July 1, 2011 -- Volume 49, Number 26

The perfect rough?

How would you describe the perfect natural rough? For many golfers, the romanticized version would be a sparse stand of golden brown fescue, about knee-high, crowned by slender seedheads that yield and ripple like ocean waves against the gentle breeze. Furthermore, when an errant shot finds this ideal rough, you find your ball without too much difficulty and with a little luck, have a decent chance of advancing the ball toward the green. Worst-case scenario is simply a wedge back to the short grass. Never lost, never in jail and never - well, hardly ever - is the ball unplayable. Alas, this perfect rough is quite the oxymoron if you think about it.

Just where would we find this fescue of our fantasy? The avid golfer would probably remember watching a wayward drive into deep rough at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club during U.S. Open television coverage or recollect images of sparse, golden roughs from various venues in the United Kingdom during coverage of the British Open.

Fescue is a catch-all term often used to describe a group of grasses. There are many different types of fescues - sheep's fescue, creeping red fescue, tall fescue, chewings fescue - to name just a few examples. The classic fine fescue rough that most golfers would encounter is most likely composed of some combination of sheep's, chewings and hard fescues.

There is no shortage of fine fescue roughs to be found at courses across the northern United States. In fact, it's likely more of a challenge to find a course built during the past 20 years where the architect has not incorporated unmowed fine fescue into the design. So why are there 10 gnarly, weedy jungles of fescue for every rough of sparse, wispy grass?

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Editor's note - This article first ran in the Green Section Record in late 2009. Since that time the problem of "off " types of bermudagrass in bermudagrass putting greens continues to cause concern. This article provides the reader a scientific and practical basis for understanding the possible causes of this problem. Also, if you are a golf course superintendent and managing bermudagrass greens please be sure to take our Green Section survey regarding this issue. 

Mutations disrupt surface putting quality due to the ensuing contamination.

In the late 1990s, ultradwarf bermudagrass cultivars challenged the dominance of Tifdwarf on warm-season golf courses. They are now the cultivars of choice on a majority of southern golf courses. Their green speed, smoothness, and firmness delight golfers. The apparent absence of mutations encourages superintendents. Ultradwarf cultivars are planted on more than 14,000 greens, and it does not appear that the putting greens are developing off-type patches or deteriorating surface quality like Tifdwarf. There are examples of collar encroachment by Tifway and other cultivars. There are a few situations where plants from previous putting greens have survived and very few situations where contaminants were introduced from production fields or nurseries. Ten years and 14,000 greens with very few contamination issues is a remarkable accomplishment.

However, it has not been uncommon to find apparent mutant off-type plants in ultradwarf production fields. Usually, but not always, these are individual patches that are tennis ball to basketball size. The morphology varies and is similar to typical off-type plants in Tifgreen and Tifdwarf putting greens and production fields. So the question becomes - why do ultradwarf mutations survive in production fields, but not in putting greens? This article considers several questions about mutations in bermudagrass putting green cultivars. Hopefully, it will relieve superintendent concerns that ultradwarf green surfaces will deteriorate like Tifgreen and Tifdwarf.

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Salt accumulation in a green from surface and subsurface runoff from the irrigated rough.

Salt mobility after application enhances the potential for adverse on-site and off-site ecosystem impacts. Constant movement of salts occurs: vertically upward (capillary action); downward in the soil profile (infiltration, percolation, drainage); and horizontally as gravity-enhanced surface and subsurface transport. Of particular concern is the potential impact of salts on surface and subsurface groundwater, both onsite and offsite.

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Florida Region

Thunderstorms likely, chance of rain 50% (at least in Florida)  

by Todd Lowe, agronomist  

Most meteorologists report rainfall as if it is an inconvenience to the public, but it is like music to the ears of Florida golf course superintendents.  Maintenance staffs often hover around televisions or computer screens in the mornings, praying that the projected path of rainfall will move toward their area.  Most of Florida has been in a severe drought over the past several months, but summer rains have finally begun and have been a Godsend for golf courses.

The recent rains have brought life to ailing turfgrass and a resumption of turf growth.  While most of South Florida will remain under irrigation restrictions for some time, the thunderstorms are transforming the environment as they unload needed water onto parched grounds.  Golf courses that have been brown from lack of water are now turning a healthy green hue throughout the region.

Thanks for your help!

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