity Lunch.At the AGM, the TGAA VIC also honoured two of its most repected members. Craig 
Berwick (Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club) and Bill 
Turner (Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club) 
were awarded honorary life member status 
for their many years dedicated service to the 
profession. Craig and Bill become the third 
and fourth life members respectively and join 
Bill Lawry and Ross Moloney. Finally, we hope your spring renovations are a success, spring rain falls in the 
catchment areas, and that you back a winner 
during the Spring Carnival.SIMONE STAPLES,TGAA (VIC).TGAA VIC  57Australian Turfgrass ManagementNew Products for 2005The New Delta Clean Cut SafetyMower RangeAdvantages



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