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In Memoriam

Hector T. Clark, October 27, 1914 to June 14, 2007

Hector completed his life’s journey peacefully in the early morning of June 14 to seek his eternal peace with the Lord.  He will be missed greatly by his family but always remembered as a kind and loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather.  Ginny Clark, his wife of nearly 62 years has constantly been at his side and has taken care of Hector since the loss of his eyesight in 1988.

Hector was born in Harrisburg Pennsylvania in 1914 and moved to Wayzata, Minnesota when his father, Norman McKenzie Clark, the first Scottish Golf Professional in the United States, was hired to be the Golf Pro at Woodhill Country Club.  Growing up on a golf course provided the opportunity for Hector to develop his golf game and become a top amateur golfer.  Hector played with many of the game’s greats, including Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Paul Runyon and Gene Littler.  His most exciting golf experience was caddying for Bobby Jones the year he won the Grand Slam of Golf.  He graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst and was one of the first college educated Golf Course Superintendents.  He was the Golf Course Superintendent at La Jolla Country Club from 1946 to 1963 and was responsible for the construction of Rancho Penasquitos Country Club, (now Carmel Highlands), Rolling Hills Country Club and retired from the City of Costa Mesa Municipal Golf Course in 1986.  Hector was the founding father and first president of the San Diego Golf Course Superintendents Association in 1962.  Although strongly committed to the game of golf, a close knit loving family was always Hectors highest priority

Hector, is survived by his wife Ginny, sons Sandy (Ginny), Tim, (Barbara Jean) Chris,  (Annamarie), eight grandchildren, four great grandchildren as well as his brothers, Norman and Douglas.  His golf legacy includes two more generations of family currently active in the golf industry.   Be at peace with The Lord dad.  We love you and miss you and you will always be in our hearts and prayers.

The family will hold a private service

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Blind Community Center of San Diego, 1805 Upas St. San Diego CA. 92103-5298 or the Environmental Institute for Golf, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, Kansas, 66049-3859

LINCOLN, Neb. (April 12, 2007) - The Golf Course Builders Association of America (GCBAA) Foundation announced it has begun accepting entries at select schools for its 2007-2008 GCBAA Scholarship Program.  Students who are interested in a career in golf course construction, design and/or related product development and who are enrolled at 20 participating universities are welcome to submit applications for one-year, $1,000 scholarships and two-year affiliate GCBAA memberships.  Scholarship recipients will also receive mentorship opportunities, allowing them access to several GCBAA-associated programs and events that will encourage their involvement in the course construction industry.  Interested students at participating schools may direct eligibility and deadline inquiries to their respective university golf-related program coordinators.  Program coordinators will also accept students' GCBAA Foundation scholarship applications.

Students at the following colleges and universities with accredited golf-associated programs are welcome to apply:
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona, Calif. 
University of California-San Diego - San Diego, Calif.

The GCBAA's national executive office is located in Lincoln, Neb. 
For more information, visit www.gcbaa.org or call Pat Heiser at (402) 476-4444.

