Greens Mowers: From Old School to New School

Over the last 100 years or more golf course maintenance has changed from a job to a science. The greens are the heart of the golf course where the magic happens, which means that it requires top notch maintenance. There is way more than mowing that goes into the greens but for this I am just covering the change in mowers. The use of a reel blade was used prior to the 1800's to cut fabric but in 1830 Edwin Budding joined John Ferrabee and engineered the worlds first lawn mower by mounting the cutting unit onto a wheel drive system. Not until the late 1890's did engineers begin to put steam powered motors onto the reel mower.

This is your typical push style reel mower. It uses the rotation of the wheels and a set of gears to transfer that motion into the cutting unit mounted in between the wheels. A very simple and effective design but hard to use. This same basic design is still being manufactured to this day and they are still in use in many small urban landscapes.

This is today's push reel mower, visually different yet vary similar in function. This specific model is the 2012 Toro Greensmaster eFlex. Battery operated for reduced emissions and very efficient. Toro also makes this in gas powered and a riding model with 3 reels instead of one. The differences in today's technologically advanced mowers is the fact that they are driven by force and the operator merely just has to keep it straight. Also they are much more efficient. Golf course greens used to be cut at a much higher cut then they are today. Most courses mow their greens anywhere from .090" to .125" which is a very small and nearly un-noticeable change but affects they playability of the green and the overall health of the plant greatly. Its hard to imagine a blade of grass being cut shorter than these letters are tall but it happens daily on a golf course.

Golf course mechanics use highly sophisticated machines like this grinder to sharpen the reels and the bed knives of the mowers regularly to maintain a sharp cutting edge and a quality cut on the plant. These machines can be set by a computer to shave off thousands of an inch at a time at precise angles and locations on the reel to achieve maximum effectiveness and life of the unit. Hopefully you learned something from this short and very broad overview of today's greens mowers. Next time you are out playing golf look closely at the greens and appreciate the work that the staff puts in to keep them the way they are, its not your typical home lawn by any means. Also feel free to stop by the shop or send an email to your superintendent and thank him/her and their staff for what they do, they are very under estimated in today's "take it for granted" world we live in.

And as always, have a nice day!

Guest Speaker: Larry Gilhuly

Today the Hort. 418 class was privileged to have Larry Gilhuly speak to us on What Makes a Good Golf Course Superintendent. Larry has been a USGA Agronomist and the director of the NW Region for over 30 years now. I will give a quick outline of the quality information he had to give. First off a few key attributes that make up a good super. Thick skin, your members will approach you with what they think is the right way to do things. Also they will always have complaints, the bunkers are inconsistent, the greens are slow and fast at the same time. These are really just cover-ups for their lack of skill so take them with a grain of salt. Do your best to educate the players and remember that not all of them can be trained to see things how you do. Next is be a good communicator. Speak intelligently and thoughtfully to players and staff both. Use your communication skills to develop quality relationships with them, fellow superintendents, and suppliers of the industry. Also remember who you are talking to, the media and environmental advocates are always listening and taking notes and will jump on any opportunity to bash the golf industry. And lastly don't forget your family. Communicate with them about your job and make them apart of it. Most superintendents have the luxury to take family members on the course with them in the evenings so use this to your advantage to make up for lost family time. Next is agronomic skills, not only common cultural practices but also fundamental skills and organic management. Also be able to play the game and understand the rules. The better golfer you are and the better you can explain the rules of golf and answer questions about the game the more respect you will receive from the players. And finally, make yourself known. Be on the course as much as possible, especially on foot. This shows that you do care and that you are out there seeing what the players see. Don't go by the 20/20 vision tactic, that is 20 mph and 20 yrds away, that wont get you very far. Also make yourself known to the pro shop. Whether its frost delays, top dressing, or aerification, be in the pro shop talking with the pro and his staff, they are the voice of the golf course and might not have all the right answers. Be there to correct the member who thinks the frost doesn't matter, but do it in an educative way. Also, always remember what you are dealing with. The golf course is ever changing with weather conditions, its a living and breathing organism, and you are preparing a surface daily for public scrutiny. Some of the most remarkably resourceful people come out of our industry so use them to your advantage to help you in any way possible. Thank you to Larry for sharing with us and also to all the other USGA Agronomists for doing such a fantastic job.
And as always, have a nice day!

Tom Cook: Poa annua Culture

This week we were privileged to have former professor Tom Cook to come and speak to our Hort. 418 class. The topic of interest was maintaining annual bluegrass especially here in the PNW. I will give a quick summary of what he went over with us. He discussed three different types of Poa, an erect type, a spreading type, and compact types. Most mature Poa putting greens consist mainly of the compact types while patches in home lawns or fairways is more commonly erect types. Poa annua typically flowers in mid April through June (+ or - two weeks depending on temperatures). The flowering is the only downfall to Poa being used for a putting surface, not only is it bumpy, it is also rather distracting to the eye. Typically in the PNW bentgrass is planted for the putting surface and the battle begins to keep Poa off the greens. Encroachment of Poa can be controlled until it reaches about 25% coverage on the putting surface and then it really begins to take off. On the other hand, some choose to have Poa as the main putting surface, Eugene Country Club comes to mind first. The process of maintaining Poa consists of good cultural practices including a balanced fertility program with adequate NPK ratios, coring and topdressing spring and fall with an optional 1/4" tine in the summer. Lastly application of growth regulators. Most commonly Proxy and Primo applied together, Proxy for seed head control and Primo for improved quality. As far as diseases go, Microdochium patch, Anthracnose, and Gray/Pink snow mold are the main concerns. Irrigation will directly affect the risk of Anthracnose so keep it uniform and consistent. Keeping it a little on the dry side with daily syringing is a good goal to shoot for. Thank you to Tom for sharing with us yet again and as always it was a pleasure to learn more from him.
And as always, have a nice day!

Crane Fly

Yesterday as I was out at the Oregon State Turf Farm I was walking across the Poa green and noticed this guy poking up out of the surface. This is a crane fly emerging from its pupate stage. Crane fly are known for causing damage on turfgrass but only during their 3rd instar stage of life as a leather jacket. They eat the roots and crowns of the plant and can cause browning or in some cases death of the turf in small areas. Crane flies are not harmfull in their adult stage and you can most likely find one anywhere there is turf. The simplest way to control crane fly is by limiting your amount of irrigation approaching labor day. This is the time when they lay their eggs, lack of water will affect their ability to do so.
And as always, have a nice day!