Western Views Official Publication of the Western Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association Summer 2002 Editor John Fulling board of directors. If anyone is interested in running for the board, please contact either A1 Bathum or myself. That is all I have for now, got to get back to handwatering. Don’t forget your sunscreen, Jeff- Hophiny President’s Message WHERE DID SPRING GO? 4 8 - 9 6 - 128- 164?? That’s how many ounces of liquids I drank yesterday! I can’t stop sweating and this humidity is making me crabby. My body is starting to twitch more than Ser­ gio Garcia setting up over a tee shot. I got a phone call from John Fulling who said the humidity was 105% by him(maybe a slight exaggeration). But Hey, you can’t change the weather so I guess I had better learn to deal with it. Did any­ one else notice a bit of a gleam in the eyes of the chemical sales guys during this weather? We would like to thank Ron Fox and Point O Woods CC for their wonderful hospi­ tality. The golf course was in excellent con­ dition and everything else was first rate. Our next golf event is going to be our Golt Day on September 17 at Stonehedge GC. There will be a morn­ ing and afternoon shotgun start. This is a great opportunity to take some of your members and chair­ men. The Annual Meet­ ing is scheduled for Monday October 7 at Kent CC. This is the time when you elect new officers for the W estern M ichigan G olf C ourse S uperintendents A ssociation Fowded 1938 Board of Directors: President: Jeff Hopkins Vice President: John Fulling Sec / Treas: K eith Paterson Past President- A I Bathum D irectors: T o n y G eib Joe Hancock Jeff Holm es JoeJehnsen G ary Peters Kevin W e lp Upcoming Events: W M G C S A M e e tin g s: July 17: D r. Joe V a rg a s “ G o lf C o u rs e D ise a se s” H a n c o c k T u r f C e n t e r A u g u s t 14: M S U Field D a y H a n c o c k T u r f C e n t e r S e p te m b e r 17: G o lf D a y G u ll Lake V ie w G o lf C lu b O c t o b e r 7: A n n u a l M e e t­ ing at K e n t C o u n t r y C lu b O c t o b e r 22: G C S A A S e m in a r- D r. F ra n k R o ssi at the H ig h la n d s in G R In This Issue... President’s M e ssage U p co m in g events W . B ru ce M atth e w s aw ard w inner M e m b e r ne w s and classifieds Pf us... News from MSU for... M T E S P update W h a t is Extension? R e p o rt on Fairyring G C S A A Seminar sign U p sheet jn this issue!!! W estern Views Page 2 Brit Adamczyk Receives the W. Bruce Matthews Scholarship Award Brit Adam cyzk (son of long time member Steve Adamcyzk) w on the 2002 W . Bruce Matthews scholarship award. Brit is a Junior at Grand Valley State University studying to be an Engineer. He holds a 3.9 grade point average, and has made the deans list every semester. Brit is active in many sports and volunteers many hours in church o r ­ ganizations. Brit’s essay is re-written for you be­ low. Congratulations Brit and Steve! A Little Essay on Golf As you can see in my application for this scholarship that I’ve played a lot of sports, and out of these sports, golf is the best. I’m not just say­ ing this for the sake of the paper; golf is the most challenging, mind- oriented, and precise game I’ve ever played. It may not be the sport that I am most skilled at but it has had the biggest impact on my life. M y dad has been around the game ever since I was a kid. My grandpa taught all nf his sons to pby golf, and my dad taught me I guess that it’s kind of a tradition where some day I’ll teach my kids. My dad’s passion for the game has carried over to my brothers and I. Golf has also taught us many lessons that are important in the game as well as everyday life, lessons such as patience, competitiveness, and respect. A n example of using patience on the golf course is when you get re^Jy to putt your ball on the green. It would be unwise to just walk up to the ball and hit it in the direction of the hole. A patient golfer takes the time to walk behind the ball and read the lay of the green in order to get a good estimate of how the ball will roll. I’ve applied this patience I’ve learned to college by not rushing through my hom ework but taking time to understand all of the material and so far it has paid off. Competition is another huge part of golf because without competition, let’s face it the game wouldn’t be as fun. I’m learning as I get more information out of school that there is some high competition for top jobs in the engineering industry and it only makes me w ork harder. I can credit part of this to my dad’s career because when I see how successful he is I feel that I ca be just as suc­ cessful. This thought is parallel to our rivalry in golf for the fact that when