The Mountain State Greenletter Volume 8, Issue 7 July 2016 West Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association President s Message Hello again, We are back to the Dog Days of Summer, aren t we? High heat and humidity have set in for a few weeks, causing damaging thunderstorms and the perfect atmosphere for turf diseases. A stray 60 degree night with low humidity is a great feeling this time of the year. There seems to be nothing better to ease your mind than the need for a jacket first thing in the morning, letting you know the grass is happy and healing for a little while. I would like to thank all those again that contributed to the flood victims. Our Organization was able to send nearly $9,000 from donated funds to 6 different golf courses and 12 different golf course employees. It is great to know that we are all involved in an organization that cares. Seeing any type of good nature during such troubling times in this country, during the flood and elsewhere should help all of us stay positive. I am sure the flood victims are still in need of not only donations but physical help to get back on their feet, rebuilding their homes and assisting in golf course renovations. If anyone is interested, please contact us. Good luck and hang in there, Fall is getting closer and closer. Have a great end of Summer! David Sines President of the WVGCSA Owner of Uniontown Country Club Owner of D. Sines Lawn, Inc. Team Sipcam-Rotam Dave Sines, Augie Young, Jaime Borowski & Pete Severino
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Two Regions In One By Addison Barden, agronomist, Northeast Region The Northeast Region is currently divided by abnormally dry conditions in the north and frequent, sometimes severe, summer thunderstorms in the south. Both situations present challenges for golf course superintendents. Northern Half of the Region The United States Department of Agriculture has categorized almost three-quarters of the northern half of the Northeast Region as being abnormally dry or in moderate drought conditions as of June 21. The areas experiencing a moderate drought are primarily in the New York Metropolitan Area and along the New England coast. Use these water management tools and consider developing a drought emergency plan at your golf course. The basic steps for developing a drought emergency plan are: 1. Use a map of the property to determine the acreage of fine-turf areas, such as greens, approaches, fairways and tees. 2. Locate historical water use records to determine how much water is needed to irrigate each fine turf area. 3. Develop a prioritized list for irrigation scheduling so that a plan is in place for which areas will receive water if rationing is initiated. 4. Communicate your drought emergency plan to facility stakeholders, golfers and course officials. Dry conditions also lower the threshold for annual bluegrass weevil (ABW) damage and could alter the timing and efficacy of preventative insecticide applications for white grub control. Healthy turfgrass can tolerate higher pest populations than stressed turfgrass, and the current dry conditions could make turfgrass more susceptible to ABW or white grub damage. Regular scouting with soap flushes, traps, soil core sampling and visual examination are vital for distinguishing between drought-stressed turfgrass and ABW or white grub damage. Preventative applications for white grub control are right around the corner at most courses. However, if turfgrass is dormant because of drought conditions it may not uptake systemic active ingredients. To avoid issues, record the location of dormant turfgrass at the time of treatment so that you know which areas may be vulnerable to white grub damage later this year. Southern Half of the Region The southern half of the Northeast Region has been receiving frequent summer storms with large amounts of rain over short periods of time. West Virginia experienced a devastating storm that dropped 7 inches of rain in three hours, producing severe floods in several counties. Our thoughts and well-wishes are with those affected by the devastating flooding. Maintenance departments in areas fortunate to avoid recent flooding are maintaining healthy turf and good playing conditions, even if they are somewhat strained by repairing bunker washouts. It is important to remember that there still is a lot of golf to be played this season. Regularly venting putting greens will help offset the negative effects of prolonged excess soil moisture without disrupting playability. Additionally, the second generation of ABWs has begun to develop and soon we will know how well their development is synchronized. Continue to scout for ABW while minimizing pyrethroid use. Dry, wilted turf is easily damaged by cart traffic during drought conditions. Northeast Region Agronomists: David A. Oatis, regional director doatis@usga.org James E. Skorulski, agronomist jskorulski@usga.org Adam Moeller, agronomist amoeller@usga.org Elliott Dowling, agronomist edowling@usga.org Addison Barden, agronomist abarden@usga.org
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Oh Boy, Here Comes the Heat By David Oatis, regional director, Northeast Region Turf survival during periods of intense stress depends on many factors, but effectively managing water is the most important. Make sure your staff knows the difference between hand watering and syringing. Watering turf when all it needs is a light syringe can spell disaster. Likewise, a light syringe when the underlying soils are dry will not delay wilt for long. Continually monitor soil moisture and the weather to determine appropriate irrigation. Syringing only cools turf for a couple of minutes. However, the cooling effects of syringing can be significantly extended by using fans because evaporation, not the temperature of the water, provides most of the cooling. If water cannot evaporate either because too much water was applied, humidity levels are too high or there is insufficient air movement it will not cool turf. If you want to demonstrate these points to staff or golfers, purchase an infrared thermometer and monitor canopy temperatures while syringing and when fans are used. If you have fans, make sure they are fully operational and properly adjusted. Fans throw a diffuse swath of air, so set them to oscillate well within the borders of a green to maximize the cooling effect. Setting a fan to oscillate beyond the margins of a green can help the turf in the surrounds, but focusing the beneficial effects on the putting surface should be the highest priority. When in doubt, don t, are words to live by when turf is under extreme stress. If you are wavering between single or double cutting greens, go with a single cut. If you are wondering whether to cut and roll, just roll. If you are wondering whether to roll, don t roll at all. Golfers may not be happy with greens that are slower than normal, but they will be much less happy with a bunch of dead grass. Many courses are more concerned about excessive wetness than dryness. Aeration can help dry out saturated soils, but remember that even nondisruptive aeration treatments can injure weak turf. Once again, knowing when not to do something is just as important as knowing when to do something. Having the wisdom and fortitude to back off is admirable. Cool-season grasses won t grow much during extreme heat anyway, so leave the mowers in the maintenance facility and don t cause unnecessary bleeding.. Northeast Region Agronomists: David A. Oatis, regional director doatis@usga.org James E. Skorulski, agronomist jskorulski@usga.org Adam Moeller, agronomist amoeller@usga.org Elliott Dowling, agronomist edowling@usga.org Addison Barden, agronomist abarden@usga.org An infrared thermometer is a terrific tool for demonstrating the cooling effects of syringing and fans.
Job Posting Assistant Superintendent needed at Uniontown Country Club that is flexible enough to manage not only the golf course but be pulled out for landscaping projects as needed. Winter work will require snow plowing for commercial properties other than the golf course for D. Sines Lawn, Inc. Must have irrigation experience and the ability to obtain a spray license. Email davidsines@hotmail.com
West Virginia Flood Relief The WVGCSA has worked closely with all golf courses affected. If your golf course or company would like to volunteer with on-site help, please let Amber Breed know. We can put you in contact with the proper people to make that happen. We want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and financial support. With the help of our members and Associations across the United States, we raised nearly $9,000 to help the 6 golf courses affected by the flood and many employees who experience loss. I know the recipients are appreciative and we are so thankful for everyone s support in helping us to raise these funds.