Anthracnose

Anthracnose is a fungal disease that especially attacks Poa annua and creeping bentgrass in turf, but it also attacks other crops. It was believed that the pathogen causing disease in turf species was the same pathogen that caused disease in other crop, such as corn. However research by J.A Crouch, B.B. Clarke and B.I. Hillman in 2006, showed the pathogen causing the disease in cool-season turf was a different species. Research using DNA analysis showed that even the species attacking bentgrass and Poa annua are different from each other, which could mean that if you have an attack of anthracnose in plants other than turf, those are will not cause problems on the turf (1).

Symptoms

On Poa annua dying or senescing leaves will show yellow or orange spots that will coalesce and eventually turn the entire leaf yellow or orange. Acervuli, the reproductive structure, can be seen through a microscope and is a distinct feature to identify the pathogen as anthracnose.

As the disease progresses from the foliar stage to infect the stem (basal rot), it means the end for the infected plant. Once the disease reaches the crown the plant dies.

Managing Anthracnose

As with most diseases there is no miracle drug, no “octopus saliva”, that gives total control at all times. Therefore o a combination of approaches must be used to get the best results. These approaches include

• Chemical control

• Cultural practices

Chemical control

In chemical control there are two ways of going about it: preventive and curative control. According to Murphy etal. preventive control has proven more effective than curative. When to apply the preventive spray of fungicides is not yet known, but Murphy etal. recommends to start the preventive program a month before a potential outbreak of the disease. Making predictions is a tricky thing, especially about the future, which is why good records of previous year’s conditions on the golf course are crucial.

Using chemicals comes with its downsides. One of them is the possibility that the strand of pathogen will develop resistance to the fungicide. To avoid that, or at least keep the resistance off for as long as possible, it’s recommended that you use different fungicides and fungicides with different modes of action.

Fungicide resistance develops when using a single fungicide that does not kill off all the fungi. The surviving organisms, that for some reason had a genetic mutation that protected them from the fungicides, will reproduce and pass down the genetic mutation. Using the same fungicide over and over increases the percentage of the resistant organisms and there by result in less and less control with the fungicide. When the resistant strand has finally taken over the population you have no control with the fungicide and you have a resistant population.

Cultural Practices:

The members expect fast rolling greens, so the superintendent does all he can to produce that. This is accomplished by, keeping the fertility low to keep the grass from growing and by mowing the greens at very low heights and therefore the turf gets stressed. Stressed or weakened plants that are using all there photosynthates to just keep alive are susceptible to attack from pathogens. Poa annuais particularly affected because it produces seedheads under extremely low mowing heights. The seedhead production takes up a lot of the photosynthates produced by the leaf tissue.

Mowing

Research in New Jersey showed that a slight increase of mowing height by 0.015 inches reduced the severity of the attack (1). A double cut produced the same green speed as the lower mowing height. Alternating with rolling and double cutting showed the same results; less disease.

Topdressing

Diluting the thatch with topdressing creates better growth environment for the plant and the topdressing helps protect the crown. All this helps strengthen the plant and thereby make it healthier and better equipped to fight off the invading pathogen. Light and frequent (14 days apart) topdressing showed better results than heavier topdressing put out less frequently.



(1) Murphy, James; Wong, Frank; Tredway, Lane; Crouch, Jo Anne; Inguagiato, John; Clarke, Bruce; Hsiang, Tom; Rossi, Frank. 2008. Golf Course Management. August. 76(8): p. 93-104.

Review of a turf blog

Mr. Robbie Commens’ turf blog is from Australia and is part advice for home owners on turf and advertisement for the sod producing company, Coastal Turf.

Mr. Commens has a Bachelor degree in Applied Science and Agronomy from the University of Queensland in Australia.

Articles on the blog include subjects about

• Lawn grub control.

Offers a link to a product called “RICHGRO Lawn Beetle and Grub Killa”, that is a good product used to control of lawn beetles.

• How to lay turf.

This article offers tips on how to prepare the site that is to be sodded. Tips include measuring the site to order the correct amount of sod, how to handle and protect the topsoil, laying the sod and finally how to help the newly laid sod in its establishment period.

