New York State Turfgrass Association

As stated in a previous post, I will be interning in New York this summer, where the local turf association is the New York State Turfgrass Association. As outlined on their website:

"The mission of the New York State Turfgrass Association is to unify, lead and promote professionalism among people interested in the turfgrass and grounds industry. We will accomplish this through education and research, while advocating environmentally-responsible management".

The New York State Turfgrass Association, or NYSTA, operates out of Latham, NY, approximately 10 miles north of Albany, NY. The NYSTA board of directors consists of a president, vice president, a secretary/treasurer, and a past president. NYSTA is further supported by nine directors who work throughout the state, as well as an executive director, and three liasons who work with The State University of New York and Cornell University.

NYSTA is a turfgrass organization that is open to all branches of turfgrass in the green industry. Membership categories include, but are not limited to: grounds maintenance, equipment managers, sod farms, cemetaries, golf courses, and sports turf. By being a member of NYSTA, you gain access to a large network of turfgrass managers, students, and professors, thereby opening yourself up to the newest information in the industry. Having a large network of professionals is an excellent way to keep up to date with technology, the latest research, and new regulations relevant to the area.

Also promoted on the association's website is a list of upcoming events in the turfgrass industry. These events include conferences that are particular to certain regions of the state, as well as large scale annual conferences. A highlighted upcoming event worth noting is the 70th Annual Conference & Business Expo, which is held by the New York State Recreation & Parks Society. Additionally, not only are upcoming events promoted, but institutions offering turfgrass education are also listed on the NYSTA page. The institutions mentioned are from all over North America, including: SUNY Delhi, The Pennsylvania State University, University of California, and the Guelph Turfgrass Institute in Ontario, Canada.

The NYSTA page also contains numerous links that may prove to be helpful to professional turf managers and homeowners alike. Resources are provided for those who are interested in cultivation practices, diseases, insects, mowing, and irrigation, to name a few. The links lead to a wealth of turfgrass related information that encourage education and environmentally conscious approaches to turf management.

With my upcoming internship at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY, I may receive some exposure to the association. I look forward to the opportunity to work in a state with so much talent.

(image obtained from nysta.org)

Viridescent

While looking at some other turf blogs online, I came across one in particular that I enjoyed. The blog for the Asian Turf Center is one of my favorites thus far. The Asian Turf Center blog is maintained by Dr. Micah Woods, a well recognized presenter and an award winning speaker in Asia.

What initially drew me to this blog was the title of the page: Viridescent - the Asian Turf Center blog. The term viridescent is briefly defined in various online dictionaries as being simply a "greenish" color. However, to Dr. Micah Woods, the term not only describes the color of our turf (hopefully), but the philosophy and tone of the blog itself. This blog is geared towards promoting sustainable turf management practices, and a wealth of helpful information is presented here.

Additionally, the layout of this blog is attractive, clean, and full of links. Along the right column are links to Asian Turf Center related sites, a substantial variety of post categories, a list of upcoming conferences and seminars, numerous pictures, and some of Dr. Woods' suggested readings for the fellow turf manager. Each article is supported by high quality photos that give helpful visual aid to the content of the post. To name one example, the post "Relieving Turfgrass Stress: Part 1", discusses ways to limit stress on the grass plant. Provided with the post are high quality close-up photos that show the effects of dull mowing equipment of the plant. I found these to be a significant addition to his post in terms of understanding the presented issue.

I recommend this blog to anyone interested in turf management, but especially to those interested in sustainable practices. There is a substantial amount of information provided to the reader, and with new posts averaging weekly, this site will keep you busy for a while. I am going to be making some inspired changes to my blog layout after visiting Viridescent, and I hope that you find my new page more rich and appealing.

(photo obtained from http://www.asianturfgrass.com/)

Communication in Turf Management

Communication is defined as the act of transferring information from one entity to another. It is a vital component to the efficient operation of all sorts of social systems. Communication helps us relay our wants and needs to another person or group, and it helps us interpret how our message was received. The primary goal of communication is to transfer your ideas and feelings to another party in the most effective and efficient way possible. In the ever-changing industry of turf management, communication is oil in our machine.

