Ratho™s revivalRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseRatho™s revivalRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseProfileBarry CoxProfileBarry CoxBusiness and the big dryHow the trade is faringBusiness and the big dryHow the trade is faringResearchOverseeding couch fairwaysFungicide application effectsResearchOverseeding couch fairwaysFungicide application effectsFlemington™s $10m flutterOn track for   Spring Carnival 2007Flemington™s $10m flutterOn track for   Spring Carnival 2007WINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.3 MAY-JUNE 2007ISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTWITH THE REDESIGNED 2653B, YOU CAN TACKLE HILLS AND OPERATOR FATIGUE.  An improved traction system design powers the drive system for hill-climbing power with surprisingly even traction.  Operators get increased space between the seat and steering 
wheel, all with a clear view of every control.  Add increased sound reduction and 
more accessible belts and ˜ uid line and there™s simply nothing out of play.See for yourself why nothing climbs like the 2653B at your local John Deere Golf & Turf dealer today. INTRODUCING THE NEW2653B UTILITY MOWERNow, nothing is out of play. Nothing Runs Like A Deere www.deere.com.auMG-2653B - ATM-3-2007- 4122-20757   Australian Turfgrass ManagementPublished by:Australian Golf Course Superintendents AssociationABN 96 053 205 888Production:Editor:  Brett Robinson Ph:(03) 9548 8600 brett@agcsa.com.auArt Direction & Design: Jo Corne Ph: (03) 9548 8600
jo@agcsa.com.auAdvertising: Scott Petersen Ph:(03) 9548 8600 scott@agcsa.com.auPresident: Jeff GambinDirectors: Martyn Black Pat Pauli Allan DevlinEvents Manager:  Simone Staples Ph: (03) 9548 8600simone@agcsa.com.auMembership Manager:  Scott Petersen Ph: (03) 9548 8600scott@agcsa.com.auAccounts/Subscriptions:AGCSA
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andrew@agcsa.com.auPrinted by: Impact Printing69-79 Fallon StreetBrunswickVictoria 3056AustraliaProudly supported byCopyright © 2007 The AGCSA believes that material sourced and produced for Australian Turfgrass Management is accurate, but gives no warranty in relation thereto, 
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reproduced without the written permission of the AGCSA.AGCSASUBSCRIPTION FORMI wish to apply for:One year™s subscription to Australian Turfgrass Management(6 editions per year) PLEASE TICK BOXONE COPY PER EDITION $55.00  O/S ONE COPY PER EDITION $76.20   TWO COPIES PER EDITION $86.00  THREE COPIES PER EDITION $130.00  ORDERS CAN BE MADE SECURELY ONLINE THROUGH www.agcsa.com.auName: ......................................................................................................................................Company: .................................................................................................................................Postal Address: ........................................................................................................................Town/Suburb: ...........................................................................................................................State:  ......................................................................... Postcode: ............................................I enclose cheque for (amount):................................................................................................ Please charge my credit card: .................................................................................................Bankcard          MasterCard          VisaCard Number:  __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __   __ __ __ __
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Address: ................................................................................................................................... Signature:. ............................................................................................................................... Please send me more information about becoming a member of the AGCSAForward to: Australian Turfgrass Management Monash Corporate Centre Suite 1, 752 Blackburn Road Clayton North VIC 3168 FAX: (03) 9548 8622   Prices include GST.WINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTEST2006 Australian OpenReturn to Royal Sydney2006 Australian OpenReturn to Royal Sydney2006-2007 Ashes SeriesBurdett urns his keep2006-2007 Ashes SeriesBurdett urns his keepResearchTraction measurementUWA kikuyu projectGoal square renovation2006 ANTEP trialsResearchTraction measurementUWA kikuyu project
Goal square renovation2006 ANTEP trialsThe PulseExpectations vs realitiesThe PulseExpectations vs realitiesWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 8.5 OCT - NOVISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTIncredible IndiaForging new frontiersMean GreensOakmont 
Country 
ClubBack in Brisbane22nd Australian Turfgrass Conference ReviewIncredible IndiaForging new frontiersBack in Brisbane22nd Australian Turfgrass Conference ReviewMean GreensOakmont Country Club2006 AGCSA Award WinnersNorm Ashlin Daryl Sellar Peter Donkers Sean Kinsley2006 AGCSA Award WinnersNorm Ashlin Daryl Sellar Peter Donkers Sean KinsleyWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 8.4 AUG - SEPTISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTEST2006 Australian OpenReturn to Royal Sydney2006 Australian OpenReturn to Royal Sydney2006-2007 Ashes SeriesBurdett urns his keep2006-2007 Ashes SeriesBurdett urns his keepResearchTraction measurementUWA kikuyu projectGoal square renovation2006 ANTEP trialsResearchTraction measurementUWA kikuyu project
Goal square renovation2006 ANTEP trialsThe PulseExpectations vs realitiesThe PulseExpectations vs realitiesWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 8.5 OCT - NOVISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.1 JAN-FEB 2007ISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTTurfing TasmaniaChallenging times for Tassie supersBarnbougle DunesTurfing TasmaniaChallenging times for Tassie supersBarnbougle DunesMelbourne SandbeltFlora and fauna conservationMelbourne SandbeltFlora and fauna conservationThe PulseCommunicating with committeesThe PulseCommunicating 
with committeesPictorial2006 Open gets the Royal treatmentPictorial2006 Open gets the Royal treatmentResearchAging golf greensResearchAging golf greensThe big dryThe big dryFarewell to a legendVince Church 1915-2006Farewell 
to a legendVince Church 1915-2006Man in the middleBlowing the whistle on Michael VozzoMan in the middleBlowing the whistle on Michael VozzoResearchWetlands manage runoffANTEP trialsResearchWetlands manage runoffANTEP trialsCombating the droughtCombating the droughtWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.2 MAR-APR 2007ISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTEST1AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTCOVER: FlemingtonThe new kikuyu-based Course 
Proper at 
Flemington which 
has been totally 
reconstructed over 
the past summer to 
the tune of $10m. Main photo: Brett Robinson. Inset 
pictures: Courtesy 
of John Harding, 
Cardno Young.contentsRatho™s revival 20Of all the 60-odd nine-hole golf courses in 
Tasmania, there is one which holds a unique 
place in Australia™s golfing history. Harking 
back to the days of long-nosed woods and 
‚feathery™ balls, Ratho Golf Links is the oldest 
golf course in Australia and, as ATM discovers, 
restoration plans are underway to ensure it 
remains a vital part of Australia™s rich golfing 
heritage. OPINIONThe Pulse 26The drought currently afflicting many parts of Australia has caused widespread havoc for golf 
course superintendents and turf managers. But 
how has it impacted on the trade? ATM asks 
four companies how they have fared with the 
drought and what, if any, positives they have 
been able to draw from one of the industry™s 
most trying periods. RESEARCHEvaluating grasses for overseeding couch fairways 36Overseeding couch fairways is a common practice used by golf courses to provide winter colour as well as better tolerance of cart 
traffic, divoting and weed invasion. From 2004 
to 2006, the USGA, together with the GCSAA 
and NTEP, conducted the second national trial 
of grasses used to overseed couch fairways. 
The study compared 31 cultivars, blends, and 
mixtures for overseeding when tested under 
actual golf course conditions. Fungicide application effects 42Researchers at Cornell University tested the 
hypothesis that repeated applications of 
fungicides to putting greens would have major 
impacts on microbial populations of both foliar 
and soil-borne microbes. Surprisingly, this was 
not that case.Ratho™s revivalRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseRatho™s revivalRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseProfileBarry CoxProfileBarry CoxBusiness and the big dryHow the trade is faringBusiness and the big dryHow the trade is faringResearchOverseeding couch fairwaysFungicide application effectsResearchOverseeding couch fairwaysFungicide application effectsFlemington™s $10m flutterOn track for   Spring Carnival 2007Flemington™s $10m flutterOn track for   Spring Carnival 2007WINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTVOLUME 9.3 MAY-JUNE 2007ISSN 1442-2697RRP $9.00PLUS                         GSTWINNER OF 4 AWARDS AT THE 1ST TOCA INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATORS CONTESTFLEMINGTON™S $10M FLUTTER 6Home to the famous Melbourne Cup and Spring Carnival, Flemington has held 
a unique place in the Australian racing 
industry for more than 140 years. Horses 
and jockeys have been immortalised at 
the venue, while many a punter has lost 
or won a fortune riding the back of their 
fancy. At Flemington™s heart is the Course 
Proper and from November 2006 to March 
2007 the Victoria Racing Club took one of 
its biggest punts and made the decision to 
completely reconstruct the hallowed track, 
converting it to a warm-season kikuyu 
base. ATM saddles up and goes behind 
the scenes to see how one of the racing 
industry™s largest and most groundbreaking 
projects has come to fruition.2AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT2007 PERFORMANCE PARTS SALEOver 2300 Genuine Toro Parts at Discounted PricesTo register for a copy of the Performance Parts Price List & Catalogue call 1800 356 372 or email: au_parts@toro.comHERO/TOR936J     Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management Volume 9.3Brett Burgess (NZGCSA) Rod Cook (The Grand GC)
Barry Cox (Ocean Shores CC)
Stuart Hall (Asquith GC)
Matt Hanrahan (Geelong Grammar)
John Harding (Cardno Young)
G. Harman (Cornell Uni.)Cameron Harvey (Asquith GC)Justin Haslam (TGAA ACT)
Cameron Henley (PGG Wrightson)
Dean Holden (Evergreen Turf)
Andy Hugill (Mona Vale GC)
Kevin Morris (NTEP)
E. Nelson (Cornell Uni.)
John Neylan (AGCSATech)
K. Ondik (Cornell Uni.)
Andrew Peart (AGCSATech)
Mark Prosser (VGCSA)
Greg Ramsay (Ratho Golf Links)
Peter Ruscoe (TGAA WA)
Daryl Sellar (Glenelg GC)
Brad Sofield (Gosnells GC)
Bruce Stephens (Anco)Trevor Strachan (Lake Karrinyup GC)David Warwick (Avondale GC)
Terry Watson (VRC)
David Westall (Scotts)I™ve never been a fan of horses. It probably goes back to when I was 11 and on a week-long school camp in the rural 
New Zealand township of Matamata. One of the activities our teachers had organised was a day-long horse trek and without 
any experience whatsoever we all nervously saddled up and 
trotted off through the scenic bushland.My horse was named Joey and I clearly remember our over-enthusiastic guide informing me that Joey, being the smallest 
horse of the lot, was a placid and gentle creature. You can see 
where this story is going, can™t you– Well, we were no more than 10 minutes into the trek when one of my classmates (he is currently spending him in Her 
Majesty™s Service, but that™s another story–) decided it would 
be a great idea to taunt poor little Joey. As you can imagine Joey 
didn™t take too kindly to that and started to get a bit flighty. All of a sudden, hell broke lose. The horse in front of me, sensing Joey™s discomfort, got all worked up as well and decided to bolt. Joey, god bless him, followed suit. For what seemed like 
an eternity, Joey bounded down the track in pursuit of his stablemate and eventually after about 
500m decided he had had enough. Somehow I had managed to cling on but my other classmate wasn™t so lucky and ended up being thrown. To top things off, as I was standing next to Joey while our guide was trying to calm him down after the ordeal, the chestnut goes and pees all over my 
foot! As I said, me and horses, not a good mix.In saying all that though, I must admit I like a punt on the gee-gees every now and then and if there™s one race which always gets the hand dipping into the hip pocket come November each 
year it™s the Melbourne Cup. It truly is a race that stops a nation and the hallowed turf it is raced 
on, Flemington, has for over 140 years been the spiritual home of the Australian racing industry. Just a few days after Japanese stallion Delta Blues became just the third foreign horse to win the Cup last year, the track that jockey Yasunari Iwata had guided his steed around to claim the 
prized trophy was gone. In one of the biggest projects it has ever undertaken, the Victoria Racing Club embarked upon the complete reconstruction of the Course Proper and over the past six months Flemington has 
undergone an impressive transformation. Drainage issues that once dogged the track are now a 
thing of the past, while in a major departure for the club the track is now kikuyu-based. In this edition of ATM we take an in-depth look at how the project has come to fruition after some major delays and talk to Flemington general manager Terry Watson about how it has set a 
benchmark for the racing industry. Staying with the theme of reconstruction, elsewhere in this edition we look at the ambitious plans to restore Australia™s oldest golf course Œ Ratho Golf Links in Tasmania Œ while we also 
profile retiring golf course superintendent Barry Cox who was last year awarded life membership 
of the GCSAQ.Finally, ATM made a slight error in its farewell piece on Vince Church in the last edition. We gave Vince™s date of birth as 1 January, 1915. In fact he was born on 30 January, 1915. By all 
accounts the Pennant Hills Golf Club groundstaff reunion held in March was a huge success and I have it on good authority that Vince™s memory was well and truly celebrated. Enjoy 
the read.Brett RobinsonEditorIN EVERY EDITIONForeword Thinking 4AGCSATech Update 28Tech Talk - Cation Exchange Capacity 32News 46Around the Trade 50State Presidents™ Reports 52Cox back on course 14For the past 20 years Barry Cox 
has played an 
integral role in 
the development 
of the GCSAQ. 
Last year the 
former tomato farmer-cum-turf manager received the 
ultimate recognition from his peers when 
he was awarded life membership of the association. However, all that flashed before his eyes earlier this year when he 
underwent heart bypass surgery. ATM caught up with the convalescing Ocean Shores superintendent and looks back 
at a rewarding career which will be hard 
to let go of.3AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTJOHN NEYLAN AND SCOTT PETERSEN, JOINT GENERAL MANAGERSforeword thinkingAThe challenges for golf course superintendents are ever increasing 
and the past 12 months have extended these well beyond any reasonable expectation. 
Drought, extreme temperatures and minimal 
water has stretched the capabilities of golf 
course superintendents and their staff while 
attempting to maintain facilities to an exacting 
high standard. The word sustainability again 
comes to mind in questioning whether it is 
possible to maintain this effort in a changing 
environment. It often falls on the golf course superintendent to take the lead role in 
numerous activities that can often take him 
or her beyond their original training. What 
other profession offers the challenges of 
managing a diverse work force, developing 
new water sources during droughts, managing 
the environment and dealing with a myriad 
of legislative requirements, while at the same 
time meeting the increasing expectations of 
golfers and management. Producing consistent and high quality playing surfaces is the primary role of the golf 
course superintendent, however, because of 
the complexities of managing golf courses, 
superintendents need to develop their expertise 
in a diverse number of areas. By default, they 
need to have knowledge in many areas other 
than turf, including tree management, water 
resource management, staff management, 
planning and budgeting with an underlying raft 
of legislation that dictates work practices and 
interaction with the surrounding environment.Golf clubs are unique in that they are often governed by a committee or board that has a range of expertise in many professions 
other than turf maintenance. The golf course 
superintendent faces the challenge of advising 
and leading, while answering a diverse range 
of questions that often appear to be trite and 
unimportant. Dealing with these questions 
and at the same time not embarrassing the 
well-intentioned is an art in itself. Managing 
upwards is undoubtedly the greatest and most 
difficult skill for golf course superintendents to 
develop. There is little doubt that for the modern superintendent ongoing education remains 
the key to survival in these challenging times. 
Understanding there is a knowledge gap is 
not an admission of failure but acknowledging 
that in an ever changing world we cannot be 
expected to know everything. Committees and boards are interested in solutions. Everyone is faced with problems, 
however, it is how we research the problem 
and then develop a solution that is the true 
skill of the competent manager. Committees 
are not interested in the answer fiit cannot 
be donefl without research and costings. 
Research the problem, develop the options 
and cost them and then present them to the 
committee or board. Where appropriate, bring 
in the necessary expertise to assist providing a 
suitable position paper.A key role of the AGCSA is to provide educational opportunities and this is done 
through the annual Australian Turfgrass 
Conference and twice-yearly roving workshops. 
This year™s conference heads to Cairns from 
23-27 July and the theme has a strong focus 
on the challenges of maintaining turf in a changing climate. Is the current drought part 
of a normal cycle or is it a permanent change? 
