USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT

Transcription

1 United States Golf Association Mid-Atlantic Region Green Section 485 Baltimore Pike, Suite 203 Glen Mills, Pennsylvania (610) FAX (610) USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT CHANTILLY NATIONAL GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB Centreville, Virginia July 29, 2008 PRESENT: Libby McCullough, Committee Member Jack Marriott, Committee Member Howard Seal, Committee Member Robert Reed, Golf Professional (briefly) Mike Maines, Assistant Superintendent Joshua Alpaugh, Assistant Superintendent Rick Kent, Golf Course Superintendent Stanley Zontek, USGA Green Section

2 INTRODUCTION The following report is offered to summarize the major points of discussion during our half-day visit to Chantilly National Golf and Country Club on Tuesday, July 29, This report will include observations, suggestions and recommendations made during our tour of your facility. What a nice view. The golf course was in excellent overall condition even though some scars persist from the installation of the new irrigation system. The new bunker sand looks great and, the stand of grass on the course was excellent. The improvements made have led to a better golf course. Nicely done. As an introduction to this report, a few points should be made. The first perhaps is obvious. One of the principal reasons the golf course is better this year in comparison to last year, has been the installation of a new, modern irrigation system. While it is true that a few more weeds exist out in the roughs, some scars from the physical installation of the system remain, it is equally true that the golf course is better. A new watering system will last for decades. The new pipes may last even longer. Truly, this was an investment in the long term appearance, maintainability and playability of your golf course. Nicely done! Congratulations!!!! 2

3 Overall, the golf course was doing well. Our USGA Green Section visit was timed for the worst part of the summer stress period. The feeling has always been, if a problem will occur, you will see it now. Therefore, by properly analyzing whatever the problem is, programs and procedures can be put into place to solve them, towards everyone s goal of having a better golf course. As is traditional, part of our time was spent discussing and answering pure agronomic questions posed by the staff. Part of our time was also spent physically touring the course with everyone. As always, if any questions arise at all, know the agronomists of the USGA are just a phone call or an away. We are here to help. We really are. GREENS 1. Greens Maintenance and Management Programs. Overall, the putting greens on your golf course were performing beautifully during the worst part of the summer stress period. Part of this is due to a combination of your spray program (which may be expensive but it works) and the use of plant growth regulators, which does hold the very real promise of a long term suppression of Poa annua (annual bluegrass) in your greens, while increasing the amount of perennial creeping bentgrass in them. Yes, these are early generation bentgrasses. That said, the staff is doing a great job of maintaining good putting green health, smoothness and green speeds using a combination of these already mentioned programs and, alternating putting green mowings with putting green rollings. This definitely helps keep the grass healthier on the greens in the summer but the rolling program does seem to be adding significantly more stress and even weakening the grass on the collars of the greens. What to do? To hopefully increase the rate at which the bentgrass on your greens spread, consider increasing, be it slightly, the amount of fertilizer applied to the grass even in the summer. This is when the Poa annua is at its weakest and when, if the bentgrass spreads, it can out-compete the Poa annua. Please note we are not recommending that you heavily fertilize the greens just, a few extra tenths of a pound of nitrogen here and there to encourage the bentgrass to spread. To help manage the mechanical stress to the collars, the first step has already been taken. The staff interseeded perennial ryegrass into the collars last year. In this situation, perennial ryegrass does act as a true Nurse Grass. Agronomically, perennial ryegrass is physically the toughest and most wear resistant golf course turfgrass available to us so, if anything will grow in these areas, it will be perennial ryegrass! 3

