USGA Green Section
April 4, 2012
It's important to remember many courses are not yet fully staffed and pest
management programs may require adjustments.
Tee it up! Golf activity always parallels the weather. A mild winter and warm
early spring conditions have been welcomed by golfers across the country.
Golfers are not the only ones loving the weather, however, as golf facilities
are seeing boosts in early season revenues.
Obviously, the unanticipated financial gains are important to all golf
facilities but especially helpful to courses that suffered abysmal margins last
year due to extreme weather conditions, most notably the severe drought in the
southern U.S. and excessive rain and heat in many Midwestern and northern
states.
As golfers gain an early start honing their game in 2012, golf course
superintendents are busy with course preparations roughly a month or more ahead
of schedule. Staffing is limited at this time and the labor hours available are
typically reserved for completing offseason projects, such as drainage
installation, tree maintenance, bunker renovations, etc. With full staff levels
still several weeks away, turf managers are scrambling to condition golf courses
to meet expectations while still trying to complete scheduled off-season
projects.
Labor is the largest line item in a golf course maintenance budget, so the
obvious concern in bringing seasonal employees back early is an effect on the
bottom line. An early start to the golf season equates to an extended golf
season, and this requires more labor and resources for course conditioning and
setup. Operating budgets are determined well in advance and on the assumption of
a golf season more typical in length. Unless serious adjustments are made to the
“to do” list, it is unlikely that turf managers can operate within the approved
operating budgets created months in advance. Keep these early-season expenses in
mind as the season rogresses.
In addition to labor concerns, a few other factors need to be considered as
they relate to the early spring.
● A significant amount of winter and/or early spring play on putting greens
that are not actively growing could lead to turf thinning and bumpy surfaces.
Turf may be green but not actively growing and therefore unable to recover from
wear injury. Or, if it is growing, is it growing fast enough to stay ahead of
wear? Additional nitrogen inputs and light topdressing may be necessary to
promote active growth for recovery from traffic stress.
Additional aeration and rolling may also be necessary to smooth the surfaces
from winter play. To further complicate early season turf recovery efforts from
increased winter play, sometimes regional challenges exist, with one such
example being a state regulation in New York that does not allow golf courses to
apply nitrogen until April 1.
● For cool-season turfgrasses, spring is the time to produce a healthy and
deep root system, which is an indicator of how well the turf is prepared for hot
summer conditions. An earlier spring could equate to a longer period in which to
build a deep, healthy root system before summer. However, root production is
directly related to mowing height, so potential gains in rooting could be
thwarted by earlier than normal ultra-low mowing heights on putting greens.
● Warm-season grasses have greened up but have yet to begin the lateral
growth necessary to recover from whatever damage was experienced last fall and
through the winter. As a result, they are highly susceptible to additional
injury from concentrated traffic. The key is to control traffic
beforedamage occurs, not after it is obvious to everyone.
● Pre-emergence herbicides used to suppress summer annual grassy weeds (e.g.
crabgrass and goosegrass) will need to be applied earlier than normal because
soil temperatures warmed up so early. With the early application, some
herbicides may not last the entire season, and this could lead to weed
breakthrough later in the season. An additional pre-emergence application may be
necessary for season-long control, or additional post-emergence control may be
necessary.
● An early rise in air and soil temperatures brings with it earlier insect
emergence and activity. Proper insecticide timing is crucial for control, and
the early spring dictates that adjustments to planned control strategies will be
necessary. Not only are insecticide applications needed earlier in the year for
control, but the extended season may also require repeat applications. For the
northeast U.S., the annual bluegrass weevil, a tiny, yet devastating turf
insect, becomes active as spring weather warms. The insect has become active
already in many areas weeks ahead of schedule, which will add to the challenge
of preventing this pest from damaging golf course turf. For the southern parts
of the country, nematode and mole cricket activity has demanded earlier control
treatments that may have to be repeated as the season wears on.
● Disease prevention programs may require adjustments, especially for
pathogen control that is implemented based on soil temperature (e.g., summer
patch). Many courses will need to make initial applications earlier than normal
and potentially require more total applications for the season. For instance,
summer patch disease prevention in most situations requires control from mid-May
through August. That window may be extended by an extra month this year. On
courses with bermudagrass greens, leaf spot (Bipolaris and
Drechslera) has been much more active and is present earlier than usual.
Other turf diseases may become active earlier as well, extending the need for
fungicide applications, which will add significant costs. Remember, heavy
traffic and slow turfgrass growth increase disease occurrence, reduce the
effectiveness of control efforts, and exacerbate disease damage.
● Earlier than normal maintenance may also mean earlier than normal impacts
on the budget. Regular mowing and other routine maintenance tasks cost money.
Enjoy the additional early season revenue, but remember the potential impacts
that this may have on your maintenance budget! Golf courses are busy and that is
a great thing! Just remember that with all the benefits of the early spring warm
weather, there are season-long implications for the turf and operating budget.
Some golf course maintenance practices may need to be examined and adjusted. Of
these, labor resources will be the most limiting. Golfer patience and
understanding become even more important.
Having trouble meeting the challenges of the early start of the season or looking to improve your overall maintenance operation? IGM may be able to help. Contact us with your questions or concerns. Put our expertise to work for you. Click here.
