NORTHERN MICHIGAN TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION 3733 APOLLO DRIVE • TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN 49684 • 616-943-8343 APRIL 13, 1987 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY MINI TURFGRASS SEMINAR TRAVERSE CITY GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB Jonathon Scott TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN President REGISTRATION: 8:30 A. M. STARTING TIME 9.3O A. M. Paul Holmes LUNCH 12:00 NOON TO 1:00 Vice President AFTERNOON SESSION 1:00 P. M. TO 3:00 Entire proceedings will be inside therefore weather will have no David Longfield effect on the proceedings. Speakers will be Dr. Bruce Branham , Immediate Past President Dr. Paul E. Rieke, Dr. Joseph Vargas plus many others bringing to our group a fine program on turfgrass information. Cost of participation for you will be $10.00 per person including lunch. Directors A postcard is enclosed which we would like you to return at James Bogart Thomas Brogger once so that we may inform Traverse City Country Club of the Thomas Courtemanche number that will be there for lunch. (Program inside) Damian Kurkowski JWWwWWWWWM WWMWWWMMWW WWWWW.WMMWWM W W W U U W W W W W W W W M W 1/ W W W JW -M -W. -W A/ X W M W W M W M M W M w w w Charles Menefee James Olli David Sapp Robert Steinhurst Before your calendar is filled with other obligations, please make David Little a list of the dates when we will be having meetings this year. They are as follows: MAY 19th, ALPENA COUNTRY CLUB Past Presidents Brian Holmes, Superintendent Ed Karcheski C. E. “Tuck” Tate JUNE 8th, TREETOPS, SYLVAN RESORTS, M. T. F. BENEFIT Damiam M. Kurkowski, Superintendent Executive Secretary Thomas Reed 3733 Apollo Dr. JULY 8th, HIDDEN VALLEY Traverse City, Ml. 49684 James R. Olli , Superintendent Phone 616-943-8343 AUGUST 26th, LAKEWOOD SHORES GOLF t, COUNTRY CLUB David John Little CGCS, Superintendent SEPTEMBER 21st, GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT Jonathon L. Scott CGCS, Superintendent OCTOBER 7th, SHUSS MOUNTAIN, TUCK TATE TOURNAMENT Michael Allison, Superintendent Details regarding each meeting will be forthcoming 'n future letters ******************************************************************** By-Law suggested changes have been forwarded to you for your info­ rmation and thinking. Any suggestions relative to these will be appreciated and in the near future, action will be taken to have them approved by the membership. Included with the By-Laws is a plan relative to "THE RIGHT TO KNOW" law which is now in effect. It is now the responsibility of every golf course to know this law. Every golf course must post certain documents and follow this plan as suggested. If there is any question then answers will be available at our Mini Seminar. BEHIND THE GREENS A MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS Spring greetings on behalf of your NMTMA Board of Directors and myself, Jon Scott.. While most of us had the "begeebers" scared out of us with the early warm weather in March, nature seems to have gotten back on track giving us another few weeks to get out management programs in gear. One thing is certain, we've enjoyed more sunshine so far this year than anyone can recently remember. They say sunshine breeds positive attitudes, so northern Michigan should be ready to tackle the season in style. The Board continues to work at a fever pitch to get all of our programs and projects taken care of before the summer season. We have just completed our preparations for the Spring MSU program at the Traverse City Country Club, and are completing review of the By-Laws for voting on necessary changes. One question that yet needs to be answered is whether we expand our represent at i on to include all_ turf managers as our present name and constitution directs, or become more golf course superintendent oriented. Obviously, there are strong feelings on both sides of this issue, and we need to hear from you, the member, to make our move. We can no longer afford to stay neutral on this issue. As more and more services are requested by the turf professional, it is our function to try to provide them. There is a growing contingent of other turf managers who need our leadership and professional help. There are also many turf professionals other than golf course superintendents who can offer their experience and energy to the NMTMA. We need to decide whether we actively seek out these individuals and offer association support and services for their needs as well as those for the superintendent. If we are truly to become the professional brotherhood suggested in our name and constitution, changes in our structure need to be made to do so. If we think our scope of activités will become too broad and miss the specific needs of the superintendent, we need to change our purpose and name to reflect this. Your Board cannot make this decision on its own. We need your input. See you April 13th. New G.C.S.A.A, members are Jack Specker, Timothy C* Jenner and Robert J. Rieschl. Welcome aboard another step in professionalism. The next step is certification and we are