Come and hear from the experts on this most 
topical of subjects as it will have an impact on 
how your turf is managed in the future. The conference will also have several sessions on management and, in particular, 
‚managing upwards™, as well as a keynote 
presentation on how the new industrial 
relations laws are impacting on golf course 
superintendents and their staff. The three-day education programme has something for everyone and we encourage 
that all AGCSA members and the wider turf 
community attend what is set to be one of the 
most topical conferences in recent times. A 
delegate registration brochure was sent out in 
March and you can register online through the 
AGCSA website or by filling out a registration 
form. We look forward to seeing you there.AGCSA4AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTSPORTS TURF DRAINERS& CONSTRUCTIONSPECIALISTSSLIT DRAINAGESAND GROOVINGLASER LEVELLING/GRADINGLASER CONTROLLED TRENCHINGTURF DRAIN AUSTRALIABob Paddison Phone:  NSW (02) 8117 8100  VIC (03) 6328 1522Fax:    (02) 8117 8101Mobile: 0418 261 089Email: turfdrain@bigpond.comWebsite: www.turfdrain.com.auJRM AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTORSAUSTRALIA - VICTORIAApplied Agronomics - Jim Brennan (0421) 418 595jim@appliedagronomics.com.auAUSTRALIA - QUEENSLANDRedwood International - Ian LeonardPO Box 985 Maleny, QLD 455207 54 999 031  Fax0419 757 863 MobileAUSTRALIA - NEW SOUTH WALESTurf Technology Systems - Mark WigginsP.O. Box 8272Werrington County NSW 27471800 250 258NEW ZEALANDC. Brent Baber Turf Equipment Co.P.O. Box 72-728 Papakura 2110New Zealand64 09 294 6040MALAYSIANUAIM CORPORATION (M) SDN BHDNo 14 Jalan P10/19, Section 10, Selaman Industrial Park,43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia+603-89211596THAILANDRaun Interprise - ˜orbjorn Raun135/75 Patak Villa.RawaiPhuket 8313066 76 281 2031-910-793-8328Wilmington, NC 28404 USAwww.jrmonline.comQUALITY MATTERS...in every detailJRM AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTORSAUSTRALIA - VICTORIAApplied Agronomics - Jim Brennan (0421) 418 595jim@appliedagronomics.com.auAUSTRALIA - QUEENSLANDRedwood International - Ian LeonardPO Box 985 Maleny, QLD 455207 54 999 031  Fax0419 757 863 MobileAUSTRALIA - NEW SOUTH WALESTurf Technology Systems - Mark WigginsP.O. Box 8272Werrington County NSW 27471800 250 258NEW ZEALANDC. Brent Baber Turf Equipment Co.P.O. Box 72-728 Papakura 2110New Zealand64 09 294 6040MALAYSIANUAIM CORPORATION (M) SDN BHDNo 14 Jalan P10/19, Section 10, Selaman Industrial Park,43650 Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia+603-89211596THAILANDRaun Interprise - ˜orbjorn Raun135/75 Patak Villa.RawaiPhuket 8313066 76 281 2031-910-793-8328Wilmington, NC 28404 USAwww.jrmonline.comQUALITY MATTERS...in every detailflemingtonBY BRETT ROBINSONSince hosting the very first Melbourne Cup in 1861, Flemington racecourse 
in Melbourne has established itself as the spiritual home of the Australia racing 
industry. Over the years the hallowed turf has 
immortalised horses, jockeys and trainers alike 
and drawn contenders from around the globe 
who desperately try to claim one of racing™s 
most prized trophies. The Spring Carnival is one of the great Australian sporting spectacles and every year 
all eyes are drawn to Flemington, particularly on that first Tuesday of November. At the heart of the carnival lies the stage on which all the 
drama and excitement is played out on Πthe 
Course Proper. Up until last year™s Melbourne Cup it had remained relatively untouched, however, 
in one of the biggest decisions in its proud 
history, the board of the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), which has called Flemington home for the past 143 years, decided it was time to completely reconstruct the Course Proper to ensure a more manageable and sustainable future.At a cost of $10million, the reconstruction, which started last November, has seen a When the board of the Victoria Racing Club decided to give the go ahead for the total reconstruction of the Course Proper at the famous Flemington racecourse, it did so in the knowledge that nothing of this magnitude had been undertaken before in the club™s rich history. With the new kikuyu-based track now bedding down and a new dedicated drainage system alleviating management issues of the past, Flemington is well on track to debut its new look come the 2007 Spring Carnival. ATM catches up with Flemington general manager Terry Watson to look back at a project which, despite having many challenging facets, has set a new benchmark for the Australian racing industry. Flemington™s $10m FlutterOn track for the 2007 Spring CarnivalIt has been a project that has thrown up many interesting challenges, but the reconstruction of the Course Proper at Flemington will mean a much more sustainable and manageable future according to general manager Terry WatsonFlemington™s $10m FlutterOn track for the 2007 Spring Carnival6AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTnumber of groundbreaking changes to Flemington including the installation of a 
dedicated drainage system, a new uniform 
profile and, in the most significant departure, a 
switch from a ryegrass to kikuyu-based track. For Flemington general manager Terry Watson, who came on board the VRC in 2001 after a long association with Caulfield, it rates as one of the biggest projects he has ever 
been involved with during his 40-plus years 
in the racing industry and one that he hopes 
has set a new benchmark for the industry in 
Australia.A NEW ERA BEGINSNo sooner had Japanese stallion Delta 
Blues won the 2006 Melbourne Cup than the 
reconstruction process began in earnest. A 
road profiler machine was brought in to strip 
the old track down to a depth of 500mm and, using some of the existing topsoil, new levels were created for the subgrade (track foundation) which was then stabilised with a mixture of lime and cement.The design of the new track was carried out by Cardno Young and according to project manager John Harding the differences in the tolerances between the old and new track 
would be filike comparing a country road to a modern freewayfl. The design of the new track involves a revised geometry including a one-way track crossfall easing into banked turns which will provide a more consistent running for horses.Once the subgrade had been stabilised, primarily due to the poor underlying soil (Coode 
Island silt), more than 25km of agricultural drains were then laid across the track, all feeding into a collector drain connected to a new dedicated pumped stormwater system.A 100mm gravel drainage blanket was then spread across the track followed by a 300mm layer of an engineered growing 
medium with amendments (chicken manure) 
then incorporated. The growing medium Πa 
mixture of two white sands and a grey sand 
specifically chosen by the VRC for stability, 
hydraulic conductivity and moisture retention 
Πwas manufactured by Frank Vella Sands in Lang Lang and prior to the project starting a large portion was stockpiled nearby Flemington 
at Deer Park. Once the amendments were added, 124,000m2 of turf grown at Anco™s Torquay production farm was then hand-laid in five 
stages during February and March 2007 (turn to pages 11 and 12 to read more about the 
growing, harvesting, laying and establishing the new Flemington turf). The final sod of the new kikuyu-based turf was rolled out on 19 March and after a four-week maintenance 
period each section was handed back to the 
VRC. At the time of writing just one section 
of the track remained to be handed over, while work was still progressing with the new 
Birdcage, main lawn and The Elms areas, all of which will be completed before the Spring Carnival.TAKING A PUNTWhen that final roll of turf was laid on the Course Proper, it was a kind of euphoric 
moment for Watson. It signalled the end of one 
of the most critical phases in what has been an at times frustrating project, but one which has ultimately set up Flemington to remain as a 
focal point of the Australian racing industry.While Watson was a relieved man, no doubt the VRC board also breathed a collective sigh of relief. Their decision to totally reconstruct the famous Flemington layout Πthe first total reconstruction undertaken in over 140 years 
Œ wasn™t one that was taken lightly and with the many issues that presented along the way there were a few occasions where anxiety 
levels went off the scale.The entire reconstruction has been full of challenges from day one and as Watson will 
attest it has been an exercise in patience and 
persistence, both on and off the track. One of 
the biggest initial hurdles to overcome was 
convincing the VRC board to bite the bullet and commit to the reconstruction which meant agreeing to make some groundbreaking 
changes to the track in terms of its design, 
surface make-up and drainage characteristics.  fiHistorically it wasn™t a decision that came easilyfl reflects Watson. fiFlemington hasn™t 
been altered to this extent in its history and we 
were proposing some major changes to the track. The famous Straight Six (1200m straight) Flemington™s $10m FlutterOn track for the 2007 Spring CarnivalLaying of the new kikuyu-based track began on 14 February and finished 20 MarchFlemington™s $10m FlutterOn track for the 2007 Spring Carnival7AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTflemingtonnow has a one-way crossfall where previously there had always been a crown in the centre. 
We changed the cambers coming into and out 
of the turns to make them more horse-friendly 
and we raised the track to help with drainage. It™s those sorts of changes that will hopefully make this new design a great success. A lot of thought has gone into it and I think we have got it right.fiThe board knew that the track needed to be rebuilt at some time but there was always 
the fear in the back of their minds that what 
if something went wrong and the track was 
unable to be host the following Spring Carnival. 
It just wasn™t going to be a consideration that the Melbourne Cup would have to be shifted from Flemington. But I know they are very 
relieved to see the track now complete and 
that this coming Spring Carnival will go ahead 
without any problem.fiAt the end of the day, however, the old track had well and truly had its day. When 
we took the top off the track and saw what was underneath it is quite amazing that it was actually able to perform as well as it did over the past three or four years. It was quite a sight.flThe decision to switch to a kikuyu base was also a difficult one for the VRC board to 
go with and it took plenty of convincing on 
Watson™s behalf to sway the board to come 
around. fiI™ve always liked kikuyu,fl admits Watson. fiI know it hasn™t been a big part of Victorian tracks, like it is in other states, but when I was at Caulfield we had it in our inside training track 
and it amazed me how well it stood up all year 
round. Taking that on board, we thought that 
if we looked at the kikuyu as our base for the 
sod, but then oversowed with some bluegrass 
and a mixture of ryegrasses, it could end up 
being the ideal product for a racetrack all year round. fiIt was to some people™s thinking a bit out of left field to have kikuyu on a Melbourne track, but I think it™s going to be the surface of 
the future. If it is a success here, and there™s no 
reason why it shouldn™t, it could become the 
benchmark for other racecourses.flThen there were the delays. Before any reconstruction work could be carried out, the VRC wanted to ensure that the new track would be adequately protected from the Maribyrnong River should it flood. The decision to build a floodwall along the course™s boundary with the 
river was a crucial first step, but getting it past 
the local council and water authority proved 
more difficult than expected, resulting in major 
delays. While fibitterly disappointingfl at the time, in hindsight Watson believes the delays ultimately 
meant that the VRC has ended up with a better product. The extra time allowed the club to investigate certain aspects of the project more thoroughly and it also gave them the chance to learn more about what it was exactly they were trying to achieve. Another unexpected spin-off from the delays came when the Melbourne Racing 
Club approached the VRC in 2005 to see if it could use the turf growing at Anco™s Torquay production farm to re-lay Caulfield. Giving the go ahead, 70,000m2 of the new turf was laid following the 2005 Caulfield Cup and subsequently that has enabled the VRC to 
monitor its progress and performance.fiFrom all reports the jockeys and trainers have been very happy with the new Caulfield track,fl says Watson. fiI know Caulfield is extremely happy with the way it has performed, so taking all that on board it naturally gives us 
more confidence in how it will perform here. I 
know our board members are very pleased to 
see the accolades Caulfield is getting because 
early on a number of them were pretty hesitant about going to kikuyu. But seeing how well the track has stood up, I think that has changed their perception a bit and eased any fears they had.flA SUSTAINABLE FUTUREWhile the switch to a kikuyu-based track 
has been one of the major talking points of 
the redevelopment, another significant aspect of the project has been the creation of a dedicated pumped drainage system for the Course Proper. One of the key requirements of the VRC when the project was first put forward was that the track have a stand-alone 
drainage system that could be controlled and 
kept consistent. Drainage has always been an issue at Flemington due to its location on the Maribyrnong River floodplain and before reconstruction it solely relied on a gravity fed system. That had one major drawback in that if river levels rose too high, the system would back up and salt water could flow in and flood sections of the track. The view from the top of Flemington™s famous Straight Six shortly after New Year 2007One of the key requirements of the VRC was that the Course Proper have a stand-alone drainage system8AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTWatson has a great black and white photograph on the wall of his office of just such a situation in May 1974 which shows the entire Straight Six inundated by salt water after the Maribyrnong poured into the course. fiThe new pumped system is quite unique and will remove any threat posed by tidal flows 
of the river which until this project started had 
impeded the effective drainage of the whole track,fl says Watson. fiWe now have a system where we can redirect water back to storage areas and with our desire to reduce our reliance on potable water, this will enable us to reuse the water on our lawns or gardens in the future. fiAs part of this whole project we have been looking ahead to see how we can use a lot less potable water at Flemington. We would 
like to think we can water all the tracks and 
the lawns with reclaimed water and we have 
had consultants working for us looking at both 
sewer mining and desalination options. fiWe have had a small trial going the past couple of years with a sewer mining plant and it worked very well, but our latest advice is that desalination looks to be the most economical route for us to take due to our proximity to the river. We actually use salt water from the river on the artificial tracks at the moment but we 
would like think we could be able to convert it 
for use on the turf as well.flAside from drainage, the new track has also remedied a number of other management issues that plagued the old, predominantly ryegrass-based track. One of the main gripes 
was the track™s inconsistency. Over a number of 
years the track had numerous sections rebuilt 
with different materials and specifications 
resulting in little uniformity across the entire 
track. Certain areas would react differently to 
watering levels or to heat stress and there was a fair amount of Poa annua in the sward.In undertaking the reconstruction, the VRC has gone to great lengths to ensure that the 
new track has a uniform profile across its entire length thus reducing the need to address a 
variety of track conditions brought about by 
inconsistent drainage and soil conditions. fiWe™re looking forward to a much more manageable track,fl says Watson. fiOverall I The decision to build a floodwall along the course™s boundary with the Maribyrnong River was a crucial first step, however getting it past the local council and water authority proved difficult and resulted in delays to the project start dateCONTINUED ON PAGE 129AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTFULL TIME SAFETY CONSULTANT - 
TURFGRASS AND 
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIESSPEAKS PLAIN ENGLISH AND COMES WITH:PLANT AND EQUIPMENT RISK ASSESSMENTSSAFE WORK PROCEDURES
SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENTSREVIEW METHODSREPORT WRITING
TRAINING INFORMATION
JAIL AND FINE AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUESABILITY TO WORK IN 1500 PLACES AT ONE TIMEASKING $0.62 PER HOUR FOR THE FIRST YEAR THEN 
$0.37 PER HOUR FOR 
EVERY YEAR AFTER THAT.PHONE ANDREW ON 02 4963 6460Phone - 02 4963 6460Fax - 02 4982 8074
Email - andrew.hardy@innov8australia.com.au
www.innov8australia.com.auNOW AVAILABLEflemingtonFor Victorian-based turf producer Anco, its involvement in the reconstruction of the 
Course Proper at Flemington comes on the back of a number of successful projects at 
other racetracks including Caulfield, Sandown 
and Mornington. Flemington, however, clearly 
ranks as one of the company™s biggest projects 
to date and according to manager Bruce 
Stephens it couldn™t have come at a better time given the difficult times Victorian turf producers are currently facing.fiFrom our point of view it has been a real bonus because it has come at the right time in 
what has been a critical year for survival,fl says 
Stephens. fiThe drought has obviously had a 
huge impact on turf producers in Victoria, so 
to have this project come when it did has been a godsend.fl Anco first became involved in the reconstruction project back in early 2002 when it was commissioned by the Victoria Racing 
Club (VRC) to grow the turf for the new 
track. Following a series of extensive tests at 
Anco™s Torquay-based production farm (which 
involved looking at the quality of sands for 
particle size distribution and drainage) three 
paddocks were selected in which to grow the turf. The paddocks were fumigated and planted up with kikuyu, while at the same time the top centimetre of topsoil from one of the 
paddocks, which had a high infiltration rate, 
was stockpiled with the view of using it to 
topdress the other paddocks as required. Meanwhile, due to delays with theflood-wall construction at Flemington, the entire 
track reconstruction was put on hold for a 
number of years. Despite that delay Anco kept the paddocks for the VRC and in 2005 got 
permission to sell 70,000m2 of the Flemington turf to the Melbourne Racing Club, which was 
looking to re-lay the track a Caulfield. With a start date of 2006 finally confirmed for the Flemington upgrade, Anco put its Koro field topmaker across each paddock and removed all thatch and vegetative material leaving a clean surface except for the kikuyu stolons and rhizomes. After waiting for a 
period of re-growth Anco then oversowed the 
paddocks in September 2006 with the required 
mixture specified by the VRC Πa blend of three 
different pasture-type perennial ryegrasses and a Kentucky bluegrass. Once that was complete the paddocks were monitored for nematode Growing, harvesting and establishing over 154,000 square metres of turf for one of the racing industry™s biggest track reconstruction projects is certainly a feather in any turf producer™s cap. ATM talks with Anco manager Bruce Stephens about the company™s involvement in the upgrade of the Course Proper at Flemington.Keeping Flemington  on trackAnco harvested 124,000m2 of turf at its Torquay production farm for the upgrade of the Course Proper at FlemingtonThe Flemington track was laid in five stages with between 7000m2 and 10,000m2 laid a dayKeeping Flemington  on track10AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTactivity and disease, while a nutritional programme ensured that the turf would be at 
optimum health come harvesting.As with every other part of the reconstruction project, the VRC closely monitored the progress 
of the turf and every fortnight up until the first 
cut a party comprising of Flemington track 
manager Terry Watson, John Harding (Cardno Young) and Terry Woodcock (SportsTurf 
Consultants) would inspect the paddocks at Torquay.ROLLING OUTOriginally scheduled for late January, the first harvest didn™t start until the evening of 13 
February, 2007. Ironically that same night it 
bucketed down, providing temporary respite 
to the region which is currently suffering under 
Stage 4 water restrictions. Despite the welcome rain, the first semis were loaded and sent on their way with the first pellets of turf ready for laying on the morning of Valentine™s Day. Due to training hours, the turf could only be delivered to the track between 8.30am and 3am which meant Anco started 
harvesting at around 5pm the night before and 
worked into the night. Four semi-loads were sent up each night and delivered the turf between 7pm and 
midnight ready for laying the following morning 
once the horses were off the inside tracks. 
Once that lot had been laid another four semi loads that had been cut early in the morning would be ready for laying in the afternoon.fiThe turf was never more than 12-16 hours old from the time of harvesting to the time it 
was laid,fl says Stephens. fiDespite the fact 
that we had some very warm days during 
harvesting and laying, we hardly lost any rolls 
at all. The temperature inside the pellets can 
get fairly warm and you generally lose a roll or two on those 40-degree days, but with the new Trebro auto stacker harvester and the roll size we didn™t have any of those issues. fiCutting at night and early morning helped, as well as the fact that there was a very short turnaround from when it was harvested to 
when it was laid. We didn™t even have a two per 
cent loss ratio which was fantastic.flFrom 14 February through to 19 March, the Course Proper was laid in five sections as they became available from head contractor Akron. They were:1. From the 600m mark (turn into the home 
straight) back to the 1400m chute and 1600m chute. This was the largest section 
laid Π36,000m2 Πwhich took four days; 2. Home straight from the corner (600m 
mark) to the finishing post;3. Back straight (2000m to 1600m);4. Turn out of the home straight to the 2000m mark; and5. Top section of the Straight Six (1200m to 600m).Turf Renovation Australia was sub-contracted by Anco to lay the turf and Tony 
Sinclair co-ordinated a small army of around 20 which was able to lay between 7000m2 and 10,000m2 a day. As the track was gradually completed, Anco took over the maintenance of each 
section for a four week period, controlling both irrigation and fertiliser applications. Around 10 kilometres of aluminum piping was set up in three rows right around the track to water in the turf, while Anco, which had undertaken the amendment incorporation prior to laying, also 
monitored a strict fertility programme. fiWe monitored soil moisture to make sure that the new turf didn™t dry out which on certain days was a 16-hour operation, particularly on those hot days,fl says Stephens.fiWe had meetings with City West Water before the track was laid to ensure we would 
be able to water it in. I did some calculations 
as to the amount we were using after the press 
reported we were using a megalitre of water 
a day. In fact, at the maximum Πand this was when we laid the first section which was the biggest stage Πwe were using at most 0.2 megalitres a day and there were days where that figure was significantly less.fl After the four week period was up, Anco would hand over each section to the VRC who, with recommendations from Anco, would 
determine when to administer the first cut. 
When ATM visited Flemington in early April, just one section of the track remained to be handed over Œ the top end of the Straight Six. And it doesn™t end there. With construction of the main lawn and Birdcage areas still ongoing, Anco has a further 30,000m2 to supply to Flemington. Turfing of the main lawn 
(20,000m2) was due to start on 1 May, while the Birdcage (7000m2) and The Elms (3000m2) will be finished in August prior to the start of the 
Spring Carnival.fiThe track has established remarkably well,fl says Stephens. fiIt has literally gone berserk. It™s incredible when you get 2-3cm root growth after just five days. I™ve never 
seen anything like it as far as speed of root 
establishment goes. You couldn™t pull it up 
after five days, particularly the first section 
which was laid when it was a bit warmer.  fiSeeing how well Caulfield has performed using the same turf over the past year or so, I have no doubt that Flemington will perform just as well. Flemington probably has a slightly 
different microclimate than Caulfield. Because 
it is in a river valley it can get pretty foggy 
and cold in the middle of winter compared to 
Caulfield. You might get a frost or heavy dew 
at Caulfield but at Flemington I imagine you 
would get a lot worse.As such I would expect the kikuyu to go off a bit more at Flemington but the ryegrass and 
bluegrass will be okay and with management 
they'll get it right in the spring. The kikuyu 
provides such a magnificent base and those 
rhizomes will always be there and will bounce 
back beautifully once it starts to heat up.The top end of the Straight Six was the final section of track to be laidEstablishment of the kikuyu-based track has been impressive11AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTflemingtondon™t think our maintenance practices will radically change with the new track, but we 
will have to be more vigilant when it comes 
to using foreign materials. Because the actual 
growing medium has been manufactured we 
will make sure we have more of that material 
manufactured for any ongoing maintenance and repair work. Before racing starts we will also develop a separate 1000m2 turf nursery that will be made from the same growing 
medium and turf. By doing that we hope to be able to maintain stability and uniformity across the whole track.fl OFF AND RACINGThe new-look Flemington will get its first true test come 8 September when it hosts the 
inaugural Makybe Diva Stakes (formerly the 
Craiglee Stakes) which acts as a lead-in to the 
2007 Spring Carnival. Before that, however, the track will undergo a series of trials in August to get feedback from jockeys and trainers. fiFrom a track perspective, first of all it™s going to be a real winner with the end users 
Πthe horses, jockeys and trainers. If they 
approve of it then we can™t ask for much more. 