First, communication allows us to work as a cohesive unit with a common goal. When we are working towards a common goal, we are referred to as a "team". For communication to be most effective in a team environment, certain channels of communication (I am not talking about radio channels!) must take priority over others. An example of this is in the assignment of daily tasks to the members of a turf crew.

A superintendent may communicate his wants and needs to his assistants. The superintendent and assistant(s) must be able to effectively communicate with each other in order to develop a productive plan for the crew that day. For the assistant, the most highly prioritized channel of communication at the beginning of the day is that channel shared with the superintendent. Depending on circumstances that arise throughout the day, perhaps the most important line of communication for the assistant is between other employees (irrigation technician, mechanic, etc.). Next, when the assistant relays the morning message from the superintendent to the crew, the highest priority is clear communication to the crew. From the standpoint of the crew, the highest priority is receiving the message from the assistant clearly. When a crew member encounters a problem that they are unable to solve alone, it is important that they are able to confidently communicate to their coworkers and their supervisors to find a remedy.

If communication between people or groups is unclear, a couple of things can happen. Miscommunication may result in conflict between parties, a lack of efficiency, or counterproductivity. Lets assume that the superintendent's message was to "cut greens and then lightly topdress with the R8's and finally lightly irrigate to help get the sand particles into the canopy". The assistant is hearing this during the meeting and he knows this procedure has been done here numerous times before, but he can not remember the order. Being too embarrassed to ask the superintendent to clarify, and being somewhat confident that he can figure out the order himself, he leaves to convey the message to the crew. He informs them that "we need to topdress greens and get them cut before membership arrives to play".

The crew hears this, and those selected to carry out the task assemble the required equipment. Since the first thing that the assistant told them to do was topdress, they load up the R8's and lightly topdress the first green. Looking at the material perched on top on the uncut green, they decide they will radio the assistant and tell him that the sand is not working in to the canopy. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys to water that sand in lightly. Pop up the greens heads for a 2 minute cycle", says the assistant. The assistant has made the assumption that the workers have already cut the green, and have just now topdressed. The workers do exactly as they are instructed, and thinking that the assistant knows best, they carry on mowing.

The wet sand is everywhere! Sand is getting picked up by the reels causing damage to the cutting units. The sand that is not getting picked up by the reels is being picked up by the rear roller. Every time the greens walkers turn around for their next pass, the sand from the rollers is deposited on the collar. The crew member mowing collars picks this sand up in his reels and destroys them as well. The crew thinks something doesn't quite look right, but their assistant knows best, and they continue through all 18 greens this way.

As you can see, one misunderstanding can become magnified as it is communicated and re-communicated to others. The cost here was hours of wasted labor, new bedknives, a lengthy process of spinning and relief grinding 3 separate reels, wasted sand, and lost trust. When miscommunication occurs, trust can be lost as a result. The superintendent trusted his assistant to relay his message effectively, and he was let down. An important aspect of communication is trust. Without trust, you are unable to confidently "hand over the reigns" and are forced to supervise everything, lowering productivity.

For you to be successful in this industry, you must be able to communicate effectively. The superintendent must be able to relay his thoughts to the assistant and the assistant must be able to comprehend the superintendent. The assistant should have communicated his confusion to the superintendent. The crew should have communicated their situation to the assistant. The assistant should have followed-up to make sure the task was being completed correctly.

Communication is not only about relaying your thoughts to another party; communication is about comprehension. Communication is about confidently proposing your ideas and your views and never making assumptions. Communication is about developing strong relationships based on trust. In closing, in an industry where the individual efforts of many, contribute to success as a whole, communicating with each other is not only important, it is vital.

(Picture obtained from www.promaudio.ch)

2010 Internship at Winged Foot Golf Club

This March I finally get to put the classroom knowledge I have gained at Penn State to work in the field. I will be spending six months on an extended internship at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. While my past four years have been spent working at Tobiano, this will be my first official internship, and I have high hopes for it being a great one as well.

The Winged Foot Golf Club was established in 1921 when a few members of the New York Athletic Club decided that they wanted to build a golf course. Without support from within the athletic club, they were forced to undertake the process on their own. Within a year they acquired a 280 acre piece of land in Mamaroneck. With the selection of Albert Warren Tillinghast as their course architect, construction began. In June of 1923, after a very laborious process of tree and rock removal, construction of the East and West courses was finished.