happy to report newly certified Charles Menefee, Jr. and David J. Little. Will you be next to achieve this goal? A new membership booklet will soon go to press and if you would like to be sure that your name is included and correct, the requirement is that your dues must be current and paid up* If you have not already done so, we suggest that you bring along a check for dues to our April 13 seminar at Traverse City Golf fc Country Club. It Is with the deepest sympathy that we report to you, the loss of two long time members and the father of another member* Fred Kauffman, owner of Fairview Hills Golf Club at Mio passed away while in Florida and Adrian D* Matthews, Golf Car Consultant, died recently at Boyne City. Both have been members for many years. It is with deep regret also that wer report the passing of Donald J. "Bud" Rogers, Father of member Randy Rogers of Lebanon Chemical. 2 ANNUAL SEMINAR TO KICK OFF 198? SEASON NORTHERN MICHIGAN TURF MANAGEMENT SEMINAR Monday, April 13, 1987 Traverse City Country Club Traverse City, MI 8:00 a.m. Registration and Coffee L. Andrew Norman, Moderator Benzie County Cooperative Extension Service, Beulah 9:30 Welcome Jon Scott, CGCS, President Northern Michigan Turf Managers Association Grand Traverse Resort, Acme 9:35 Selecting Grasses for Northern Michigan Eugene Mayer, 0. M. Scott and Sons, Marysville, OH 10:05 Fairway Management Practices J. M. Vargas, Jr. Botany and Plant Pathology, MSU 10:35 Michigan Turfgrass Foundation Activities John Read, President 10:40 Tee Management The Basics J P. E. Rieke Crop and Soil Sciences, MSU Experiences in Building Tees w David Longfield, CGCS Garland Golf Club, West Branch Designing Tees for Management and Use Jerry Matthews Matthews and Associates, Laingsburg Panel Discussion 11:40 General Discussion - Bring Your Questions 12:00 NOON Lunch Buffet ($10 payable at registration) 1:00 p.m. Update on the Black Layer Problem Current Research at MSU Lee Berndt Botany and Plant Pathology, MSU Panel Discussion Bruce Branham, Moderator Lee Berndt, P. E. Rieke, Jon Scott, J. M. Vargas, Jr. 2:00 Adjourn to Northern Michigan Turf Managers Association Business Meeting - Jon Scott, President The Traverse City Country Club is located at the south end of Union Street in south west Traverse City. FOLLOWING THIS PROGRAM, THE NORTHERN MICHIGAN TURF MANAGERS ASS'N WILL HOLD IT'S FIRST BUSINESS MEETING OF 1987. BE SURE TO STAY AND GET INVOLVED INTHE BUSINESS OF YOUR ORGANIZATION. 3 By Jerry Kershasky THE BLA effect on drainage. tute for super glue or any other type of This past January, at our National He proceeded on to check the shade sealant. This mucous adheres so tight­ Golf Course Superintendents Associa­ factor on these greens, but after day ly together that water or any other ele­ tion Con ference and Show, there was long surveys he found direct sunlight ment you would like to have penetrate a special forum on the so-called “Black was quite adequate. the surface has one hell of a time doing Layer” that has been seen on many During this period he had also lost it. Fungicides applied at this point may courses across the country. a couple of approaches to the same stop the progress of the algae but it The forum opened with a panel of problem. This led him to believe it won’t remove that sticky mucous; that four men reviewing their research on might be contaminated soil, so he dug has to be physically removed before the subject. The panel consisted of: Mr. out the approaches and placed new proper water movement can be re­ Jonathon Scott, Golf Course Superin­ soil in, but this did not help; the turf stored. tendent at the Grand Traverse Resort died anyway. Once this barrier of algae and its in Michigan, Dr. Clinton Hodges of He went on further, thinking that mucous has been formed, what hap­ Iowa State University, Dr. Curt Brown stagnant air around these greens pens next is really a matter of chance. of Texas A&M University, and Dr. Joe might be causing the problem. He For example, the green might receive Vargas of Michigan State University. started thinning out trees and cutting several days of rain which will cause Mr. Scott opened the discussion de­ out brush undergrowth around these a perched water table above this layer. scribing his course which was built in greens. He is still in this process, so he The water will fill the pore spaces 1983 with U.S.G.A. spec, greens. In will not know the results until next pushing out oxygen; the algae, of 1986 three of Mr. Scott’s greens, which season. course, are using oxygen in their life were in a heavily wooded and low area A couple of other interesting facts cycle and very soon you will have set on the course, turned brown in sections must be mentioned here. One is that up a anaerobic condition that the roots and died. He sent off the usual sam­ he resodded areas on these greens of grass plants can’t survive. And per ples to the local university extension with turf from his nursery, and so far chance they do hang on Dr. Hodges service for disease, nematode, and in­ it appears healthy without any prob­ has isolated a pythium organism that sect analysis, but all