As far as management of the track is concerned it™s going to be much easier because we can now treat it as one whole track and not one which had different parts that needed different management strategies. And hopefully it will 
race accordingly Œ nice and even.fiAs far as the punters are concerned, hopefully they™ll notice that difference too. In the past punters have always looked at the Straight Six on a race day and made up their minds as to whether the inside running or outside running was going to be better. I think now with the new profile it shouldn™t really 
matter where a horse is drawn. If it™s good 
enough it should be able to win because the 
going should be very even.fiWe probably went overboard with the amount of scrutiny and supervision that went 
with every part of this job. When the first drain 
was laid we were right there watching like hawks and we were there when the final roll was laid. To the credit of all the contractors 
they accepted that and they knew we were only 
doing it because of our desire to make sure 
that this project was a success. If supervision 
means anything in the final result then this 
track should turn out to be pretty good.flThe track was laid in five sections and comprised 124,000m2 of turf, including battersCONTINUED FROM PAGE 912AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT







RAIN BIRD AUSTRALIAwww.rainbird.com.au© 2006 Rain Bird CorporationRain Bird Australia10 Mareno Rd,Tullamarine,Vic,3043.Freecall:1800 424 044   Freefax:1800 424 050   Email:info@rainbird.com.auContact:Wayne Brown(0419 669 679) Troy Barbour(Vic, WA, SA, Tas 0409 123 191) Greg Smith(NSW, QLD 0438 503 070) Dale Stafford(Technical Support 0409 115 000) Scott Johnstone(Pump Station Sales 0437 078 677)Totally Integrated Irrigation SolutionsRESERVOIR TO ROTORSGear-DrivenRotorsSwing JointsDecodersFREEDOM-PadŽSMART PumpŽCentral ControlSystemsControllersPumps andFiltrationBY BRETT ROBINSON On the surface there doesn™t seem much to the small township of Bothwell in 
Tasmania™s central highlands. Located 30 minutes off the Midland Highway on the 
A5, it boasts your standard friendly local, an assortment of heritage-listed buildings dating back to the early 1800s and a bakery which does a mean steak and onion pie.It™s the sort of place that if you blink a couple of times while driving through you could easily miss it. However, start to take a 
closer look and it soon becomes apparent that 
this sleepy rural settlement of only 400 holds a 
special place in the development of the game 
of golf in Australia. A few kilometres the other side of Bothwell lies Ratho, a farming property settled in 1822 by the Reid family who emigrated from Scotland. Along with their farming prowess, the Reids 
also brought to Van Diemen™s Land, as it was 
then called, a passion for the game of golf. 
They duly set about establishing a 12-hole golf 
course on their vast property, not just for their enjoyment but for all the other predominantly Scottish settlers around the district as well.Remarkably almost two centuries on and despite a change of ownership, Ratho remains a living, breathing and functioning example of how the game first came to being in Australia. 
Although the configuration of the holes has 
changed over time (six of the current nine 
holes still boast their original routing) Ratho proudly stands as Australia™s oldest operational golf course and the oldest course outside the game™s spiritual Scottish homeland.STEPPING BACK IN TIMERatho is a true time capsule and to play it is to experience what the game was like 
during the 1800s, before the mechanisation of 
course maintenance, the introduction of year-
round watering and the era of Big Bertha and SasQuatch drivers.It™s most apparent uniqueness is the sheep, which graze and keep the playing areas short, with fences to keep them from the square greens. At first glance, it appears to be little 
more than a backwards blend of farming and 
recreation outside a small country town. But so 
the game of golf began.The significance of Ratho Golf Links becomes apparent when studying early golf, which evolved on the east coast of Scotland on the sandy links land of Musselburgh, Leith, Of the 62 nine-hole golf courses dotted around the island state of Tasmania, there is one which holds a unique place in Australia™s golfing history. Ratho Golf Links can lay claim to being the oldest course in Australia and the oldest outside the game™s spiritual homeland of Scotland. ATM visits the remote township of Bothwell in Tasmania, which is home to Ratho, and discovers that restoration plans are afoot to ensure it continues to play a vital part in Australia™s proud golfing heritage. Reviving RathoRestoring Australia™s oldest golf courseturfing tasmaniaBoasting square greens and maintained by a healthy contingent of merino sheep, Ratho Golf Links in Bothwell, Tasmania can lay claim to being the oldest golf course in Australia  Reviving RathoRestoring Australia™s oldest golf course14AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTElie, Aberdeen, and Dornoch. It was from those towns that the very first settlers in 
Bothwell were drawn, and as well as the Reids 
three other families around the valley laid out 
golf courses on their farms. Ratho™s pedigree comes from the era of feathery ball and long-nosed woods, sharing many traits with equally antique arenas. Square greens are still evident at St Andrews, where 
the vast scale and wild undulations hide the 
fact that their shape was originally set by the 
‚keeper of the green™, who placed four pegs in the ground and strung wire around to keep the sheep off. As well as Ratho™s above-ground originality, it still distinctively plays like early golf. The lack of an automatic watering system preserves 
the varying challenges through the seasons Πhard and fast in summer through autumn, frosty and firm in the winter, before softening up with the lush green of spring. Limited tree planting through the years has also ensured that the ever-present wind from different 
directions demands varying lines of attack and shotmaking. Four generations of the Reid family enjoyed Ratho up until 1936 when the property was acquired by the Ramsay family. Despite 
purchasing the property more for its fine trout fishing Œ the Clyde River borders the property to the south Œ the Ramsay™s have continued the tradition of being course custodians and a further four generations have grown up with 
a special piece of Australia™s golfing heritage 
right on their doorstep. REVIVING RATHOFor one member of that current generation, 
Ratho holds a very special place in the heart. 
That man is Greg Ramsay, a self-certified golf 
nut who was one of the principal driving forces 
behind the much-talked about Barnbougle Dunes.It was Ramsay™s drive and determination that saw Barnbougle Dunes, now ranked 
inside the world™s top-50 courses, come to fruition and with Ratho being a major part of 
his life he is eager to see the course given a new lease on life and remain an integral piece of Australia™s rich golfing heritage for years to 
come.In an ambitious move, Ramsay is about to embark on a major project which will see the restoration of Ratho Golf Links. Set to start later this year, works will involve the meticulous resurrection of six ‚lost™ holes, while in the second part of the project three brand new 
holes will be constructed to make up a full 
complement of 18. Like Prestwick, western Scotland™s very first golf course and original home of The 
Open Championship, Ratho once comprised 
12 holes. Starting from the farm homestead, Restoring Australia™s oldest golf courseCurrently comprising nine holes, plans are underway to restore Ratho™s six ‚lost™ holes as well as construct three brand new holes to make up a full 18-hole layoutRestoring Australia™s oldest golf course15AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTSIGHT SCREENSAQUA WIZZTOW A TARPROLLERSwww.mentay.com.auFREECALL: 1800 037 075CRICKET PITCH EQUIPMENTturfing tasmaniasix holes ran north of the shearing shed in a paddock, and six holes south of it towards the 
township of Bothwell, including three that ran 
alongside the Clyde River. Those six southern holes are no longer in play. Three were abandoned when play was resumed after World War II while the other three holes were ploughed under in the early 1980s when a new access road and bridge into 
Bothwell were redirected alongside the old first 
hole. The ensuing government compensation 
was used to build three new holes (the current 
fourth, fifth, and sixth holes) to make up the present-day nine which stretches over 2281m.fiIn my opinion they abandoned the better holes,fl says Ramsay. fiWe have original scorecards and maps of where those ‚lost™ 
holes were located, so the aim is to reproduce 
them and then build an additional three holes.fiThe contours of one of the old greens remain because it is in a separate paddock. 
Unfortunately the others have been flattened, 
but with the use of old photographs we are going to try and locate the natural grade of the land and find some contours that will fit in with that to create some strategic greens.fiRestored thoughtfully, Ratho has the potential to become something of a national pilgrimage for Australian golfers to learn 
about the origins of the game. The primary 
responsibility is to restore Ratho to its true 
origins. The challenge also is to translate that 
history into an enriching experience that is 
relevant to the modern golfer.flThe new greens will be constructed to a California-type specification and along with 
some of the tees will be hydroseeded with a mix of bentgrass and fescue, a similar practice 
that was undertaken with great success during the construction of Barnbougle Dunes. All up the restoration will cost in the vicinity of $400,000 once irrigation, turf, consultants, shaping, agronomy and design are all factored 
in. The six restored holes are expected to be in 
play by autumn 2008 with the three ‚new™ holes 
to be open in spring 2008.To assist with the project, the Federal Government has pitched in $100,000 through 
the ausIndustry Regional Tourism Development Program, while Ramsay has also been fortunate to secure the services of renowned South Australian golf course architect Neil Crafter.fiNeil has a great interest in the evolution of golf architecture and how the game has evolved over time, so I feel very lucky to have 
someone with his expertise involved with the 
design,fl says Ramsay. fiI™m very interested in the academic side of golf course design and I look at it not only 
as a landscaping project but also as a bit of a science and an art. It™s a combination of all those things that really interests me and Neil is 
a real student of that as well.flWhile resurrecting the lost six holes is one aspect of the project, another goal is the reinstatement of several quirky features that Ratho was known for. Aside from the sheep and fenced greens, hazards such as hedges, vegetable gardens, rock walls, irrigation canals 
and sheep yards used to come into play.fiThe first tee shot used to be out over the sheep yards and I think that will be a real 
talking point once the restoration is complete,fl 
says Ramsay. fiThat™s what the early courses 
were like; they were fitted in wherever there was room. Ballybunion in Ireland for instance plays over an old cemetery.fiWe™re obviously going to keep the square greens, but the fences around them will be demountable so we can take them down for 
tournaments which gives the course a totally 
different look and feel. fiThere also used to be a big draught horse stud on the property and the idea we 
have for corporate days is that when people 
arrive and play the first few holes there will be two draught horses pulling our old five-gang mower down the seventh and eighth fairways. 
We™ve got a lot of images of the fairways being 
mown this way and we actually have some of 
the boots that the horses used to wear so they 
wouldn™t damage the turf too much. fiThat™s the sort of thing we are trying to reinstate, to show people how primitive early 
golf was and how far golf course maintenance has come since those early days.fl The Ratho greens are a mixture of native bentgrasses and fescuesRatho has been in the Ramsay family for four generations and is home to the local 
Bothwell Golf Club which has just 40 members who volunteer to maintain tees and greens16AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTMODERN-DAY ISSUESDespite its special place in the development of the game of golf in Australia, Ratho still 
remains an operational golf course and just 
like any other modern-day country nine-holer 
in Tasmania it has its issues to face. Like most small courses, Ratho relies on volunteers from the attached Bothwell Golf 
Club to maintain the course throughout the 
year. While the Ramsay family look after the fairways, using an old Scott Bonnar five-gang mower to clip the fairways when the sheep can™t keep up during the growing season, volunteer members from the club look after the greens and tees.The golf club has just 40 members from around the district who take it in turn to mow the greens once a week and generally once a month during winter. The greens used be mown using a modern greens unit mower but after that broke down six months ago an old Scott Bonnar SuperCut was renovated 
and brought back to life and still manages to 
provide a decent cut.The greens, which haven™t been altered since around WWII, are irrigated by using common garden hoses with mist sprayers, while renovations usually comprise of coring and scarifying depending on whether volunteers are available.  fiThe club would like to scarify and core every year but in the last few years it seems 
to be getting harder in the country towns to 
attract volunteers to do it, so it has probably gone back to once every two years now,fl says 
Ramsay.fiA lot of the country courses down here are struggling now because people don™t seem to have the time to volunteer and Ratho really wouldn™t survive were it not for the sheep and a few extra tourist golfers.fl Ratho gets about 1000 rounds of golf a year and also hosts a couple of unique tournaments including the Highland Lassies 
women™s tournament, the Tasmanian Highland Championships (formerly a state selection event back in the 1950s) and the prestigious Bothwell Masters where members vie for a tweed tartan jacket instead of a green jacket. The course is managed a little more intensively 
leading up to those events but again relies on 
the hands of volunteers.This year the course will also play host to the National Hickory Championships An old Scott Bonnar SuperCut is still used to cut the greens at Ratho. It was brought back to life after the course™s modern greens unit broke down six months ago17AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTSAVE 600,000 L of water per Ha     Greater solubility and penetration         characteristics will save you up to            600,000 L/ha in irrigation         incorporation requirements as     compared to imidacloprid.                                   For further information please call     the Syngenta Technical Product Advice Line on1800 067 108 or visit www.greencast.com.au         ®  Registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company     AD07/044 turfing tasmaniawhich Ramsay has organised as part of the first Australian Golf Heritage Festival. The festival will take in a number of venues around Tasmania Œ including Barnbougle Dunes, Royal Hobart, Tasmania and Tasman golf clubs Œ with 
Bothwell providing a focal point for the event 
which runs from 24-29 May.Like the rest of Tasmania in recent times, Ratho has felt the full effects of the drought and when ATM visited in November 2006 the region had experienced less than 50 per cent 
of its annual rainfall.fiIt hasn™t been the harshest but it™s been the most prolonged drought we™ve had,fl 
states Ramsay. fiDespite that we haven™t been 
tempted to put in wall-to-wall irrigation and we 
don™t intend on doing so because generally 
the course is good every four years out of five 
without it which is part of the seasonal nature 
of a changing golf course.fiIn winter the turf is at its best. The finer turfgrasses come through and the broadleaves and the weeds are really only a problem during spring and summer. From autumn through to 
August the course is in great knick. fiThe hardest thing is spring and summer where you get the lush growth and even if you 
put a thousand sheep out there they can™t keep it down to a playable level because it grows so quick. But then you get the drought we™ve 
had for the past 18 months and it really knocks 
things back.flOne of the unique aspects of the course is the turf, in particular the native grasses which 
dominate the sward.  The greens are a mix of 
highland bentgrass, red and chewings fescue 
that have been oversown with fine fescue, 
while the fairways are a mix of kangaroo 
and wallaby grasses which are kept to a manageable length by the merino sheep which happily graze (the property runs around 7000 
sheep, with a couple hundred normally on the golf course at any given time). fiAs part of the restoration we are trying to encourage the re-establishment of the native 
grasses,fl says Ramsay. fiIf you read accounts 
of the Bothwell Golf Club back in 1950s and 1960s it was well regarded as having fairway turf as good as anywhere else in the state and 
that goes back to the fact that it was wall-to-
wall native grass.fiIn the 1980s my father put in some flood irrigation channels thinking that it would help 
the golf course. Unfortunately it eroded away 
the topsoil and with it a lot of the native grasses 
and brought in a whole heap of agricultural 
grasses. Since we stopped flood irrigating the 
native grasses are re-populating the ground very well. fiThe wallaby and kangaroo grasses throw up a big seedhead, but the sheep keep that down and it actually makes for a very nice 
surface to play off. Under mowing pressure it 
really thickens up too. fiThey are very low maintenance grasses as well and I™d like to think that with environmental pressures and cost of maintenance issues currently affecting the golf industry that by using native grasses we might be able to show that by going backwards a little we could be 
more sustainable.flFor more information about the Australian Golf Heritage Festival (24-29 May) contact Greg Ramsay at greg@rathogolf.com or visit www.rathogolf.com for a full rundown of events.Ratho is a true time capsule and to play it is to experience what the game was like during the 1800sA ‚keeper of the green™ watches over his turfRatho's Scott Bonnar five-gang mower18AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTCOUNT ON TORO TO POINT THE WAY WITH NEW BENEFITSReelmaster® 5010 SeriesThe Reelmaster® 5010 series has a range of new features that make the tough job of keeping fairways looking great, easier on you. Delivering exceptional quality of cut 
and aftercut appearance the Dual Precision Adjustment (DPA) cutting units make adjustments easier and more accurate. The cutting edges stay sharp two to three times 
longer, resulting in less maintenance. Optional accessories further enhance performance. An ergonomic operator station resultsin ease of use and provides improved 
operator comfort. Find out how many more ways we can help keep you and your fairways in top condition by calling your local Toro representative today.For customer service call 1800 356 372  or visit www.toro.com/reelmasterLower NoiseTilt SteeringControls  in Arm RestSuspension SeatLess  MaintenanceDPA Cutting UnitHERO/TOR1135JprofileBY BRETT ROBINSONIt™s not quite how Barry Cox imagined he would bow out of the turf industry. After 20 years as superintendent at Ocean Shores Country Club in northern New South Wales, 
Cox was looking forward to the good life 
come April 2007, playing a lot more golf and 
planning trips to far flung corners of this vast 
continent with wife Joyce.His heart, however, had other ideas. A routine trip to the doctor last December ended 
up in an ambulance ride to hospital and the 
alarming news that he had suffered a mild heart 
attack in the preceding days. Tests confirmed 
the worst and in January he underwent a triple 
heart bypass.  For someone who has worked on the land all his life and generally considered himself to be in pretty good nick, the whole situation came as quite a shock. Fortunately, however, the surgery was a success and after a period of Over the past 20 years Barry Cox has risen to become one of the most respected members of the Queensland golf course superintendent fraternity and last year he was awarded life membership of the GCSAQ. Looking forward to his retirement this April, Cox™s plans were thrown into chaos when he was forced to undergo heart bypass surgery in January. Now well on the road to a full recovery, ATM caught up with Cox to look back over what has been highly rewarding career in turf management.Barry Cox has handed over the reins of Ocean Shores Country Club to his assistant Richard Phillips (left) who has been with the club for the past 10 yearsCox back on courseCox back on course20AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTconvalescing Cox is again looking forward to doing what he does best Œ being active.There™s not much that the GCSAQ life member hasn™t done so far in his 64 years. He™s the sort of man that likes to be involved 
and you only have to look at his impressive 
service record with local associations and 
organisations to see that Π16 years as 
secretary-treasurer of the local Tweed tomato growers association, 13 years on the board at Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club, 10 years (including a term as vice-president) on the committee of the GCSAQ. Cox even holds a second life membership for his services to 
the Kingscliff Hockey Club.Hailing from Murwillumbah, Cox was one of five children born into a farming family and 
it™s that close affinity with the land that has 
remained with Cox all his life. Whether it was 
working alongside his old man on their sugar cane farm, growing tomatoes for 20 years at Cudgen, through to his stint at Ocean Shores, the deep red soil of the northern NSW coast has coursed through his veins. On a muggy morning in mid-March, ATM magazine caught up with a convalescing Cox 
on the balcony of his home, which just so 
happens to overlook the 9th green at Ocean Shores Country Club, to talk turf, tomatoes and, of course, his ticker. You™ve just undergone a triple heart bypass which has forced you into a bit retirement a bit earlier than expected. How have you come through the operation and how has it changed your perspective on life?
fiIt was a real scare, I™ll admit that. I thought I 
was pretty healthy, ate sensibly, and I certainly 
wasn™t anticipating those sorts of problems. 
I™d had a bit of a heartburn sensation in my chest for a few weeks and thought it was my hiatus hernia playing up. It didn™t go away so I thought I had better go and get it checked. Within half an hour of visiting the doctors they had me in an ambulance going up the 
road to John Flynn Private Hospital. My blood 
pressure was up and they were telling me that 
during the last couple days I probably had 
suffered a mild heat attack. As you can imagine it came as a hell of a shock. I had absolutely no idea. I had to ring Joyce to tell her to pick up the car from the doctors as I was in an ambulance going up the Pacific Highway! You can imagine her response!So I went from rolling rocks around the golf course on Monday to being in the hospital on 
Wednesday. Upon testing they found a number 
of arterial blockages in locations where stents were unable to be used which meant I needed  heart bypass surgery. They told me to go After 20 years as superintendent at Ocean Shores Country Club in northern New South Wales, GCSAQ life member Barry Cox is looking forward to a long and healthy retirement despite undergoing recent heart bypass surgeryCox back on courseCox back on course21AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTGRASSRINGSAUSTRALIAReinforces the case for parking on grass.Cart pathsEvent overflow 
carparkingEmergencyboosteraccessFor a free 8 page brochurecall
1800 999 159(08)9455 2228profilehome and take it easy for a month, gave me a few pills and said see you back in January. They sliced me open on 17 January. I don™t even want to know what they did, but I can imagine it was pretty serious considering the amount of tubes that were hanging out of me when I woke up. I was in intensive care for 
two days and in hospital for a total of eight. 