The West Course is a par 72 and measures 7,264 yards with a course rating of 76.1 and a slope rating of 145. The East Course is a par 72 and measures 6,750 yards with a course rating of 73.9 and a slope rating of 142. The 2009-10 listings in Golf Digest place Winged Foot's courses at 8th and 65th for the West and East respectively. Winged Foot is also home to two of the longest holes ever played in a major championship. During championships, the course is converted to a par 70, and the average length of the par five ninth hole, soon becomes a monster to play at a par four rating. At 514 yards, this is the longest par four in the history of major championship play. The par five twelfth measures in at 640 yards, making it the second longest hole in major championship history.

I have several things that I hope to accomplish this summer on my internship. Over the past few weeks at Penn State, I have been taking an increased interest in our mechanic classes. This is one area that I hope I am able to gain experience with while at Winged Foot. Ideally, I would like to spend a week with the mechanic in order to gain a greater understanding of the processes involved in keeping the equipment properly tuned. Additionally, I believe that the potential benefits of "being on the other side of the work-bench" would prove to be invaluable later in my career. With some exposure to the common issues that golf course mechanics encounter, and exposure to the remedies they employ, I believe that I will become an increasingly well rounded turf manager. Here, is a sample of the mechanical related goals I developed as part of our internship preparation class last fall.

Goal: To develop a solid base knowledge of regular day-to-day mechanics.

• Become proficient at adjusting the height of both reel and rotary mowers
• Learn how to swap over cutting units
• Be able to troubleshoot small engine problems
• Be able to repair small engines
• Learn proper machine lubricating regiments
• Grind reels and bedknives

An additional goal I have for my internship this summer is to take my first leap into the realm of spraying. The safe and environmentally sensitive approach to applying products on golf courses is one of the most important agronomic practices a turf manager must employ. My goals related to spraying practices include:

Goal: To become comfortable with selecting and applying pesticides and fertilizers.

• Learn how to operate a boom sprayer
• Familiarize myself with effective chemical mixtures
• Learn to use a sprayhawk
• Learn how to properly select fertilizer
• Calibrate a spreader
• Figure out the most cost effective fertilizers/pesticides

In closing, I am very excited at the opportunity to intern at a golf course with such prestige and history and I will take as much as possible from this experience. I plan on keeping my eyes and ears open and ensuring that I make my time at Winged Foot beneficial to both myself, and the club. I look forward to the challenge of meeting the high expectations of the club and I can not wait to start!

(Picture obtained from img.timeinc.net)
(Information regarding dates and history obtained from Wikipedia)

It's just pretty...right?

"Turf is not an essential part of modern society. We can do without it."

I would venture to say that variations of the statement above have been heard by most turfgrass managers at some point in their career. Turfgrass is, after all, just a living carpet that children run around on in the backyards of the suburbs. It is, after all, just a shortcut across that empty expanse in front of the HUB-Robesen Center here at The Pennsylvania State University. Turfgrass is nothing more than eye-candy, and is far from a vital part of our infrastructure. Yes my fellow turf managers, the only place our skills are of use is in the realm of leisure. WRONG!

The role that turfgrass plays in our modern society is often overlooked. We all know that turf is the primary choice of playing surfaces for many of our outdoor recreational activities. However, sometimes other uses for turfgrass are more subtle and less likely to be appreciated. I would like you to consider for a moment that you are embarking on a business trip....

• You wake up early and after your morning routine, you hop in your car and begin your drive to the airport. On the way to your flight, you encounter morning traffic backed up on the highway.
  

This highway, like many, is elevated slightly above the surrounding terrain. Along the roadside banks grows a low-maintenance variety of fescue that is rooted well in the soil. This grass plant is not here to be a beautiful roadside decoration, but is here to grant stability to the road. The grass here is vital for preventing the erosion of the banks and of the road itself. In addition to this, the thousands of idling vehicles along this congested section of your morning commute are pumping out pollutants. A turfgrass stand is very capable as a natural air filter, and without turfgrass along roadsides, more pollutants enter the atmosphere.