• How turf handles the summer heat



Mr. Commens gives his customers advice on how to get a successful turf, from site preparation and laying the turf to post installation. To further helps his customers decide on a turf, there is a table with environmental conditions associated with a matching turf, to help choose appropriate turf species for the home lawn.



Coastal Turf:

Coastal Turf was established in 1993 and is one of 152 sod farming companies in Queensland, only 2nd to the 155 sod farmers in New South Wales. It’s estimated that sod farming in Queensland takes up 2520 hectares. The size of Queensland itself is 1.85 million km2 or 457 million acres.

Coastal Turf produces a variety of sods with species such as

• Queensland Blue Couch (Digitaria didactyla)

• Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon) called “Wintergreen” in Australia

• Soft Leaf Buffalo Grass (Stenotaprum secundatum)

• Palmetto Buffalo (Stenotaprum secundatum spp)

• Sweet Smother Grass (Dactyloctenium australe)

• ‘Empire’ Zoysia Grass (Zoysia japonica spp)

All grasses produced are warm season grasses, as one would expect in Queensland. On the site under “Turf Varieties”, info is listed about each species, including its texture, its tolerance to sun and shade its origin and more.



Links to follow for more info on turf in Australia;

• Turf Australia

• Turf Queensland

• Research on turf, by HAL (Horticulture Australia Limited)



Pictures are courtesy of Mr. Robbie Commens

New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation

The New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation or NETRF was found in 1996 by several groups of turf and lawn related associations. The founding associations were seven Golf Course Superintendents Associations in the New England area, Massachusetts Association of Lawn Care Professionals and the New England Sports Turf Managers Association. The goal of NERTF is to support the Turf industries in the New England area and research.

Since its start in 1996, the NERTF has hosted the annual New England Regional Turfgrass Conference. In its short lifespan this Conference has grown to be one of the largest turf trade shows in the USA. It is held over four days at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI and has more than 2300 turfgrass professionals attending the four days of activities. In 2009, the first NETRF Turf Bowl was held during the conference and students from the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Connecticut competed against each other. Winner of the 2009 NETRF Turf Bowl was team #2 from UMass.

In 2010 the New England Regional Turfgrass Conference will be held from March 1-4.

The NERTF are funding a wide variety of research in the turf industry. The main research funded has taken place at the universities in New England, such as University of Massachusetts, University of New Hampshire, University of Rhode Island and University of Connecticut. Among the many projects funded is research in to “Impact of Nozzle-Type Application Timing and Fungicide Resistance on Dollar Spot” by Dr. John Kaminski, “Evaluating Turf Tolerance In Poorly Drained Soil Covered By Ice” by Dr. John Roberts, and many more. For a list of research projects and reports funded please click on this link.

Guest speaker: Mr. Curtis Tyrrell.

Mr. Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS, made a guest appearance at the PSU turf club on the 26th of January. He talked about:

• His time at Penn State.
• His career after graduating.
• His current job as Director of Golf Course Operations at Medinah Country Club and how they are preparing for the 2012 Ryder Cup.
• Advice to students.

Penn State

Curtis Tyrrell is a graduate of the 2-year program in 1996. His former superintendent was also a graduate of Penn State and he advised him to complete the program. His trip to Penn State brought back a lot of memories about his time here. “There is a special feel about this place” he said.

After graduation.

Mr. Tyrrell´s first job after graduating was as a spray tech at PGA West in Palm Springs, CA.

His next step was Desert Mountain in Arizona, where he was the Assistant Superintendent for three years. During those three years he only had one weekend off, but it was only after leaving that he realized how much of a learning experience it had been. “If you want to learn about irrigation, go to the dessert and try and grow grass!”

After his three years at Desert Mountain he moved to Las Vegas to be the superintendent at Anthem Golf Club. Six month after starting, Troon Golf Management was brought in to oversee the management of the golf club. Mr. Tyrrell was apprehensive at first, but soon found it positive and learned a lot from Troon Golf Management about the business side of the golf industry.