But I came through the operation good and 
everything has tested out fine since. It all came as quite a shock. I had told Ocean Shores that I was going to finish up 
after 20 years in April, then this came along and sort of forced my hand. It™s not quite the way I wanted to go out but I didn™t have much 
of a say in the matter. In saying that though I 
have been pretty lucky over the years. I haven™t had a sickie in my 20 years at the club and the 
only time I was ever off work was when I spent 
five days in hospital after getting hit in the face with a hockey ball back in my 20s.If there™s one thing to come out of all of this it just goes to show how fragile we are and how rarely we take a good look at our 
health. All the years that I have been involved 
with the turf industry and attended workshops 
and national conferences, as superintendents 
we™re so obsessed with the heath of our turf 
and machinery that we forget about the health 
of the most important thing Πourselves. Going to the rehabilitation course after surgery has been a real eyeopener and there 
was a lot of information that I wish I had 
known about years ago. I™m sure there are superintendents out there who, like myself, 
often dismiss symptoms like heartburn and 
indigestion as something they™ve either eaten or had to drink, but as I™ve learned such symptoms can be the early signs of a heart problem. Maybe for the Melbourne conference in 2008 we should get a health professional to address delegates. We discuss the health 
of the grass enough. I™m sure we can take 
a small amount of time to discuss us for a change. Fortunately, though, I was the only greenkeeper at the rehab course so I guess that™s a good sign.flYou were a tomato farmer for many years before you switched to being  a golf course 
superintendent. Why did you make the 
move into turf?
fiFarming has always been a big part of my 
life right back to the early days. My dad had a dairy and cane farm in Murwillumbah and I left school to help him out. Dad dropped the 
dairy side of his operations and concentrated 
on cane and after a few years working with him 
he kicked me out and I went to work for the 
neighbours on their cane plantation.A few years later we brought a cane farm at Cudgen and I decided to go into vegetable 
crops, in particular tomatoes, but also peas and beans, which were going through a bit of a boom at the time. We ended up having 
that farm for 20 years before we sold up and 
brought a farm further south towards Lismore. It was during those years at Cudgen that I guess I got my first experience as a 
greenkeeper. At weekends I played cricket 
and the ground we played on was just a 
kikuyu/carpetgrass paddock on top of a hill. 
No one ever maintained it so I used to go up there every now and then with my tractor and slasher and cut it. I did that for a number of years until I joined the local hockey club which happened to use 
the same ground during winter. Again, no one 
maintained it so during winter I would go up 
there and cut it for play. Eventually the club 
(Kingscliff Hockey Club) moved to a purpose- built ground at Kingscliff and I helped them out establishing the turf. After I finished playing hockey I decided to join the Coolangatta and Tweed Heads Golf Club. After four years I found myself as 
vice-captain of the club, then captain and then 
chairman of the greens committee. During that At last year™s GCSAQ AGM Cox was awarded life membership of the association22AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTtime I was fortunate enough to work with Doug Robinson and Jeff Gambin who became very close friends. I must have driven them mad with phone calls because I soon learnt that as a greens director you had to know everything about the course. I ended up being in various 
positions at Coolangatta Tweed for 13 years 
during which time the course expanded to 36 
holes and a new clubhouse was built.At the same time as we sold the farm in Cudgen we brought a house at Ocean Shores which just so happened to look right out over the golf course. I soon found myself on the 
board there too. It was around that time that the tomato industry started to gradually wane in the region and production started to shift north to centres like Bundaberg. I dabbled in growing avocados for a bit before deciding to get out of farming altogether. Having three daughters and no sons there wasn™t much point in continuing and we were losing money on vegetable 
crops. It was around that time that the job came up at Ocean Shores Country Club for a head greenkeeper. As I was on the board I was able to get the support of a few members and despite not having any formal turf qualifications and never having been a greenkeeper before, 
they gave me the opportunity. The fact that I 
have survived for 20 years shows I must have 
done something right (laughs).flHow did you find the switch from farming to turf management and how did your previous involvement with golf club committees help in your transition?fiI must admit I probably did fumble my way around for the first year or so. Not having a 
turf background I found it a little difficult to 
get information but once I started going to 
the annual conferences and being involved I learned very quickly. It was the same with farming; if you didn™t know something you asked someone and I found I had to do that when I started out in turf. The likes of Doug 
Robinson and Jeff Gambin were always happy 
to help me out and that™s one of the great 
things that I have come to respect about this 23AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTgone in 60 secondsWant to be a top dressing speed demon? Then you need a ProPass 180.  Speed isn™t all you get, combine this with the outstanding spread accuracy  and quality of the ProPass and your turf will look good in record time.www.tycropturf.comNothing™s built like a TYCROP.Exclusive Australian DistributorExclusive Australian Distributorwww.toro.com.auFor more information speak with your local Toro representative.For Customer Service call 1800 356 372profileindustry Œ the willingness of most people to share their knowledge, regardless of how big their course was.One of the most difficult aspects early on was the lack of equipment and the small staff and budgets. Fortunately coming from a farming background I was used to working long hours and at weekend. Our equipment 
was old and I remember when I first started the guys used to trim bunker edges with spades and would drive a car and trailer into the base of the bunkers! One of the things I quickly learnt at Ocean Shores was how to ferret out money from the different areas of the club, whether it was the 
clubhouse, bowling operations, or the lady 
members. As it turned out over the years the lady members have been tremendous. They 
managed to generate a lot of money from managing the halfway house and rather than let them accumulate money and have it spent 
on something pointless, like painting the 
clubhouse, we would always have various 
course projects which we got them involved 
with. It™s amazing what they contributed over 
the years and through their support we have managed to put a cart path around the entire course, renovate most of the bunkers as well as improve fairway drainage. Fortunately the course was well constructed which meant there wasn™t the need for any major redevelopments. Instead we have 
always had small projects on the go which we 
have carried out in-house and over the years 
we have continually made improvements to 
the course.My background on golf club committees and boards has probably served me well over 
the years. Understanding first and foremost 
how they worked and not being worried 
about how they operated and the politics that 
sometimes goes on. Also, I always tried to present things to the board well ahead of when I wanted to do them; plant the seed, let it grow a bit in their minds rather than rushing into a greens committee or board meeting with plans for tomorrow. If you can think far enough ahead and follow it 
through and get them involved with the idea, 
that™s when you have success. I™ve seen a number of good superintendents get beaten by committees over the years which 
is a shame, but I guess because I have been 
on the other side I have never had a problem dealing with committees. But consistency is a big issue at member clubs and getting the support you need to undertake long-term projects can be difficult. It comes down to 
communication and also a bit of luck.flHow much has the industry changed from when you first started out?fiThere are certainly a lot more challenges for superintendents these days. The most frustrating thing for me was the increase in paperwork to cover your backside from an 
environmental perspective and the countless 
legislative requirements with OH&S, especially 
the need to have a pocketful of cards and 
tickets to do certain things like operate a 
chainsaw or a frontend loader. I started doing all that stuff like risk assessments and to be honest it™s still sitting in a pile in the corner of the office. It™s small clubs like this where it really becomes an issue as it takes away valuable time on the course. I often wonder who really benefits? It doesn™t make the grass grown any better, 
it doesn™t get the job done any quicker, its helping those who become directors of a club to shuffle even more paper. Whereas once you had practical people on golf club boards you are now finding there are a lot coming in who are from management positions that only ever deal with paperwork and make decisions from reports. They never get their hands dirty.  Obviously there are legal arguments as to why you have to have all this paperwork and I guess clubs have to make sure their backsides are covered because if something goes wrong they could be liable. You only have to look at what happened at Warringah.But for smaller courses it just sometimes isn™t practical. I kept a diary for the first six years I was here, but never looked at them. 
As far as I™m concerned it comes down to 
commonsense. You have a brain, eyes, ears 
and a mouth. Use them. That™s all you need.fl Over the years you have played major roles in golf club boards and committees as 
well as various organisations including the 
GCSAQ. Do you have a habit of falling into 
these positions? 
They all just sort of happened I guess (laughs). 
I think at one stage there I was a part of seven different boards, committees or organisations Πthe local tomato growers association, the National Party, Kingscliff Hockey Club, Lions, golf committees Πso I guess it was only a 
matter of time before I became involved with 
the Queensland superintendents. They put me in charge of field days and I ended up doing that for 10 years, along 
with being vice-president. The exchange of 
knowledge and the fellowship has always been a major part of the field days and we have always been lucky to have very good support 
for the sponsors over the years. I helped organise the annual bus trips to the country which have been one of the real 
highlights for me over the years. We did a 
similar thing for the tomato growers so it was only a logical step to start something up for superintendents and it has been a rewarding experience to visit come of these small courses and see how they operate under some tough conditions. We™ve tried to do a few different things over the years to help boost numbers and 
I only hope I was able to contribute to that. 
Gaining life membership of the association 
was certainly a surprise last year. Not bad for a 
New South Welshman!The annual Australian Turfgrass Conference and state association field days have provide Cox with invaluable 
information over the years24AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTTHE PULSEThe drought currently afflicting many parts of Australia has caused widespread havoc upon the turf industry and its practitioners. While superintendents and turf managers have had to call upon every ounce of expertise to manage their surfaces with reduced inputs, companies which supply the industry have also been hit hard. In this instalment, The Pulse asks how four different companies have been affected by the drought and what, if any, positives they have been able to draw from this trying period. opinionDEAN HOLDENEvergreen TurfThe drought and subsequent water restrictions have placed 
a heavy burden on Evergreen 
Turf.  Since Stage 3 restrictions 
were imposed in Melbourne on 
1 January, instant turf sales have dropped by 85 per cent and our line 
planting service has seen turnover reduce by 
approximately $300,000.  While we have not 
had to resort to retrenchments, staff numbers 
have certainly reduced through natural 
attrition.  And then there are the things you 
can™t measure.  Increased stress levels for 
our staff due to the uncertainty of job security.  
Erratic trading makes it very difficult to plan.  
Ultimately the local community is affected, with 
a reduction in trading from the business and 
its employees. While there have been huge negative ramifications for the business, Evergreen Turf 
has been able to draw some positives out of 
the drought.  We have successfully converted 
much of our production facility from cool-
season grasses to more drought-tolerant 
species.  In conjunction with a well known turf 
specialist, we have developed two locally bred 
couchgrasses, and extended our line planting 
service to a new range of clients.  Despite the difficult times, Evergreen Turf has continued to promote its expansive range 
of products and services to new markets 
and prospective clients.  As a result, we 
have successfully formed new relationships 
beyond our normal market region, as well as 
completing a number of substantial export 
projects.While Evergreen Turf has traditionally been a turf supplier, we also market StaLok 
Reinforcement Systems as an alternative to 
turf.  StaLok products are far less water-reliant 
than turf, and as much of the east coast is 
gripped by drought, they are certainly creating 
considerable interest.  We cannot ignore the fact that there will be less water for everyone in the future, and if we 
as individuals elect not to accept this change, 
the turf industry as a whole will suffer forever.  
We as an industry must educate ourselves and 
develop improved water conservation habits, 
and most importantly, any knowledge gained 
must be passed on to the end consumer.CAMERON HENLEYPGG Wrightson TurfPGG Wrightson has responded quickly to the widespread 
drought and its lasting impact 
upon the Australian turfgrass 
community. Without doubt, the 2006 drought has seen a big change in the 
grasses used on sporting grounds in Victoria. 
Historically, south-eastern Australia has been 
a spring market but grounds managers are 
now switching to warm-season grasses 
such as couch and kikuyu, over-sowing with 
ryegrasses in autumn to withstand football 
traffic. It™s more typical of the Queensland, New 
South Wales and Western Australian markets. 
This is something we expected.  We™re also 
finding that some councils are either buying a 
lot of ryegrasses in response to pressure from 
sporting clubs for winter cover, or conserving 
water and not doing anything at all.While demand for turf is generally down about 30 per cent, an outcome of the drought 
experienced by the whole industry, the market 
is making many inquiries about drought-
tolerant products. Customers are looking for 
drought-tolerant grasses with the ability to 
bounce back quickly following rain. PGG Wrightson Turf has anticipated this market shift and, uniquely among turf 
companies, we are breeding Australian 
cultivars selected for drought tolerance and 
persistence at our research centre in Ballarat.  
The ryegrass cultivars have been screened for 
drought tolerance and disease resistance at 26 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTPick up this great book from the AGCSA Bookshop(order through the Offshoot) or call 03 9548 8600Need Water?AGCSAthe Redlands research facility in Queensland.These cultivars have been developed under 
tough, dry Australian conditions. Their 
Mediterranean germplasm means good winter 
activity, providing good coverage and an 
excellent fit with the general shift on sporting 
fields.  It™s perfect for over-sowing in autumn 
into warm-season grasses. These new grasses 
are also high in endophytes, providing a further 
boost to establishment and growth as well as 
providing good insect resistance.BRUCE STEPHENSAnco Turf and SeedThe current water restrictions being enforced on turf users is 
having a devastating affect on 
turf farms around the country. 
In particular, Victorian turf 
producers have suffered as water authorities have not given exemptions for 
the watering of new turf since the introduction 
of Stage 2 restrictions. Consequently turf sales have reduced by 90 per cent since the introduction of Stage 
3 restrictions with the subsequent loss of 70 
staff from the industry. Many of those that 
have been retrenched in an effort to keep 
companies afloat are long-serving members 
of the industry and may find employment 
opportunities hard to come by in the rural 
areas that they live.The turf industry feels particularly discriminated against when other industries 
using similar or more water for their 
manufacture or usage are not subject to 
legislative restrictions and can trade without 
change or threat.Anco Seed and Turf, which has four farms located around Melbourne, has had to lay off 
11 staff in an effort to survive. The long-term 
future looks bleak if catchment levels do not 
increase or the government comes up with 
alternatives for supply.Sales of cool-season grasses have virtually dried up and demand for warm-season grasses 
has increased as a percentage of total sales. 
Anco has been converting some of its tall 
fescue paddocks to Conquest and Santa ana 
couch as well as male sterile kikuyu in the 
hope that a change in the weather brings an 
increase in demand.The drought has had an effect on the public™s perception of lawns and their supposed 
need for copious amounts of water to sustain 
a green appearance. The recovery of kikuyu 
and couch lawns around Melbourne and 
Victoria following the three rainfall incidences 
of February and March, educated the public 
on just how little water these types of grasses 
require. Based on sales histories of Victorian turf farmers, it has been calculated that a 
14-day exemption for newly planted warm-
season lawns will require as little as 0.003 per 
cent of Melbourne™s daily water use. Given 
that other industries use more and are not 
legislated against we feel that the economic, 
environmental and social impact of the current 
restrictions is unjustified.Our production facilities at Anco are irrigated with Class C recycled water from the 
Black Rock treatment plant at Thirteenth Beach 
and Class A water from the Carrum treatment 
plant. No potable water is used in production 
of the turf. Anco has also been proactive in educating the public about grey water use through 
newspaper articles and our website. This has 
helped sales marginally for those who are 
prepared to install such units and continue to 
irrigate with grey water. In summary, in an effort to save water, the drought and water restrictions have forced the 
public to use warm-season grasses in and 
around Melbourne and become accustomed 
to their associated dormancy issues while still 
maintaining a complete home landscape.Further education of governments and the public is needed to show the significant water saving ability of warm-season grasses and the 
resulting environmental benefit and impact. 
Perhaps then our industry will not be the one 
and only legislated against.DAVID WESTALLScotts AustraliaThe recent drought over the 
past three to four years has 
affected many parts of the turf 
industry and obviously this 
has impacted on suppliers and 
distributors that service the industry right across the board. Water restrictions have primarily impacted the fertiliser broad acre market with many local 
governments and golf courses reviewing water 
usage. The importance to maintain adequate 
irrigation to fairways and local sporting fields 
to a level that was expected prior to the onset 
of drought and water restrictions has had to 
be met either by clubs and other sites paying 
for extra water usage or a reduction in the 
expected turf quality level.Through this time Scotts has had to adapt to this market. An increase in the wetting agent 
segment has been significant, as has the 
slow-release fertiliser market, as no immediate 
irrigation is required following application. It is foreseeable that things won™t change quickly, if at all. The introduction of newer 
drought-tolerant grass types may be the answer 
but will require a heavy upfront cost and a 
change in mindset for the user and a change in 
maintenance practices and aesthetic value.Recycled water, sewing mining and treated effluent will have to be a part of life in the future. 
The nutrient levels in some recycled waters 
will obviously affect fertiliser manufacture 
(N.P.K and trace element ratios) as the nutrient 
loading will change depending on the water 
quality. Scotts is currently in development of 
new fertiliser technologies that will require less 
irrigation and increase stress tolerance such as 
drought and disease resistance.27 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTLOVE YOUR FOOTY?Join the AGCSA Footy Tipping Competitions www.agcsa.com.auCation exchange capacity (CEC) refers to a soil™s ability to hold on to cations 
by electrical attraction. Cations are positively charged ions that have arisen from 
the atoms of that element ‚losing™ electrons to 
complete a more stable outer shell. They can arise from several sources. As minerals dissolve, ions are released into the 
soil solution. This is the primary source of ions 
over a long period of time. However, of more 
importance to the plant™s sources of ions are: Ions carried in irrigation water; Ions applied as fertiliser, lime or other 
materials applied to the soil; Ions from organic matter decomposition.The five most abundant cations in soils are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and 
aluminium. The others involved are hydrogen 
and ammonium. The charge indicates the 
number of electrons an atom has lost (e.g.: 
Ca2+ has ‚lost™ two electrons). COLLOIDSColloidal sized particles are referred to as 
being negatively charged and because of 
their small size but very high surface area, 
they are highly chemically active. Colloids 
comprise both inorganic (clays) and organic 
forms (humus). CLAY MINERALS - INORGANICThe main building blocks of clay minerals 
are atoms of silicon, aluminium, oxygen and 
hydrogen, but may also contain iron and 
magnesium. Clays are made up of a series of 
layers and within each layer are either two or 
three sheets of atoms.The kaolinite group of clay minerals contain one sheet of silica and one alumina. 
These minerals - kaolinite and halloysite - are 
referred to as 1:1 clays. In other groups of 
minerals an alumina sheet is sandwiched 
between two silica sheets. These minerals are 
known as smectite (formerly montmorillonite), 
vermiculite, illite and chlorites.Clay minerals are different from one another partly because the layers are stacked together 
differently. In some they are only loosely held 
together (kaolinite), or in others held together 
by potassium (illites) or magnesium and 
calcium (smectite).The total negative charge on 2:1 clays is much greater than on 1:1 clays. Some 
examples of 2:1 clays include smectites, 
vermiculite, and beidellite while an example of 
a 1:1 clay is kaolinite. The increased negative 
charge of 2:1 clays is due to a process called 
isomorphic substitution and is independent 
of pH. An increase in the total negative charge of a soil can also increase as pH increases. 
