Volume 25, Number 5 • July 1995 Published by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association President's Message Special Feature Black Sunday— and Other Season Highlights Associate Member Shares Successes With ‘Back to Basics’ Maintenance Approach G T Country Club of Portland Superintendent Pat Lewis Opens the Book on His Grass Roots Maintenance Approach—From Selling Its Merits to Putting It Into Practice ood Year, Bad Year. That about he articles by Dr. Skogley and recover from seasonal stresses—as each sums up the 1995 season so far. A Sherwood Moore in the M arch/ year passes. Most notable: For the past mild winter made the spring rela­ April issue of Tee to Green really hit three years, all of our greens have come tively uneventful—not too many home. They both touched on our through the winter alive and well. problems anywhere. The summer modern golf course maintenance pro­ started off pretty well, with normal grams and questioned the long-term Setting the Stage temperatures. And then, around mid- effects of overgrooming and treating Granted, our i realize, particularly in the Met June, the humidity began to roll in, and courses. area, that this approach is a hard sell. At suddenly, I realized it hadn’t rained in I’ve been superintendent at Portland Portland, I started by having a heart-tofour or five weeks. Roughs were dry and Country Club here in Falmouth, ME, for heart with my Greens Committee and beginning to brown out. Weather fore­ eight years. For the past five, we’ve done the board about my intentions and how I casts—every night for weeks—called for everything possible to tend to the long­ felt they would benefit both the club and thunderstorms, lightning, and rain. term health and welfare of our turf and the course down the road. At the time, For many of us, the rain never came. soil—often at the expense of blemish-free we were known for having the fastest Others were inundated. I first realized and impeccably fast playing surfaces. greens around; they were stimping at these widely varied weather patterns at We decided to take this tack to try to 9X,2 to 10 every day. But with the the Salem meeting. First of all, the restore the vigor of our turf, which every support of other clubs in the Portland roughs there weren’t burned out like winter seemed to suffer severe ice dam­ area who also agreed to raise the heights they were here at Westchester. And age. Some of our greens wouldn’t sur­ of cut on their greens, I explained that: then, someone at the meeting started vive at all, and the rest of the turf was • I would raise the height of cut on telling me how wet his course was and tough to turn around—especially since, greens, upping green speed only for how he wished it would stop raining. I, being on the Maine coast, our springs are weekends and special events. of course, thought he was crazy. His cold and damp. • We would rely less on chemicals and course was less than 10 miles from me, Fortunately, our “back to basics” more on fertility requirements. That and Westchester had barely seen a drop. maintenance approach seems to be would mean accepting ua little less than Another superintendent told me that paying off: I’ve seen the turf become perfect” conditions, but on the flip side, in June and July, he’d gotten 9 X,2 inches much stronger—and better able to we could reduce our (continued on page 4) of rain. During that same period, I got only \ x,2 inches—and all in the span of Also in This Issue about 20 minutes! It only follows, then, that disease GCSAA Unveils New-and-lmproved MetGCSA Honors Eight Scholarship conditions have also varied pretty widely. Conference Schedule Recipients Though we’ve all had the humidity to Two Events to Remember 0 Cleaning Up Polluted Ponds: One Club’s contend with, those courses that also got Solution the rain were particu- (continued on page 2) 0 0 0 (cont. 1) Black Sunday—and Other Season Highlights President's Message larly susceptible to disease problems— and no doubt had to apply a fair amount of fungicides. I, myself, had my share of challenges —particularly the last two weeks of July. No rain in eight weeks, then that 20minute downpour. High humidity was followed, suddenly, by no humidity, gusty winds, shallow roots, and 95-de­ gree temps. That was July 30—a day that has gone down in superintendents’ record books as “Black Sunday.” All the hoses, sprinklers, mist systems, and manpower could not keep up with the wilt that afternoon. These varied conditions have, I’m sure, instigated much “grill room” conversation: “I played XYZ course, and the greens were really firm but thin and spotty.” Or “I played ABC course, and the ball plugged on every shot, but