The Following United States Golf Association Article first appeared in the USGA Green Section Record. This is the second in a 4 part series.

 

Keeping A Golf Course Looking Pristine Commences With Proper Etiquette

Ball MarksFew aspects of etiquette generate more discussion than the fixing of ball marks (at least now that most courses no longer allow spiked shoes) and even superintendents disagree on the best method of ball mark repair.
The inability to agree on a single best method stems from the fact that ball marks are not all the same. On soft greens, a shot that descends from a very steep angle produces a deep, almost circular ball mark. On the same green, a shot that comes in low and hard will produce an elongated tearing of the green, and it often removes a plug of grass and soil. Ball marks on soft greens take time to repair properly.

Compacted soil needs to be lifted gently and the raised sides of the ball mark need to be gently pushed back toward the center. The elongated mark needs to be kneaded back together by pushing in from the sides, stretching the turf rather than tearing it. Replacing removed turf seldom accomplishes much so it is best to leave it out.

In contrast, very firm greens can resist ball marks so well that they can be hard to find at all. On such greens the marks will be slight indentations that require a minimum of effort to repair. These marks can be repaired with a very slight lifting to restore smoothness.

Do - Restore surface smoothness by gently pushing from the sides and, in some cases, gently lifting the compressed area.

Don't - Aggressively twist (like that so often used by pros on national television), which does more harm than good.

Why Aerify The Greens Again?

Golfers are asking me why we are aerifying the greens again next Monday, May 13th. After all, we just aerified them last month. The answer is that the greens were too soft last year. Aerification and sand topdressing is one of my best tools for firming up the greens for the upcoming season. Firmer greens lead to greens that are smoother, healthier and more consistant than softer greens.
For more information on the advantages of greens aerification and topdressing, please click on the following link to the USGA web site: USGA VIDEO

Topdressing a Green With Sand

Click on Photo to Enlarge

USGA Visit

  USGA Agronamist Pat Gross will be visiting The Villages this Monday at 10:00 AM. Everyone is invited to come down to the putting green where Pat will be available for questions.

  

Pat Gross on The Villages Putting Green

USGA Report on the Greens, Part 6

This week we look at part six of USGA agronomist, Pat Gross’ December 2010 report on the greens at the Villages. This week Pat's report addresses moisture management on the greens.                                                                                                                
     Moisture management - Given the fact that Poa annua does not respond well to drought stress, maintaining adequate moisture without overly saturating the greens is a difficult balancing act. Ongoing practices should continue to emphasis occasional deep watering of the greens throughout the summer to dilute soluble salts naturally contained in the water and flush these elements away from sensitive turf roots. It was further suggested to continue the current practice of applying soil wetting agents, which will help improve water penetration and reduce localized dry spots. The purchase of two portable moisture probes was highly recommended to monitor moisture levels in the greens, assist with daily programming the irrigation system, and training employees on proper water management techniques.

USGA Report on the Greens, Part 5

This week we look at part four of USGA agronomist, Pat Gross’ December 2010 report on the greens at the Villages. This week Pat's report addresses sand topdressing.                 
     Sand topdressing - Routine applications of sand topdressing will be a critical aspect of your program to control thatch and organic matter and enhance the firmness of the greens. A demonstration of the current light sand topdressing procedure was done during the visit, and it was suggested to increase the rate of application and continue to apply topdressing at two-week intervals. Topdressing should be suspended when temperatures exceed 90° F. or after several days of heavy frost when there is very little growth evident on the greens. Light topdressing can be incorporated with practices such as vertical mowing, spiking, and venting of the greens to help incorporate the sand into the surface.

USGA Report on the Greens, Part Four

This week we look at part four of USGA agronomist, Pat Gross’ December 2010 report on the greens at the Villages. This week Pat's report starts getting to the real issue: Improving the firmness of the greens.

ENHANCING FIRMNESS

Cultivation - Core aeration and surface cultivation of the greens should be a primary focus of your ongoing management programs as a method to physically remove excess thatch and organic matter. The following recommendations were made during the visit regarding recommended cultivation programs for the coming year:

Continue with the current program of deep aeration during the month of April using ?-inch to ¾-inch diameter tines followed by sand topdressing to fill the holes completely to the surface.