This is generally due to the dissociation of the 
hydroxyl edges on the clay minerals which can 
be represented as: Si-OH  SiO- + H+ HUMUS - ORGANICHumus is a fraction of soil organic matter that 
has undergone extensive decomposition and 
chemical alteration, including the synthesis 
of complex organic compounds. Humus 
comprises about 60-80 per cent of the soil 
organic matter. Humus has very high surface 
area and high CEC due to several functional groups, especially carboxyl (-COOH) and 
hydroxyl (-OH).The cation exchange capacity of organic colloids is largely dependant on pH as seen 
with the disassociation of the hydroxyl edges 
of the silicon hydroxide in clays. For humus it is 
the dissociation of not only the hydroxyl group 
but also the carboxyl group on the organic 
matter fraction of the soil.  This again can be 
represented by an equation:R-COOH  R-COO- + H+ as pH increasesThe table below outlines the CEC of a soil as influenced by soil texture and colloid type 
(Carrow, Waddington and Rieke, 2001)* A USGA golf green typically contains 1-3 per cent organic 
matter by weight at time of construction.CATION ATTRACTIONCation attraction is based on three criteria; 
(a) dependent on the concentration of that cation in solution, (b) the charge on 
the cation, and (c) their hydration state. The 
greater the concentration of a cation in the 
soil solution the more likely it is to become 
adsorbed. WITH ANDREW PEARTtech talkSoil Texture CEC(cmolkg-1)Sand (1-2% org.  1-3matter by weight)
Sand (2-4% org.  3-5matter by weight)*
Sandy loam 3-10Loam 7-16Silt Loam 10-25Clay, clay loams (2:1 clay) 20-50Clay, clay loam (koalinite clay) 4-6In this instalment of Tech Talk, Andrew Peart looks at cation exchange capacity and how this important chemical process can have a dramatic impact on the ability of soils and sand to retain vital nutrients.Considering cation exchange capacity Sands are often perceived as having too low a cation exchange capacity (CEC). Ways of increasing CEC is by the incorporation of organic matter, zeolite type products or by raising pHConsidering cation exchange capacity 32AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTHydrogen, due to its small size, is adsorbed much more strongly than would occur if adsorption was strictly based on charge alone. 
In general, independent of concentrations of 
a given element or compound, the order of 
adsorption strength is as follows:Al3+ > H+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ > NH4+ > Na+CEC MEASUREMENTCEC is measured in milliequivalents per 100 
grams (meq/100g) or centimoles per kilogram 
(cmol/kg). Both these terms are equal to each 
other. One milliequivalent of CEC is equal to 6.02 x 1020 negatively charged sites that can attract cations. Thus a soil with a CEC of 1 meq/100g 
of dry soil would contain 6.02 x 1020 negatively charged sites per 100 gram of dry soil.The CEC of a soil is calculated by adding up the CEC of each cation, which is given as 
part of a standard soil nutrient test. An example 
is given below. The actual CEC maybe slightly higher due to the presence of hydrogen, aluminium or other 
cations but in general calcium, magnesium, 
potassium and sodium will comprise the vast 
majority.Sometimes soil tests will express quantities of cations expressed in mg/kg or parts per 
million (ppm). These can be converted to meq/
100g by dividing by their equivalent weight 
then by 10. The equivalent weight of a cation is its atomic weight divided by its charge. For example, calcium has an atomic weight of 
40 and a charge of 2 (2+). Therefore, its equivalent weight is 20. The atomic weight and charge for other cations are; Magnesium (at. weight 24; charge 2) Potassium (at. weight 39; charge 1) Sodium (at. weight 23; charge 1) Hydrogen (at. weight 1; charge 1) Aluminium (at. weight 27; charge 3)Therefore, if a soil test revealed the following amounts of cations expressed in 
parts per million, the meq/100g could be 
calculated to give the following resultIMPORTANCE OF CEC ON FERTILISATIONCations held on the exchange sites are interchangeable with cations in the soil 
solution. For example, a Mg2+ cation on the colloid surface can be replaced by two H+ cations so that the Mg2+ cation goes into the soil solution.Cations in the soil solution are readily available for plant use while cations on the 
CEC sites are considered moderately available. 
Cations are also present in various compounds 
that range from relatively soluble to insoluble. 
Cations that form structural components of the 
soil are very slowly available for plant uptake.Of the total readily available cations (soil solution plus CEC sites) 1 to 10 per cent is 
in the soil solution and 90-98 per cent on 
the exchange sites. Thus the major source 
of nutrients for plant uptake is held on the 
exchange sites.FACTORS INFLUENCING CATION RELEASEFactors that influence the release of cations 
from exchange sites are:1. The strength of cation absorption on the cation exchange sites affects the 
release. The strength for which they are held is proportional to their charge and hydrated 
ion radius. As stated before the following is the 
order of absorption: Al3+>H+>Ca2+>Mg2+>K+>NH4+>Na+The hydrogen ion is an exception due to its very small size and higher charge density. 
Therefore, it has an absorption strength 
between aluminium and calcium. For cations 
of the same charge those with smaller hydrated 
radii are held tightest.2. The percent saturation of the cation exchange sites by a nutrient. A cation is 
more readily exchanged if it is present at 
a higher percent saturation than at a low 
saturation level. For example, if K+ saturation is low the addition of a potassium fertiliser will 
increase the percent potassium saturation and 
thereby potassium availability. Also adding 
a high concentration of a cation will result in 
it replacing other cations even if they have a 
higher charge.3. Clay type. Clays with higher charge density (CEC) may retain a nutrient much 
stronger than one with a lower charge density, 
even though both have the same percent 
saturation level. For example, Ca2+ on kaolinite at 50 per cent saturation may be as plant 
available as Ca2+ at 70 per cent saturation on a smectite which has a higher charge density.IMPORTANCE OF CEC ON LEACHINGNutrients that are retained on exchange sites have a degree of protection from leaching 
beyond the root system. The cations that are 
available for quick update by the plant in the Cation CEC (meq/100g) Per centCa 3.02 75Mg 0.23 6K 0.09 2Na 0.70 17CEC   4.04 100%Cation  mg/kg meq/100gCalcium 1100 5.5Magnesium 160 1.33Potassium 219 0.56Sodium 40 0.1733AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTCairns 2007Climatic Conditions     of the Modern EraClimatic Conditions     of the Modern Era23rd Australian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition24Œ26 July, 200723rd Australian Turfgrass 
Conference and Trade Exhibition24Œ26 July, 2007Conference registration now available on-line at www.agcsa.com.au.Any inquiries call Simone Staples on (03) 9548 8600 or simone@agcsa.com.autech talksoil solution are also very vulnerable to being lost by leaching after heavy rainfall events. 
Therefore, the amount of fertiliser applied in 
any one application should be governed by the 
cation exchange capacity of that soil. IMPORTANCE OF CEC ON BUFFER CAPACITYThis is the measure of a soil™s ability to resist chemical change. Without buffer capacity soil 
pH and factors influenced by pH (nutrient form, 
nutrient availability, chemical composition of 
compounds, solubility of compounds and 
bacteria populations) would rapidly change 
with the influence of rainfall, irrigation and 
small quantities of chemicals.The major buffering capacity of most soils is the cation exchange sites. Hydrogen 
(H+) ion activity in the soil solution is what determines soil pH. When H+ ions are added to the soil, most of the H+ is absorbed onto the exchange sites due to their level of attraction 
and therefore buffering the soil against drastic 
soil pH change.MANAGEMENT OF LOW CEC SOILSSands are often perceived as having too low a cation exchange capacity. One of the ways 
of increasing CEC is by the incorporation of 
organic matter, zeolite type products or by 
raising pH to near 7. Carrow et. al. 2001, states 
that generally practices to enhance CEC are 
considered only when turfgrass soils have a 
CEC of less than 4 cmol kg-1. 1. Adjust soil pH
Most CEC sites on sandy soil types are provided 
by organic colloids as few inorganic colloids 
(clays) are present. On organic colloids the 
majority of sites are pH dependent with a CEC 
increase of 10-30 per cent per pH unit. 
2. Adding Organic Matter
As an example, a sandy soil with a CEC of 3 
meq/100g may contain 1.5 per cent by weight 
of humus (well decomposed organic matter) 
which has a CEC of around 150 meq/100g. 
Therefore, it receives 2.25 meq from the humus 
and 0.75 meq from inorganic sources.If humus was increased to 3 per cent then 4.5 meq would be obtained by humus plus the 
0.75 from inorganic source (5.25 meq/100g 
total). There would be a 75 per cent increase 
in the CEC from just 1.5 per cent addition of 
humus. Humus additions can therefore be 
beneficial on newly established areas but they can have some negative aspects to the 
performance of the playing surface if applied 
in too large a quantity.It must be remembered though that 1-3 per cent by weight normally accounts for 8-15 per 
cent by volume and not to confuse the two.
3. Zeolite
There are many different types of zeolites, with 
clinoptilolite reportedly having the greatest 
potential for increasing CEC (Carrow et. al. 
2001). It has a CEC (100 to 230 cmol kg-1) that arises from isomorphous substitution of Al3+ for Si4+.The selectivity for cation attraction is different from colloidal particles and is:(greatest) K+,NH4+ > H+ > Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ (least)Due to zeolite™s low affinity for magnesium, regular magnesium applications will need to 
be maintained to ensure magnesium is not 
deficient, particularly if high rates of potassium 
are being applied. REFERENCESCarrow, R.N. et al, 2001. Turfgrass Soil Fertility 
and Chemical Problems: Assessment and 
Management. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey.34AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTFreePhone 1800 814 730FreeFax 1800 814 740COLIN CAMPBELL (CHEMICALS) Pty LtdPhone: (02) 9725-2544www.campbellchemicals.com.auSCOTTS PROFESSIONAL SOLUTIONSfiEvery day, every season, rain or no rain Œsomething needs to be done that puts my team
and the products I use to the test. Weeds, pests and diseases are my main issuesand Scotts have really smart products to dealwith these. They™re easy to use and apply andalways produce great results. They™re safe 
for the environment, safe for my team and safe for the public. It™s easy to get on with the job, using the Scotts range, no matter what the challenge.flMarshall HowarthCourse Superintendent
Monash Country Club
Ingleside, SydneyContact Scotts direct: Freecall1800789338  www.scottsaustralia.com or contact your local Scotts distributor www.scottsaustralia.com/turf/html/turf_dist.htm©Scotts Australia Pty Ltd 2006    4964.ATMfiSmartproducts,smartteam.BY KEVIN N. MORRISresearchOverseeding couchgrass fairways is a common practice used by golf courses 
to produce that beautiful green product that so many golfers desire. Overseeding can 
add to a course™s bottom line by increasing 
rounds, but overseeding also provides better 
tolerance of cart traffic, divoting, and weed 
invasion than dormant couchgrass.However, obtaining that perfect green ‚carpet™ is not as easy as it may seem. With 
overseeding, golf course superintendents must 
manage a cool-season grass that loves milder 
temperatures seeded into a warm-season grass 
base that loves hot days. Optimally, managing 
one grass without hurting the other, while 
keeping a high quality surface, is the challenge 
of many golf course superintendents.There are many factors that determine the success or failure of overseeding. One of the 
key factors is the type and/or cultivar of grass 
chosen. Golf course owners, managers and 
superintendents seek grasses that establish 
quickly, exhibit exceptional playability, are 
aesthetically pleasing, and require less inputs.To address these issues, two research projects were developed and jointly sponsored 
by the GCSAA, the USGA, and the National 
Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) to 
evaluate cultivars, blends, and mixtures for 
their use in overseeding couchgrass fairways. The first project evaluated 42 grasses, blends and mixtures at 10 golf courses 
from September 1999 through July 2001 
(1). A second project was conducted from 
September 2004 through July 2006, evaluating 
31 cultivars, mixes, and blends at 12 golf 
courses. This article summarises the results of 
project two.METHODSTwelve golf courses were chosen to host 
the ‚On-site Overseeding Trials™. They were 
Heritage Highlands CC, Arizona; Indian Wells 
GC, California; University of Florida GC, 
Florida; Osceola GC, Florida; Eagles Landing 
GC, Georgia; Mississippi State University; New 
Mexico State University, New Mexico; Pinehurst 
CC #3, North Carolina; John E Kirkpatrick 
Five Hole Demonstration GC, Oklahoma; 
Blackmoor GC, South Carolina; The Traditions 
Club, Texas; and Roanoke CC, Virginia.Because overseeding grasses provide a temporary playing surface for autumn, winter, 
and spring and are reseeded each year, 
cultivars were seeded in two consecutive years 
(autumn 2004 and autumn 2005). Since speed, 
ease and uniformity of transition from the 
couchgrass to the overseeded grass in autumn 
and back to the couchgrass in spring is one the 
biggest concerns when overseeding, entries 
were seeded in exactly the same location on 
each course for each of the two years. This 
allowed researchers to identify entries that 
persisted over time.NTEP solicited entries for the trial from sponsoring companies. Trials were conducted with named cultivars and commercially available 
blends or mixtures. In addition, experimental 
entries that were to be commercialised in the 
immediate future (i.e. before the end of the 
testing cycle) were also permitted.  Various species used in overseeding, such as perennial ryegrass and Poa trivialis 
(rough bluegrass) were allowed. This led to 
the submission of many perennial ryegrass 
entries, as single cultivars or blends, but also 
single cultivars of Poa trivialis.In addition, two cultivars of intermediate ryegrass and one mixture of perennial ryegrass 
and intermediate ryegrass were included in the 
trial. Intermediate ryegrasses are developed by 
crossing annual and perennial ryegrass, then 
selecting plants that have the best traits of 
both species. Plant breeders have worked to 
develop intermediate ryegrasses that provide 
a smooth spring transition back to couchgrass 
but with finer leaf texture and darker green 
colour. Trials were established on active play sites where golfers hit fairway golf shots and/or 
drove golf carts. Plots were carefully seeded 
either by hand or using a drop spreader. 
Since seeding rates vary widely from one From 2004 to 2006, the USGA together with the GCSAA and NTEP, conducted the second national trial of grasses used to overseed couchgrass fairways. The study compared 31 cultivars, blends, and 
mixtures for overseeding when tested under actual golf course playing 
conditions. Evaluating grasses for    overseeding couch fairwaysEvaluating grasses for 
   overseeding couch fairwaysThe NTEP overseeding study took place at 12 courses in the US under actual golf course playing conditionsAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT36region to another, each location was consulted concerning typical overseeding rates in their 
area.Consequently, three seeding rates for the ryegrasses (300, 450 and 600 lbs. per acre) 
(136, 204 and 272kg per 0.4ha), two rates for 
Poa trivialis (100 and 200 lbs. per acre) (45 
and 90kg per 0.4ha) and two rates for mixtures 
(250 and 400 lbs. per acre) (113 and 181kg per 
0.4ha) were developed. The most appropriate 
rate for each grass type was then assigned to 
the locations (Table 1). The experimental plot size was large, 5™ x 20™ (1.5m x 6m), replicated three times. A large plot 
size allowed for a greater distribution of traffic 
and divoting. Host clubs provided the daily 
maintenance of the fairway site. An advisory 
committee consisting of representatives 
from GCSAA, USGA, NTEP, universities, and 
the turfgrass seed industry recommended 
establishment and maintenance procedures.The researcher at the cooperating university was responsible for data collection. 
The following data was collected from each 
trial site: Percent establishment rate (4-6 weeks 
after seeding); Turfgrass quality (monthly during winter; 
minimum of three times during autumn 
transition period; five to seven times during 
spring transition period); Plot colour, genetic colour (twice Πlate 
autumn/early winter and spring); Rate or speed of transition from couchgrass 
to overseeded grass in autumn (minimum 
of three ratings); Rate or speed of transition from 
overseeded grass to couchgrass in spring 
(5-7 ratings); Density and leaf texture - once each in 
spring; and Environmental stress, traffic and divoting 
damage, disease and insect damage 
and other data deemed appropriate and 
feasible by the research co-operator.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONAUTUMN 2004-SPRING 2005The trial contained 31 entries, consisting 
of perennial ryegrass cultivars, perennial 
ryegrass blends, intermediate ryegrass and 
Poa trivialis. These entries were seeded in 
September or October at the 12 golf course 
sites. Establishment was good; no problems 
were seen with any entries. Data collected 
from autumn 2004 through spring 2005 was 
compiled, statistically analysed, and reported. 
This data can be found on the NTEP web site 
(www.ntep.org/onsite/ost.htm). Following are 
general observations concerning the trials 
evaluated in autumn 2004 Πspring 2005: The Poa trivialis varieties were slower to establish and develop into a dense stand 
than the perennial ryegrasses. They also exhibited lighter green colour than the 
perennial ryegrasses. The four Poa trivialis entries had the lowest turfgrass quality 
ratings at most locations. The perennial ryegrasses overall provided 
the best turfgrass quality. However, at 
most locations, there was little statistical 
difference among the entries. This result is 
similar to what we have seen in previous 
overseeding trials. The two intermediate ryegrass entries 
differed somewhat in their appearance 
and overall performance. The entry ‚IS-
IR3™ performed better than ‚RAD-OS3™ at 
some locations, statistically equal to many 
perennial ryegrass entries. However, this 
performance was not consistent as the 
intermediate ryegrasses finished in the 
bottom for turfgrass quality at several other 
locations. The transition in spring from overseeding 
grass to actively growing couchgrass 
did not reveal large differences in entry From left, Jose Maak, Dr. Bernd Leinauer and Kevin Morris check species composition of overseeded plots on the New Mexico State University Golf CourseAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT37Phone: (03) 5966 6251  Fax: (03) 5966 6451  Email: chrisy@tpg.com.au, 36 Hazeldene Rd, Gladysdale, Victoria 3797   Key Contacts: Chris Young: 0417 380 298,  Paul Reeves: 0419 895 939 or Mick O™Shannessy: 0409 231 385Satisfying the Board, the GM and the golfer....    Sunshine Golf Course  Growling Frog Golf Course Hidden Valley Golf and Country Club Currently Constructing..Contract Maintenance of..Ongoing Construction and Maintenance of..researchperformances. In some cases, the Poa trivialis entries were poorer in this respect, resulting in reduced overseeding cover 
when the couchgrass is not growing 
enough to provide adequate ground cover. 
At other locations, there was virtually no 
difference among any entries. FALL 2005-SPRING 2006The same 31 entries seeded in autumn 2004 
were seeded again in September or October 
2005 at the 12 golf course sites. The same 
physical location on the golf course was used 
with the following two exceptions: An error 
occurred after seeding at the Myrtle Beach 
site resulting in contamination of the entire 
trial. Therefore, no data was collected from 
this site during the 2005-2006. Another area at the Eagles Landing Club (Stockbridge, GA) 
was used in 2005 due to drainage problems at 
the previous site. A progress report containing 
2005-2006 data and management information 
on this project can be found on the NTEP web 
site at http://www.ntep.org/onsite/ost.htm. The following are some observations concerning the second year of this trial:  At most locations, the perennial ryegrass 
entries or blends of perennial ryegrasses 
were the best performers. Often, there was 
little or no statistical difference among the 
perennial ryegrasses for overall quality, as 
well as autumn and spring transition.  The fewest differences in overall turfgrass 
quality among entries were seen at Las 
Cruces, NM. The greatest spread in overall 
turfgrass quality was recorded at the Pinehurst, NC location. The intermediate 
ryegrasses were the top performers at 
the Roanoke, VA site only. Also, the Poa 
trivialis entries as a group performed better 
at this location than at any other location. 