returned negative. lems. Let's note here that the variety has adapted to this anaerobic condi­ He had noticed when he took the sam­ of grass was the same on the infected tion so the roots that are now in a ples that a once healthy 10” root greens and the nursery, but the fertili­ weakened state could fall victim to this • system was now all but nonexistent, ty practice was somewhat different, pythium. and that a foul odor was being emitted and I’ll refer back to this difference Another interesting experiment Dr. from a black layer in the greens mix after I review with you the other panel Hodges ran was placing a calcareous *. about one inch from the surface. members’ thoughts and theories. sand in one beaker and a silica sand Mr. Scott also noticed, after an The other facts of note were that in in another, and inoculating the sands unusually wet summer, that these high traffic areas the problem was with the algae organisms. In a few greens, which had excellent percola­ worse, and that frequent topdressing short days the calcareous sand had tion rates the first two years, had dif­ also aggravated the problem, but fre­ algae growing profusely in it and the ficulty absorbing 1/10” of rain now. quent aerification (as much as once silica sand had little, if any, algae in it. At this point Mr. Scott was well into per week) improved the turf. Dr. Brown conducts soil physical investigating the problem. Because of Dr. Hodges first noticed the problem analysis for greens mixes and other the poor drainage he thought he might in 1978, and on all samples he has types of construction mixes. He first have a plugged drain tile, so he flushed received, be they from any part of the saw the problem in the early 1980s’ all lines and found all of them to be in country, he has been able to identify when samples that were approved for perfect operating condition. one of three algae organisms in all greens construction from his lab came His next thought was that possibly samples. back to him with a black layer problem. the water table around these greens On most of the greens he has He retested the samples and the might have risen, causing water to observed layers forming on the surface physical components were still ok. He back up in the tiles at times. He or anywhere from ’A” to 7” down in the concludes that the water movement brought in an auger and drilled holes mix profile. He has also noticed these problem in these greens is not a soil around the perimeter of these greens, aigae forming balls or circular shapes mix problem, but an organic problem. but found nothing abnormal. in the profile. He believes the organics are produc­ He did note, however, that after a rain The algae causes both a physical ing sulfur, (hydrogen sulfide) and that if he stuck a soil probe into a puddle and chemical problem. The physical indeed, if left unchecked for years on the green and pushed it through the problem occurs because of the way (that’s a lot of years), this would end up black layer and then extracted it, the they move - that’s right, these algae are forming pyrite. puddle would drain just as if you pulled mobile. They excrete mucous which Dr. Brown suggests the following the plug on a bath tub. This example propels them across the surface and practices to minimize your chances of led him to believe his greens were pro­ allows them to cover a whole green developing the problem: perly constructed beneath the layer laterally. The algae organism itself is 1. When constructing a green, make and indeed his drain tile was function­ not good, but the deposited mucous it sure your base has no low areas that ing and the water table was having no leaves behind might be a good substi- will form pockets of water that will not U K LAYER drain toward tiles. lab. The check had no black layer, a disease. At least no causative 2. Make sure your top mix is a consis­ although all conditions except the pathogen had ever been identified. The tent depth. If you have 10” in one area sulfur and iron were the same. so-called “Black Layer" has been of the green and 6” in another, the 6” Now let’s get back to the difference around a long time. (See USGA Green area is going to be wet. in fertility practices of Mr. Scott. Section Record, July 1970, “Solving 3. Surface drainage must be positive, Remember, his nursery did not have Drainage Problems at El Macero", by no pockets. Pocketed areas on greens the problem but a few of his playing Dr. D.W. Henderson, Dr. D.T. Bradley, have had the worst problem with this greens did. When he sodded some of University of California, Davis,, and J. disorder. the bad areas of these greens with the Jagur, Superintendent, El Macero C.C.) 4. Excess thatch may be a key in caus­ nursery turf, the nursery turf survived, It is, pure and simple, an irrigation ing the problem, and buried thatch con­ and root depth increased under it. The problem or a drainage problem or both, tributes to the problem. difference in Mr. Scott’s fertilizer pro­ depending upon how one wants to look 5. Avoid over-watering. gram was sulfur. He was applying at it. The soils become too wet for too 6. Avoid over-fertilizing. sulfur