4 The answer for better grass on your collars may be to continue interseeding perennial ryegrass into them. Note the seeder lines. Clearly, this program works. Keep at it. As for the ryegrass to use, cross-reference the NTEP trials with those ryegrass varieties that perform the best during the summer. You may sacrifice a bit of disease resistance but, these areas are sprayed anyway. You are looking for the best performing varieties in the summer, pure and simple. Note: Be sure to use single varieties and check the seed label and even ask for a seed test for such things as weed seeds, other crop, etc. By the way, if you need some help reading these tests, just send our office a copy. It may be an interesting exercise! 2. Sod. As mentioned in the introduction to this report, some scars remain from the installation of your new watering system. Some areas have grown-in well others have not. At the end of the summer, perhaps the Club should consider investing in some sod. With the coming of cooler weather this fall, consider using sod especially on those slopes that tend to continually wash. No doubt the staff is getting frustrated as well as the contractor who is responsible for regrassing these areas. Regardless of whose responsibility it is, it may be time to consider some selective sodding especially for the 4

5 all-important areas surrounding your putting greens. This is where the real eyesore and playability concerns exist. 3. Goosegrass Control. During our visit, time was spent hand weeding predominately goosegrass (silver crabgrass), from the greens. There are basically three options on how to control these weeds. They are: A. Hand Weeding. Simply spend the time and labor to physically pick out the small weeds as they germinate. It is laborious but, it can work. B. Preemerge Herbicides. If or when the goosegrass and, to a lesser extent, crabgrass reach a point where hand weeding becomes impractical, the use of a preemerge herbicide, or combination of herbicides may become an option. Yes, there are some potential side effects (an effect on roots), but this can be mitigated by applying a herbicide blend like the Ronstar/Bensulide product from Andersons, relatively early in the spring. Use the timing suggested on the label. While nothing is 100 percent effective, the goal would be to reduce the amount of goosegrass in the greens without adversely affecting the turf. This product may be your best option. C. Postemerge Applications. The basic program is to apply Acclaim-Extra at rates ranging from a low of 5 oz. of product as measured from the container per acre to a maximum of 7 oz. per acre. The key to these ultra-light applications is repetition. That is, they need to be applied every 7-days just as the crabgrass is germinating and not more than 10-days should exist between sprays. If the spray interval gets interrupted, control can be compromised. That s about it. Any questions? Just give our office a call. 4. Kyllinga Control. Another somewhat unique weed problem exists on the greens. As we toured the course, small patches of kyllinga were seen on the greens. Normally, this Noxious and Invasive weed is normally plugged-out of the greens. However, with so many small patches scattered on practically every green, no doubt, as a result of weed seed from runoff into your irrigation lake, a spot treatment using Dismiss may be your only viable option. We agree with Mr. Kent. Call the company for any suggestions they have on rates. Intuitively, it may be better to consider separate half rate applications or, separate third rate applications. You just do not want to hurt the good grass on the greens. Equally you just do not want this weed problem to become worse. It is a tough weed, that s why they are called Noxious and Invasive weeds. 5

6 5. Internal Drainage. The good questions continue. First, on topsoil, red Virginia claybased, slow-draining greens like yours, improving internal drainage, ultimately, through a combination of deep VertiDrain or Soil Reliever deep aeration, in conjunction with the careful installation of Water Wick drains, can help. Use the Water Wicks in areas that hold water and use the VertiDrain simply to improve water movement down through the putting green soils in spite of their density. In answer to your question, removing the sod strip first, installing the sand channel drain and then carefully replacing the sod in exactly the same direction and in exactly the same location, should speed the healing process and negate any possibility that the drain lines will look, different. Try using plastic to keep the sod intact. It is worth a try. The goal of all of this work is to improve internal drainage in old-style putting green soils like yours, which were built before the days of any established putting green specifications. In fact, your greens were built approximately a year before our USGA specifications for putting green construction were published. Oh well! The staff is doing a good job in managing old, slow-draining greens. Hopefully, this will make the greens perform better, especially during periods of wet weather. 6. Second Green. Note the digital image of the Pine trees immediately behind and to the right of the Second green. In the past, a few of these trees were removed simply because they were adversely affecting the ability of the staff to grow a healthy stand of grass on the green. Agronomically, the old adage is so very true, trees are bad for grass. The One Club Guideline for fairness was another topic of discussion during our visit. Are these trees located too close to the green for fairness? We think so. See report. Also, trees located close to greens or close to the edges of fairways or tees never help the grass growing in these areas. 6