This is the northernmost location for this 
trial and is the most likely explanation for 
the strong showing of those two species.  At many locations, Poa trivialis entries 
established significantly slower than the 
perennial ryegrasses, taking until 30-40 
days after seeding to establish the same 
percentage ground cover as the perennial 
ryegrasses. This difference was most 
evident at Gainesville, FL as the Poa 
trivialis entries provided only 70-75 per 
cent ground cover by the end of winter, 
compared to 85-90 per cent cover for the 
perennial ryegrasses. Again, the intermediate ryegrass entries 
generally had lower quality ratings than 
the perennial ryegrasses. The intermediate 
ryegrasses do not have the density and 
dark green colour of the best perennial 
ryegrasses. However, the two entries did 
perform statistically equal for turfgrass 
quality at several locations. The higher 
ranking entry, ‚IS-IR3™, finished in the 
top statistical grouping for turfgrass 
quality at eight of the 11 locations.  SUMMARYAfter two years of this study and the previous 
study, we can draw a number of conclusions 
about overseeding. Many perennial ryegrasses 
perform well in overseeding and often there is 
no statistical difference among the entries, a 
trend we have seen in other trials. Poa trivialis™ usefulness in overseeding of fairways is questionable. It is slower to 
establish than perennial ryegrass, and it seems 
that when Poa trivialis is weakened due to heat 
or disease, it disappears quickly. This leaves 
insufficient green couchgrass for acceptable 
quality. Poa trivialis also is lighter green in colour than most perennial ryegrasses.However, if the goal is little or no physical disturbance of the couchgrass prior to 
overseeding, the small seed size of Poa trivialis allows it to sift through the couchgrass canopy 
to make soil contact. The result is a better 
stand of Poa trivialis compared to perennial 
ryegrass. Weather patterns and management greatly TABLE 1. THE CHOICE OF SEEDING RATES WERE LEFT UP TO PARTICIPATING GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS AND VARIED BY LOCATION AND GRASS TYPE. Grass Types and Seeding Rates (lbs per acre)*Location Perennial rye  Poa trivialis  Mixtures of perennial Πsingle cultivars single cultivars rye or intermediate  or blends   rye and Poa trivialisMississippi State Uni 300 (136) 100 (45) 250 (113)Eagles Landing GC 450 (204) 100 (45) 400 (181)Roanoke CC 450 (204) 200 (90) 250 (113)University of Florida GC 450 (204) 100 (45) 400 (181)Heritage Highlands CC 600 (272) 100 (45) 400 (181)Blackmoor GC 300 (136) 200 (90) 250 (113)Indian Wells GC 600 (272) 200 (90) 400 (181)John E Kirkpatrick GC 450 (204) 100 (45) 250 (113)New Mexico State Uni 450 (204) 200 (90) 400 (181)The Traditions Club 450 (204) 200 (90) 400 (181)Osceola GC 450 (204) 200 (90) 400 (181)Pinehurst CC #3 450 (204) 100 (45) 250 (113)* kg/0.4 ha conversion in bracketsRoanoke CC in Virginia was the only trial site in the second year where intermediate ryegrass was the top performerAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT38researchinfluence overseeding success. Variable weather patterns turn a successful overseeding 
formula from the past into a disaster in the 
present. For instance, weather can affect 
establishment rate or transition speed and 
timing. This is where good management by 
the superintendent is crucial. The ability and 
authority to adjust management schemes as 
needed is critical for success. The intermediate ryegrasses may be useful in fairway overseeding. Cultivars are available 
now with quality closer to perennial ryegrass, 
but with earlier transition tendencies. Transitioning from a turf stand dominated by overseeding grass to a stand of growing 
couchgrass in spring is the most difficult and 
arduous task a superintendent faces during 
the overseeding period. This transition is rarely 
smooth and is affected greatly by the weather.In the cooler, more northern sites, grasses that are strong going into winter may not have 
as much couchgrass returning in spring. When 
the overseeding grass dies, there may not be 
sufficient couchgrass to provide adequate 
cover and quality.A balance exists between quality and cover of each species in autumn and spring. 
The higher the quality of the overseeding early 
in autumn, the more overseeding present in 
spring, along with reduced couchgrass cover. 
The result is a more difficult spring transition. 
The lower the quality of overseeding in autumn, 
the less overseeding present in spring, often 
leading to a better spring transition.Use of a weaker cultivar or species may make for a better spring transition. However, 
if heat and humidity come early, these weaker 
grasses may transition out sooner than 
expected.The practice of overseeding couchgrass fairways continues throughout the southern 
U.S., however, not without associated risks. An 
overseeding grass that is too strong through 
the winter may lead to slower couchgrass 
recovery in spring. Also, weather patterns can be quite variable from one season to the next, therefore, 
overseeding results can be drastically different 
over time. Management practices including 
pre-plant preparation, maintenance practices 
during the winter season, and management 
of spring transition can significantly affect the 
quality of overseeding.Golf course superintendents walk a tightrope in balancing the golfers' demand 
for quality and the grasses™ response to 
management and climatic conditions. Golf courses that prescribe to fairway overseeding need to have clear goals and 
objectives for the practice, as well as realistic 
expectations of the outcome. Success in 
overseeding needs to be carefully defined, 
considering expectations of the clientele 
tempered with a healthy dose of reality.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe author gratefully acknowledges the support 
from USGA™s Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program and the GCSAA. In addition, 
appreciation is expressed to all the university 
co-operators and golf course superintendents 
who participated in this study. Kevin Morris 
is executive director of NTEP. ATM wishes to 
thank the author and USGATERO for allowing 
publication of this research. (USGATERO Vol. 
5, No. 23). Full results of this research project can be found at www.ntep.org/onsite/ost.htm. Kevin 
Morris can be contacted via email kmorris@
ntep.org.LITERATUREMorris, K. 2004. Grasses for overseeding 
couchgrass fairways. USGA Turfgrass and 
Environmental Research Online 3(1):1-8. (TGIF 
Record 94383)The mountains provide a spectacular backdrop for the fairway overseeding trials at Indian Wells Country Club in California.Trial plots at Osceola Golf CourseAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT40one day2.indd   13/4/07   11:31:32 AMone day2.indd   13/4/07   11:31:32 AMThe management of turfgrasses, especially on golf courses, represents perhaps 
the highest level of plant management practiced on any agricultural or horticultural 
commodity known today. Proper turfgrass management involves a number of rather complicated mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological manipulations that result in the desired product of a blemish-free carpet of 
green grass.Highly maintained turfgrass sites characteristically use high inputs in the form 
of fuel, fertilisers, pesticides, and water for 
irrigation. Pesticide use, in particular, is 
substantial with the use of fungicides a major 
tactic for controlling diseases on high quality turfgrasses. This is particularly true on golf greens. Short cutting heights, the ever-increasing amount of traffic on putting greens, and low 
nutrient inputs have placed unprecedented 
stresses on turfgrass plants, making them 
highly susceptible to damage from many 
different diseases, some of which were previously considered relatively unimportant. Golf course turfgrasses receive very high 
fungicide and use is increasing (1).The majority of those applications are to putting greens and tees, making the amount 
of fungicide applied per unit area quite high. 
Since many high-maintenance turfgrass sites 
are found in close proximity to surface waters and within critical groundwater recharge areas, 
and primarily in and around urban areas, 
questions have been raised as to the impact 
of such a land use on water quality, wildlife, 
and human health, particularly as it relates to 
pesticide exposures.Further, there have been a number of non-target effects of fungicides in turfgrass 
management systems. These include 
selection of fungicide resistant biotypes of 
pathogens, promotion of non-target diseases, 
enhanced thatch build-up, decreased root or 
stem biomass and rapid disease resurgence 
following fungicide applications (5). Given the high levels of fungicides applied to turfgrass, we considered it likely that high 
levels of applications of frequently applied 
fungicides would alter or perturb soil and foliar 
microbial communities. This perturbation would 
be expected to have significant consequences 
including the promotion of non-target diseases 
and rapid disease resurgence because of 
the destruction of natural antagonists of turf pathogens. This paper summarises three 
years of extensive sampling of turf microbial 
communities in the presence and absence of 
fungicide applications.MATERIALS AND METHODSIn 1996, five eight-foot diameter ‚swimming pool™ greens constructed in 1995 at the Cornell University Turf Research Farm in Ithaca, NY, were used as the experimental microplots. The pools contained the standard USGA sand/peat 
profile. Subplots consisted of an untreated plot and the seven fungicide treatments.  Each 
subplot was three square feet and each treatment was represented on each pool.  The fungicides selected represent different classes with different modes of action.   For example, Daconil Ultrex (chlorothalonil) is a contact 
fungicide with a relatively non-specific mode 
of action against most classes of fungi. Chipco 
26019 Flo (iprodione) selectively damages 
energy-producing organelles in select fungi. researchResearchers at Cornell University tested the hypothesis that repeated applications of fungicides to putting greens would have major impacts on microbial populations of both foliar and soil-borne microbes. Surprisingly, this was not that case. Fungicide application effects on non-target microbial populations    of putting greens Fungicide application effects on non-target microbial populations    of putting greensResearch undertaken in the US shows that repeated applications of fungicides do not have major impacts on soil microbial communities BY G. E. HARMAN, E. B. NELSON ANDK. L. ONDIK42AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTBanner Maxx (propiconazole) and Bayleton (triadimefon) are systemic in plants and have 
a very specific mode of action, inhibiting a 
specific enzyme necessary for fungal cell 
integrity (3). In all cases, if alternative rates are registered, we always used the maximum legal rate of the fungicide. The treatments, active ingredients, rates, and application schedules are shown in Table 1.Two hundred milliliters of the appropriate rate was applied to each plot using a hydraulic CO2 sprayer. Samples were taken from starting in May before any fungicide application and 
monthly thereafter through September. Nine to 
12 1cm-diameter cores were taken from each 
subplot at a depth of 3cm and transported to the laboratory for microbial assays. Microbial plate counts were determined by performing a serial dilution in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and plating appropriate 
dilutions on solid media. Acidified potato 
dextrose agar plus a microbial colony restrictor 
(4) was used to enumerate total culturable fungi. 
This medium eliminates growth of bacteria and 
permits characterisation of colonies based on 
colony morphology.Some of the most common fungi encountered on this medium were Trichoderma and Pencillium spp. and yeasts. These fungi are very common in soil and on roots and usually 
either have few effects on plant growth or 
else have beneficial ones, including biocontrol 
abilities. Total culturable bacterial population 
numbers were estimated by plating on tryptic soy agar (10% strength). This is a differential medium favored by bacteria and fungi grow poorly on it. We also examined specific microbial groups. For Actinomycetes, which are filamentous bacteria, we used 0.02% tripticase soy agar + the antibiotic polymixin B sulfate. 
This nutrient-poor medium is favorable for Actinobacterias with minimal growth of fungi or other bacteria. Pseudomonas spp., which are common plant-associated bacteria and which frequently have biocontrol ability, were 
enumerated on a selective medium that we 
have used earlier (4). Finally, we enumerated Oomycetes in the genus Pythium using a Pythium-selective medium. These organisms may be plant 
pathogens or biocontrol organisms, depending on the particular species and strain that are present. In addition, BIOLOG GN plates were used to assess functional diversity by means of 
metabolic profiles. General levels of microbial 
activity were determined by the rate of 
hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate. Finally, 
phospholipid fatty acid profiles were used to assess taxonomic diversity of microbial communities.RESULTSIn 1996, we sampled roots from the plots every month and evaluated changes in the microbial profiles using the various media. 
We detected no significant differences and the results were similar to those in 1997, so we will present only the 1997 data. Similarly, 
we found no significant differences in BIOLOG 
microbial metabolic profiling, based on 
principal component analyses. We also found 
no differences in general microbial activity or 
following phospholipid activity tests.In 1997, we sampled both roots and leaves. The total number of fungal propagules 
detected was greater in soil at the start of the season than later, but there were no significant effects even after the season-long application 
of fungicides, regardless of the fungicide 
applied (Fig. 1). On leaves, there were no 
significant effects of fungicide applications on 
total numbers of fungi, regardless of time or 
fungicide application. Most of the fungi detected 
were in the genus Trichoderma. We were able to distinguish between species similar to T. virens and those similar to T. harzianum, since the latter has a tan pigmentation on the reverse side of the acidified potato dextrose agar 
plates while those of T. virens are white. Treatment Active Ingredient Rate* Application IntervalUntreated ---------------- ---------------- ----------------Daconil Ultrex chlorothalonil 102g/93m2 14 daysChipco 26019 Flo iprodione 226g/93m2 21 daysSubdue Maxx mefenoxam 28g/93m2 21 daysBanner Maxx propiconazole 113g/93m2 21 daysBayleton 25W triadimefon 113g/93m2 21 daysProstar 50WP flutolanil 85g/93m2 14 daysSentinel cyproconazole 4.7g/93m2 21 days* This figure has been converted from oz/1000sq.ftTABLE 1. TREATMENT RATES AND APPLICATION INTERVALS43AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTIt‚s so easy to 
save a lot 
of timedeep spiking and deep aerationWe offer everything for turf maintenance. 
Please contact us for 
detailed information.Glenmac Sales & Service Pty Ltd.14 Rushdale St. . Knoxfield, VIC 3180 Phone: 03 9763 8255 . Fax: 03 9763 4367E-Mail: tony.toth@glenmac.com.auMetropolitan Machinery Pty Ltd.Lot 9, McLeod Court . Cavan, SA 5094Phone: 08 8349 5499 . Fax: 08 8349 4727 E-Mail: mark.norsworthy@bigpond.comTurf Link Australia Pty Ltd.Unit 2/37 William St. . North Richmond, NSW 2754 Phone: 02 4571 1198 . Fax: 02 4571 1138E-Mail: mpauna@turflink.com.auOur local dealers:QTurf Machinery Pty Ltd.9 Clifford CourtCapalaba, Qld 4157
Phone: 07 3245 6082 
Fax: 07 3245 1340E-Mail: terry@qturf.com.auAustralian & New Zealand Distributors of Wiedenmann Equipmentdeep spiking and deep aerationTERRA SPIKE  ® XFresearchThere was no significant effect of time or treatment on either Trichoderma spp. in soil, but on foliage, there were initially higher levels of T. harzianum at the start of the season. By the end of the season there were no 
differences between the two and fungicide 
applications made no difference. Likewise, 
the fungicide applications had no effect on 
total numbers of Pythium spp., total bacterial, Pseudomonad or Actinobacteria numbers. In 
contrast, nearly all of the fungi on leaves were similar to T. harzianum, but by the end of the season, other fungi had largely displaced T. harzianum, and were predominately yeasts, Penicillia and others. This was particularly true 
with plants that had been treated with Daconil 
Ultrex. On plants treated with Bayleton 25, T. 
harzianum remained the predominate fungus (Fig. 2)In 1998, we performed a mini-experiment on a soil green at the Cornell University Turf Research Farm. In September and again in October we focused on the timing of sampling after application of fungicides. We sampled the plots before we made the scheduled application 
(day 0), one day after the application (day 1) 
and again seven days after the application 
(day 7). FDA hydrolysis analyses and fungal enumerations were performed at each 
sampling time for four different treatments: untreated, Daconil Ultrex, Chipco 26019 Flo and Banner Maxx. Three repetitions of each 
treatment were sampled. For the final sample 
set, all treatments were sampled one day after 
the final fungicide application.The relative numbers of filamentous fungi versus yeasts changed substantially on turf 
leaves as evidenced by both the numbers and plate appearances (Fig. 3). However, there was no significant difference in total microbial metabolic activity among fungicide treatments as measured with the FDA test. Most of the 
fungi isolated from leaves of untreated plants 
were filamentous fungi, while after the season-
long application of Daconil, most of the fungi 
isolated were yeasts. With Chipco or Banner, 
the change in populations of filamentous fungi 
versus yeasts was more transitory, dropping immediately after application and then increasing within a week.DISCUSSIONOur hypothesis at the start of the work was 
that repeated applications of fungicides would 
dramatically change the microbial composition 
around roots and on leaf blades. This clearly 
was not the case with any of the fungicides 
tested. On roots we could see no changes 
whatsoever with plating tests, BIOLOG tests for metabolic profiles, fatty acid microbial profiles or tests for total microbial metabolic 
activity. Thus, while different results might be 
obtained with other assays, such as ribosomal 
DNA assays, it does not appear that repeated 
applications of fungicides have major impacts on soil microbial communities. This may be because (a) the fungicides are mostly water insoluble and therefore do 
not penetrate deeply into the soil or (b) the soil microbial community is highly competitive 
and resilient and able to rebound very quickly 
after fungicidal applications. The fact that 
Trichoderma spp. are so prevalent in the fungal Fig. 2. Changes in leaf fungal compositions over time (start = May 1997) and at the end of the season as affected by different fungicide 
applications.Fig. 3. Changes in populations of 
filamentous fungi versus yeasts on turf foliage just before and shortly after fungicide applicationsFig. 1. Enumeration of total fungi (top) at the start of the 1997 season (May) and 
after a full season of fungicide applications (bottom) (September). Total bacteria are represented only at the end of the season. Populations are represented by the log of the average number of colony forming units (CFUs) per gram of soil or foliage.44AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTcommunity may also be significant since many members of this genus are highly resistant to a variety of fungicides (2) and their populations could be selectively over the years that greens are established.We were particularly surprised at the leaf plating data, which at first glance, gave little indication of change based on numbers 
counted on the various media. However, it now is clear that, while total numbers of fungi on leaf blades do not change, the application of fungicides changes the composition in favour of yeasts relative to filamentous fungi. This effect may be transitory, as in the case 
of Chipco, or longer lasting as was the case 
with Daconil. The fungal community on leaf blades appears highly dynamic and changing 
in response to fungicide applications. It is important to note that the natural dollar spot epiphytotic that occurs each year was controlled by fungicides as expected (data not 
shown). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSG. E. Harman and K. L. Ondik are from the 
Departments of Horticultural Sciences and 
Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Geneva, NY. 
E. B. Nelson is from the Department of Plant 
Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. This 
research is published with the permission of 
USGATERO (Vol. 5, No.7)REFERENCES1. Anonomyous. 2005. Fungicides hit growth spurt in turf and ornamental markets. Grounds Maintenance.2. Harman, G. E., C. R. Howell, A. Viterbo, 
I. Chet, and M. Lorito. 2004. Trichoderma species---opportunistic, avirulent plant symbionts. Nature Rev. Microbiol. 2:43-56.3. Köller, W. 1992. Target Sites of Fungicide 
Action. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.4. Norton, J. M., and G. E. Harman. 1985. Responses of soil microbes to volatile exudates from germinating pea seeds. Can. J. Bot. 65:1040-1045.5. Smiley, R. W., P. H. Dernoeden, and B. B. 
Clarke. 1992. Compendium of Turfgrass Diseases, 2nd Edition. APS Press, St. Paul, 
MN.Appearance of cultures from dilution plates from Daconil Ultrex-treated leaves (left) and untreated plants (right). The dark colonies are filamentous fungi and the white to tan mucoid cultures are yeasts45AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTnewsALL IN A DAY™S WORK AT ASQUITH AND AVONDALEAsquith Golf Club superintendent Stuart Hall and his Avondale Golf 
Club counterpart David Warwick won™t forget the summer of 2006/07 in a hurry, 
in particular one weekend in late January. 
Both superintendents inadvertently found 
themselves on the frontline in the fight against 
raging bushfires which broke out around the 
region during a 40-degree plus weekend. At Asquith, in the northern Sydney suburb of Mt Coolah, Hall was hand-watering greens 
in 41 degree heat when bushfires took hold in 
the nearby Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. 