An opportunity to move back east presented itself in Connecticut, where the Lake of Isles Golf Course was being built. The decision to take the job had to be made quickly, over night in fact.

Rees Jones was the architect in charge of the design of Lake of Isles. Rees Jones is also involved in bringing Medinah Country Club closer to the original design. The chance to work at a facility that is hosting the Ryder Cup in 2012, was a dream from the university days come true.

The process of getting a job like Director of Golf Course Operations involved 2 phone interviews and a written essay about philosophy on irrigation, before getting to the actual job interview.

Preparing for Ryder Cup.

Even though Medinah has the Ryder Cup coming in 2012, Mr. Tyrrell stressed that the changes being made to the course are primarily for the benefit of the members.

The goals, from Mr. Tyrrell’s point of view, are to put on the best Ryder Cup ever. If they make it through the tournament without anyone saying anything about the turf, that will be his ultimate criteria for success.

In preparation for the tournament in 2012, the maintenance team at Medinah will do a trial tournament exactly a year in advance, in 2011. During this week they will mow at the same height, start and stop at the same time of day and move about the course as if it were the Ryder Cup.

Advice to students

During Mr. Tyrrell’s speech, there was a lot of good advice being passed on.

• Goals! You have to set goals and be specific
• Be open for learning so you can adjust your goals.
•  Don’t approach the day thinking you have everything under control. That’s when you get sloppy and something unforeseen will surprise you.
• Manage up! Anticipate what is coming next. Understand what the people above you in the system are doing.
• Use your resources. Stay in touch with fellow students and the faculty

Hearing Mr. Tyrrell speak at PSU Turf Club was a great pleasure for me. It is always good to tap in to that kind of experience and soak up every bit of advice.

An interview with Ryan Marangoni.

Mr. Ryan Marangoni is 22 years old and come from Mississauga in Canada. He is a student in the 2-year Golf Course Turfgrass Management program at The Pennsylvania State University in the USA. The Penn State program, as it’s called, is famous worldwide for its very high academic standards and ability to produce successful superintendents.

Ryan got his start in the industry at Toronto Golf Club through a high school program. According to Ryan, "I he needed a job, didn´t have a car and the golf course was close by". Luckily he ejoyed the work and took the advice of his superintendent to go to Penn State to further his career. For his six month internship Ryan chose to leave his comfort zone and go to Europe to work at Sunningdale Golf Club in England. An experience he says has given him a lot of excellent knowledge not only about turfgrass management, but also in living in a new country. At Sunningdale GC, he felt he got to put his knowledge from university to practical use. Seeing a different management style, than he was used to at his previous golf course. After graduating, Ryan wants to combine two goals, which are to travel the world and gain more experience, before he feels ready to take a superintendents position. New Zealand stands out as a part of the world he would like to explore.

As Ryan is getting very close to graduating, I asked him how he feels Penn State helps to prepare students to take the leap in to working life. He told me the difference he felt from before to after university, was in his approach to challenges. "They teach us to be critical of everything, mostly ourselves". Not only of others but to own judgment in the sense that there are always more than one way to get where you want to go.

Asked about his time at Penn State, Ryan´s eye lighted up. Not only be cause of the college life and night life, but mostly, he says, of the people you are surrounded by, from the best professors and research in the industry to fellow students who are working toward a common goal. Asked about whether he would recommend the university to anyone, the response was a definite “Absolutely!”

Communication and why it’s important.

You can be the best at what you do; have the best qualifications and have the best ideas in the world. But if you can’t tell anybody, then what good is it? That’s what the importance of communication is to me.

Communication takes on many forms; written, oral, body language and even within these categories. In writing, there is a difference between writing a blog on the internet, to writing an application to a government agency. Oral communication also varies and may include handing out the daily tasks on the golf course or speaking at a conference.

I feel that in order to get a message across you must first know who you are talking to. As a golf course superintendent, you may be the boss of your department, but you still report to someone ranked higher in the company. This could either be the owner of the facility, or if it is a members own facility, the board of directors. This puts the superintendent in the middle of the hierarchy; he is reporting upwards and giving orders downwards to his crew.

