Green conditions and other turf concerns

Our greens have faced some difficult conditions over the last couple of weeks with what appears to be more to come in regards to hot weather.  We have gone two weeks without rain which good good during high heat because we can control the amount of water to our greens.  However, our greens have become consistently inconsistent throughout the profile.  There is plenty of moisture in the surface area but we are seeing less than adequate levels in the 3-4" area of the profile which makes for difficult management of our putting surfaces.  As mentioned in last weeks post, we are using all tactics to help get us through this most stressful period.  

  

11th green is definitely struggling with wet and dry issues.  Normally one of our wettest greens, we have struggled to get its moisture where it needs to be.

7th green with some stress but holding its own.

Our collars have taking a beating over the last week.  The green surrounds are beginning to pull water from these areas and we have reduced inputs to the green so there is less availability from these areas.  We have pounded them with water from our hoses but to no avail in some cases.  Hopefully, some of the turf has just gone dormant and is still alive in the crowns and will rejuvenate during some more normal weather.  Some areas that have taken the most beating have been the practice green, left side #16 and the front of #3.  All trouble spots from the past.

Our Zoysia/Bermuda tees are fantastic and some of our cool season tees are beginning their yearly struggle.  Drought stress or inadequate water distribution, disease and conditions just too hot for cool season tees(mixtures of poa, bent, rye and bluegrass) are just some of the issues we are facing.  Removal of a few trees, raising the teeing level and or modifying locations of these tees would be something that should take place in the near future.  Less water, no regular fungicide applications and great summer conditions are more the reason to remove these type of tees from the property.  We have enough space for the zoysia to survive the amount of play that we have on a yearly basis.  The first 20-30' of this tee is beautiful zoysia because it received enough sunlight to adequately grow a warm season grass.

Our cool season fescue green surrounds are holding their own right now.  They are stressed but doing okay.

The back of 10 green surround is a great example of how our fescue program is working.  You can see the line between the good fescue turf on the left side and the junk poa, bluegrass turf on the right.  This will be replaced in the future to improve the overall look and playability of this area.

The Drive to Sustainability

The philanthropic arm of the GCSAA(Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America), The Environmental Institute for Golf is leading a collaborative industry-wide effort toward a sustainable approach to golf facility management.

"Sustainability is about ensuring profitable businesses while making decisions that are in the long-term interest of the environment and communities.  The focus is on continual improvement by professionally managing and conserving resources and inputs, and reducing waste while providing playing conditions that satisfy golfers of today and tomorrow". 

Throughout the years, the industry has been trying to move toward a more sustainable style golf course.  More facilities have been designed with a natural British Isles design,i.e. Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits.  Of course, climates along the coast of Oregon or Wisconsin are much different than attempting to grow grass in St. Louis.  Audubon International out of the State of New York developed the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary program for golf courses in which our club is a member.  This program helps superintendents in identifying ways they could improve the environment of their golf course without negatively impacting playability.

Turgrasses have been developed that resist disease, insects and can withstand higher and lower temperatures.  Plant protectants have been invented that or more environmentally friendly.  More slow release and or organic fertilizers are being utilized which have less impacts on drinking water.  Equipment has been improved to reduce stress in turf by reducing the foot print weight of the machine and improving the actual cutting of the turf plant blade.  Best Management practices have been developed by superintendents.  Superintendents are better educated and more dedicated to keeping the environment in the forefront of our thinking when making decisions.   

At Glen Echo, our efforts in sustainability are in high gear at this time.  We are provided with great resources by our membership but these resources are not infinite.  It is very important that we develop and implement programs to improve our resource utilization and attempt to have less impacts on the living organism that we manage.   

An important resource that we manage is the water that we apply on the golf course.  The system that was installed in 2007 is state of the art and is much more efficient in energy usage than what was in place for many years.  Our water storage lakes are not large in size which requires us to purchase city water during the months of the summer.  When our system is in full operation, we have about 2-3 days supply in our lake before it must be recharged by city water.  Our city water is great for drinking but is not of good quality to apply to turfgrass.  The water has a high Ph and bicarbonates which effect the chemical structure of our soil in which the turf grows.  The soil acts as a storage bank and becomes out of balance with the city water and will not release the proper nutrients to the root systems of our turf.  To offset the water quality, we must inject chemicals into our water which balances the water and helps the soil stay more balanced.  It is important that we utilize our water wisely to reduce the amount of water that we purchase.  Rain water or water that is held in our lakes has a tendency to be more in balance. 

All research points to a slightly firmer and drier golf course is healthier and more consistent.    

The largest resource that we manage is the labor on our golf course.  Managing our staff can also help in the sustainability efforts.  Increasing job responsibilities, proper scheduling, timely applications of PGR's(Plant growth regulators), fertilization, and other inputs to the turf can improve the health of our plants and reduce the frequency of other inputs such as mowing.  The managment of green complexes including but not limited to aeration, topdressing, grooming, and rolling can lead to improved health, less inputs and better playability. 

Reduction in energy consumption including utilizing waste kitchen oil to power our diesel machines, wood to heat our maintenance building, more efficient light bulbs, and an overall reduction in gas/diesel consumption of 30% over the last couple of years has helped to streamline our department.

As you can see, sustainability is alive and well at Glen Echo.  

I've attached below, a link to the Enviromental Institute for Golf's sustainability website.

Environmental Institute for Golf's "Drive to Sustainability"