With three dams on site, the course became 
a vital player in the Rural Fire Service™s efforts 
to contain the fire, with five water bomber 
helicopters, include two ‚Elvis™ sky cranes, 
taking water out of two dams to douse the 
raging fires just a few kilometres away.With the helicopters in operation, the club was forced to close the course on late Sunday 
afternoon, 21 January, and wasn™t able to 
reopen it until Tuesday. Fire crews worked 
through Sunday night and into Monday to 
put the fires out, with the helicopters working 
around the clock for up to 10 hours at a time.fiIt was quite an eventful couple of days, but it was a great experience,fl recalls Hall, 
who has been superintendent for nearly four 
years. fiWatching the Elvis helicopters in action 
is quite a sight, particularly when they take off 
with nine tonnes of water in them.flOne of Hall™s more difficult assignments was getting golfers off the course and also 
dealing with the raft of curious locals who were 
jumping the course™s perimeter fence to take 
photos of the massive sky cranes in action.Hall estimates that combined the helicopters took between two and three megalitres of 
water from the dams, which at the time were 
around 50 per cent of capacity. Water used in 
the fire fighting efforts was later replaced by 
recycled water tankered in from the nearby 
Sydney Water treatment plant in Hornsby.To add to the drama of the weekend, one of the smaller helicopters managed to suck up 
one dam™s aerator anchor rope into its intake 
hose and without realising took off, ripping out 
about 35m of electrical cable before the rope 
finally snapped. Hall says had the helicopter 
been going the other way it would have pulled 
out wiring from the pumping station which 
could have meant a much greater repair bill.While the fire front at Asquith was a few kilometres away from the course itself, 
Avondale Golf Club superintendent David 
Warwick and his staff had to deal with a more immediate threat that same weekend following 
the outbreak of a fire in bushland on the left 
hand side of the course™s third fairway.The fire, allegedly started by local kids, ripped through bushland forcing greenkeeping 
staff to down tools and take up hoses, which 
were run off quick coupling valves, in an attempt 
to put out spot fires that were sparked from 
burning embers. Irrigation system sprinklers 
were also used to combat the blaze.Two sky crane helicopters were brought in to bombard the fire from the air, each dropping 
three loads each of around 9000 litres, while Rural Fire Service ground crews came onto the 
course to mop up any hot spots.fiThe pinpoint accuracy of the sky cranes was amazing and they had the fires out within 
20 minutes,fl says Warwick. fiIt was a bit of 
excitement for the boys and something that 
doesn™t happen every day. We had a couple 
of Scottish greenkeepers working for us at 
the time and they couldn™t quite believe their 
eyes.flThe fires scorched nearly 400m2 of short couch rough on the third hole which has slowly 
started to regenerate.Above: A water bomber helicopter inadvertently pulls up the aerator in one of Asquith Golf Club™s dams during fire fighting efforts in JanuaryLeft: Fires rip through bushland next to the third fairway at Avondale Golf ClubBottom: Elvis to the rescue at Avondale  46 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTDespite playing a major role in fire fighting efforts to save Ku-ring-gai 
Chase National Park in January, Asquith Golf Club™s attempt to get unlimited 
recycled water pumped into its dams has 
been knocked back. Asquith™s application was rejected by the NSW Department of Energy, Utilities 
and Sustainability (DEUS) on the eve of the 
NSW Government elections in late March, a 
decision which has disappointed not only 
club manager Cameron Harvey but a number 
of other community end users who would 
have benefited from the plan.Asquith Golf Club went into a joint application with Hornsby Council and 
Sydney Water, which was going to construct 
a pipeline from the Sydney Water treatment 
plant at Berowra Heights past six major sportsgrounds then ending at the golf course 
which has three dams that hold a combined 
80megalitres.  Not only would the pipeline provide a valuable water source for those facilities 
which have struggled with the drought, but 
having an unlimited supply of recycled water 
pumped into the golf club™s dams would 
provide huge assistance in fire fighting efforts 
should bushfires rip through the adjacent 
national park, as was demonstrated in 
January (see story opposite). At present 
Sydney Water pumps excess recycled water 
from the plant straight into a creek.fiIt™s disappointing,fl says Harvey of the decision. fiHornsby Council has six major 
ovals which are in desperate need of watering 
as they are regularly used by schools and the 
public.  fiA park in North Ryde had to be closed due to the state of the oval. The community 
benefits of our joint application are obvious. 
Other local councils have received grants for 
less than this.fiWe are still waiting on the explanation letter as to why the application failed. It™s 
funny how during the fires the Federal 
Government seemingly had an endless pit 
of money to tanker recycled water into our 
dams to replenish the water taken by the 
choppers, but an amount can™t be given 
to service the entire community.  Instead, megalitres of good, recycled water is going 
straight into the creek.fiWe™ll try again with the application in a couple of months, but at the moment we 
have more than enough water in our dams, 
so it isn™t a problem.flASQUITH RECYCLED WATER APPLICATION DOUSED BY DEUSStaff at Lake Karrinyup will be looking 
forward to catching their breath over 
the winter months following a hectic spring/summer period which has seen the 
completion of the first phase of a $2.6million 
greens reconstruction project.In one of the largest projects undertaken at the exclusive Perth-based golf club, 
superintendent Trevor Strachan and staff 
completely overhauled the front nine greens, 
bunkers and surrounds starting in late 
September 2006. The new-look nine was reopened to members in March and the second phase of 
the project, which will see the remaining back 
nine completed, will start this September.New tees were also constructed as well as modified bunkering on the course and hole 
lengthening especially on the third where the 
tees have been pushed back to bring the lake 
more into play. A feasibility study is also being undertaken on the large main lake to see if lining the 
natural lake is possible and pumping water via 
the Gwelup lake system is viable.All the new greens have been sown with Penn G6, the end result of nearly four years of 
trials. Lake Karrinyup was part of the AGCSA™s 
HAL-funded bentgrass variety trial project, 
with Strachan assessing 13 different varieties 
of bents for colour, density, putting quality, 
root depth, thatch layer, drought tolerance, 
establishment and seedling vigour.The Penn G6 was imported directly from the US being 99% germination certified and 
applied with a drop spreader followed by a 
light hydro mulch application to protect the 
surface from wind, irrigation and rain erosion. 
After five days germination was observed and 
total grow-in took around 12 weeks. A perched 
water table construction was used for the 
greens.   NEW-LOOK LAKE KARRINYUP FRONT NINE SCORES A HOLE IN ONEThe newly constructed 5th green at Lake Karrinyup in PerthLake Karrinyup™s new 8th green47AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTnewsThe Australian golfing community was abuzz in early April following 
the announcement by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem that the ninth 
staging of The Presidents Cup will be contested 
from 14-20 November, 2011, in Melbourne.Melbourne becomes the first city outside of the United States to host the prestigious 
match-play competition more than once, after 
Royal Melbourne Golf Club hosted the event 
in 1998. While the host course for the 2011 
Presidents Cup has yet to be announced, it is 
expected that the event will return to the Black 
Rock course which is home to superintendent 
Jim Porter.fiWe are thrilled to be bringing The Presidents Cup back to Melbourne in 2011,fl 
Finchem said in his announcement. fiEvery 
player, fan and tour staff member who either 
attended or watched the 1998 Presidents Cup 
still vividly remembers the incredibly warm 
welcome extended to the participants and the 
first-class atmosphere Melbourne created. fiMelbourne™s government and citizens staged a superb competition then, and we are 
confident they will only exceed expectations 
when we return in four years. I know the 
world™s best golfers will look forward to another trip down under for this thrilling competition.fl The Presidents Cup, a team matchplay competition featuring 24 of the world™s top 
golfers Π12 from the United States and 12 
from around the world, excluding Europe 
Πis held every two years, and since 1996 
has alternated between United States and 
international venues. The US team has won four of the six previous Presidents Cups, and the only outright 
win by the International Team came at the 1998 
event in Melbourne. OPEN STAYS IN NSWMeanwhile, Golf Australia announced in 
February it had signed a deal with the NSW 
Government to keep the MFS Australian Open 
in the state for the next three years, following 
the successful running of the 2006 tournament 
at Royal Sydney Golf Club (superintendent 
John Odell). The announcement came at the same time as Golf Australia™s decision to alter the 
traditional end-of-year tournament schedule. 
Normally the first tournament of the season 
in November, the Australian Open will now be 
the last before Christmas, played from 13-16 
December, while the Mastercard Masters at Huntingdale Golf Club (superintendent Michael 
Freeman) kicks off the tournament season 
Down Under from 22-25 November. This year™s 
Open is set to return to The Australian Golf 
Club (superintendent David Honeysett) which 
last hosted the event in 2004.The new arrangements also come at a time when a new deal was struck between 
Golf Australia and Golf Australia Golf Holdings 
Ltd (GAHL), owners of Moonah Links 
(superintendent Leigh Yanner) on Victoria™s 
Mornington Peninsula. The new agreement enables Moonah Links, which has hosted two Australian 
Opens in 2003 and 2005, to host three Open 
tournaments between 2010-2020, with GAHL 
holding the option to host a further two Opens 
in the following 10-year period should the 
championships be fisuccessfulfl.PRESIDENTS CUP RETURNS TO MELBOURNEThe Grange Golf Club in Adelaide was the 
centre of attention on World Wetlands 
Day in February with the launch of its new $2.8 million wetland and stormwater reuse 
scheme.The project, which is managed by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural 
Resources Management (AMLR NRM) Board, 
is the first of a number of investments to 
protect water resources of the Adelaide Plains, 
with similar projects already in the pipeline for 
Glenelg and Royal Adelaide golf clubs.The Grange project harvests stormwater runoff from nearly 500 hectares of surrounding 
suburbs, cleaning it in a series of constructed 
wetlands and pumping the treated water into 
the underlying aquifer for storage for later use. 
Some 300 megalitres of urban stormwater will 
be diverted each year from Trimmer Parade and 
West Lakes Boulevard stormwater catchments 
into the wetland and away from the marine 
environment.  Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Malcolm Turnbull was on 
hand to officially open the project which has 
been funded 30 per cent by the club and 70 per cent by the State and Federal Governments 
through the AMLR NRM Board.While the golf club itself will benefit from having a more reliable water source, other 
broader benefits of the scheme include: an improvement in groundwater pressure 
in the local aquifer; a contribution to long-term salinity 
reduction in the local aquifer; an increase in local biodiversity and recreation of native aquatic habitats; and a reduction in polluted stormwater inflows 
to the receiving waters of West Lakes lake, 
the Port Adelaide River, Barker Inlet and, 
ultimately, the Gulf St Vincent.The Seaton-based club, home to newly appointed superintendent Richard James, will 
play host to the world™s leading amateur golf 
tournament Πthe Eisenhower Trophy Πin late 
2008 along with Royal Adelaide Golf Club.STORMWATER SCHEME SECURES FUTURE FOR THE GRANGEThe Australian Golf Club will host the 2007 Australian OpenThe Grange Golf Club in Adelaide unveiled its new $2.8m wetland system in February48 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTHe won™t lie awake at night worrying about his turf, or his reputation.  Nor will you, thanks to HERITAGE MAXX from Syngenta. Designed exclusively for turf, the smaller particles of the new micro-emulsion formulation enable a 25% faster foliar intake and 100% faster root uptake producing earlier protection against disease*.  So, for peace of mind and a playing surface second to none, choose  
liquid HERITAGE MAXX.  Protect your turf and your reputation. For more information on HERITAGE MAXX please call the Syngenta Technical Product Advice line on 1800 067 108 or visit           www.greencast.com.auRest assured this winter with HERITAGE MAXX®.The liquid fungicide designed exclusively for turf.* University studies show an increase in efficacy by up to 15% against anthracnose.    ® Registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company      AD07-043Specialist against Microdochium nivale(Winter Fusarium)He won™t lie awake at night worrying about his turf, or his reputation.  Nor will you, thanks to HERITAGE MAXX from Syngenta. Designed exclusively for turf, the smaller particles of the new micro-emulsion formulation enable a 25% faster foliar intake and 100% faster root uptake producing earlier protection against disease*.  So, for peace of mind and a playing surface second to none, choose  
liquid HERITAGE MAXX.  Protect your turf and your reputation. For more information on HERITAGE MAXX please call the Syngenta Technical Product Advice line on 1800 067 108 or visit           www.greencast.com.auRest assured this winter with HERITAGE MAXX®.The liquid fungicide designed exclusively for turf.* University studies show an increase in efficacy by up to 15% against anthracnose.    ® Registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company      AD07-043Specialist against Microdochium nivale(Winter Fusarium)around the trade TORO GDC SYSTEM IN CONTROLToro is answering greenkeepers™ requests for affordable, reliable and flexible irrigation 
decoders with the introduction of the new 
Toro GDC System, a two-wire irrigation control 
system. The innovative system uses technology 
found in aerospace applications, which allows 
for longer wire runs and more simultaneous 
valves in operation. It can be configured to 
have a capacity of up to 3200 stations.fiWe believe the innovative new Toro GDC decoder system will provide the industry with 
the easiest product to work with during design 
and installation,fl says Kenne James, senior marketing manager for Toro Golf Irrigation. 
fiIt™s also the easiest product for greenkeepers 
to own.fl The Toro GDC System uses new low-power solenoids on sprinkler heads and on automatic 
valves. This technology allows contractors to 
install decoders as far away as 4.5km from the 
central station using a single 2x2.5mm2 cable. The system also supports up to 800 stations 
per wire path and as many as 3200 stations 
per system. The new system provides designers and contractors with flexibility as they design, 
install, expand or renovate an irrigation system. The system™s decoder capacity and installation 
range significantly reduce the amount of wire 
needed for installation, and it is easy to tap into 
the existing wire path to accommodate future 
redesigns or expansion.fiWith many courses needing to renovate or lengthen holes to match advances in golf 
technology, the GDC System provides the 
flexibility to add more heads with minimal 
hassle,fl says John Dalman, product manager 
for the Toro GDC System.The system™s decoders are available in 1-, 2- and 4-station models with colour-coded wire 
to identify each station. Each decoder comes 
pre-addressed so no programming is required 
upon installation and they feature built-in surge 
protection to reduce system damage during 
lightning storms and will continue to operate 
even if one decoder is damaged.The Toro GDC System is available in two versions: The stand-alone system, GDC-100/200, 
which accommodates up to 200 stations 
and features a programming interface; The PC-based system that uses the 
SitePro Central Control system to provide 
a user with the most advanced features of 
any central control system. This version 
can accommodate up to 3200 stations, 
pump station integration, and sensor input 
decoders.For more information about the Toro GDC System, visit www.toro.com or call 
Toro Irrigation customer service on 1800 
130 898BE PREPARED WITH SELECTA KITS Fuel, oil and chemical spills are virtually 
inevitable but with a Selecta spill response 
kit from Silvan they can be quickly and 
safely cleaned up. The kits are ideal for any 
application where chemicals, fuels and oils are 
stored and used.There are three Selecta kits available in a variety of sizes to suit a variety of applications. 
Every kit is available with or without a complete HUNTER™S ACC-99D TAKES CHARGEHunter Industries has 
expanded its controller line-
up with the addition of an all-new, two-wire 
decoder system. The ACC-99D uses two-
wire decoders to control up to 99 stations 
without giving up the collection of features 
that has established the ACC as Hunter™s 
most powerful controller for large and 
sophisticated sites.Decoder installations continue to be one of the fastest growing forms of technology 
in irrigation control. A key advantage over 
conventional systems is that decoder 
systems use less wire for an overall system. 
That in turn means lower cost as well as 
quicker installation times and easier system 
diagnosis and repair. Systems can be easily 
expanded by adding in more decoders rather 
than running additional wires.The ACC-99D can operate dozens of solenoids, kilometres away. Each sensor 
decoder can monitor up to two remote 
sensors, over the same two-wire path used 
for decoder/solenoid activation (up to 3km 
away). In addition, each ACC-99D controller may have one flow sensor (responding to 
station level) and up to four weather sensors 
(with individual programme-level response). 
On board diagnostics, overload protection, 
current sensing, and line fault detection are all standard, along with 
Hunter™s surge suppression 
circuitry.Other benefits of the Hunter 
ACC-99D include: Real-time flow sensing. Identifies a system™s low 
flow or overflow conditions 
instantly, before resulting 
damage (to either the system 
or surrounding landscape) occurs. When the limits are exceeded, 
the controller shuts off that part of the 
system. Instant system status: Diagnostic 
displays and LEDs on output module 
show line activity, solenoid and decoder 
status, electrical consumption, and 
other valuable data. Easy decoder sensor identification: 
Includes 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-station units, 
plus the sensor decoder, all in compact, 
waterproof enclosures with colour-
coded wiring connections.For more information on the ACC-99D two-wire decoder system, contact your 
local authorised Hunter distributor, or visit 
www.HunterIndustries.comHunter Industries has just released its most powerful irrigation controller Πthe ACC-99DSelecta spill response kits come in 20-, 80- or 120-litre sizesAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT50set of personal protection equipment that includes gloves, goggles, a respirator kit with 
filters and coveralls. The kits also include 
a variety of containment components such 
as absorbent pads, socks, pillows and 
FloorSweep.The kits are available in a 20-litre container (for spills up to 15 litres), an 80-litre bag (for 
spills up to 80 litres) and a 120-litre wheelie 
bin (for spills up to 120 litres). A full range of 
replacement components are also available 
from any Selecta dealer.The individual spill response kit components include absorbent pillows (except in the 20 litre 
kit). The absorbent pillow is an environmental 
alternative to prevent ground contamination 
from slow leaks or drips. They will fit into 
virtually every tight space and are particularly 
useful for continuously running equipment 
which cannot be turned off until routine service 
time. There are also absorbent pads that are 
ideal for the recovery of virtually all liquids and 
oils whilst not being effected by strong acids or 
oxidising chemicals.  To find out more about the Selecta Spill Response Kits visit www.silvan.com.au or 
call 1300 SILVAN.Designed to accommodate all high-end 
residential and commercial installations, 
Rain Bird™s new ESP-LX Modular controller 
is being touted as the most user-friendly 
modular controller ever. With its flexibility, 
design and simple programming, the ESP-
LX Modular controller saves contractors time 
and money by making installations more 
efficient and reducing callbacks.Starting with an eight-station indoor or outdoor base model, the ESP-LX Modular 
has the capacity to 
expand up to 32 stations 
in increments of four- or 
eight-stations. Whether it™s 
a simple home installation 
or a complex installation 
that requires advanced 
programming features, 
the ESP-LX Modular can 
be easily adapted to fulfil 
any project specification.All ESP-LX Modular modules are hot-swappable, allowing contractors to install modules in any 
available position without powering down the 
controller. It also features a large display for 
simple operation and flexible programming 
options to meet specific landscape needs. The ESP-LX Modular includes Rain Bird™s ‚contractor default™, which allows the 
contractor to set his or her own default 
programme that can be automatically 
restored at a later date. In addition, the 
ESP-LX Modular enables automatic monthly seasonal adjustments to cut 
back on watering during 
cool weather and increase 
during hot weather.For more information on Rain Bird™s ESP-LX 
Modular controller, contact 
Nick Moschis on 0418 171 
230 or email nmoschis@
rainbird.com. For more 
technical information  on 
this product visit  www.rainbird.com.RAIN BIRD DEVELOPS ESPRain Bird™s new ESP-LX Modular controller51AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENTstate reportsGCSAWAAfter an extremely hectic and stressful summer I am sure most superintendents 
will be looking forward to the quieter winter period that is fast approaching. In early March members of the GCSAWA executive committee met with John 
MacPherson,  principal environmental noise 
officer with the Department of Environment 
and Conservation (DEC), to discuss the long-
overdue issue for noise management on golf 
courses. The general feedback from this meeting was extremely positive, with a commitment 
from the DEC to work closely with the GCSAWA 
over the next 12 months to draft an industry 
best practice plan for noise management on 
WA golf courses. Most of the credit for the success to date in regards to this matter must go to Jeff 
Lane (superintendent, Joondalup Resort) who 
continues to devote much of his time and 
energy to developing this plan. The most 
positive outcome will be that it is used by clubs 
and local government bodies to consistently 
and fairly manage noise emissions from our 
normal daily maintenance operations and to 
deal with any possible resulting complaints.There are a number of events coming up which are must-attends. The association looks 
forward to the Management Challenge being 
hosted by last year™s shock winners Mount 
Lawley Golf Club on 8 May. All members should 
have received registration forms by now so 
please register. If you have not received yours 
please contact one of your committee.In late July, the industry will converge on Cairns for the 23rd Australian Turfgrass 
Conference and Trade Exhibition from 22-27 
July. Early indications lean towards excellence 
interest in the event from WA so jump in 
quick. Registration forms are available from 
the AGCSA or you can download one from the 
AGCSA website.On a closing note I would like to congratulate those superintendents who have 
completed recent course redevelopments and 
wish those who are still slogging away all 
the success in their projects. Additionally, I 
would also thank all of our members across 
all categories for their ongoing support of the 
association.BRAD SOFIELD,PRESIDENT, GCSAWA.It™s always good to see the back of summer 
and good to have a break from the long 
days, even though this summer was certainly not one of our harshest. March has 
been a bit unpredictable with very hot and 
humid days and grass growing so quickly you 
can barely keep up with it. During February 
and March I saw more disease Πincluding 
three infestations of stem weevil Πthan we 
experienced during the whole of summer, and 
from all accounts it was a similar situation 
throughout Sydney. NSWGCSA BOARDI would like to thank the whole Board for their 
efforts over the past six months. It™s not easy to 
keep up with the association™s requirements as 
well as run your own golf course through the 
trying summer months.The NSWGCSA held a Board meeting at Shortland Waters Golf Club in February. During 
the meeting we reviewed the findings of a 
survey which was distributed to members at a 
recent education day. This information will be 
considered when determining future events. Some recent initiatives we are working on as a result of the feedback are;  Developing an assistant superintendent™s 
education day to help assistants 
understand the role of a superintendent;  A change in venue for the annual Ambrose 
event, with this year being held at the 
Newcastle Golf Club (Stockton); and  A number of topics were suggested for 
education which will be reviewed in due 
course. The NSWGCSA calendar of events for 2007 was also finalised and is as follows: 7 May: Directors Meeting (Wakehurst) 18 June: Annual Ambrose Day 
(Newcastle) 16 July: Directors Meeting (Cammeray) 27 August: AGM (Cabramatta) 30 October: Education Day (Roseville) 5 December: Christmas Cruise on Sydney 
Harbour 15 December: Directors Meeting (Orient)More recently, the NSWGCSA calendar kicked off with the Rube Walkerden Golf Day at 
Royal Sydney. Mark Waugh agreed to be our 
guest speaker for the day. Thanks to the Royal 
Sydney Golf Club for changing the club™s 
policy on shotgun starts. It™s great that such a 
club recognises the importance of our industry. 
