USGA GREEN SECTION TURF ADVISORY SERVICE REPORT PELICAN PRESERVE GOLF CLUB Fort Myers, Florida United States Golf Association Green Section, Florida Region Present on the TAS visit conducted February 12, 2013: Mr. Russell Clement, Golf Course Superintendent Mr. Joe Smith, General Manager Mr. David Startzel, Head Golf Professional Mr. Todd Lowe, USGA Senior Agronomist Todd Lowe, Agronomist 127 Naomi Place Rotonda West, FL 33947 (941) 828-2625, FAX (941) 828-2629 E-Mail: tlowe@usga.org
Page 2 of 9 OPENING STATEMENTS The purpose of the USGA Green Section is to assist subscribing golf 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. It was a pleasure visiting Pelican Preserve on behalf of the USGA Green Section. Several significant improvements in turf health and overall quality have taken place at Pelican Preserve this past year. A considerable reduction in turfgrass weeds has taken place on each of the playing surfaces and organic matter dilution programs have intensified on the putting greens, resulting in better drainage and root growth. Bunker quality was a particularly important issue with golfers at the time of my visit, as several golfers have voiced concerns over bunker firmness and exposed liners. Each of these topics was addressed during the visit and follow up presentation to several concerned golfers, and the following is a summary of the observations and recommendations that were made during the visit. Reprints are also attached to this report and serve as additional supplements concerning the topics that were discussed. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with important golf course related issues that may occur prior to our next TAS visit. GREENS The putting greens at Pelican Preserve were exhibiting excellent turf health and playing conditions. Good surface smoothness and turf density was observed on each of the putting greens and it was mentioned that golfers have been quite pleased. I was particularly pleased to learn that a higher mowing height (0.15-inch) is maintained on the putting greens at Pelican Preserve and that golfers are pleased with the overall quality. For years, lower mowing heights have been maintained on all ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens to provide consistently smooth and fast play quality, and this has taken a toll on turf health. As mentioned during the previous TAS visit, more clubs are utilizing innovative fertility programs to maintain good playing conditions in our region (see Changing Times in Ultradwarf Putting Green Management). The end result of these programs has been the ability to maintain increased mowing heights, while at the same time provide good playing conditions, and this has resulted in faster greens with deeper roots. We continue to learn more about these programs and the following is a general overview of the practices that many golf courses have found successful. It is included with this report simply as an overview.
Page 3 of 9 Week One: Lightly verticut using a triplex setup with thin blade verticut reels. The verticut reels are set at the effective height of cut so that they are touching the bench top, but can still be rotated by hand. Double verticutting is routinely performed, either going up or coming back down the same pass or at a 90 change in the angle of attack. This is followed by routine mowing to remove the verticutting debris. Lightly topdress with a true medium particle sized sand at a rate of 0.25 to 0.5 ft 3 of material per 1000 ft 2. This is followed by incorporating the topdressing sand into the turf canopy with a carpet backed drag mat. Fertilize with a granular complete type formulation that contains only a slow release nitrogen source to supply 0.25 to 0.33 lbs. of actual nitrogen per 1000 ft 2. The most common fertilizer formulations being used have either a 1:1 or 1:2 nitrogen to potassium ratio. The fertilizer application is then thoroughly watered in, which helps further incorporate the topdressing sand. The day following the above treatments, the putting greens are rolled, but not mowed, and then routine mowing is resumed through the remainder of the week. At some courses, single cutting of the putting greens on a daily basis is sufficient for providing fast putting speeds and at others, rolling is alternated on an every other day basis with routine mowing. When very fast putting speeds must be provided, mowing and rolling are routinely conducted; however, it has been found that target area rolling 20 to 30 ft. around the hole location can also be practiced and golfers are not able to detect that complete rolling of the putting greens has not been performed. A follow-up broadcast spray application of the micronutrients iron and manganese plus the growth regulator trinexapac-ethyl at a rate of 3 to 4 oz. of product per acre is also routinely conducted on a weekly basis. However, basic micronutrient sources that do not contain soluble or readily available nitrogen are used exclusively. Furthermore, care is exercised when fertigation is used to avoid applying any additional nitrogen to the putting greens. A supplemental application of a readily available nitrogen source such as ammonium sulfate is performed when routine summertime core aeration is conducted to ensure full recovery occurs as quickly as possible. Week Two: An application of potassium to supply 0.25 to 0.5 lbs. of actual K per 1000 ft 2. is routinely conducted the week following the application of the complete granular fertilizer formulation. At some courses, the above light verticutting and topdressing are conducted on an every 7-day interval. However at others, an every 14-day rotation is employed. Again, a broadcast spray application of micronutrients plus trinexapac-ethyl is always part of the weekly routine.
