Mother Nature giving us her worst

Golf has proven it can weather an economic storm, but the real storms have a deeper effect.

Over the past couple of months, we have seen the terrible tsunami and earthquake hit Japan. Now the US mid-section is being ripped to shreds by killer tornados, while the rest of the nation is dealing with flooding from the above-normal rainfall. You would be hard-pressed to find a course that has not been damaged in some way this spring. Nationally, golf courses are in a virtual pot bunker with no way to get out. Some public courses are having a tough time just keeping the doors open after dealing with the summer of 2010 and a very long winter. With no play coming in and having to pay for repairs to the course and staff expenses, the bottom line is not looking good. Our fellow superintendents in the Japan and the US, along with their families, are dealing with what has to be a devastating blow. Let's keep them in our thoughts and our prayers…

2011 Beijing Golf Show

The sign out front said it all. "Enter the world’s fastest growing golf market."
You can truly say that the Chinese have embraced the game in a big way. With some of the top up and coming stars on the LPGA, European, and PGA tours coming from this Asian market, the game is sure to continue to grow.

China has proven to be a force in the golf market with well over 650 golf courses
currently in China; this number continues to grow by leaps and bounds. By how much it will grow is yet to be seen, but the courses that are being built in China would rival the very best that you would find in the US and Europe. When talking to architects, they all say they have 6 to 10 projects on the board or underway, so I think the Magic Dragon is going to be around for some time.

This year’s China golf show in Beijing was the largest one yet. The event was held
at the China National Convention Center, the former site of the 2008 Beijing Summer
Olympic Games. One thing that sets this show apart was that it was a blend of the PGA show and the GIS show wrapped up into one. You could find your new Toro or John Deere located right next to your new Adams driver. You could find any product you wanted to find at the show along with a smiling face to assist you. If you wanted to hone your golf swing, there must have been at least 30 golf simulators throughout the show. When it came time for the seminars (classes), the guest speakers were the who's who of the golf world, from architects to superintendents from around the world.

With between 10,000 to 12,000 attendees walking through the door this year, the trade floor was a buzz -- or, should I say, a roar. The sounds of the trade show were sometimes so loud, you couldn't hear the person next to you. I Just hope that the PGA/GCSAA are taking notes of the hype for the US show in the future.

Silver-Thread Moss

Moss is often difficult to manage on golf course putting greens. In some severe cases, it can completely infest an entire putting surface within just a few months. The onset of moss issues have increased on golf courses in the past several years. Most believe that this is a direct result of the restriction of mercury-based fungicide, the stress caused by the lower fertility levels, and reduced cutting heights brought on by the demand for ever-faster greens. Staying true to cultural management techniques are essential to prevent these moss problems, but it is unlikely that the budgets will be raised anytime soon, but the demand for ever-faster greens will remain.

The infestations are thought to be spread by equipment and golfers tracking it from area to area with their spikes. In the spring, you will find the infestations residing on greens with open wounds like pitch marks, scrapes, or unhealed aerification holes. Any stress applied to the turf that would diminish the turf density or decrease the plant vigor can compound the risk of silver thread moss breakout.

Many chemicals do release some toxicity in moss, but the persistency of this plant makes long-term control difficult. Only a few chemicals have been able to demonstrate good long-term chemical control of moss, but these solutions have shown some drawbacks. Unfortunately, moss control products most often applied at regular intervals throughout the season can be very phototoxic. In addition, the timing of application impacts efficacy of the product to work.

There may be other products on the market now that work very well, but these are the products I have seen work in the past myself. The use of copper hydroxide + mancozeb (Junction) can control moss when applied on a biweekly basis at 0.2 lb/1000 ft2 with minimal phytotoxicity. Season-long application may be required on heavily infested greens, and fall applications are often most effective. Higher rates can severely damage turf. Carfentazone (Quicksilver) has been labeled for use against moss when applied twice at a 14-day interval of 6.7 oz/acre. I would recommend getting with your local chemical representative or university extension office to see what has been working best in your area.

Stay on a good fertility program; stick with your good cultural practices like topdressing on a regular basis in conjunction with a quality herbicide to keep it under control. Allowing the dead silver thread moss to remain on a green without promoting bentgrass regrowth to heal areas will allow the moss to recover and persist on that green. The use of herbicide control, proper fertilization, and topdressing have shown to be the most effective in your combat. There are several great articles on the web that will help convey this to your board or owner of the course.

If you have other products that work well for you or cultural pactices please let me know. lsharp@tee-2-green.com

4-28-11
A good friend and superintedent from Switzerland sent me another product for moss.
Royal Mogeton Herbicide Thanks Jean

Yellow Patch

Yellow patch (or commonly referred to as cool season brown patch) is identified by small to medium patches that appear as yellow to rusty-red rings or arc-like patterns ranging in size from a few inches to several feet. Yellow patch is a cool season disease with symptoms that occur from October through late April. When seen in the early stages, yellow patch is most noticeable early in the morning but difficult to see by midday. Infected plants exhibit a light, water-soaked lesion at the base of the leaf sheaf or in the crown tissue.

A growth of mycelium may be visible early in the part of the day when dew is present. The fungus survives in the soil as bulbils. Bulbils are initially light colored, then dark brown when mature. The pinhead-sized bulbils can be numerous in the thatch surrounding damaged turfgrass.

The rings are most prevalent in the early spring, because they contrast sharply with newly emerging leaves. In most cases, the symptoms remain superficial, with rings that are difficult to see. Infected plants recover quickly when temperatures increase. During prolonged cool, wet periods in late winter to early spring, patches can become necrotic and sunken. These damaged areas do not recover quickly.
Conditions

Yellow patch development is favored by extended periods of wet, cloudy weather. It is a cool-temperature disease (50 to 65 degrees F). Disease development is greatly suppressed at temperatures lower than 45 degrees F and greater than 75 degrees. Yellow patch tends to be more severe on putting greens with poor subsurface drainage.
Management

Yellow patch control is not normally recommended, because the disease symptoms are so short-lived. Core cultivation in the fall can help reduce disease severity by improving the infiltration rate. Although there is no direct evidence that high nitrogen rates increase disease severity, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilization in the fall. Yellow patch symptoms are generally superficial and will not require a targeted fungicide application. If you decide that fungicide is needed as an option, then look toward strobilurin products. Please speak with your local chemical representative or local university extension office for future help.