A full report on the day will be included in the 
next NSWGCSA report.Elsewhere, membership has recently increased by approximately 30 per cent to 312 
members and the number is still on the rise 
thanks to the marketing efforts of one of our 
director™s, Craig Wright. Speaking of directors, Justin Sheehan has taken up the position as course superintendent 
at Coffs Harbour Golf Club. Congratulations to 
Justin and his family on the move north. Justin 
will remain on the Board which is great news as he is an outstanding contributor. Let™s hope 
he doesn™t go any further north!We are also continually seeking ways to improve and manage the workloads of the 
directors and so last year we appointed an 
administration officer to assist with the finances 
and excess workload. Without doubt this has been very successful, and allows the directors to concentrate on 
other issues. I would like to thank Alison 
Jones for all her hard work over the past six 
months as we build a better association for 
our members.I would like to thank outgoing VGCSA president Mark Prosser for forwarding their 
new colour newsletter. We were very impressed 
with the presentation of the newsletter and 
without doubt colour is the way to go. We are 
currently reviewing the look and feel of our 
newsletter as a result!AUSTRALIAN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPSCongratulations to Gary Dempsey and his staff at New South Wales Golf Club on hosting the 
Australian Amateur Championships in March. 
The course was an absolute picture and having 
spoken with some of the overseas players, I 
guarantee the reputation of Australia™s finest 
golf courses will continue.ANDY HUGILL,PRESIDENT, NSWGCSA.NSWGCSAAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT52It seems so long ago that we were at the Carlton Brewhouse for the Nuturf Education 
Day in March, and what an education it was!  From learning that the brewery produces 
1100 stubbies a minute and dispatches a 
million cartons a day, to the excellent range of 
speakers on the day, there is little wonder that 
members are still talking about it.Unfortunately, a combination of a clash of dates and public holidays forced the 
postponement of the April Simplot Day but it 
will still be held later in the year.  Next on the agenda is the Globe Australia Education Day which is on Tuesday, 22 May 
at The Boomerang Farm GC in Mudgeeraba. 
Nine holes of golf will be available either early 
before the meeting or later after the meeting.  
Information and discussion on the following 
will form the agenda for the day (call Peter Abel 
from Globe Australia for all the details): New U.S approach to managing 328 
couchgrass greens;  Benefiting from the application of trace 
elements in turf management practices;  Spray applications workshop.Following the Globe Day the Annual Bus Trip finds its way to Coffs Harbour on the 
weekend of 23, 24 and 25 June.  Don™t delay 
in reserving your spot as it normally fills very 
quickly. DRUMMUSTERdrumMUSTER is a very important programme 
and we urge all GCSAQ members to start 
mustering your empty chemical drums.  It really 
is quite easy to take advantage of the system 
so give Colin Hoey a call on 0428 964 576 if 
you are in south Queensland, or Bill Davis on 
0428 691 760 if you are in the north of the state, 
for all the details.  THEY SAY– Dave Morrison has finally finished school 
life and took on Windaroo Lakes at the end 
of April. Ben Tilley took over the reins at Headland 
Golf Club in mid-April. Bonville™s Scuttsy has firetiredfl from Australia's own ‚Augusta™ and has taken up 
a position with Floratine.  Penbo has recently taken over things turf at 
the QDPI Redlands Research Station. Steve Clifford makes a return to Queensland 
in his role with GCSAQ gold sponsor North 
Pine Motors. Barry Cox was looking quite trim and 
healthy on his way to 31 stableford points 
in his first game of golf after his recent bout 
of convalescing.  A trip to Melbourne with 
his mates golfing followed by a caravan 
adventure with wife Joyce and possibly a 
guest appearance on the Bus Trip is Barry™s 
plan for the next few months.  The 23rd Australian Turfgrass Conference again heads to Queensland in 2007 with Cairns 
playing host from 23-27 July. The AGCSA 
Golf Championships heads to Paradise Palms 
Country Club, while Half Moon Bay Golf Club 
will host the AGCSA™s Corporate Cup.PETER LONERGAN,SECRETARY, GCSAQ.GCSAQAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT53AGCSATechAGCSATechAGCSATechJohn 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 3168 Vicstate reportsSAGCSAHi everyone and welcome to another update from the NZGCSA. Things are 
starting to build over here as the New Zealand Turf Conference draws closer. The 
event is set to be held in Wellington from 15-19 
July at Westpac Stadium. Registration packs 
are out and they can be downloaded from the 
conference website at www.nzturfconference.
org.nz. As the name of the conference suggests 
it is not just a golf conference, with all other 
sectors of the turf industry catered for. During the conference the NZGCSA will be celebrating 75 years. This will be 
commemorated with a dinner at the James 
Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel on Sunday, 15 
July, which is preceded by the NZGCSA golf 
tournament to be held at Miramar Golf Club.All life members are being invited to attend as are all past presidents of our national 
body. It will be an event not to be missed. 
The camaraderie that exists in our industry is 
something special and when events like these 
come along they tend to be talking points for 
years to come.Guest speakers at the conference include Peter Donkers, winner of the 2006 AGCSA 
Claude Crockford Environmental Award. Dr 
Jim Murphy from Rutgers University will be 
presenting papers on organic matter control, agronomy trends and fertiliser trends in the 
USA, while recently elected GCSAA president 
Ricky Heine will present papers on golf course 
design, turf issues and human resources in the 
USA. Combine these speakers with a number 
of local superintendents and agronomists 
presenting papers and it augers well for a very 
successful week. REGIONAL ROUND-UPOur regional associations are reporting good 
attendance™s at their respective training days so 
far this year. However, these numbers are still 
down on previous years as a superintendent™s 
life continues to get busier.We are also getting reports of superintendents in different areas leaving the 
industry for various reasons, but the common 
one appears to be frustration with a lack of 
resources and wages. While this is not an issue at most metropolitan clubs in New Zealand, it is out 
in the regions. It is a worrying trend and one 
that apart from the obvious, I don™t know how 
we can make the changes to reduce this from 
happening more and more.BRETT BURGESS,PRESIDENT, NZGCSA.NZGCSAIf anyone out there is currently in possession 
of a trade certificate in turf management, or 
you may be interested in continuing your studies and improving your qualifications, the 
Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), School 
of Horticulture in Weston is offering various 
courses at the certificate and diploma level. 
This includes offering certificates in Level 4 
horticulture, although a diploma in horticulture 
is a prerequisite for entry to this course. The future of these courses is dependent on the number of enrolments.  Expressions of 
interest by anyone thinking of furthering their 
skills in turf management should be forwarded 
to the CIT.  On a similar note, the CIT also 
conducts regular chemical use and handling 
training courses (AQF Level 3).The TGAA ACT, in conjunction with CIT, is still in discussions with the Irrigation Association 
of Australia (IAA) in relation to the introduction 
of its new national certification.  The IAA has 
been made aware of the importance for the introduction of such a scheme by CIT and 
TGAA.  It is hoped that such a scheme will 
prevent the installation of in-ground reticulated 
water systems by untrained persons and 
provide a sold basis of training for those who 
wish to install such systems.The TGAA ACT and its sponsors are currently finalising arrangements for the mid-
year seminar.  The proposed topic for this 
year™s seminar is ‚drought stress™ and will 
cover such things as management tools and 
techniques, new products and practices and 
maximum utilisation of a minimal resource, 
namely water.  The seminar has been tailored 
to meet the requirements of a wide range of 
turf situations. With water being such a finite 
resource these days, no turf manager can 
afford to miss out.  For further details, please 
contact Gary Dawson on (02) 6207 4605.JUSTIN A.K. HASLAM,COMMITTEE, TGAA ACT.They say you don™t realise what you™ve 
got until it™s gone. Well, for the SAGCSA, 
that saying is ringing true as we begin operations without our enthusiastic 
past president Peter Harfield following his 
resignation from Blackwood Golf Club.Peter has overseen many changes within our association in recent years, and along with 
Steven Newell (past secretary), carried the 
lion™s share of the workload that has seen us 
come from a very precarious position to one 
of stability and now to one of being able to re-
invest in our industry.On behalf of all association and industry members, I would like to offer my sincere 
thanks to Peter for his outstanding contribution 
and wish him every success in the future.Our executive committee is working on ensuring the upcoming two-day meeting with 
our general managers in May is fruitful and we 
encourage as many members as possible to 
respond positively when details are released.Dates for our annual general meeting in June are being finalised at the time of 
writing, and we look forward to a strong 
representation of members at Blackwood Golf 
Club to hear of the latest developments within 
our association, as well as showing support for 
new superintendent Steve Pellatt.Despite some cooler weather and the odd refreshing shower, the drought remains 
well and truly in place, and this is reflected 
by many clubs receiving notice from the 
State Government that it is considering the 
introduction of permanent conservation 
measures or Level 2 or 3 restrictions on 
groundwater use. Representatives of our 
association have met with South Australian 
Golf Association and club delegates to discuss 
an industry response to these proposals. We 
will be working very hard to ensure the level 
of irrigation management expertise we have 
within our industry is considered very strongly in any policy development the Government is considering.While we could all see this coming at some point, it still serves as a timely reminder to 
members and their clubs that we need to be 
able to demonstrate our ability to efficiently 
manage what we acknowledge is a precious 
resource, so that we can continue to provide 
the social, environmental and economic 
benefits the game of golf, and our courses, 
offer.DARYL SELLAR,ACTING PRESIDENT, SAGCSA.TGAA ACTAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT54Our first event of the year was the annual President™s Breakfast, held at Kings 
Park, in February. It was great to see 40 members attend the BBQ breakfast. Kings 
Park is a popular venue with members and turf 
manager Vinny Kapur and his team always 
present the park in superb condition.In April we held our first regional seminar in Bunbury. This was the first time the association 
has held an event outside of Perth and I was 
delighted with the response. Over 40 people 
attended from all over the southwest of WA, 
which provided a great opportunity for us to 
expand our membership base as we work towards becoming a statewide association.The main theme of the seminar was water management and we had an interesting 
programme of speakers, including Dr. Louise 
Barton (UWA), John Forrest (Challenger 
TAFE), Andrew Ogden (Western Irrigation), 
Peter Ruscoe (Sports Turf Technology), and 
Doug Hall (Irrigation Association). A short course for turf wicket curators commenced during April, run by Challenger 
TAFE in conjunction with the WACA. This is the 
first course of its type that provides specialist 
training in turf wicket management with formal 
accreditation on completion. Our association recognises the need to develop more expertise 
in this area and we have helped to facilitate the 
establishment of the course.The three-year kikuyu project at UWA is due to be completed later this year and there 
is agreement among all stakeholders that the 
facility must be maintained and the research 
continued. A proposal has been submitted 
to extend the study on water management 
and renovation techniques. The association 
will continue to make financial contributions 
towards the research.PETER RUSCOE,PRESIDENT, TGAA WA.Since our last report the VGCSA has 
held two very interesting meetings. The 
first was the education meeting on 26 February at Southern Golf Club (sponsored 
by Nuturf), while in late March we headed 
to Bright Golf Club for our annual country 
meeting (sponsored by Globe).A very big thank you to Southern Golf Club for allowing us to use their spectacular new 
clubhouse for the education meeting which 
was our first event for 2007. Due to short 
notice, Southern was fantastic in allowing us 
to use their facility but unfortunately the course 
was fully booked so the keen golfers had 
to settle in the bar for our happy hour at the 
conclusion of the meeting. To host superintendent Greg Rooke, thank you for supporting our day and taking us on 
course for a very informative inspection of 
the greens and newly constructed 12th hole. 
Hopefully soon those dry lakes will be full of 
irrigation water again; we can only hope.To our three superintendents who were on our educational panel to address the 90 
members who turned up, thank you to Sam 
Myott (Heritage Country Club), Colin Morrison 
(Flinders Golf Club) and Nathan Bennett (The 
Sands, Torquay) for your informative and open 
discussions.  A spectacular setting greeted us at Bright Golf Club for our annual country meeting which 
was held from 25-26 March. Congratulations 
to the club for its hospitality and to host 
superintendent Cameron Wickes for his 
informative course inspection and presenting 
the course in magnificent condition.A very well deserved winner of golf on the day was Ted Boltong from Active Safety. 
Longest drive came from Matthew McLeod from Tocumwal Golf Club, while Ashleigh Tyler 
from Nuturf bagged nearest the pin. The NAGA 
award, best I not say, but better luck next time 
Andrew.The next VGCSA meeting will be our AGM which will be held at the magnificent 
The National Golf Club on the Mornington 
Peninsula on 7 May.  At our AGM in May I will be stepping down from the committee and as such this will be my 
final report as VGCSA president. I would like 
to take this opportunity to thank all the current 
and past committee members I have been 
involved with. Everyone has always taken on 
some form of responsibility which makes the 
workload evenly spread.The current committee has put in a lot of work to assist members of the association 
communicate easily with each other in the form of a larger newsletter and an updated 
and user-friendly website. This committee has 
made themselves available to all members and 
has listened to members requests. It has been 
a pleasure to work with all of them.A special thank you to our administration officer Lesley Mitchell. Lesley keeps us all in 
line, gently prompts us when things are to 
be done and the extra tasks she takes on are 
what make it a pleasure to have her as a major 
part of our association.  Thank you also to the 
Commonwealth Golf Club for supporting me 
throughout my time on committee, especially 
the last two years as president.   Enjoy your reading and I look forward to seeing you all at The National for our AGM 
sponsored by Toro.MARK PROSSER,PRESIDENT, VGCSA.The 2nd hole, Moonah Course, The National Golf ClubVGCSATGAA WAAUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT55state reportsTGAA VICOn 20 March the TGAA VIC held a Drought Response morning. Approximately 80 
people attended and some fantastic initiatives came out of it. The first speaker 
was David McGeary (Sportsturf Consultants) 
who ran through his company™s procedure for 
assessing the safety and playability of ovals. 
He gave some examples of the company™s 
findings and provided the group with methods 
to overcome particular problems. Roylen Hawke from Hawke Ridge Optics educated us on the latest weather monitoring 
equipment on the market. He also spoke of the 
different soil moisture sensors available and 
other turf related equipment.Once again we had representatives from Yarra Valley Water who described what Stage 
4 restrictions would mean for us all. The one 
positive thing that came from their attendance 
was the promise that they would take six of 
our key issues back to their group meetings 
to discuss. These issues will certainly not be 
a quick fix but at least the water authorities 
will be aware of our problems now and have a better understanding of them. We just need 
to keep chipping away to have our problems 
raised and looked at.Rob Sundblom from the City of Monash spoke and gave examples of how he and 
his staff assess and record their renovation 
requirements prior to scheduling such works. 
Rob has formulated some fantastic documents 
for recording oval requirements and we thank 
him for his informative handouts. If any readers 
would like a copy of these forms please contact 
the office on admin@tgaa.asn.au. Our next speaker was David Goldie from the City of Greater Geelong. David gave a 
very detailed account of how they have been 
managing their ovals since restrictions started 
back in July 2006. He spoke of a community-
based programme that was formulated to 
raise money to renovate and irrigate five ovals 
in each of their three competitions to enable 
football to go ahead. It was fantastic to hear 
what can be achieved when people think 
laterally and put their heads together to resolve 
some very challenging problems.Final speaker was Jim Keppel from Carey Grammar and myself. Jim spoke about his 
access to river water and how that access has 
recently been cut. Jim explained what grass 
types he was using and how they have been 
coping under different watering regimes. Being the last speaker I think I managed to put most people to sleep. For those who 
stayed awake long enough, they heard what 
practises we at Geelong Grammar have put in 
place to deal with Stage 4 water restrictions. 
This included trucking in water and storing it 
in large tanks in a similar manner to that of 
the City of Greater Geelong. Anybody wanting 
any further information about these talks can 
contact the above email address.Upcoming TGAA VIC events include the Bursars Day at Eltham College on Thursday, 
10 May and the Cricket Wicket Seminar to be 
held at the MCG on Wednesday, 4 July. I hope 
to see you at one of these great days.MATT HANRAHAN,COMMITTEE, TGAA VIC. AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT56Foley sets new standards in grindingwww.toro.com.auFor more information speak with your local Toro representative.For Customer Service call 1800 356 372Exclusive Australian DistributorWith newer grass strains, shorter cutting heights and the challenges of newer reel and traction systems, Foley United is the proven world leader in grinding solutions.
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