Page 4 of 9 Core Aeration: One of the most important issues discussed last year was organic matter accumulation on the putting greens at Pelican Preserve. I was concerned with the distinct layering that had previously been observed within the rootzone. Concentrated organic matter reduces oxygen uptake by turfgrass roots and reduces water percolation through the rootzone. Soil layering intensifies these problems and causes water to remain higher in the rootzone, restricting turf root growth. Aggressive core aeration programs were implemented this past summer and included five core aerations (four conventional, one deep) with 5/8-inch hollow tines. These programs have made a significant impact on organic matter dilution and have reduced soil layering considerably. It was mentioned that a similar program will be implemented again this summer on the putting greens at Pelican Preserve and I feel this is an excellent practice at this time. Figure 1. Soil samples from March 2012 (left) and February 2013 show a distinct reduction in soil layering, and increased dilution that has taken place this past year.
Page 5 of 9 There are many aeration programs implemented on golf courses throughout our region and the most effective are those that impact (or remove) greater than 20% of the putting surface each summer (see Aeration and Sand Topdressing for the 21 st Century). The table below is a helpful guide when considering tine size and spacing and how it relates to surface area impacted. It is particularly important to notice how insignificant small 1/4- inch hollow tines impact surface area removal, compared to conventional aeration tines. Figure 2. Table showing size and spacing and the percent area impacted (taken from Aeration and Sand Topdressing for the 21 st Century). A common complaint we address on many TAS visits is over the number of aerations that take place over the summer months. The average golf course in South Florida aerates three to four times each summer with 5/8-inch tines that require two to three weeks of recovery following each aeration. As such, golfers can become frustrated with inconsistent playing conditions over the summer months. A practice that has improved this process and reduced the number of required aerations is double aeration (see, One, Two Punch). This practice uses larger tines (3/4-inch), which impacts a greater area, and two aerations are conducted at the same time. This process increases organic matter dilution and decreases the number of closures to twice each summer. So, instead of four to five two-week closures, this program entails two three-week closures, which will certainly improve turf consistency and reduce complaints over the summer months.
Page 6 of 9 TEES, FAIRWAYS AND ROUGHS During the visit, improved overall quality was apparent throughout the entire golf course. Good weed management programs require timely herbicide applications and constant diligence, as rapid weed emergence and proliferation occurs in our region throughout the year. I was quite pleased with the level of turf density and overall quality and the reduction in turfgrass weeds that had taken place at Pelican Preserve this past year. In fact, the only blemishes that were apparent during the visit were golfer-induced thinning on several tees and from cart traffic in high use areas. Tees and fairways are sprayed with fertilizers on a monthly basis during the peak winter play season. This keeps the turf adequately fed and maintains good turf quality and playing conditions. I also recommend including a pigment to increase heat retention within the turf canopy, as this encourages additional aboveground growth. The colorant also provides a darker green color, which enhances golf courses aesthetics. Colorants that are becoming increasingly popular on golf courses in our region include PAR, Foursome, Threesome, Endurant, Green Pig and Envy. I recommend beginning this program in October, when the turf is still actively growing, to provide the best quality. Figure 3. Fairway on South Florida golf course fairway in January 2011 sprayed with fertilizer alone (left) and fairway on the same golf course sprayed with fertilizer + turf colorant. Cart Traffic: Golf carts have become necessary on most American golf courses to maintain good pace of play. Unfortunately, golf cart traffic is a significant stress on the base bermudagrass, especially during the winter season when increased cart traffic occurs on slowly growing turf. Continual cart traffic removes leaf tissue and eventually destroys turfgrass growing points. These areas become thin over time as the turfgrass