As part of the April treatment, consider testing the Graden™ Sand Injection machine, which is a heavy-duty vertical mowing machine that removes thatch and injects sand directly into the grooves. You may wish to evaluate this treatment on a portion of the practice putting green and observe the impact on surface firmness and the time necessary for turf recovery. The combination of aeration and sand injection was completed in September at Torrey Pines Golf Course, and the protocol for this operation is attached to this report as a further reference.

Continue the current practice of venting the greens at monthly intervals from May through September. This can be done by using small diameter 1/4-inch solid tines, or a slicing machine, such as the PlanetAir™.

Although most courses schedule core aeration and sand topdressing in the fall, this practice has been suspended for many years at the Villages due to concerns regarding rapid blight disease. As an alternative, you may wish to evaluate the DryJect™ as an option for aerating the greens in late September. This is a contract service using a specialized machine that injects a slurry of sand and water into the greens under high pressure. Several superintendents in the San Francisco Bay area have reported good results with this procedure and slightly less time for turf recovery.

USGA Report, Part Three

This week we look at part three of USGA agronomist, Pat Gross’ December 2010 report on the greens at the Villages. This week Pat discusses disease and pest susceptibility.   Disease and pest susceptibility: Although Poa annua is susceptible to various fungal diseases, the maintenance staff has done a good job of making preventive fungicide applications to sustain healthy turf growth throughout the year. Of particular concern is the susceptibility of the greens to rapid blight disease, which has caused significant turf loss at the Villages in previous years. This disease is most damaging in late summer when soluble salt levels are relatively high in the greens and the turf is under high temperature and moisture stress. Preventive management programs are essential for controlling this disease and practices should include:
- Deep watering of the greens at regular intervals to dilute and flush salts away from sensitive turf roots.
- Suspending abrasive turf management practices in the fall, such as aeration, vertical mowing, and sand topdressing.
- Applying preventive fungicides at recommended label rates.

As you can see, the practices necessary to prevent and control rapid blight disease are likely to contribute to softer surface conditions late in the year.

Part Two of Pat Gross's Report

This week we look at part two of USGA agronomist, Pat Gross’s report on the greens at the Villages. This week Pat discusses thatch and organic matter.

Thatch and organic matter - The dense layer of thatch and organic matter in the top ½-inch of the soil profile is primarily responsible for soft surface conditions. The thatch layer acts as a sponge that retains moisture and contributes to deep ball mark scars and foot printing on the greens. Diluting the thatch and organic matter is a matter of making slight adjustments to your aeration and topdressing program over the coming year, which will help to incorporate more sand into the surface of the greens.

Next week: Disease and pest susceptibility.                                                              

Pat Gross from the USGA visits The Villages GCC

On December 9th, 2010, Pat Gross with the USGA Green Section came to the Villages to review the status of the greens. I will be reprinting his report in installments. This first installment includes an introduction and some discussion on the existing soil and drainage conditions of the greens.
The following report summarizes the discussions and recommendations made during the Turf Advisory Service visit on December 9, 2010.
It was a pleasure to return to The Villages Golf & Country Club to discuss golf course maintenance issues on behalf of the USGA Green Section. The focus of the visit was to review the status of the greens with an emphasis on options to improve surface firmness. Specific topics covered in this report include:

1. Health and status of greens

2. Enhancing firmness

3. Do the greens need to be rebuilt?

Soil and drainage - The greens displayed healthy turf growth on the day of the visit and it was good to hear that the greens remained relatively healthy throughout the entire year. Soil profile samples were taken on the practice putting green and No. 9 green to evaluate root growth, the consistency of the soil mix, and the presence of any restrictive layers. The top seven inches of the greens displayed a relatively uniform sand mixture with a layer of organic matter in the top 1/2 inch of the profile. An amended loamy sand material was evident below the seven-inch depth, which appears to be remnants of the original construction mix. Although the difference in soil type at the bottom of the sample is a cause for concern, it was reported that the greens drain well following rain events or heavy irrigation cycles. Aggressive programs for deep aeration and topdressing over the past several years have helped to incorporate more sand into the surface of the greens and maintain acceptable drainage properties. Although the soil profile is not ideal, the greens appear to be sustainable as long as conservative management programs for mowing, disease control, and the use of potable water for irrigation remain in place.

Next week: Thatch and organic matter