it was nice and green.” If you’re brought into one of these conversations, you’ll, of course, want to point out these unusual weather pat- terns—and that even when you take the weather out of the picture, it’s tough to compare one course to another. Some are blessed with the key ingredients for success—relatively new courses with large greens, good drainage and soil mixes, and newer turfgrass varieties. For others, it’s a constant battle. These, of course, are things we all know but few golfers understand. (But this is a whole separate story.) Well, fortunately, the weather has, once again, taken a turn for the better. On the 8th, I woke up to 51 degrees, and for the first time since late May, I wore a windbreaker. It’s time to take a deep breath, look around, and realize it won’t be long before everything will be green again. And then, it’ll be time to start planning for 1996. I can’t wait. Hey, for those of you who read my May President’s Message, tell me: How are those summer personalities doing? JOE ALONZI, CGCS President News From the National GCSAA Unveils New Conference and Show Schedule T he GCSAA recendy approved a new format for the annual International Golf Course Conference and Show. It will now run Monday to Sunday, rather than Monday to Monday. The reason for the tightened schedule is that research has shown that a large majority of registrants leave on Sunday, missing activities such as the final day of the trade show, the association’s annual meeting, the USGA Green Section session, and the banquet and show. The annual meeting, for instance, will now run Saturday morning; the banquet, Saturday evening; and the USGA Green Section session on Sunday afternoon. Says GCSAA President Garry Grigg, CGCS, of the change: “Now members can leave the conference and show on Sunday evening and not worry about missing anything.” This year’s convention is scheduled for February 5 -1 1 ,1 9 9 6 in Orlando, FL. Board of Directors President JOSEPH ALONZI, CGCS Westchester Country Club Vice President JOHN O'KEEFE, CGCS Preakness Hills Country Club Secretary JOHN CARLONE, CGCS Middle Bay Country Club Treasurer EARLMILLETT Ridgeway Country Club Past President TIMOTHY O'NEILL, CGCS Country Club of Darien MATT CEPLO, CGCS Rockland Country Club ANTHONY GRASSO Metropolis Country Club WILLIAM HEINTZ Hampshire Country Club DAVID MAHONEY Siwanoy Country Club TIMOTHY MOORE Knollwood Country Club DENNIS PETRUZZELLI, CGCS takeover National Golf Club DAVID POLIDOR S t Andrew’s Country Club JOSEPH STAHL Metro Milorganite Executive Secretary INEKE PIERPOINT Too to Grooo Staff TIM MOORE 914-592-7829 Editors DENNIS PETRUZZELLI 914-242-0706 Managing Editor PANDORA C.WOJICK Editorial Committee SCOTT APGAR BOB NIELSEN MIKE COOK TIM O'NEILL PAUL GONZALEZ BILLPERLEE PAT LUCAS STEVE RENZETTI ALTRETERA Advertising Manager DENNIS PETRUZZELLI Upcoming Events 914-242-0706 : September MetGCSA Meeting Tuesday, September 12 Metropolis Country Club White Plains, NY Final Round: Championship Qualifier Host Superintendent: Tony Grasso ( 2) Tee to Green July 1995 NYSTA Turf and Grounds Exposition Tuesday-Friday, November 7 - 1 0 ,1 9 9 5 Rochester Riverside Convention Center Rochester NY For further information, call NYSTA at 800-8738873 or 518-783-1229. Photographer DOMINIC RICHICHI TEE TO GREEN is published eight times a year by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association 49 Knollwood Road, Elmsford, NY 10523-2819 914-347-4653, FAX: 914-347-3437 Copyright® 1995 Notable Notes MetGCSA Honors Eight Scholarship Recipients E ight children of MetGCSA mem­ bers were awarded scholarships from the association’s scholarship fund, which this year totaled $5,000. Honored at the July 25 meeting at Salem Golf Club, the winners were chosen by the Scholarship Committee based on their maturity, academic his­ tory, ambition, extracurricular activities, and effort exhibited in completing their application. Congratulations to the following recipients—and their parents: • Cassie Alonzi: Cassie will be studying early childhood development at Iona College this fall. She is involved in Special Olympics and does community service for the Association for Retarded Citizens in Greenwich, CT. Cassie’s parents are Kim and Bob Alonzi, superintendent at Winged Foot Golf Club. • Dana Alonzi: Dana has completed her sophomore year at Elizabethtown College, where she is pursuing a degree in occupational therapy. Her parents are Bob and Kim Alonzi. • Robert Carriers: Robert will enter Penn State this fall, where he plans to pursue a bachelor’s in turfgrass science. His parents are Rosemary and Bill Carriere of James Carriere & Sons, Inc. • Evan Maddocks: Evan is entering