Depending on the golf club, these two groups can be very different in social and cultural background. Golf club memberships often consists of a highly variable group, with different backgrounds. This ma nclude lawyers, business men or women and CEO´s or it may include construction workers, postal workers and so on. These individuals work in different working environments and have their own set of unwritten rules and communication styles with one another. They are used to communicating in different ways. If you as a superintendent want to get a message across effectively you must communicate in a way that is understandable by these various groups.

The other direction of communication is downward directed from you to your crew. The crew is different from your membership and are used to a different way of communicationIn order to get your message across effectively you must understand their way of communicating. It makes no sense to write a report for guys raking the bunkers and have them sit down and read it before getting out to 1st fairway.

Being a effective communicator can save you a lot of trouble. It is importnt to be precise to your crew about how you want things done or how the outcome of a project must be, simply by keeping people informed on how you spend their money! The members pay a due to the club, so they have a right to know how you spend their money. Keeping members informed regularly about the state of their golf course can be turned to your advantage. Educating the members, that are not professionals in turf, about how this organism they play on lives, gives them a sense of being informed and involved. You may even find some that are very interested and start to pass on your information to others. Informing them and being open might just give them a chance to shine in their 4-ball, by knowing something the other 3 partners don’t!

In the July209 edition of “Golf Course Industry”, David Tierney, a project coordinator,states this about communication: “You cannot do enough of it. Superintendents succeed by helping members understand what’s going on, what’s going to happen next, where we stand and why we are doing it.”

Interning at The Kittansett Club, MA

The extended internship, that is a part of the 2. year program, is a huge advantage to the students.

I have chosen to stay in the US and do my internship at The Kittansett Club in Massachusetts.

The Kittansett Club is situated an hour’s drive south of Boston, near the town of Marion, MA close to Cape Cod.

History
The Club was established in 1922, but it actually started 9 years earlier in 1913, when the Beverly Yacht Club purchased some land on the end of Butlers Point to build a club house, from which their members could follow the ship race on the surrounding waters.
In the financial turmoil following World War I, the yacht club decided to sell the land to a group of people that wanted to use the land for a golf club. By 1922 the Kittansett Golf Club was established and the golf course constructed. The word “Kittansett” comes from two Indian words meaning “the sea”
Situated on the point the golf club is exposed to the elements. During its life time the course has been hit by several hurricanes. Beside weather, war also left its print on the golf club. During World War II the golf club was taken over by the US Coast Guard, who set up a gun on the point, 150 yards from the clubhouse, to control Buzzards Bay. The foundation of the gun turret can still be seen.

The foundation for the gun turret.

The internship.The Penn State name opens a lot of opportunities to the students when it comes to choosing the internship. As I have only had 2 seasons experience working on golf courses, I knew I would not be going to the superliga of US golf courses and it didn´t really matter to me. I am the first Dane to study turfgrass management in the US and that alone is a huge plus on my résumé.
I chose The Kittansett Club from perspective that its geographic location is similar to Denmark, where I plan to return and build my career. Similar climate, similar grasses.
The superintendent Mr. John Kelly is a Penn State Alum and he has put together a very structured internship program, that will expose me to all aspects of managing the golf course. We are only two interns, the other guy is from Umass, and so we will both have plenty of opportunity to do get involved.

In order to make sure I get the experience I am looking for I have set up some goals and objectives for my internships. F. ex.

1. Obtain better understanding of maintaining mowers
• Adjust the height of reel mower
• Sharpen reels
• Change cutting unit on Tri-Plex
• Sharpen blades on flymo/rotary mower
• Grease machines, greens- fairway and rough mowers.

As a special project I thought it would be interesting to see if I could map out the tree lines on the golf course, especially around greens and figure out how the shade moves over these greens. Especially in areas that are prone to diseases. The use for this would be to see how the tree-line should be manipulated to ensure sunlight hits the green at the right time of day in the right time of year. F. ex in the morning to dry out the canopy as soon as possible.

some call bunker "The Beach"

Here it is the beach !!! 3rd hole, par 3

Aerial photo of the Kittansett Club is curtesy of The Kittansett Club