Imagine, if you can, going through a lengthy employment interview for your first big career opportunity. You are a little tense because you believe it is the perfect fit. You might be a little uneasy due to the scope of the questioning. The anxiety is creating a true nervousness. The chicken sandwich from Elephant Bar you had for lunch is starting to sing to you, in the complete opposite way of say, James Browns “I Feel Good.” You make it through the interview, but before the day is over, you throw up all over the interviewer’s truck while he is giving you a ride to the airport. Question – Do you get the job? Geoff Haynes did. 
Other than that comical story to start his Troon Golf experience at The Crosby, Geoff has experienced mostly smooth sailing and sunny skies. He has been the Superintendent at Maderas since the summer of 2005. He enjoys the stillness and quiet of the mornings the most, and is grateful for the opportunity to “maintain and improve a place where people can have fun.” 
Born in Eureka, California in 1973, he lived steps away from the beach at Trinidad Head until he was three. The family then moved to Vancouver, Washington where he was raised and attended school. Geoff started playing golf his sophomore year while attending a private church school. During his Senior year he was able to compete for a spot and was a walk-on for the local public school, since his private academy didn’t field a golf team. He played well enough that year to actually qualify for and place middle of the pack at the state tournament, though it was but his first year of competitive golf. Although his Dad introduced him to the game, it was a good friend of his that got him hooked. (No pun intended.) He still maintains a low handicap and usually manages to get out and play about once a week. 
He started his golf maintenance career at The Cedars Golf Club in Brush Prairie, Washington after graduating high school in 1991. He started as a night-waterman but performed many other entry level maintenance jobs. He had no idea at the time that you could actually go to college for a degree in golf course maintenance…he just wanted to play golf for free. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he actually enjoyed working outside on a course, learning what it takes to maintain the entire property. 
Geoff took Civil Engineering classes his Freshman year at a private liberal arts school, Walla Walla College, in Walla Walla, Washington. Yep, home of the famous Walla Walla Sweets…too bad he HATES onions. He then switched over to Physical Education classes for his sophomore year, and if not for the suggestion of a friend of his from The Cedars, Jim Smith, he surely would be a PE teacher today. Jim was attending turfgrass classes at Texas A&M, and recommended Geoff look into it. Geoff took the advice and enrolled at Walla Walla Community College in their recently developed turfgrass program. He was part of the very first graduating class, receiving his Associate of Science in Turfgrass Management degree in 1995. 
While attending school, Geoff worked at Veterans Memorial Golf Course for Bill Griffith. Vets Memorial is a municipal course owned by the City of Walla Walla. For two seasons during school he would work raking bunkers, mowing and other odd jobs around the property. He would then return to The Cedars for the summer season. 
Upon graduation in 1995, Bill was able to secure him a job with an acquaintance of his at the private Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver. The superintendent was Alan Nielsen, CGCS. Doing mostly routine maintenance at first, Geoff soon got his pesticide license and began performing many of the spray applications. He also spent the majority of the winter seasons at Royal Oaks working in the shop as the Assistant Mechanic. Geoff credits Alan as his first, true mentor. “I attribute most of my maintenance knowledge to him. He was a very organized, very detailed manager in both office work and out on the golf course.” One bit of wisdom he’ll never forget is termed “Sizzle Factor,” a term Alan used to describe the detail-oriented focus that separates one course from another. This can partly be attested by the fact that Royal Oaks has been ranked Top Five in the State by Golf Digest the past ten years. 
In the summer of 1999 he saw an ad by Troon Golf; they were looking for Assistant Superintendents. After sending a resume to and many conversations with Ed Shimkus, superintendent at Troon North Golf Club, he finally got his interview opportunity with Guy Johnson, who was building The Crosby. Now kindly refer back to the opening paragraph once again for details of what transpired at the end of that interview. In spite of the truck decorating episode, he got the job and started at The Crosby in November of 2000 as the First Assistant helping with the construction and grow-in. He said “I was really thrown into the fire with running a crew, growing bentgrass and bermudagrass, new course construction…all areas I had no experience in to that point. What’s more, the only Spanish I knew was off the menu at a Mexican restaurant. The first 6 to 8 months were very difficult and overwhelming to say the least.”  But he soon after found his legs and was off and running from there. In fact, the next three years went by quite smoothly and quickly for Geoff.
When Guy left in early 2004, Geoff was near the top of the Troon “Ready List” for his own property, and thought that he would get the call. But Jeff Spangler at Troon had Travis Blamires higher on the list and placed him as Superintendent. The next year and a half were difficult in a different way, as Geoff and Travis possessed completely different personality traits and never got along well. Then finally in the summer of 2005, Travis got called back to Arizona to head up both courses at Troon North, and Geoff again thought that this was the opportunity he was looking for. Finally, after five years he would surely get promoted to run The Crosby, where he had been from the beginning. But alas, it was not to be. Scott Tuggle, veteran Superintendent with Troon was brought over from Maderas to take the reigns at The Crosby. While disappointed at first, Geoff was then excited to learn that he was going to be moved to Maderas and promoted to fill its’ vacancy. 
Geoff has a crew of 25 at Maderas and his Assistant is Alex Corona. They actually worked together at The Crosby for several years, when Alex was a foreman for the construction company. Alex stayed on after construction was finished and was the Second Assistant under Geoff. In the summer of 2004, Alex was then transferred over to Maderas to take the position of First Assistant under Scott. Then in 2005, when Geoff heard he was on his way to Maderas and had a chance to again work with Alex he was “totally stoked!”  Geoff says, “Alex has a ton of construction and irrigation experience which happen to be my weaker points. As a result, we mesh and work really well together. He is a huge asset to the property and totally helps me look good, which is cool. I hope to keep him around for years to come.” 
Geoff is also grateful for a superb Head Mechanic in the form of Jimmy Rahman. “The Mechanic is the backbone of the operation and Jimmy is one of the cleanest, most detail-orientated guys I’ve come across,” states Geoff. “He is so instrumental to our success it’s not even funny.”
Geoff is especially grateful for Alan Nielsen’s early tutelage and for Guy Johnson taking a chance on a “cool-season” guy like he did. He learned early on to “be as much of a sponge as you can” in whatever your current situation might be. Whether good or bad, all of life’s travels can teach you something. Also playing a large part in his development has been a thirst for knowledge that he quenches by way of monthly chapter meetings, pesticide seminars, internet exploration, and the 7-8 different trade magazines that clutter his desk each month. 
On the personal side, Geoff is married and has three children. Through some mutual family friends, Geoff met Amy for the first time at age 12. He didn’t see her again until 1995, almost 10 years later, when she moved up to Washington from Arizona with some girlfriends. After conveniently just being “in the neighborhood” to help the girls move in to their house and clean up their yard, he decided to “swoop in and not let her get away a second time.”  He proposed on her birthday in May of 1996 and they got married a couple months later in July. They have three children; Zachary is 8 years old, Sydney is 6 and Keely is 2. Zachary likes to join his Dad across the street from their house at Reidy Creek for the occasional round of golf and has actually beaten Dad on a couple of holes. 
Geoff is a Christian and tries to let his faith lead him in life, which is really hard to do when vendors drop by unannounced. He loves the game of golf and enjoys playing with his peers at the monthly meetings.
Geoff also loves teaching and coaching kids, and again, feels if he was not a Superintendent, he would most definitely be a physical education teacher. Although he puts in long hours during the week, he tries to keep the weekends free to be with his family. 
Geoff Haynes is a first class Superintendent at a first class facility; just keep him out of your truck if you are interviewing him. 
By Dave Waymire CGCS, American Golf