his junior year at Vanderbilt University with a major in engineering science and applied physics. He is the son of Ekwanok Country Club superintendent Ted Maddocks and his wife, Adele. • Jeffrey May-Stahl: Jeff will attend the University of Connecticut in the fall. He is pursuing a degree in environmental science, with an eye toward a career in environmental law. Jeff is the son of Joe Stahl of Metro Milorganite Inc. and his wife, Victoria. • Lisa Monteleone: Lisa will be entering her senior year at Iona College as a finance major. She would like to further her education after graduating in 1996. Lisa is the daughter of Dom Monteleone, an assistant superinten­ dent at Winged Foot Golf Club, and his wife, Ann Marie. • Christina Pakkala: Christina will be a sophomore at Penn State this fall. In addition to her studies, Christina enjoys charity work with her sorority. She is the daughter of Wood way Country Club superintendent Larry Pakkala and his wife, Carole. • Jason Wistrand: Jason is the family’s fourth generation to pursue a career in turfgrass management. He will attend Rutgers in the fell. Jason is the son of Betty and the late Craig Wistrand. We urge you to continue your support to our Scholarship Fund. Most of the funds raised are from our annual Christmas Raffle, but personal dona­ tions also help to make our Scholarship Awards possible. And I think no one can deny that helping our young adults be their best is a worthy cause. JOHN J. O’KEEFE, CGCS Scholarship & Research Committee Tee & Green & In Between AViether your challenge is a dead­ line, a tee, a green, a fairway, a rough, or a bunker surround, we have a blend that fits your needs. We understand the variety of problems you face because we have spent a great deal of time listening to golf course superintendents. As a result, Tee & Green Sod offers the most complete product line to O OL available to the golf course industry— even a four-foot wide washed roll! Give us a call for information about our selection of products, and our unique harvesting and washing techniques. •Bentgrass •Bluegrass •Washed sod •Bluegrass-Ryegrass •Bluegrass-Fine Fescue -INCORPORATED - 401/789-8177 • 401/789-3895 (fax) • PO Box 418. Exeter, RI 02822 Tee to Green July 1995 (cont. 1) Associate Member Shares Successes With ‘Back to Basics’ Maintenance Approach Special Feature chemical budget and, as years went on, be able to apply these savings to other areas. (Right now, I’m putting some of those cost savings into labor.) • We could insure, in decades to come, that reconstruction needs would not be a result of poor soil management prac­ tices—as they so often are. The results? Well, as far as the mem­ bers go, there are those who still prefer putting surfaces that resemble a tiled floor, but the truth is that the majority enjoy an 8 to 8172 green speed. And we’ve found that the increased turf den­ sity has produced a fine roll of the ball— and even more notable for our part of Maine, excellent spring golf conditions. Another positive outcome: We’ve cut our chemical expenditures by 50 percent. And when fungicides are necessary, we need less to achieve the desired control. The figures: In year one, we spent $18,000 on fungicides; now we come in at around $5,500. Insecticides in year one totaled $3,000; now we spend about $1,000. Our herbicide budget is about $1,000 and has changed very little, since crabgrass is not as prevalent in Maine as it is in the Met area. lems before they get out of hand. We also closely chart when—and where—various problems typically occur to help us minimize our applications. For instance, we’re going out now to chart crabgrass growth so we can spot spray those areas next spring. Our charts also show that our fairways are generally hit with dollar spot in August, so we try to plan a fertilizer application early in the month since a good N boost keeps it in check. Steps to Healthy— Not Picture-Perfect— Turf Here’s what I both practice and “preach” Mid-June we were hit with dollar spot because I was trying to hold back growth for encouraging healthier turf: and didn’t fertilize. So I did have to apply a fungicide on the fairways this • Relearn pest and disease cycles. We generally apply chemicals to cure—rather year. But aside from that, the only than prevent—turf problems, keeping a chemicals we’ve applied were on our vigilant eye on the course to spot prob­ greens: once for leaf spot, another time Portland Country Club Breathes New Life Into Its Ailing Ponds n 1989, Portland (Maine) Country Club’s three ponds were essentially barren. “They stunk and were being taken over by cattails,” says Pat Lewis, a MetGCSA Associate member and the club’s superintendent