Page 7 of 9 dies out from constant leaf removal. Also, soil becomes compacted in heavily worn areas and extreme measures of tilling, regrassing and/or amendments of crumb rubber must be taken. It is necessary to divert cart traffic from time to time to improve turf recovery and overall quality. Traffic diversion with stakes, ropes, signs or other alternatives is one measure that can be used to decrease cart traffic. The implements should be moved on a regular basis to spread cart traffic into less worn areas. The ninety-degree rule is also a good objective to have; however, enforcement of this rule is often difficult. Another program that has been successful at many golf courses is to alternate a weekly Resting Hole on each nine holes. Holes #1 and #10 are deemed cart path only on week one, holes #2 and #11 on week two, etc. Par three holes are often cart path only and are skipped. This program should be adhered to during the winter months and continued as long as necessary to provide good turf quality. Golf courses that utilize this technique observe significant improvements in turfgrass recovery, but proper signage and enforcement is critical to success. Tees: High-use teeing grounds like the White tees at Pelican Preserve receive increased traffic and divoting as compared to other tees. As a result, turf thinning has occurred on some White tees, especially on par 3 holes. Mr. Clement occasionally alternates play onto other teeing grounds to alleviate turf stress and to increase recovery on these tees. It was mentioned that tee renovation will take place on Heron #3 to level the playing ground as well as expand the tee by combining several tees together. Turf thinning on high-use tees is common during the peak season Tree shade can be a stress on teeing grounds as well, especially back tees. The tees on #1 Egret experience shade stress at certain times of the year and it is necessary to trim trees and clear underbrush in areas like these. BUNKERS I was quite pleased that the most important issue with golfers at the time of my visit was bunker quality. What I mean to say is that each of the primary playing surfaces was being maintained at excellent standards, so that the only issue that golfers were complaining about was on hazards throughout the golf course.
Page 8 of 9 The only official verbiage about bunkers according to the USGA is that A bunker is a hazard consisting of a prepared area of ground, often a hollow, from which turf or soil has been removed and replaced with sand or the like. While the USGA does not have specific guidelines for bunkers like we do for putting greens, general recommendations for bunkers are that they have adequate sand (generally 4 to 6-inches) to protect golfers while making shots and that they not be overly penal. Bunker sand should be firm enough so that the ball does not completely disappear upon entry. As a hazard, most agronomists limit becoming overly concerned with bunker sand color or consistency. Bunkers vary in shape, contour, sun angle, irrigation coverage, amount of play received and surrounding vegetation. Each variable has a significant impact on bunker sand firmness and maintaining consistent playability in all bunkers is not economically feasible for most clubs we visit. It was mentioned that golfers have commented that the bunkers are quite firm and, more importantly, that they have issues with exposed bunker liners. Liners are installed on most of the bunkers to maintain clean bunker sand and to reduce sand washing from bunker faces following rainfall. Unfortunately, bunker liners become snagged by mechanical bunker rakes and uplifted through the sand over time. Nearly a dozen bunkers have been refurbished, as the underlying liners and staples have been removed and fresh bunker sand replaced. Obviously, this is a costly practice and is being addressed in a prioritized fashion at this time. Simply installing several inches of new mix may improve bunker quality for the short term, but this practice is not recommended on all of the bunkers at this time, as liner and staple issues will continue to be problematic in the new bunkers if they are not addressed. Bunker liners and staples are becoming more exposed and causing issues with golfers CLOSING STATEMENTS Thank you for the opportunity to visit and discuss your golf course maintenance operation as part of the USGA Green Section Turf Advisory Service. In addition to this visit and report, please do not hesitate to contact our office at any time during the year with further questions to take full advantage of our service. Please visit Florida Regional Updates to review regional updates from our region. We look forward to being of service
Page 9 of 9 to you on a yearly basis for the betterment of your golf course. Have a great golf season! Sincerely, Todd Lowe USGA Senior Agronomist USGA Green Section