7 Also, trees can be bad for golf. The following is our One Club Guideline. Basically, this guideline suggests, for fairness, a golf shot that misses the side of a fairway or the edge of a green by the equivalent of one club or less, 10 yards or feet, should not be overly penalized. Clearly, these trees are well within the One Club Guideline and, they also have surface roots which further more than justifies their eventual removal. As we toured the course, there were a handful of other situations, especially alongside fairways, where trees really are located too close to play. As these trees grow the playability and maintainability of the grass will only get worse. Fortunately, many of these trees are White Pines which definitely seem to be declining due to a condition simply called, Sudden White Pine Decline. Mr. Kent may be correct, arborists cannot find any disease, insects, viruses or any biotic problem it just could be physical including, believe it or not, air pollution. It has to be something. The fact remains, many of your White Pines are not healthy and are declining. 7. Fourteenth Green Spring. There is no more aggravating or even messy work than to try to find and then to drain a spring. It does appear that the wet spot to the left of your Fourteenth green is a spring. Try digging a trench to intercept (hopefully) the water a few yards above the wet spot. Unfortunately, you just do not know what you will find, again, until you begin digging into the soil to find where the water is seeping. We do not envy you this work, the wet spot does need to be fixed. 8. New Sand Bunkers. The new sand in your bunkers looks great. Better yet, apparently, the golfers like how it plays as much as they like how it looks! It was a good choice for a long list of reasons. Your bunker renovation work, while extensive, definitely has improved how these soimportant-to-play areas look and equally, how they play. It was money well spent. The bunker renovation project turned out beautiful! These so-importantto-play areas definitely look and play better. Again, nicely done. 7

8 FAIRWAYS 1. Regrassing Program. Over the years, there has been a gradual yet noticeable increase in the amount of creeping bentgrass in your fairways. The interseeding program and use of growth regulators has worked well. This is essentially a fairway regrassing program without a major renovation of your fairways. To date, again, the results have been good. Here s the point. As more and more creeping bentgrass becomes established in your fairways and as this creeping bentgrass begins to age, the principal concern on any bentgrass area becomes, thatch. Thatch is the Achilles Heel of bentgrass wherever it is grown. Some areas are now beginning to show signs of thatch like the approach to your Eighth green, the approach to your Third green, and (is it?) the approach to your First green. While thatch can be controlled in a number of ways, a combination of aeration and topdressing works the best. What s the bottom line? The Club needs to consider a fairway topdressing program at some point in time. Do you wait for the thatch to become a problem and then, you react by instituting such a program? Or do you become proactive and institute a fairway sand topdressing program before the problem develops? As a recommendation, it is always best to prevent a problem from occurring than having to spend all the time, effort and aggravation to fix a problem once it develops. The basic program is to find a locally available mason s sand and apply it through light, frequent applications at rates ranging from 5-7 tons per acre, monthly. Yes, skip the hottest months of the summer but try to have a goal of 5-6 fairway topdressings per year. There may be some good sand available locally but the staff would need to have a fairway topdressing machine. This would be a capital investment. The choice is yours do you begin managing your fairway thatch sooner vs. later? One final point. Please see the enclosed reprint on this program. Of special note is, after the sand begins to accumulate in your fairways, traditional (and messy) core aeration is replaced by simpler, faster and far less disruptive, solid tine aeration. Thus this program can be good for the grass and also for the golfers. 2. Tenth Fairway. How best to manage the situation along the left side of the Tenth fairway, from the edge of the intermediate cut to the water hazard, was discussed during our visit. As it stands now, we are sure everyone knows the current situation, just is not very good. Of all the options discussed, perhaps the one that makes the most sense is to try sodding a strip of bermudagrass into the area that is now a Lateral Water Hazard. The 8