GCSAA Webcast Series
GCSAA's live education webcasts will be 90 minutes long and will take place at the computer of your choice. 
To increase the event's interaction, we recommend the use of a microphone, but you can ask questions and participate using the text chat feature.
Visit the system check today to learn more about what's required and test your system, free of charge.

For Details; visit the GCSAA Webcast ON DEMAND Address: http://www.gcsaa.org/education/webcast/archivedwebcast.asp
Or call Kyle Kreighbaum 800-472-7878 x5167 

·                     Description of the disease 
·                     Susceptible turfgrasses 
·                     Conditions favoring disease 
·                     Management 
 ·                     Publication 
·                     Glossary 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION OF THE DISEASE 
Fairy ring is caused by a number of species of mushroom-forming fungi including many basidiomycetes in the order Agaricales. For example, Lepiota spp. are common in southern California, Marasmius oreades has been found in central and northern California, and Agrocybe pediades occurs in both southern and northern California. Many of these fungi are poisonous and must not be eaten. 

Fairy rings are circular or semi-cirular and can range in size from a few centimeters up to many meters in diameter. Symptoms can be variable, depending on the species of fungi, and include: 1) dark green rings with no dead turf; 2) dark green rings with a thin ring of dying or dead turf inside or outside the green ring; 3) rings of dying and dead turf with a hardened hydrophobic layer of soil that is difficult to irrigate; and 4) rings of mushrooms without a visible effect on the turf. Weeds commonly invade infested areas. 

There are two types of fairy rings, edaphic (non-superficial) or lectophilic (superficial). Edaphic rings are generally formed by fungi that inhabit the soil underneath the turf. These frequently cause a hardened hydrophobic layer of soil above the areas of their active growth that prevents water penetration into the soil and often causes plant death. Rings of dead turf are frequently associated with this type. 

Lectophillic rings are caused by fungi that inhabit the thatch layer and decomposed plant debris, litter, and old thatch. These rings are characterized by a slight depression of the affected areas surrounded by dark green rings of turfgrass where the fungi are breaking down plant material and releasing nitrogen. A hard hydrophobic soil layer is not associated with this type of fairy ring. 