for the past eight years. “Fortunately, one of our members had heard of a firm in Columbus, OH, that specialized in cleaning up polluted waters,” he says. Called Lambda Systems (614-2782600), the firm has successfully treated both eutrophication and a laundry list of more dangerous pollutants, including heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides, herbicides, and, as Lambda’s Jo Davison puts it, “Just about anything but snake venom.” When Davison got to Portland, she found what Pat Lewis had suspected: The ponds were so heavily contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants that the microecological population was almost completely gone. Microorganisms native to the site had the inherent capacity to clean up these toxins, according to Davison. But the rapid accumulation of high levels of pollutants had killed off these microbes I (4 ) Tee to Green July 1995 before they could do their work. Lambda’s approach to this problem was to restore the compromised ecosys­ tem by improving existing microbes. “You’ve got to bring the bugs up to a higher level of competence where they can degrade these things,” says Davison. Davison’s work at the club began with a seven-month evaluation period. She took numerous soil and water samples back to her lab in Ohio and painstakingly identified the microorganisms that make up the area’s microecology. Once identified, these microorgan­ isms—300 to 400 in all—were grown in the presence of gradually increasing levels of contaminants. This allowed the microbes to become acclimated, increas­ ing their natural capacity to resist and degrade pollutants. “This is a natural process that would happen on its own,” says Davison. “We just work with the natural ecosystem to speed its evolution up by about 75 to 100 years. The bugs are harmless when we get them, and they’re harmless when we put them back. They’re just more efficient.” Once acclimated, the microbes are reintroduced to the site. “Davison shipped us about 40 drums filled with burlap sacks of activated charcoal loaded with the microorganisms,” says Pat. Distributed among the three ponds, these “bioreactors” sat at the ponds’ bottoms while the microbes did their work. A total of $35,000 was spent on the cleanup project, which fortunately reaped positive results: After a month, levels of lead, mercury, and other toxins were reduced to drinking-water standards. “The bugs have repopulated the ponds, and they can continually clean up pollut­ ants that wash in,” says Davison. “We’re very happy,” says Pat. “The water quality is excellent, and the wild­ life has returned: fish, ducks, blue herons, night herons.” Further proof of the program’s merit: In 1994, four years after the original application and with no further interven­ tion, the ponds were certified as Audubon wildlife sites. This piece adapted from aBioremediation, Combined With Aeration, Gains Practical Acclaim * which appeared in the April 1995 issue of Golf Course News. whs spring when greens are soft (we never for anthracnose, and again for brown topdress in summer), or we’ll roll the patch. greens or double cut them. But our • Monitor the weather closely. We watch typical maintenance schedule is like this: the weather—and course—closely to We single cut five times a week and avoid unnecessary watering, which aside double cut once a week, generally from being a waste of a valuable resource Thursdays. We roll twice a week, usually can also encourage disease. Fridays and Saturdays or for a special event. What we do to up green speed, • Use the Hydroject or Verti-Drain to encourage healthier root systems and better however, does vary with the weather. At Portland, we’ve had an • Find ways to reduce mechanical stress aggressive aeration program, primarily on turf. Some things we’ve found because we have old (the course was built effective: Avoid verticutting when the in 1921), soil-based greens that have a weather is not optimum for recovery. history of compaction problems. When I Hand-water dry spots, reserving the took over in 1988, we also had two to irrigation system for deep watering. three inches of thatch on our greens. Work in topdressing with the smooth So for the first two years, we used side of a metal rake rather than a brush conventional coring once each year; then behind a golf cart. We topdress lightly in ’89, ’90, and ’91, we used the Verti- with a Lely Topdresser and water in our Drain once a year. In ’92 we Hydrolightest applications. When we topdress Jected five times, and in ’93 we cored a little heavier, we push rake it in, which once and Hydrojected another five takes two crew members three to four times. In ’94, we Hydrojected