Internship Visit #3

In my third round of internship visits, I made it to four golf courses in the Philadelphia region. The trip occurred between 14 and 17 June and included official internship visits to students working at Pine Valley, Bidermann, Aronomink, and Philadelphia Cricket Club.  The trip also included a visit to alumnus Matt Shaffer at Merion Golf Club.

Charlie Kerr @ Pine Valley (Stop #6)
I have to admit I was very excited to have the opportunity to finally get to see the famed Pine Valley golf course. Consistently ranked the #1 golf course in America, the course didn't disappoint.  I arrived on Monday afternoon and was greeted by my student Charlie Kerr near the entrance gate.  Charlie is our youngest student in terms of age, but has a vast number of years of experience.  Charlie's father (David Kerr) is a golf course superintendent in Connecticut and Charlie grew up on the course working for his Dad.  His passion for the profession is clear once you sit down and speak with him. Charlie showed me around the course and gave me the grand tour of everything from the world-class practice facility to some of the unique bunkers on the course. I was happy to hear that Charlie was being included in all aspects of the maintenance program and will leave with a new perspective in turf management and a few new tricks up his sleeve.

Patrick Forrest @ Bidermann (Stop #7)
Early on Tuesday, I met with Patrick and golf course superintendent Jonathan Urbanski to discuss the progress of the internship. After a brief discussion, we headed out on the golf course to get a look at things. The course was dry in an effort to produce firm and fast conditions, but the greens had a tremendous amount of roots and were looking great.  We spent some time talking about the bird programs at Biderman and all of the activities that Pat was getting involved with. Jon's internship program is well-known and well developed and gets students involved in all aspects.  If you think that you'll rake bunkers all year at Bidermann...think again.  I did walk in a bunker just so Pat would have to get in and rake it, which gave me the perfect opportunity for the token bunker raking shot!

James Seisun @ Aronimink (Stop #8)
In the afternoon, I headed over to Aronimink to meet with turfgrass student James Seisun.  James is an international student from England and brings with him over 10 years of experience in the area of greenkeeping.  Just prior to starting at Penn State, James was working with Bruce Williams at LACC.  Now a student at Penn State, James decided to try turf management on the East Coast where he helped to prepare for the AT&T National. James quickly assumed a leadership role at Aronimink due to his previous experience and golf course superintendent John Gosselin (Penn State 2-Year Alumnus) gave his work ethic and ability to think high praise.  The AT&T was a huge success, but now James is getting some first hand knowledge of what growing grass in the hot and humid transition zone is all about.

Ty Jumper @ Philadelphia Cricket Club (Stop #9)
After a quick stop for a disease tour with the interns at Merion Golf Club, I headed over to Philadelphia Cricket Club for my final internship visit on this trip. Ty (pictured right during his on course video interview), a former school teacher, is now following his passion for golf course maintenance under the direction of Dan Meersman.  Immediately upon starting in March, Ty was thrown feet first into a major bunker restoration project. This project taught Ty a lot about project management, but also about a new bunker construction method that utilizes asphalt as the base.  I was fortunate to have Mr. Meersman show me some videos demonstrating the new method.  It is an impressive technique and the bunkers looked, played and drained very well.  Upon completion of his internship this year, Ty has already been offered a full time position at the Cricket Club next year.

Next up for the internship summary is Denver Country Club, Pinehurst #2, and Eagle Point Country Club.

Click Play for more photos from this round of internships.

Wet wilt and heat-related injury produce turf loss on putting greens in PA

The unusually hot, dry weather occurring over an extended period in June and July have led to severe turf losses on putting greens in numerous locations around the state. Much of the damage can be traced to a phenomenon known as wet wilt. Wet wilt occurs when very high (>90oF) soil temperatures and low oxygen levels (due to wet soils) cause impairment of root function. The consequence of this is that roots cannot take up water fast enough to meet the transpiration cooling demands of Poa annua turf. Thus, on hot days with low humidity and wind, the turf begins to overheat, wilt, and eventually die, despite the fact that there is an adequate supply of water in the soil. Although overheating (sometimes called scald or supraoptimal heating) of turf is considered a separate cause of injury, wet wilt and overheating often occur together, making a bad situation worse.