• Thankfully, the traffic picks up and you catch your flight to California just in time.

• Now you are airborne, gaining altitude and heading west. As you near Los Angeles you are amazed at the amount of green patches in amongst the homes of this sprawling city.
  

Every one of these lawns is providing multiple benefits to the surrounding area. Similar to before, the grass acts as a filter for pollutants, but several other important things are happening as well. The temperature in Los Angeles can become unbearable in the summer months, and with so much blacktop and concrete, the heat is even more intense. However, every place where there is a patch of healthy turf, we are granted an escape from the unbearable heat. Not only does turf not become as hot as the surrounding roadways and sidewalks, it is also capable of a cooling process called transpiration. Transpiration is a physiological process that releases moisture, cooling the plant. This release of water vapor can significantly reduce the air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the turfgrass stand. In addition to the comfort that grass adds here, the contiguous ground cover also keeps dust suppressed and keeps mud from being tracked inside of the homes.

• As your plane slowly descends, the houses race by too fast to follow anymore, and you touch down gently on the runway. After touching down, your pilot taxis the plane toward your gate. Looking out the window, you observe a substantial amount of turf between the runways of LAX.
  

In this instance, the grass is providing all of the benefits discussed above, but one in particular is of extreme importance. The suppression of dust is vital to the smooth and safe operation of the modern aircraft. When planes take off and land, dusty runways raise the risk of foreign objects being sucked in to their engines. When foreign objects cause damage to an aircraft, the aviation industry calls it F.O.D (foreign object damage). When this happens, expensive parts may be required and expensive labor is needed to install them. In a worst case scenario, F.O.D. can cause an aircraft to crash with catastrophic results. Obviously, we want to avoid this, we want our planes safely in the sky, and turfgrass makes F.O.D. less of an issue at the interface of land and air.

• You have arrived safe in Los Angeles with turfgrass playing it's ever-present role in the background of modern society.

Considering these examples of turf being used outside of recreation, it is difficult to argue that it is strictly aesthetic. Turf plays a vital supporting role in the infrastructure of our towns, cities, and sprawling metropolises. Turf is here to stay, and as we advance as a society and as a civilization, it is hard to imagine us without the grass plant.

(photo obtained from www.mellowmonk.com)

It's more than just providing moisture...

"Grass needs water."

If you tried to pass this statement off as a little-known piece of valuable professional advice, someone would probably laugh at you. Yes, we all know that grass needs water. All plants need water. Even the least agronomically apt person can tell you that grass needs water. My point is not to outline the moisture requirements of grasses, but is instead to provide some information on water being used to encourage carbohydrate production and transpiration. In essence, this is about syringing practices.

In those climates where we manage cool season grasses, also known as "C3 grasses", we all know that "cool season" can be a misleading term. While, yes it is cool in the spring and fall, it can be sweltering in the summer months. Of course this does not ring true for every region which cool season grasses grow in. For the purpose of this post, let us focus on those regions where summer temperatures may exceed the comfort level of the cool season grass plant. The cool season grasses typically prefer a temperature range of 60-75F (or 16-24C). When temperatures exceed this range, negative effects on the plant begin show. As you can see by the picture on the right, when the temperature begins to rise, the growth of the plant slows drastically. This bi-modal growth pattern is almost entirely due to the way that cool season plants photosynthesize.

When the cool season grass plant is subjected to temperatures above its desired range, the way that the plant creates its food becomes less effective. The C3 grass receives its carbon molecules (which are used to make sugars and provide the plant with energy) by using an enzyme called "rubisco". This enzyme is most effective when operating between 60-75F, but when you ask it to work in the heat, it gets "sloppy". When it gets sloppy, it loses the ability to discern oxygen and carbon molecules. Imagine that a jar is filled with two types of marbles and you reach in and pull out a handful. The mixture of marbles in your hand is a way to visualize the way rubisco operates in high temperatures. Now the problem with oxygen is that is does not make a very viable sugar. If the plant tries to use oxygen in the place of carbon, it is pretty much "dry-firing," and is expending energy while gaining nothing. This process is termed "photorespiration" and is in no way beneficial for the plant!

