Fake or Real

With football season coming to a close with the Super Bowl and the college bowl games a distant memory, it seemed appropriate to reflect on the artificial versus natural grass debate. The Go Green advocates might suggest that artificial turf is better in the long run because mowing of grass is eliminated, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and it's just better for the environment. Everyone has his or her own ideas on the subject, so let's hear back from the turf experts on this.

Smurf Blue Fields and Bright Red ones too…Is Purple Next...
How about turf schools with fake spots fields? What at a turf school?
My NFL team plays on artificial turf…but it's indoors.
How about the increase in hip and thigh injury?
How about a nasty rug burn you get from skidding on it that turns into a bacterial infection?
How much oxygen is being released from that plastic stuff?
Greenhouse…How about the heat reflected off the plastic turf?
Artificial doesn’t mean lower cost or no maintenance
A whole town is upset because they want to replace the grass in the park with artificial turf.
How about the weave of real and fake?
Kids never knowing real turf...LOL
Is golf next?

This is all in good fun... So keep your hats on

But it would be great to hear back on whether you think it will ever affect the game of golf. It's here already on full tee lines on ranges and back yard putting greens.

Farmers' Almanac Fact or Fiction

Growing up in the golf business, I was amazed to watch the old greenskeepers, as they were called then, use an age-old way to predict weather with the "Farmers' Almanac" for the upcoming golf season. They knew whether we needed to pull the greens covers out of the rafters of the barn for a long winter or to run out and buy new hoses for the quick couplers for the next summer. My Grandpa lived by this book at home. Did it really work?

The 194-year-old Maine based publication, which claims 80 to 85 percent accuracy (I guess a good reason to listen up) and was originally published by Jacob Mann in Morristown, N.J., the "Farmers' Almanac" now boasts a prominent website, Facebook page, iPhone application and Twitter. The 2011 edition of the "Farmers' Almanac" -- not to be confused with its rival publication, "The Old Farmers Almanac," first published in 1792 -- offers the usual weather predictions, gardening tips, humor, trivia, recipes and more. But can it really help you manage your golf course? Can we learn from the old greenskeepers, or is modern technology the way to go? Could we have found out about the summer of 2010 and the winter blast that we are seeing now?

I guess only time will tell. The next time I am out, I will pick up a copy or buy an app to see if it works.

2011 GIS SHOW

The 2011 GIS show is just around the corner, and we are looking forward to seeing you there. Stop by Booth # 2853 to play our always popular Seeds of Fortune game. While playing, you will be asked basic turf questions, as well as questions pertaining to the origins of Penn bentgrass and details of the 16 Penn bentgrass varieties, including recent trait-specific advancements. The game features six levels of questions, each with varying degrees of difficulty, and a randomly asked “Daily Duich,” named in honor of Dr. Joe Duich. A word of warning … this game is contagious, and you will have fun.


While at the booth, you have a chance to meet up with bentgrass growers Terry and Don; Dr. Joe Duich; President of Tee-2-Green, Bill Rose; Tee-2-Green staff Lee Habrich, Marketing Manager; and Lew Sharp, Golf Course Consultant. We look forward to meeting with you, answering questions, and sharing ideas.

See you in Orlando…

Pre-Germinate Bentgrass

Many people have asked me over the past year how to pre-germinate bentgrass or other cool season grasses for new seeding, divots, or patch work on the course. There are several ways to do this process, and the one listed below is the most common. The best thing to do is try small amounts until you are comfortable with the process.

It would be great to hear back from you on what you have done at your course regarding pre-germination or other divot mix ideas.

Step 1:

Begin the pre-germination process about 4 to 5 days before you want to use the seed.

Step 2:

Pour your desired seed amount into burlap or poly woven bag and submerge
into a 50-gallon trash can or similar container. Place the container in the corner of the barn out of the sun for 12 hours. Some supers have used a fish tank bubbler in the bottom of the container to introduce air into the process.

Step 3:

Pull sack from container and allow it to drain 8 to 12 hours. Dump old water
and replace it with fresh water. Then place the seed bag back into the container
for an additional 12 hours. What I would suggest is dumping the water when you arrive in the morning and then refill before you go home that night. (Repeat 2 to 3 days or as needed.) Some supers have also added a fungicide into the water on the last soak day when seeding in the heat of the summer.

Step 4:

Remove bag from container and let drain. While seed is still moist, mix with a carrier, such as organic fertilizer, sawdust, cornmeal, etc., and spread. You may also mix it into your sand/soil mix for patch work or divots.