we play together my game level goes up trying to surpass his. Respect the faster players, respect the person playing his o r her ball, and respect the course. These are just a few examples of how my dad teach­ ing me the game has had an impact on the way I respect things. I’m not saying I’m perfect but I see a lot of my peers with no respect at all for authority, elders, o r whatever else. I think this is the most important and valuable lesson I’ve learned through my dad and this great game. I love this profession and I guess that’s why I w ork at a golf course in the summer. Since my dad has been in the golf profession my whole life I’ve always been around it and I think the values that are so important to golf became important to me also. I am so grateful that I’ve had the op­ portunity to be a part of this game and I know that my life wouldn’t be the same without it. M e m b e rsh ip Newy! Congratulations to Andy and Deana A l­ bertson of Grand Rapids Golf Club.They had a baby girl named Hannah Jean on May 20th. Congratulations to Bob Stipcak, C G C S of Timber Ridge GC. Bob achieved his certification from G C S A A this spring. If you have any more good news, please let us know. You can either Call John Fulling: (6 16) 345-5013 O r e-mail John Fulling: kccjfull@voyager.net O r E-mail wmgcsa: westm igcsa@ hotm ail.com Veiy Special Thanks... To the hosts of o u r first three meetings. • • • Ken Hunt at Pilgrims Run Joe Jehnsen at Gull Lake C C Ron Fox at the Point O ’ W o o d s C C W e had great attendance for all of these meet­ ings, as well as excellent education, and golf. W e understand that you ask yo ur clubs to extend professional courtesy for us and that it takes a great deal of w o rk to get ready for your peers. W e appreciate your generosity! News from IVLSU... Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program News By Debbie Swartz A New Service for MTESP Members - We have been embarking on a schedule of “update visits” over the last few months and our objective is to visit all members by the end of the year. Our goal is to ensure that our members are getting the information and assistance they need to meet their environmental protec­ tion needs while understanding the existing and new environmental laws and regulations. We will also pro­ vide many new materials to assist with management practices that elevate environmental protection that are not required by law, but just make good sense. Stewardship Golf Outing! Another piece of exciting news is that we are in the midst of organizing our first Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program Golf Outing! Stewardship Program mem­ bers will be offered an exceptional opportunity to spend October 14, 2002, at Egypt Valley Country Club, golfing with fellow members and their guests. Jeff Holmes and Egypt Valley have generously offered the course at no charge for this fine event. A nominal fee will be set to cover food expenses. Stay tuned for more information as details become available. A New Way to Join the Program - With the 2002 season already in progress the Stewardship Program is proud to present a new method to join the program for those that could not make the initial workshop se­ ries. Simply call the Stewardship Office at 517-355-8361 to get on board. Greg Lyman, Marc McMullen or Debbie Swartz will explain the program system, send you the materials and schedule a time to meet with you at your facility. It will be necessary for you to come to one of the fall/winter workshops to get fully oriented; however, this will give you a significant head start in the program Mark your Calendars!! MSU / MTF TURFGRASS FIELD DAY is Tuesday, Au- gust 13,2002. Send in your forms today. See you there! News from MSU cont’ Fairy Ring - Too Much Partying on Your Greens? Dr. Kevin Frank MSU - Crop and Soil Sciences Western Views Are you lucky enough to have fairy rings in your turf this year? Okay for those of you who now think I have completely lost my mind take note, at one time these dark green circles of grass that sometimes have mushrooms associated with them were thought to be good luck. Folk lore had it that the worn circle of grass with accompanying dark ring was caused by the little people or “fairies” dancing on the grass. In Germany they are called “Hexen Rings” and are attributed to witches dancing and in France they are called “Ronds de Sorcieres” and legend has it that toads with bulging eyes appear inside the magic circle. Whatever explanation that has been given to the appearance of fairy rings, 1 would bet that most superinten­ dents don’t view fairy rings as a sign of a great party by fairies on the greens. So what causes these fairy rings? Fairy