Slides You can download the slides here: Systematic improvement of golf course conditions, PDF file Systematic improvement notes I started off with this as an introduction: For a system of putting surface management, we can start with measuring the playing conditions that are produced. That’s going to involve the stimpmeter measurement, possibly an assessment of how smooth the surface is, and perhaps a measurement of firmness as well. These playing conditions happen when the grass that comprises the surface is healthy and resilient enough to tolerate the work that needs to be done to produc ..read more

Figure 1. The snow-covered landscape of central Hokkaido in mid-March 2024 when the growth potential was 0 but the DLI was fine. In a recent ATC Doublecut discussing light and temperature, I mentioned that I’d calculate potential DLI for the recording location, check the actual DLI for the recording location, and share that information. Figure 2. The actual and potential DLI for each hour of March 16, 2024, at Asahikawa, Japan. I’ve looked that up, made a chart, and wanted to explain this again real quick with one more example. My assessment, after checking data for a lot of places, is that ..read more

Have you seen the remarkable USGA Green Section Record from last week? It’s got a podcast with Chris Tritabaugh ahead of this year’s U.S. Amateur Championship on the topic of playability. It’s one of the best podcasts I’ve listened to recently. That’s an impressive start to the issue. Then the very next article is a report on the ongoing frost research at Oregon State University. That cart traffic and roller traffic damage frosted turf—I don’t think that comes as any surprise. Why one would roll a frosted green, I don’t know. That seems unnecessary to me. And when there is frost, how about we ..read more

A question that comes up again and again is whether the PACE Turf growth potential (GP) would be improved by also accounting for light. Grass growth—plant growth of any type, actually—is influenced by more than temperature. The primary factors affecting plant productivity are temperature, light, leaf N content, and plant water status. In the case of turfgrass, two of these factors are somewhat controllable by turfgrass managers—leaf N and plant water status. Nitrogen and water can be linked to growth, or to potential growth, by using tools such as GP or evapotranspiration (ET). But what about ..read more

The Green Section Record (Volume 62, Issue 4) has an interesting article by Chris Neff making a case for year-round soil nutrient analysis. Specifically, he wrote that: To adequately make decisions regarding these crucial fertilizer applications, it is imperative to conduct soil sampling throughout the year to assess soil properties and current nutrient levels, which play a pivotal role in the overall health and performance of the course. To ensure optimal results, it is recommended that sampling be conducted at least three times annually. The article goes on to list reasons why he makes th ..read more

Slides You can download the slides here (coming soon): Strategies to minimize disease with reduced fungicide use High quality playing surfaces with minimal water use What every superintendent should know about tropical turfgrasses Notes You can get new information from ATC through our . Find turfgrass reference information, site-specific weather and climate appraisals, and weekly updates at the PACE Turf information center. For more about ATC’s soil testing services, and example reports, see our soil tests page. See more about OM246 testing, including sampling instructions and a sample ..read more

I listened to Joe Gulotti’s Talking Greenkeeper podcast with guest Daniel Palin about an MLSN trial on 9 holes, and a different method on the other 9 holes. You can listen to the show for the full story. In short, MLSN produced the same results as the other method, golfers have been effusive in their praise of course conditions, there’s now been a switch to the MLSN approach on all 18 holes, I understand, and there has been a substantial amount of money re-allocated from unnecessary fertilizer cost, now being spent on improving soil physical properties ..read more

A correspondent wrote with this inquiry related to estimating the value “a” in the MLSN fertilizer rate equation.1 Specifically, the “a” value is the expected plant use of the element over the time period for which the fertilizer recommendation is being made. Here’s the inquiry: I am having trouble wrapping my head around the “a” variable in the equation a + b - c = Q I read through your [MLSN] cheat sheet but have been getting weird numbers when calculating the ppm value for “a”. This is how I replied: Hmm, there are a lot of different ways to come up with an answer. I usually don’t ad ..read more

I prepared a new video about OM246. This video premiered at the Ontario Turfgrass Symposium last week, and it’s now available for worldwide viewing. I wasn’t able to get to Ontario for this event, but I was glad to have the opportunity to explain why OM246 testing is done, how it works, and what one can do with the results. I started with an intro clip from a campground in southern Thailand. Then I wrote the script below, recorded it discreetly in a lounge at Narita Airport before a flight, and added the video clips of lab procedures, test results, and display of the test data, over the top ..read more

Is there a way to estimate how much nitrogen is harvested in clippings? Is there an equation to use to adjust a nitrogen fertilizer rate based on the turfgrass growth ratio? Yes, there are ways to do both of these. I described them during an ATC Office Hours episode with Bjarni Hannesson and Jason Haines. Watch the episode Listen to the episode These are the equations, or calculations, I described. Estimating nitrogen harvest in clippings When you have clipping volume, this is a straightforward estimate. On average, the dry weight of the clippings will be 6% of the uncompressed fresh weight ..read more