USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT Carmel Country Club Charlotte, NC United States Golf Association Southeast Region 1097 Highlands Dr. Birmingham, AL 35244 (205) 444-5079, FAX (205) 444 9561 Email: chartwiger@usga.org Present During Visit: See Appendix A: Attendees Date of Visit: Date of Report: July 5, 2011 Statement of Purpose: The purpose of the USGA Green Section is to assist subscribing courses in matters of agronomic management. All recommendations are offered free of bias, since the USGA has no connections or obligations to any manufacturer, supplier, or contractor. Additionally, since quick fixes seldom result in permanent improvement, some of the recommendations in this report may not be easy to implement and could take more than a single season to produce the desired results.
Page 2 of 7 Opening Statement On behalf of the USGA Green Section, it was a pleasure to return to Carmel Country Club to discuss the golf course maintenance program. We thank you for the friendship and hospitality shown during the visit. This USGA Turfgrass Advisory Service visit consisted of a tour of the golf course in which numerous topics were discussed. The main topics of discussion will be reviewed in this report. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments after reviewing this report. Picture 1: Many Green Committee and club staff members were present to discuss a variety of golf course related topics during this USGA Turf Advisory Service visit. Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Presentation During the first portion of the visit Mr. Pat O Brien discussed the continued trend of installing ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens in the Southeast. This presentation is summarized in the enclosed article. For online access, click on the following link: http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/article/o'brien-time-2-18-11.pdf #1 Tee: South Course We stopped at the tee on Hole 1 to discuss controlling encroachment of bermudagrass into the Diamond zoysiagrass tee surface. The staff is making regular applications of appropriate herbicides to discourage movement of the bermudagrass into the Diamond zoysiagrass tee top. This will be an ongoing program. If members should see any yellow bermudagrass runners along the edges, they will know that the tee top has been treated for encroachment. Current research on this topic can be found at http://usgatero.msu.edu/v08/n21.pdf. An article on this research has been enclosed, too. A question was raised about the surface levels of the tees. During construction the surface level was sloped between 0.5% to 1% to allow for some surface drainage during rainfall events. This is a typical standard in golf course construction. Bill and the staff used digital levels to confirm the appropriateness of the slopes during construction. The tee surfaces are excellent and provide a good surface for golfers at Carmel. #1 Putting Green: South Course Three useful agronomic tools were demonstrated at this location: The USGA TruFirm, Spectrum TDR Field Scout 300 soil moisture meter, and a rootzone profiler. We had plenty of good discussion regarding the purpose and usefulness of each tool. We do recommend that the staff begin acquiring the Spectrum TDR Field Scout 300 soil moisture meters to aid with bentgrass water management during the summer months.
Page 3 of 7 These moisture meters can be used to identify dry areas before visual symptoms appear which can help reduce bentgrass summer stress. Also, the moisture meters can be used to conduct irrigation audits and assess the effectiveness of a wetting agent application. When combined with Spectrum s mapping software, the moisture meter can be used to understand the spatial variability of moisture in the putting greens. More details can be found here: http://www.specmeters.com/specware_software/specmaps.html http://www.specmeters.com/pdf/specmaps_tdr300.pdf After taking a soil profile, we commented on the depth of the root system and the beginning of organic matter accumulation in the upper rootzone. This is part of the maturing process of a putting green. Over time, the staff will use core aeration and surface sand topdressing to make sure the physical properties in the upper rootzone remain desirable for growing healthy creeping bentgrass throughout the year and over the life of the putting greens. Chipping Area: #1 Green We discussed the maintenance and philosophy of short cut chipping areas in the putting green surrounds. The playability philosophy at Carmel is that the player with a golf ball in the chipping area will not have an ideal shot, but instead will have a variety of options including the putter, wedge, hybrid, seven iron, etc. Therefore, the staff will manage these areas in a way where they will not be either too short or tall. The first year of maintaining chipping areas requires some give and take between the superintendent and the committee to hone in on the height of cut and frequency of cut that is going to meet the desired playability standard. After reviewing this chipping area, the staff is close to finding that proper balance. Picture 2: Multiple turf diagnostic tools were demonstrated: (from left to right) Field Scout TDR300 moisture meter, TurfTec soil profile sampler, and the USGA TruFirm. Picture 3: Playability of the short cut areas around the putting greens was a big topic of discussion.