9 goal is to move the hazard line back closer to the lake. The reason for bermudagrass? It is simple. Of all the grass options available to us, bermudagrass simply tolerates submergence better than most any cool-season grass especially in the summer. The various options on how to better present the area to the left of your Tenth fairway was discussed. See report. You re right, what you have now is not very good. Of the available varieties to use, try a more open type of bermudagrass like Brute, Navy Blue (if it is still available), Vamont (if still available), and T-10. This bermudagrass is only available in the South, trucking may be a challenge. Nonetheless, if that is all you can find T-10 may be a better choice than some of the thicker, dense varieties like Patriot which is, locally available. If you have any questions on the varieties that are available, just let us know. We would be happy to offer an opinion. 3. Weed Control. During our visit, a number of weed issues associated with your fairways was discussed. Unfortunately, there is no one herbicide to control all of your fairway weed problems. Here are your options: A. Kyllinga Control. The only herbicide labeled and effective on kyllinga is Dismiss. It may take one or two applications. It is important to keep this invasive 9

10 weed from spreading. No doubt your worst fairway is on the Tenth hole. Is this due to flooding? Probably. B. Dallisgrass Control. Note the digital image (from again, the Tenth fairway). Dallisgrass is a tough weed to manage. Your principal herbicide is MSMA or DSMA. Adding just a little of any phenoxy herbicide like MCPP, 2,4-D or Dicamba can make dallisgrass control, better. It does not take much, 1/8 oz. per 1,000 sq. ft. tankmixed, again, with the Full rate of MSMA or DSMA should definitely burn back this coarse weed. Weed control issues dominated many of our discussions. The clumpy weed on the left is dallisgrass. While the weed looks bad, the innocuous looking dark patch to its right is far worse. The weed is kyllinga. Patches of this invasive weed are scattered throughout the course. See report for control recommendations for these and some of your other weed problems. C. Perennial Ryegrass Control in Bentgrass. Believe it or not, this may be the easiest weed problem to solve. The herbicide Corsair can be applied anytime from late August to the first of October, depending upon the weather, so selectively remove perennial ryegrass from creeping bentgrass/poa annua fairways. Use the high rate (believe it or not) of 2 oz. per acre. This is a very active herbicide! 10

11 Some spot seeding may have to be necessary but, where ryegrass patches are small, most of the bent can pretty much fill-in by itself. A little extra fertilizer would also help the bentgrass to spread after the Corsair has been applied. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Rough Weed Control. A few other weed control options were discussed. For crabgrass control in your roughs, it will, no doubt, take two applications of any preemerge herbicide to effect a high level of control. One single application just does not seem to provide anything approaching good control. Of the products of choice we normally recommend Dimension, split-rate applications, followed by Pendimethalin also using split-rate applications. An unanticipated side effect of the new watering system was more crabgrass in the roughs. The better irrigation grew better turfgrass (which is good) but also more weeds (which is not so good). Included in this report are answers to a long list of weed control questions from the staff. The final weed control recommendation pertains to controlling weeds and woody perennials in your natural deep roughs. Of the herbicides that are root absorb and thus, can penetrate the dead mat after these areas have been mowed down, Dicamba is the product of choice. Use the Full labeled rate. We believe it is one quart per acre. 11

12 Note: For the most effective level of weed control in your natural roughs, a fall application should be followed by a spring application. Give it a try. 2. Dew Walks. To answer Mr. Alpaugh s question, dew walks are normally considered extensions of intermediate roughs. Thus, the grass of choice would be perennial ryegrass even though, yes, it may have to be sprayed periodically with fungicides. It is a matter of consistency in grass types. CONCLUSION Well, that s about it. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit of Chantilly National Golf and Country Club. The staff is doing a good job of providing a quality golf course for the members and their guests to enjoy. It has been a tough summer but the course is good. Finally, I would like to thank you again for the gracious hospitality extended to me during my visit. This concludes our summary of the major points of discussion during our visit and tour of your golf course. If any questions arise concerning this visit, our report or any other area, please feel free to call our office. We are here to help. Sincerely, Stanley J. Zontek/p Stanley J. Zontek Director SJZ:ps Rick Kent, Golf Course Superintendent Tony Mobasser, General Manager Michael Hudenburg, Club President Donald Kelly, Chairman of the Green Committee Encl.: Fairway Topdressing in the Mid-Atlantic Region 12