rings are caused by soil inhabiting fungi of the species Basidiomycetes or what could commonly be referred to as the mushroom group of fungi. The fungi that cause fairy ring are further classified into two groups: edaphic fungi which primarily colonize the soil and lectophilic fungi which colonize thatch and leaf litter. Edaphic fungi most commonly cause fairy ring observed in higher cut turf while lectophilic cause what occurs on putting greens. Identification of fairy rings is usually rather simple. Fairy rings are commonly identified by a ring of dark green grass. The diameter of the faiiy ring may be only several inches or it could up to 50 feet. The ring may often display three differ­ ent zones. The inner zone of the ring is characterized by lush, green growth. The middle zone of the ring may look dead or dying, usually looks like drought stress. The outer zone may have some stimulated growth. Not all of these zones may be apparent at all times. The fungi that cause fairy ring do not really attack the turf directly but rather it is the result of the fungi’s growth and me­ tabolism that results in the damage/symptoms we see on greens. The dark green rings of growth observed are the result of nitrogen being released by the fungi as they break down organic matter in the soil. The zone of dead or dying turf occurs when the fungal mycelium in the soil coats the sand and soil particles with a hydrophobic material thereby resulting in drought stress on the plant. In addition the mycelium may physically hinder turfgrass root growth and limit the roots abil­ ity to acquire nutrients and water. Some fungi that cause fairy ring may also produce hydrogen cyanide which is toxic to plant roots. As you can see there are many different ways in which the turf can be damaged by fairy ring. Now for the tough part, how do we try to control fairy ring or at least suppress the symptoms? In most cases suppression of symptoms is the route that most will take in trying to manage fairy ring. If the problem you’re dealing with is mainly the cosmetic concern of covering up the dark rings, fertilizer applications can be used to mask the symptoms. If you’re seeing the rings die out and look drought stressed core aeration of the affected area and applying wetting agents may help the turf recover. If you are going to core aeify make sure to extend the aerification to at least 2 feet outside of the current ring to ensure you are modifying the entire area that may be affected. Finally, two fungicides, flutolani! (ProStar 70WP) and azoxystrobin (Heritage) are labeled for control of fairy ring. Research results on the effectiveness of these treatments appears to be mixed, not surprising considering the wide diversity of fungi that may cause faiiy ring. Usually wetting agents will be applied with the fungicides to ensure that the product penetrates to the fungal mycelium where it needs to get to be effective. Please remember to read and follow all label directions when applying fungicides. Now' for the more radical approaches in dealing with fairy ring: antagonism and eradication. I doubt many, if any at all, would attempt these procedures to deal with fairy ring. There is a natural antagonism known to exist among fairy ring fungi that prevents the rings from competing with each other. Tactics to use this antagonism include stripping the turf from the area and rototilling the soil in several directions to mix the fungi and therefore prevent fairy ring development. The final remedy would be complete excavation of the rootzone to a 12 inch depth and replacement with a new rootzone mix. I don’t think any of us are really sure why we may see more fairy ring develop in some years than others. Some may point to the cool, wet weather we had this spring but I’ve also observed fairy ring in other regions of the country experiencing a very dry year. It appears those fairies like to party all over the place, whether it’s wet or diy. News from MSU cont’ Western Views What is Extension? Dr. Kevin Frank MSU Crop and Soil Sciences Okay don’t be bashful now, how many of you when I say I have an extension appointment or am a Turfgrass Extension Specialist really know what it means or what I do. Extension covers a broad range of activities. I am involved in coordinating our summer turfgrass field days and the Michigan Turfgrass Con­ ference. Those activities are classified as traditional extension programming. However, there is a whole other arena of basic service to all of the turf professionals in the state that I, along with my colleagues on the turf team provide. What I’m talking about here can be as simple as answering the phone or responding to email questions about