Page 4 of 7 Also, we were pleased to see that these areas are being aerated and topdressed regularly. Long term, this is going to provide good smoothness and firmness which will further accentuate playability. Variable Turf Quality in Rough: South Course The issue in the rough on the South Course is variable turf quality. There are some areas of bermudagrass that are green, thick, and growing rapidly. A few feet away the bermudagrass is off-color, thin, and growing slowly. The questions during our visit involved what causes variability and what can be done to even out the growth of the turf. Variability in turf in the rough is perfectly normal and can be seen following most renovations where there is appreciable movement of soil. As features are shaped during construction, both nutrient rich topsoil and nutrient poor subsoil are pushed around. While it would be nice to keep topsoil at the surface, this is impractical and the two soils get blended together. Where there are pockets of subsoil at the surface, nutrients and factors such as ph will not be in the desired range. Variations in turf quality then show up. The long term solution is to continue with cultural programs of soil testing, fertility, cultivation such as the use of an Aerway Slicer, and ph modification as needed. All these are in place at Carmel. Evening out turf quality is not a onetime treatment but it is a process that will last multiple seasons. Again, these variations are normal and will even out over time. #17 Tee: North Course We stopped at this tee to evaluate turf conditions in light of some changes to this hole. First, several trees were cut down to increase sunlight levels to this historically shaded tee. Second, this tee was not overseeded this year to give the bermudagrass a chance to grow longer into the fall and green up faster in the spring. Finally, we discussed the merits of increasing the size of this tee. Increasing the sunlight and eliminating the overseeding have produced a remarkable difference in turf quality on this tee. These efforts were well worth the investment in time and resources. We also agree that expanding this tee will give the members more space and improve turf quality even more. Corridor between Hole #8 and Hole #12-North Course We discussed the success of the tree removal program on the right side of the eighth fairway and the rough in the eighth fairway. In 2010, the right rough died back from cold temperatures and was resodded. Numerous trees were taken down to increase sunlight levels to this area and the grass is as strong as it has ever been. The committee is considering taking out a few more trees and grassing the area between these two holes with a warm season grass. We think this is an excellent idea. Palisades or El Toro zoysiagrass would be a good choice.
Hole #8 Putting Green: North Course Carmel Country Club Page 5 of 7 We spent a good deal of time discussing architectural changes to the #8 green. Tom Jackson in conjunction with club staff have studied this putting green for several years now. We look forward to the decision that will be made in the near future on whether to proceed with any design changes. Our only suggestion is to stay away from a plan that is going to add onto a section of the putting green. In our experience, addition projects rarely end up looking good or fitting in with the other greens on the course. We favor keeping the green as is or a complete redesign. #11 Green-North Course, Nematode Issues A recent report from NC State indicated problematic levels of nematodes in the putting greens. Nematodes are microscopic soil based worms that feed on a plant s root system. Controlling nematodes is one of the most difficult challenges in agronomy due to a lack of effective products available to control them. The current strategy is to focus on plant health and provide the necessary to hopefully help the plant outgrow the damage to the root system caused by the nematodes. Just after completion of this USGA Turf Visit, a new nematicide called Avid received approval for use on putting greens in North Carolina. Bill Anderson has this information and has been corresponding with NC State professor Dr. Lane Tredway on application and use at Carmel. Practice Tee Practice is popular at Carmel Country Club. We had a good conversation on utilizing the available tee space to provide the best golf surface for the most number of days. New artificial surfaces were installed in 2010 in the rear of the tee to give the agronomy and golf staff another option to minimize divot injury to the grass tee. There is no question that turf quality on all three levels is better in June 2011 than in June 2010. The Green Committee has given Jeff and his staff the latitude to adjust moving the individual hitting stations as needed based on the recovery rate of the turf. This is a good idea as there will be a learning curve as the seasons change on how to best rotate through the grass tee and on/off the artificial stations. The turf conditions on the range have never been better and we are optimistic about the plans moving forward. Conclusion It was a pleasure to visit Carmel Country Club and discuss the care of the course. Besides providing a service free of bias from affiliation with any product or manufacturer, the USGA Green Section is the largest supporter of turfgrass research in the world. This research effort is critical to ensure the future of the game of golf and the industry of turfgrass maintenance. The thrust of this research is to provide superior turfgrasses that play better and are easier to maintain while ensuring golf courses remain positive influences on the environment. Your club s membership in the USGA and support of the Green Section makes this research effort possible.
Page 6 of 7 Thank you for your support of the Turfgrass Advisory Service. Please do not hesitate to call my office should you have any questions concerning this report, the research efforts of the USGA, or any other matter regarding the maintenance of your course. Sincerely, Chris Hartwiger USGA Green Section, Southeast Region
Page 7 of 7 Appendix A: Attendees Greg Powell Larry Cowman Charlie Bartz Jack Stroker Brian Danneman Alan Johnston Barbara Pagano Bill Anderson John Schultz Jeff Nichols Ed McClafferty Kevin Lutz Corey Hraczo Pat O Brien Chris Hartwiger John Workman Joseph Roberts Dick McGregor Steve Carley Green Committee Chair Dir. of Greens and Grounds General Manager Director of Golf South Course Supt North Course Supt South Course Asst Supt. USGA Green Section USGA Green Section USGA Green Section Intern USGA Green Section Intern Member BOD Member BOD