Coharie Country Club

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1 AGRONOMY REPORT Bill Anderson, CGCS Agronomist Date of Visit: March 16, 2016 The is an educational organization founded in 1909 to promote and protect the game of golf in the Carolinas by providing competitions, education, support and benefits to golfers. The CGA is the second largest golf association in the country with 685 member clubs represented by over 150,000 individuals. With its rich legacy, championship traditions and commitment to the future of the game, the CGA has been a steward of golf in the Carolinas for over one hundred years. The activities and services of the are governed by an Executive Committee consisting of Carolinas golfers who wish to serve the game and the association through service.

2 To: Randy Folger, Golf Course Superintendent Fr: Bill Anderson, CGCS Agronomist Re: Site visit on March 16, 2016 Dear Randy, On behalf of the, we thank you for the opportunity to assist in your golf course maintenance and overall improvement program. I would like to say thank you to Board of Directors member, Randy Barefoot; PGA Professional Dickie Walters and you for the return visit and great hospitality. Our site visit consisted of a morning tour of numerous golf holes with stops to discuss specific issues that the Club wished to address. The overall theme of the day was the desire to develop a plan of action for the overall improvement of the course. With the basic agronomic program on very sound footing, it is Randy s wish to move the overall look, conditions and playability to a higher level. Listed below are the topics and my suggestions for the club to consider on the areas we covered in order: Golf Course Topics of Interest: 1. Weed Control Fairways and Roughs 2. Greens Condition, Weed and Disease Control 3. Shade and Trees 4. Re Grassing of Greens Project 5. Fairway Fertility Program 6. Conclusion 2

3 1. Weed Control on Fairways and Roughs Weed control at many courses in the southeast has been difficult this spring. With the great amount of rainfall in November and December of 2015 there has been an abundance of weeds this spring. This, coupled with poor spraying conditions of either too wet for heavy equipment or too cold for the spray equipment to function-leaves many superintendents catching up their programs to control winter weeds. m Randy s situation of still needing to spray several acres of roughs for weed control is not unique. This can be accomplished in the next few days with no long-term effects. Your current use of the Negate product is a good choice, and should control all the weeds in the desired Bermuda grass this spring. Beginning early fall I suggest you use Simazine at 1qt./acre for broad leaf and Poa annua control in all fairways and rough areas. Follow up in February/March of 2017 with either Round up -Pro 4L at 3/4 pt./acre or Kerb 50W 2-3 lbs./acre or Revolver.19L 8.8 to 27 oz./acre herbicide on a rotating annual basis to eliminate any development of resistant weeds. In late February, apply your pre-emergent herbicide of choice for summer weed control of crab grass and goose grass. If you can afford Ronstar, it is my first choice. Stay with the program application amounts and do this punch sequence to manage the weed population on your course. 2. Greens Conditions: Weed and Disease Control On the day of my visit the greens appeared to be very healthy and in good condition coming out of winter dormancy. The current program of not over seeding, instead using green pigments through the winter is working well. Several greens have some Poa annua contamination. This weed was not controlled by the use of either Round up or Revolver. This indicates the presence of a chemical resistance that has developed at your course to these herbicides. 3