four hours. times and then backed off this year, Hydrojecting once in July. In September, • Put a premium on sharp cutting units. We grind our greens mowers twice dur­ we also plan to use the Verti-Drain. I can definitely say that, as a result of ing the season, once during the winter. this program, our greens now drain well • Remove trees that inhibit sunlight, and and have a much better root system. prune roots that are growing into fine turf areas. We’ve taken down trees that • Syringe after any type of aerifying. prevented morning sun from reaching Watering immediately after aerifying many of our greens, and we’ve rootseems to speed the healing process. pruned from tee to green the whole side • Take soil samples at least every other year of three fairways. We used a trencher to to chart—and then maintain the proper— cut the roots, rototilled the soil, brought pH and nutrient levels on greens, tees, and in recycled loam, and now these areas fairways. Our most notable nutrient are lush and green—and require less problem showed up my first year here. water to keep them that way. Our tests showed we had dangerously low levels of potassium in the soil, so we, • Use organic fertilizers as much as possible to help rejuvenate your soil. We of course, went for a fertilizer with a use a combination of organics and syn­ relatively high ratio of potassium.• thetics. Here’s our basic program: • Raise mower heights. We raised our On greens (2.5 acres): Over the past height of cut from l,%" to n/64" for two few years, we’ve spoon-fed greens with years to allow the bentgrass we were an organic fertilizer—either Ringer or overseeding with to gain a foothold. Sustane—and we’ve put down a total of Then, we went to our current height of 1 to 2 lbs. of N per 1,000 sq. ft. cut: 5/32". This gives us about 8 to 8172 In synthetics, we apply a total of 2 to on the stimpmeter. 3 lbs. of N a year and 3 to 6 lbs. of To get green speed up for tourneys— potassium a year. and weekends—we might topdress to On tees (1.3 acres): This year, we’ve firm up the greens, particularly in the gone 100 percent organic on our tees. So far, we’ve applied Sustane—2 lbs. of N per 1,000 square feet—and by the end of this year, we’ll have applied another pound. On fairways (22 acres): In ’93 and ’94, we applied 400 bags of Pro-Gro—1 lb. of N—each year to amend the soil. It was kind of like composting the soil. It’s livened it up, making the grass visibly more healthy. In addition, over the past two years, we applied 2 to 2ll2 lbs. of N and 3 to 4 lbs. of potassium. • Minimize the use of herbicides. We never use herbicides on greens. There, we handpick the weeds or cut them out with a cup cutter and replace the plug with turf from our nursery. In other areas, we wait until weeds—like clover or plantain—appear and then spot spray them with a post-emergent, rather than blanket entire fairways or tees with a herbicide. For crabgrass, we do use a preemergent, but only where the weed is typically most prevalent. • Encourage wildlife. Inviting wildlife is part of restoring nature’s balance to the land. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary program offers some of the best guidelines around. We’re currently certified in four of the six categories, with Food Enhancement and Public Involvement the only two areas where we haven’t met all the requirements. One of the largest improvements we made as part of this program was to enhance the water quality of our three ponds, which we found were contami­ nated with heavy metals and a variety of other pollutants. (See article on page 4 for cleanup story.) Now our ponds not only meet drink­ ing water standards, but also support a host of wildlife. We don’t do anything to our ponds. They’re sustainable, balanced systems that work. We hope to say the same about the entire golf course one day. We’re on the way, but as the old adage goes: “Good things take time”—and in this case, a lot of patience and persistence on the part of the superintendent. PATRICK E. LEWIS, CGCS Portland Country Club Tee to Green July 1995 ( 5) C H E M IC A L S SU PPLIES . R A D IO C O N T R O L L E D I IR R IG A T IO N T E C H N O L O G Y S O D « S E E D • F E R T IL IZ E R P A V E R S -W A L L S W H E N YOU'RE IN A TO U O H S P O T .. D e L ea S o d F a r m s TORO Serving the New York area with the finest Sod and service for over 60 years Workman” 3000 T H E M O S T V E R S A T IL E U T IL IT Y V E H IC L E A V A ILA B LE SEED FERTILIZER GROWERS OF IMPROVED MIXTURES FESCUES A BENT GRASS FROM: Harmony Organic Fertilizers Expedite • Spyker W E S TC H E S TE R TO P S O IL TU R F SU PPLY. IN C . 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