The practice of syringing is the most common means of cooling the turf and reducing the chance of wet wilt and heat-related injury. Syringing involves applying a light spray of cool water over the turf surface to reduce plant temperatures. The key to successful syringing is to cool the plants without adding more water to the soil.

Wet wilt is more severe on Poa annua ‘push-up greens’ with drainage issues, and when root systems are shallow and near the soil surface (where they are exposed to high soil surface temperatures). Suggested preventative measures to reduce the occurrence of wet wilt episodes include improving drainage on the most wilt-prone greens, and promoting better root development. Although adequate drainage is always a challenge on push-up greens, the best method of achieving this is through a series of slit trenches that are back-filled with sand. This will allow surface water to flow through channels and move off the surface of the greens. Companies that are proficient in installing these systems are XGD Systems and Golf Preservations, Inc. It is important to realize that these systems will not prevent all drainage-related problems in the future. Soil-based push-up greens with low areas will still remain wet following heavy rains.

One means of improving root development in greens is through a regular program of core aeration (fall and spring), and perhaps deep-tine aeration. Holes that are produced by coring and backfilled with sand will allow roots to penetrate deeper into the soil and create more branching and increased surface area. Coring will also remove some thatch and mat (which may impede drainage and hold excess moisture). Although core aeration disrupts the putting surface, it’s a required maintenance practice that yields dividends down the road. Deep-tine aeration also will help create deep channels and fractures that encourage internal drainage and root development.

Applications of fungicides for control of Pythium, summer patch, anthracnose, and other summer diseases may help the turf survive during periods of high heat and humidity. A regular program of spiking and/or needle tine aeration will help toxic gases escape from soil and allow oxygen to diffuse into the root zone.

Studying Grass to Save Gas

Longwood Gardens and Penn State’s Turfgrass Program recently teamed-up to study several grasses and grass mixtures for use in reduced mowing situations. The project was initiated by Mr. Shawn Kister, Grounds Division Leader at Longwood Gardens (Penn State Turfgrass Science/Agronomy, class of 1995), as a means of reducing mowing and gasoline costs, yet still having an aesthetically-pleasing stand of grass in some of Longwood’s reduced maintenance areas. These types of plantings, often referred to as naturalized areas, have been increasing in popularity on golf courses and institutional grounds as a means of cutting mowing costs and creating a more natural look. Dr. Pete Landschoot (Prof. Turfgrass Science, Penn State) and Dr. Mike Fidanza (Assoc. Prof. Horticulture, Berks Campus) worked with Mr. Kister to choose candidate grasses and carry out an experiment to effectively evaluate how the grasses respond to reduced mowing treatments. The criteria for evaluation includes establishment rate, plant height, density, weed encroachment, and aesthetic appeal. The experiment was initiated in 2009, and is expected to last five years.

The experiment has been well-received by Longwood Garden’s Administrators, and has become a popular stop for many of Longwood Garden’s 850,000 visitors per year. When conducting evaluations, one of the team members usually has to intercept visitors and explain the study, so that the other team member can conduct the evaluation. Two signs explaining the study have recently been installed on the test site to help create interest and explain the goals of the research. Interest and information generated by this study will be beneficial in helping other institutions create naturalized areas on institutional grounds and golf courses around Pennsylvania.

Pythium spp. selectively attacking Poa

In an old post on the Turf Disease Blog, I briefly mentioned a strange Pythium problem that has shown up over the last few years. A few superintendents in the New York Met and select regions in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast may have heard me speak about this at a local conference, but for the most part this problem is not a widespread problem. I will make this disclaimer: we have very limited information on what is really going on with this Pythium and a majority of our info is from trial and error.

The disease, however, has likely been found on at least one course in the Pittsburgh region and is probably more widespread than we know.

Between 2005 and 2009, a dozen or so golf courses had issues controlling what was believed to be summer patch on their golf course putting greens. I had made trips to several of these courses to confirm that what we were seeing in the lab matched what was happening in the field. As it turned out, field symptoms were typical of the classic characteristics of summer patch. Further investigations in the lab revealed that a Pythium species appeared to be the culprit.