The fungus survives as a white mass of mycelia in the soil or thatch layer, or can be spread by spores dispersed by the mushrooms produced by the rings. In some cases, rings or mushrooms can appear in the turfgrass and cause no apparent damage. 

SUSCEPTIBLE TURFGRASSES
All grasses are susceptible to fairy ring. 

CONDITIONS FAVORING DISEASE 
A dense thatch layer contributes to the availability of undecomposed matter, as does the addition of composts or other organic material that have not been fully decomposed. Also, turfgrass growing in low fertility soils with insufficient irrigation appears to suffer more damage from fairy rings than turfgrass with adequate fertility and irrigation. 

MANAGEMENT
A turfgrass management program that provides proper fertilization and irrigation along with regular dethatching of the turfgrass will help prevent the development of this disease. Fungicide treatment or soil removal may be necessary if fairy ring becomes a problem. 

Cultural Control 
To avoid or reduce symptoms, apply adequate nitrogen and water. Symptoms of superficial rings can be masked by nitrogen applications. If fairy rings are present, aeration followed by heavy watering for several weeks may help reduce symptoms; soil wetting agents may improve water penetration. Proper thatch management and regular dethatching can contribute to a reduction in the disease. Fairy ring can be eliminated by removing the turf and root zone with the soil containing the white, cottony, mycelial mass. If fairy ring symptoms consist only of mushrooms and there is no zone of dark green grass, the mushrooms can be raked off and disposed of. While this will not weaken or control the fungus, it will improve the turf's appearance. 

Treatment Decisions 
Fungicide applications of azoxystrobin appear to provide good control of the disease when used properly. Flutolanil applications provide some suppression but may aid if used in conjunction with cultural practices. In extreme cases, sod removal and fumigation with methyl bromide can be performed to eradicate the fungus, but this is generally not recommended. 

         Common name                                   Chemical class
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of these products are available for use by licensed applicators only and cannot be used by home gardeners. 
 A.  AZOXYSTROBIN                              QoI (strobilurins)

B.  FLUTOLANIL                                   Oxathiin/Carboxin

C.  METHYL BROMIDE*                     Fumigant (multi-site)

 COMMENTS: Complete soil sterilization. Use 400 lb/acre, 1 lb/100 sq ft, or 10 lb/1000 sq ft. California is currently phasing-out methyl bromide use.
 *
 Permit required from county agricultural commissioner for purchase or use.

PUBLICATION 
UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Turfgrass
UC ANR Publication 3365-T
Diseases
F. Wong, Plant Pathology, UC Riverside
M. A. Harivandi, UC Cooperative Extension, Alameda Co.
J. Hartin, UC Cooperative Extension, San Bernardino Co.
Acknowledgment for contributions to the disease section: 
M. E. Grebus, Plant Pathology, UC Davis 

In this Guideline: 

·                     Description of the disease 
·                     Susceptible turfgrasses 
·                     Conditions favoring disease 
·                     Management 
 ·                     Publication 
·                     Glossary 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTION OF THE DISEASE
Pythium blight, also known as grease spot, kills turf in small, roughly circular spots (2 to 6 inches) that tend to run together. Blackened leaf blades rapidly wither and turn reddish brown. Leaf blades tend to lie flat, stick together, and appear greasy. Roots may be brown and rotten. 

When dew or high humidity is present, especially in the early morning, white, cottony mycelia can be seen in diseased areas. These areas may have a orange to purplish border or smoke ring. Diseased areas may "run" with the pattern of water drainage, or mowing. The symptoms may appear rapidly under favorable conditions, sometimes killing large areas of grass within 24 hours. This is the foliar form of Pythium; the pathogen may also cause seedling damping off or root rots. 

SUSCEPTIBLE TURFGRASSES
All grasses are susceptible to Pythium blight, which can be caused by several different Pythium species. Certain Pythium species attack some grasses more preferentially, although the distribution of these species in California is not known at this time. 