The heat also affects the rate at which a plant transpires, or releases water molecules. This process is in some ways comparable to the way a human sweats to regulate temperature. When the plant finds itself getting too hot, it reduces its transpiration rate by closing pores in its leaves called "stomates". This closure is supposed to conserve the plant's moisture, but it leaves the plant with the inability to effectively cool itself. In the wild, this strategy for moisture conservation serves the plant well because it needs to be as thrifty with its H2O reserves as possible. However, in the intensely monitored growing conditions of a golf course, a deep and infrequent irrigation regime should ensure that the plant is able to access an adequate amount of H2O at any given time. The closure of stomates and subsequent halt in transpiration can lead to mortality of the grass plant if we do not find a way to get the plant to begin transpiring again.

The application of small amounts of H20 is known as "syringing."Syringing practices, when correctly employed, can be of huge importance to the quality of grass in high-end turf maintenance. As discussed earlier, heat can disrupt the ability of the plant to make food and can leave the plant vulnerable to desiccation. Syringing modifies the tissue temperature of the grass plant in an attempt to give it an edge when subjected to high heat. In this period immediately following the application of water (again, only a mist is needed) we see the plant begin to transpire once again, thereby cooling itself. Also, the effectiveness of rubisco is increased and the plant is able to generate food more efficiently. Anyone who has seen the effectiveness of an accurately timed syringing practice can attest to it's importance in the repertoire of skills a turf manager must possess to be successful in this industry.

(pictures obtained from sustland.umn.edu, mynewsletterbuilder.com, channel4.com)

Todays Reel Maintenance Class

Today's lecture by Mr. Dave Livingston in our reel maintenance class illustrated several key points regarding efficiency of cut and proper adjustment of the cutting units on reel mowers. Two topics covered that I was particularly interested in included bedknife orientation, and the effects of different grinding types and bedknife to reel contact on horsepower usage.

I understood how important it was to keep the cutting edges of the reel and the bedknife sharp, but I did not realize how important the orientation of the bedknife is in relation to the center-line of the reel. A bedknife with a forward placement in relation to the reel is acceptable, if not desirable, for higher cut turf. However, if the same set-up is used on lower cuts of turf, not only can the quality of cut be poor, but serious damage to the plant and cutting units can occur. With this set-up, the reel can not shear grass effectively due to the inability of the bedknife to stand the grass blades up. Also, a forward bedknife orientation leaves the majority of the bedknife to drag along the turf. This constant friction on the turf, and the consequent increase in pressure between the bedknife and the reel, will produce excess heat. With enough build-up of heat, rifling of the bedknife and reel can occur. Once this happens and the metal cools, gaps between the cutting edges will leave grass behind in obvious strips. This problem is now only remedied by re-grinding both reel and bedknife, which in busy seasons is even more of an inconvenience.

The statistics Mr. Livingston provided on horsepower usage were quite surprising to me. The comparison of relief-ground reels versus flat-ground reels, with varying contact, showed horsepower usage that differed substantially. With a slight gap (.002"-.005") between cutting surfaces, a usage of 0.75HP and 0.87HP per cutting unit was observed in relief-ground and flat-ground reels, respectively. While this difference in horsepower is only slight, when multiplied over five reels, the difference is 0.60 total horsepower. Even so, this alone may not be enough to convince a manager to adopt a relief grinding regiment due to the increase in grinding time per reel. However, the difference in horsepower usage between grinding types when a cutting unit is set to have contact between reel and bedknife is staggering. When a relief ground reel is set for contact, a usage of 0.88HP is measured. When a flat-ground reel is set for contact, a horsepower usage of 2.59HP per cutting unit is measured! Over a fairway mower with five reels, that is a difference of 8.55HP. On golf courses with undulating terrain, the difference in horsepower usage may mean the difference in being able to cut uphill or not being able to keep traction. In addition to this, the consumption of fuel is also something to be taken into consideration.

In the two lectures in this class so far, I have developed an increased awareness of the difference properly adjusted equipment makes in regards to efficiency and quality. I look forward to future lectures in this class and hope to come away with a better knowledge of the subtleties of golf course mowing equipment.

(photo obtained from http://toro.com)