4 The greens have been sprayed with a different herbicide called Kerb which has a different mode of action. On the day of my visit it appears to be working. Next year I suggest you use Kerb again and plan on alternating between the three herbicide choices every two to three years. All have different mode of actions and this will help keep resistance from developing. Spring Dead Spot is a common disease of Bermuda grass putting greens and there are several greens that appear to have a small amount of damage. The excess rain last fall with warmer weather decreased the fungicide control that was applied twice last fall. Consequently there has been an increase of this disease to putting greens in our area. This is unfortunate, but the program in place is a normal procedure for most all courses. The damage is slight, and they will recover rapidly with regular fertilizer applications and warm weather. The Nitrogen source should be ammonium sulfate, as it will aid in lowering soil ph of the soil and help reduce this disease incidence. In discussions with Dr. Jim Kerns, Plant Pathologist at NCSU, I suggest you use Velista at.7 oz./ M in September. Then again in October for Spring Dead Spot control. Research shows this to be the best product on the market now. I also suggest you keep enough material on-hand for a third application in December if conditions are similar to 2015 with increased chemical degradation due to wet/warm weather conditions. 3. Shade and Trees As we continued the tour, we discussed more shade issues on numerous sites that include greens, tees and fairways. Since the original construction, trees continued to grow, and the golf corridors continue to shrink. Tree Removal The only solution is a long term, comprehensive tree removal and thinning program. Over the years, additional trees have been planted, producing shade, and they are now having a negative effect on the turf. Stop the tree planting program. The surrounding turf and the overall look of most holes will be improved if trees are removed and more sunlight is available for the Bermuda grass turf. Bermuda grass needs 8 to 10 hours of sunlight per day during the growing season. This tree shade during the winter months also creates colder soil temperatures for longer periods of time, and increases your risk of winterkill. 4

5 The trees blocking the morning sun rising in the east are associated with many of the winterkill and weak turf areas. As we toured, numerous areas will benefit from tree removal for better turf conditions. A program of tree removal is messy, costly, time consuming, but necessary for the long term improvement of the turf. I suggest you start with a landing area that has major shade issues. Remove select trees and use the improvement to help sell additional tree removal to your membership. Take before and after pictures. You will find the improvement to be notably positive. The turf will be healthier and the trees chosen to remain, stand tall and will be healthier too. 4. Fairway Fertility Program The recovery of the herbicide damaged areas of the past with your extensive sodding program is great news. It is good to see the sod patches well-established and growing. I suggest you add one or two additional fairway fertilizer applications throughout the prime growing season to produce a denser turf. I suggest 1/2 lb. N per 1000 sq. ft. using urea, ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate. Apply to dry turf and water in that night to avoid any fertilizer burns. I realize you have a very limited crew and mowing is a concern. So go slow. See if the increased turf growth is manageable with your maintenance operation. 5. Long Term: Greens Improvement Plan Plans should be started now for the eventual re-grassing of the greens. The decision to switch to an Ultra Dwarf Bermuda is a wise one. In my opinion, any of the four sprigged Bermuda grasses: TiffEagle, MiniVerda, Champion and Sunday would all work well for your club. Available turf choices and sod farms: 1. MiniVerde - Modern Turf 2. Champion - Champion Turf Farms 3. TifEagle - New Life Turf 4. Sunday - Modern Turf All of these grasses may be planted into your existing greens using the no-till method of planting, with limited disruption to the existing surfaces. Closing the course, down time is 8-12 weeks and the cost is reasonable. I suggest your club contact these suppliers and secure costs of installation and a list of near-by clubs to visit and play, that have gone through this process. 5

6 CONCLUSION It was a pleasure to visit and spend the day with you. I hope you find the report useful as you improve the care and conditions on your course. Again, please call me at if you have any questions. I hope to return soon, as I look forward to a continuing working arrangement with your club. Sincerely, Bill Anderson Bill Anderson, CGCS Agronomist bill.anderson@carolinasgolf.org The use of brand names or service providers does not imply endorsement of the products/providers or criticism of similar ones not mentioned, but are used herein for convenience only. Mention of a proprietary product or service provider does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the consultant. A SAFETY Training Offer from the is offering online safety training sessions for a reduced member price from McCord Golf Services. Many golf courses overlook the importance of safety programs and safety training for their employees. I recommend you ask your crew, everyday, if they have any safety concerns and remind them to work safely today. In addition to daily reminders to be safe, you should hold a monthly safety training meeting. Not only are you required by OSHA laws to provide a safe workplace but studies show safety programs can reduce employer costs by reducing accidents, injuries, insurance costs, lost work hours, and improving productivity and morale. The CGA has partnered with McCord Golf Services and Safety to provide a series of safety training videos at a reduced subscription price of $250 a year. For more information on these safety training videos, or to subscribe, go to and use the discount code CGAmember at checkout. 6