to reduce his high ph on the long. The swampy odor attests to that 7. Minimize the use of pesticides. greens, but as we all do at times, he fact. Dry out the soil profile, and the If you have a problem, how do you did not make nearly as many applica­ Black Layer (and odor) disappear. deal with it? According to Dr. Brown: tions to his nursery. Even sandy soils and USGA spec 1. Aerate, remove and destroy the Now my friends, all this which I have greens can become too wet and com­ cores. Don’t topdress or build just written is new research, and none pacted (in particular zones) if there was something with these cores. of these men have come out with, at a poor or incorrect soil mix, incorrect 2. Fill holes with sand. this early stage of study, a concrete, no construction, a migration of silt or other 3. Inject air into greens by installaing doubt about it, this is the problem, and fine particles into a layer, poor internal perforated pipe every 6" and forcing this is what you need to do to solve it, tile drainage techniques, etc. compressed air into the soil profile, for sure. All these men say they need With insufficient soil permeability and (rather expensive). more time to study the variables and continued rains and/or unrelenting ir­ 4. Ph should be 7. test various theories before they can be rigation, all pore spaces become 5. Minimize irrigation. conclusive. But as you and I know as saturated with water to the exclusion of 6. Minimize nitrogen fertilizer. turf managers, we have to take what air (oxygen). Couple this with warm 7. Remove thatch. data is available at this time, evaluate summer soil temperatures and the 8. Decrease topdressing; it will bury it, and if we so deem necessary, work presence of some organic matter, and the problem, making it worse. the variables into our program, if for no anaerobic processes, indicated by the ft Pray it doesn’t rain; you want con­ other reason than to buy time for our blue-black color and foul smell, natural­ trol of the watering. researchers to find answers, before we ly set in. Normal growth requirements 10. Remove turf and resod. have major problems on our turf. are destroyed, and the plant dies. By the way, when the audience at How to correct or prevent the Dr. Vargas first saw the problem six this panel discussion was asked if they phenomenon? Step one is to drastical­ years ago. He doesn’t think its caused had seen a black layer on their course, ly curtail or stop all irrigation, including by algae, pythium, excess water, high three fourths of them raised their syringing. Dry out the green. Aerify, ph, or high amounts of N, but rather by hands. The audience was a cross sec­ spike or slice, even in the middle of an accumulation of sulfides in the soil. tion of turf managers from the east summer. Get air back into the rootzone. Dr. Vargas went on to explain the coast to the west coast and numbered Syringe only when moderate to severe chemical conversion of sulfur and iron about 400. blue wilt or footprinting develops, and sulfate to hydrogen sulfide which this The following question and answer even then syringe only for a minute or stenographer was unable to record in was taken word for word directly from two over the entire green. Do not ir­ the time the slide was on the screen. the back page of the U.S.G.A. Greens rigate. It may be several days or even But in essence, what was occuring was Section Record, January/February weeks (depending on climatic condi­ the excess hydrogen sulfide was a con­ 1987. tions) before new irrigation is needed. tributing factor in producing an anaer­ There must be a longer period for obic condition in the soil. And as we all THE BLACK LAYER drainage between future irrigations. A know, metal sulfides turn black, thus Question: This past summer I heard a very light dusting (two pounds per 1,000 the color of the black layer. In all of Dr. lot of talk about what some say is a new square feet) of hydrated lime following Vargas’s samples of the problem, he putting green disease called “the black aeration or spiking may also be helpful. found excess amounts of sulfur and layer”. It usually appears in the soils of As Professor L. S. Dickinson once iron on the black layer greens, and less greens, even USGA spec greens, usual­ said, “Help the little grass plant grow. of these elements on healthy greens ly about two or three inches below the Don’t try to make it grow.” Words of he sampled from the same course. surface, has a swampy odor, and the wisdom. Dr. Vargas was also able to induce grass roots and plants die. What do you Is this answer an easy solution to a a black layer in a week’s time by ap­ know about it? (Indiana) complex problem? plying five pounds of elemental sulfur Answer: Enough to say it’s not a Credit: THE CRASS ROOTS and some iron sulfate to a sand in the disease and is not even associated with 5 FIFTY YEARS 1936- 1986 NEWS Contact: Bill Jasso NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION RELEASE .................... ........... ................ Director of Communications ' ~ For Immediate Release HOW WELL POES THE AMERICAN GOLFER PLAY? National Survey Reveals Answer BEARD