The Pythium was not a root disease, but was instead a foliar problem. While mycelium can be seen in small quantities following incubation, it does not "fluff" out like your typical Pythium blight. To see the mycelium, you need a hand lens or a dissecting microscope. Two separate Pythium species were routinely isolated from symptomatic samples. Isolates were identified via DNA sequencing and although the Pythium spp. are not new to turf, they are considered weak pathogens and generally not associated with severe Pythium infestations.

The weakly aggressive species may be the reason for the types of symptoms in the field. As mentioned, the symptoms of this disease are nearly identical to summer patch. The disease appears to selectively infect annual bluegrass and leaves the bentgrass to "fill into" the center of the declining patches. The patches may show up during late spring and the disease may remain active until late summer. Unlike typical Pythium diseases, the patch symptoms are SLOW to develop. Similarities among the courses that have dealt with this (from Maryland up to Massachusetts) include: 1) native soil putting greens with routine topdressing; 2) limited to no internal drainage, mixed bentgrass/annual bluegrass stands; and 3) reliance on Signature for the summer management of Pythium.

While the preventive applications of Signature have been shown to provide excellent suppression of Pythium blight as well as provide improved summer stress management, its influence on this particular problem remains unknown. In discussions with a colleague at the University of Florida, it appears that while Signature provides excellent suppression of the typical, more aggressive Pythium species, in vitro tests have shown reduced effectiveness on certain species (at least one of which are those isolated from our samples).

So what do you do about this potential problem?

1. Get samples diagnosed: This is not an easy one to diagnose and takes a little extra effort. Symptoms look identical to summer patch, which makes accurate identification even more difficult.

2. Utilize more traditional Pythium fungicides during summer: My recommendation has been to stay on your Signature program throughout the season to enhance your summer stress management. However, DO NOT RELY on these applications exclusively to suppress Pythium. My recommendations have been the preventive applications of something like Subdue or Segway when temperatures start to become conducive for Pythium.

3. Curative control with Banol: There have been limited to no trials for this disease on putting greens (if anyone is willing to have me create a quilt-patch of healthy and dead turf on their putting green, please let me know). What seems to work consistently for the curative control of this disease, however, is the foliar application of Banol. Do not water this in.

4. Improve Drainage: This is more of a long-term solution, but anything that can be done to improve the internal drainage on the putting green will help in managing not only this disease, but various other problems during the summer.

Remember, there is very limited research-based information on this problem. We will continue to monitor new cases closely, but unfortunately don't have any real answers at this point (although the control measures mentioned above have been effective).

Turf grad loved working on soccer field

It's not unusual for someone to love puppies, chocolate or summer. Nor is it strange for someone to love listening to the Beatles, receiving presents or going to the beach. However, it is a bit peculiar for someone to love what Erick Landis does.

He fell head over heels for ... turf.

The recently graduated Turfgrass Science major began his love affair with grass at the tender age of 12 in Hazleton, Pa., due to his father's unique residence. Landis' dad resides on the 12th hole of a golf course.

"I'd always be golfing, and eventually when I turned 12, I started working there as a cart boy," Landis said. "Then, when I was about 16, I moved to the grounds crew. That's when I really started getting into it."

Landis decided to attend Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, which has the largest (and many think the best) Turfgrass Science program in the nation and perhaps the world. The decision has definitely paid off for him. His latest venture across the sea occurred in large part because he chose Penn State.

Landis did an internship every summer during his undergraduate career. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, he interned in New York City with a prestigious country club that devotes a lavish $1.3 million to the maintenance of its golf courses every year. The next summer Landis decided to hone his craft at a big golf club in France.

Last year he summered in Spain, where he landed the internship of a lifetime in beautiful Seville with the Seville Football Club. While there, Landis was able to watch the highest-paid soccer player in history, the renowned Cristiano Ronaldo, when Ronaldo visited Seville with his Real Madrid club team. Ronaldo's Portugal national team was recently eliminated in the second round of the World Cup.

Landis arranged the internship with the soccer organization by himself.

"I pretty much just went on every soccer field's website in France, Italy and Spain, and I e-mailed all the big-time clubs there," he recalled. "A couple of them got back to me, but this guy at Seville said, 'Oh, I know Penn State -- it's great for turf. I want you to come!'" And so he went.