anything in the turf world. As I always tell people, if I don’t know the answer there’s bound to be someone on the turf team who does that I can direct you to or find out the answer from. In addition to the simple phone and email queries, I am also available to travel to your site and help you try and diagnose what might be ailing your turf or simply visit about turf management practices. Granted, with all of the golf courses in Michigan it’s impossible to visit all of you or always be available for site visits, but with enough notice I’ll certainly do my best to make it. One of my favorite parts of my job is simply learning from you in the field, what is working, what isn’t, this often leads to ideas for research projects. Also, don’t hesitate to look to us for support if you’re struggling with explaining to the membership/green committee/ownership why the turf might suffer a little when it’s 95 and humid for 2 weeks in August. A site visit followed up by a letter explaining some causes of the problem might help smooth things over in some situations. On a local basis don’t forget about your local county extension agents who are in your communities and ready to assist you with problems as they arise. For a complete listing of county extension agents you can visit www. msue. msu.edu/msue/ctventpg/ or look in your phone book in the Government section under MSU Extension. What about providing information on a regular basis? One of the best sources for keeping up to date on turf management recommendations and what’s going on in the world or trees, insects, shrubs, flowers, and the long range weather outlook is to check out the Landscape Crop Advisory Team Alert Newsletter. The CAT is published weekly throughout most of the summer and biweekly in the spring and late summer. The CAT is available as a printed copy or via the web at www.turf.msu.edu. click on “This Week in Turf”. Diagnostic Services at Michigan State University is another valuable resource that is available for diagnos­ ing that wacky weed, insidious insect, or pesky pathogen. For a nominal fee the experts in the Diagnostics lab will identify the pest that’s giving you problems. For more information on Diagnostic Services please call (517) 355-4536 or visit their website at www.cips.msu.edu/diagnostics/. In addition to the MSU Diagnostic Services, Dr. Joe Vargas’ lab provides diagnostic services for identify­ ing turfgrass disease pathogens for a small fee. Please contact the lab at 517-353-9082 for additional infor­ mation. If you have questions about any of the services discussed in this article or any other extension questions feel free to contact me at any time either by phone at (517) 432-9461 or email frankk@msu.edu. W estern Views Connect with extension and your peers during the Dog Days of Summer!! Editor s Note: John Fulling During these days of intense heat stress to your golf course you might find yourself focusing so hard on the survival of your turf that you forget some of the resources available that may help you get through. The two resources that I find help me the most are the extension services of MSU and my peers within this association. Dr. Kevin Frank wrote a nice reminder of the services available to the entire turf industry in Michigan. I would urge you to take ad­ vantage of them for any agronomic issue you may be facing. The turf team at MSU is aware of the current issues facing golf course superintendents all over Michigan and around the country. They can answer any question you might have about agro­ nomics, and they do it free of charge. It’s a powerful tool. Equally important is our sanity during the stress of the summer season. O urs is a very unique profession. Sometimes the only people that are able to relate to what we are going through...is us. Stay in contact with your peers. Discuss problems you face in all aspects of your operation. More than likely the guy down the street is going through exactly the same problem you are. It helps to know that we are not alone when we face what seems to be impossible challenges. Solutions come through discus­ sion and brain storming, knowing where to go to find answers, and being persistent. Building peer relationships was the founda­ tion of our association when it began in 1938 and remains so today. The W M G C S A has 300 members. None alone has seen every problem. Together, how­ ever, there is no problem out there that cannot be solved. Call, e-mail, or visit your peers either down the road or across the state. Discuss issues and ideas, help some­ one through a difficult time, or let them help you. In the end, everyone wins. Have a safe and healthy second half of the sea­ son! And...Call me. I definitely need Help! A V V E K T I S E K S ... Page 7 Please patronize our advertisers as they have made this newsletter possible. Aventis Environmental Science.................... ((616) 844-7551 Boylan Sales............................................ (616) 685-6828 Commercial Environmental Turf Services...... (800) 2 3 1 -5296 Custom Aerification Services, Inc................. (800) 824-3956 Ellis Sales, Inc.......................................... (800)962-4128 J. Mollema & Sons.................................... (800) 224-5328 Parmenter & Andre.................................. (616) 458-1546 Peerless Midwest..................................... (219)254-9050 Professional Lake Management.................... (800) 382-4434 Rhino Seed & Landscape Supply................... (800) 482-3130 Spartan Distributors................................. (6 | 887-7301 Turf Services........................................... (6 16) 842-4975 Michigan State Seed Solutions..................... (800) 647-8873 T riT u rf................................................. (800)636-7039 Tri Turf Soils, Inc..................................... (888)616-7806 Turfgrass, Inc.......................................... (800) 521-8873 Green & Grow, Inc................................... (810) 323-9875 Weingartz.............................................. (616) 696-2913 Simplot Partners...................................... (877) 593-8873 Helena................................................... (517)699-4852 Prosource O n e ........................................ (6 16) 657-1949 John Deere Landscapes............................. (616) 450-0225 Turf Chemical, Inc.................................... (517) 725.7145 Model First Aid & Safety............................. (800) 968-6491 Thielen Turf Irrigation, Inc......................... (989) 773-3409 Syngenta Professional Products.................... (616) 682-0108 Valley Turf, Inc........................................ (616) 532-2885 Lebanon Turf Products.............................. (248) 673-7146 United Horticultural Supply....................... (616) 430-1065 x^tTEA(0^ GCSAA EDUCATION Brought to you by the Western Michigan G C SA W estern M ichigan G olf C ourse Superintendents A ssociation Fo unded 1938 Annual Bluegrass Management Facilitated by: Dr. Frank Rossi, Assistant Professor Cornell University Tuesday, October 22,2002 8:00 am— 5:00 pm The Highlands Golf Club Grand Rapids, Michigan Continuing Education Units: 0.7 W M G C S A M em ber Fee: $60.00 G CSA A Member Fee: $130.00 Non-member Fee: $195.00 Description Annual bluegrass is a highly invasive species that has colonized golf courses throughout the world. Effective maintenance or reduction programs rely on a thorough understanding of the biology and ecology and thoughtful integration into management programs. This seminar is designed to present the latest thinking on developing successful maintenance and control programs for putting greens and fairway turf. Reduced fee is limited to W M G C S A M em bers Only!! ,n Partnership with: C u t along this line and send with payment JACOBSEN CUSHIVIAIM RYAN TEXTRON Gol*', T u r f & Spc»ci.=»lty P r o d u c t s Annual Bluegrass Management REGISTRATION: Tuesday October 22, 2002 Name: Club Name: W M G C S A Member x FEE: Make checks payable to WMGCSA Send to: W M G C S A — 8585 W inter Forest— Rockford, Ml 4 9 3 4 1 Total $$ _$ $ $ $ E-Mail Database!!! Classified Ads! W e’re still building our member e-mail database. If I do not have your e-mail, and you’d know it if I did, please send it to me at: kccjfull@voyager.net or westmigcsa@hotmail.com Classified Ads! Got something to sell? List it here for free. Just send a list of the item(s) with your asking price to me at the address below, or e-mail me a list at: kccjfiill@voyager.net Used equipment for sale: Sunnybrook CC: Jason Schwieters (616) 667-1055 • • • • (2) Redmax BCV2500 string trimmers <20 hrs ' 81 Toro GM 3 triplex runs good... *86 Toro GM 300 triplex 6,200 hrs... '82 Toro HTMlfor parts... $225 $300 $750 Free Pine River CC: Aaron Cochril (989)463-4611 • Ryan Greensaire 24s... • Metermatic walk behind topdresser... « Jacobsen blitzer parts... Best Offer Best Offer Best Offer CC of Jackson: Bill Madigan (517) 787-0650 ® 121 yellow handle Par-aide Bunker rakes... $3 each VZSQP flAi ‘9NISNV1 '3 Auvuan ooi o jn i ssv a o d u m IAIVH9NIX000 313d 96t7 O Q W Q3XIIAI************************** UU0D||ELU301)@ESdS!UJJS3M 8006 fr u oä ip w ‘oozouvo/oy 3auq puo^oQ (,OSi uoßDipossy siuapuaiuua J/oj p;yy 6006k Sd3HVW N V D IH D IN 3>ivn aivd 3Dvisod s n Q d V Q N V lS Q 31dO S3dd SM 3 l/\ U J 3 4.S 3 / ^ »£6i NdUVLXKb'V UXJWiiLNllOii^ /K avr) iTIOQ NVOOt HJCUÖ/^