Once in Seville, Landis started out cutting the grass, and after a few weeks his boss asked him to start testing the turf for diseases and weeds, then to determine the necessary chemicals to get rid of them.

While working in Seville, Landis not only gained huge insight into his field of study, he also formed bonds with his co-workers and the natives of Seville.

"The people -- maybe it's because they could sense I was trying to learn Spanish because I usually wouldn't speak English, and I was actually putting forth an effort -- were very accepting," he said. "They were so nice to me, everyone was helpful and I'm actually thinking about going back. Spain was a blast!"

Landis found vast differences between American laborers and European laborers. He felt the workers in Spain and France were happier than the workers in America for many reasons. One possible explanation, he learned, is that every employee in Spain starts off with a month of vacation, and it's illegal to work more than 36 hours per week, although all of that may be changing with dire economic conditions.

"In America, it seems we live to work, and there, you just live," he said. "It was the first time in my life that I liked going to work."

After college, though, Landis decided to give American jobs a try.

"I really wanted to move down to the Naples area in Florida, so I got a job as a spray tech at a golf course called Pelican Preserve, just to get some experience with warm season turf," he said. "Then a job came open at the Naples country club in June, and they hired me as a second assistant superintendent."

So far the job has been a success, despite the longer, non-European hours, Landis reported. "I've been here every day over the summer, running the crew," he said. "I'm really enjoying the job, the people and the beach every day."

Original story posted to Penn State Live.

Turf insect update from Danny Kline

Last week I received several reports of green June beetle activity. I’ve also had some reports of May/June beetle activity. Current weather conditions are very conducive for many insect species. Billbugs, May/June beetle grubs, and green June beetles all prefer hot dry weather. Unfortunately, all of the preventive controls normally associated with white grub control are not very effective for green June beetle. Green June beetle larvae must be controlled later in the season, when the larvae are present. They can be controlled with curative applications of contact insecticides. These larva are usually present in great numbers in late August into September.

Here is some information from Paul Heller's green June beetle fact sheet: “The most common method of controlling this insect is to rely on a late-summer through early fall curative application. Unfortunately, this treatment usually is completed after green June beetle grub damage is noticeable on home lawns, including the presence of tunnels and small mounds of soil located on the surface of the grass. These grubs are relatively easy to control at this time with an application of a contact insecticide; however, it is important to recognize that a late-summer/early fall application can result in dead grubs on the turf surface. Ideally, curative applications should be made late in the day since grubs move to the surface during the evening. These insects die at night on the surface rather than in soil burrows. Thus, you may end up with a large number of dead, smelly grubs on the surface of your grass. In some cases, you may need to remove the decaying dead grubs. Also, keep a history of the site infested with green June beetle grubs for a future reference guide. Thus, read the label carefully prior to making your selection”

Billbugs are a particular problem right now. The heat and drought conditions have allowed billbugs to develop quickly. I have observed adult activity in my pitfall traps over the last few days, which means we are soon going to have second generation eggs being laid in the soil. This second generation will produce damage in August, and will continue to cause damage into the fall, as long as it stays hot and dry.

Hot dry weather also helps sod webworm development. Adults have been observed flying at night, and I've had several adults in my black light trap. I have been closely monitoring a site in central PA that has a history of sod webworm problems. No larvae have been found yet, but this heat will push them to develop faster.

When lawns turn brown in July, the best thing to do is…….nothing.

Most Pennsylvania homeowners are seeing parched, brown grass as they step out their front door this first week of July. The lack of appreciable rain over the past few weeks coupled with low humidity and high temperatures have set the stage for a long, tough summer for lawns. The best thing to do for your lawn right now is leave it alone…..don’t walk on it, don’t play on it, don’t mow it, and certainly don’t fertilize it. The only thing that can help your lawn when temperatures reach >90oF and the soil is dry is water. However, the large amounts of water needed to keep lawns green during this kind of weather is expensive and not very practical for the majority of homeowners who have only garden sprinklers at their disposal. Also, if we don’t receive significant rainfall soon, water restrictions will almost certainly go into effect. The good news is that turfgrasses are fairly well adapted to droughty summers and most lawns will undergo dormancy, survive, and recover when the cool, moist weather returns in late summer or fall.

Pennsylvania’s Drought Task Force (chaired by the head of Pennsylvania Emergency Management, with representatives from DEP, the state and federal Agriculture Departments, US Geological Survey, and National Weather Service) will be meeting later this month to discuss water conditions, as well as weather forecasts for Pennsylvania. If a drought emergency is declared, 4 PA Code Chapter 119 will go into effect and the following restrictions will be enforced for landscaped:

Water outdoor gardens and landscape areas between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. using a hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle, or an irrigation system.

Watering of lawns is strictly prohibited, except for newly-seeded lawns or new sod.

Newly seeded grass area or new sod can be watered between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. with a bucket of hand-held hose with an automatic shut-off.

Using water for ornamental purposes, including fountains, artificial waterfalls, and reflecting pools is prohibited unless to sustain aquatic life.

Internship Visit #2

My second round of internship visits was conducted between Jun 8-11 and included stops at the Kittansett Club, Winged Foot Golf Club, and Glenmaura National Golf Club.The trip took me from State College towards Boston, back to NY, through NE Pennsylvania and then back to State College.  Read more about the students' and see photos from the clubs below.

Martin Sorensen @ The Kittansett Club (Stop #3)

Martin Sorensen is one of the international students within the program and hails from Denmark. During the fall semester’s Internship Preparation class, Martin decided that he wanted to complete his internship in the New England area to best mimic the growing conditions found in his home country. Working under the direction of John T. Kelly (PSU, class of 1993), Martin has been involved in all aspects of maintenance. During our trip he described the different maintenance practices of the golf course due to the two distinct climates of inland holes versus the holes exposed along the point. He noted he has been involved in a variety of aspects from mowing greens to the installation of drainage on the course. He also was able to observe the installation of the XGD drainage system on some of the greens.

Ernie Bendzak @ Winged Foot (Stop #4)

Working under the direction of Matthew Burrows (Director of Golf Courses), Ernie headed to Mamaroneck, NY to complete his six-month training at Winged Foot Golf Club.& In his first week on the job, he dealt with cleaning up much of the course following some major storms that had wreaked havoc on some of the trees on the property. Some of the jobs he has been involved with since include general mowing, course setup and special projects. One of the projects that Ernie described was the expansion of the pushup greens to bring the course back to its Tillinghast design. The expansion added an estimated 40% to the acreage and brought many bunkers back into play as well as provided much more area for potential pin placements.




Emmanuel Santos @ Glenmaura National (Stop #5)

Emmanuel Santos (Manny) has been working on golf courses in the Scranton area of Pennsylvania for several years. This summer Manny chose to head back to Glenmaura National to continue on his path to become a golf course superintendent. During our visit, Manny described the difference in terms of how he thought about turf management after completing his first year at Penn State. He was happy to report that he is much more involved in the decisions made throughout the golf course and that he is increasing his understanding of why certain practices are performed.

2-Year Alum Prepares Course for AT&T National

This week the PGA Tour rolls into Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa., for the AT&T National. According to a June 25 Philadelphia Daily News story, superintendent John Gosselin (2-Year Turfgrass Program, Class of 1987) is scrambling to clean up the course after a severe storm hit last Thursday.

There was no turf damage, but the storm downed several trees and left a wake of debris. Gosselin has called in two tree care companies to help and is confident that his staff will have the course ready in time.

Aronimink, which hosted the 1962 PGA Championship, is a par-70, 7,200-yard Donald Ross design. The bentgrass greens are rolling 11 feet on the Stimpmeter, and the bentgrass/fescue rough is 3 ½ inches high. According to a June 28 Philadelphia Daily News story, Gosselin and his staff of 20 will have the help of 55 volunteers this week, made up of fellow superintendents, assistant superintendents and vendors.

The forecast calls for a chance of storms Tuesday evening, but after that Aronimink should continue to firm up throughout the week.

Original Story from GCSAA

Also on hand for the event is Penn State student James Seisun.  James is from England and is completing his internship at Aronimink to fulfill the requirements for graduation as part of Penn State's Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program (the 2-Year Program).