CONDITIONS FAVORING DISEASE
Infection and disease development is associated with daytime air temperatures above 86°F, night temperatures above 68°F and 15 or more hours of relative humidity above 90%. Lush grass with high nitrogen nutrition appear to be more susceptible to the disease as are young/germinating seedlings, so care must be taken during overseeding or establishment in hot weather. The fungus forms thick-walled sexual spores that enable it to survive in soil and plant debris for long periods. 

MANAGEMENT
Proper irrigation is the most important factor in the management of this disease, especially during periods of high nighttime temperatures. 

Cultural Control
Avoid overwatering; irrigate only when needed to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Avoid mowing wet grass or applying high levels of nitrogen during hot, humid weather. Reduce shading and improve soil aeration and water drainage. Time establishment of new turf from seed or overseeding for periods when environmental conditions are not favorable for the development of this disease. 

Treatment Decisions
Due to the speed at which this disease can destroy grass, use fungicides preventively when environmental conditions favor Pythium development, or soon after symptoms are first evident. Apply a fungicide during overseeding or establishment if temperatures are high and the established area is being heaviliy irrigated. Fungicide treated seed is available. 

Resistance has developed to mefenoxam for Pythium in a number of locations in the United States. Practice resistance management by alternating the use of fungicides from different chemical classes. In cases where mefenoxam no longer provides control, switch to a fungicide of a different chemistry. 

   Common name                                  Chemical class
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of these products are available for use by licensed applicators only and cannot be used by home gardeners. 

A.  AZOXYSTROBIN                       QoI (strobilurins)

B.  FOSETYL-AL                              Organophosphate (multi-site)

C. MANCOZEB                                EDBC (multi-site)

 COMMENTS: For pythium blight control but not pythium root rot.

D.  MEFENOXAM                            Phenylamide

PUBLICATION 
UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Turfgrass
UC ANR Publication 3365-T
Diseases
F. Wong, Plant Pathology, UC Riverside
M. A. Harivandi, UC Cooperative Extension, Alameda Co.
J. Hartin, UC Cooperative Extension, San Bernardino Co.
Acknowledgment for contributions to the disease section:
M. E. Grebus, Plant Pathology, UC Davis

Irrigation with Effluent: Will Salinity Become a Problem? - Link

Leaching Requirement! What it is and What it ain't. - Link

Converting Reference Evapotranspiration into Turf Water Use - Link

Calibrating Fertizilier Spreaders - Link

University of Arizona Cooporative Extension 

The purpose of this Accumulative Research Summary is to provide the most recent reporting on past and current studies in a brief outline format along with associated Final Reports. It covers studies under the UCRTRAC umbrella, approximately from 1996 to the present.

Section A. Irrigation Water Use Efficiency Including Utilization of Effluent Water
Section B. Impact of Turfgrass Chemicals and Fertilizers on the Environment
Section C. Unbiased Product Testing (fertilizers, pesticides, equipment, etc.)
Section D. Unbiased Cultivar Evaluations
Section E. Production of Quality Putting Greens
Section F. Wear and traffic issues, including safety and playability
Section G. The Ability to Respond to Sudden Research and Education Industry Needs
Section H. Other 

>>>> Link to Research Summaries

---

Manage and identify insects, mites, diseases, nematodes, weeds, and vertebrates 

Homes, gardens, landscapes, and turf (including Pest Notes) 
Agriculture and floriculture (Pest Management Guidelines) 
Use tools to help make decisions

Weather data and products 
Degree-days 
Interactive tools and models

Research tools and databases: California pesticide use summaries

Bay Area, State Water Pumps Shut Down Over Fish
(CBS 5 / AP) SACRAMENTO State officials on Thursday moved to protect the endangered delta smelt by shutting down the main pump that sends water to some 25 million Californians -- including Bay Area residents -- and thousands of acres of crop land.

"As of this morning, we've gone to complete shutdown to avoid any further take of delta smelt at our facility," said Lester Snow, director of the Department of Water Resources. "We're calling on other agencies, other entities to take similar action."

The pump shutdown will not leave customers without water. Urban and rural water districts will get deliveries from the San Luis Reservoir and other sources, Snow said. State officials said shutting the Harvey O. Banks pumping station outside Tracy was a voluntary measure scheduled to last seven to 10 days. "It was a difficult decision," said Department of Fish and Game Director Ryan L. Broddrick, who asked the state to stop the pumps. "There are tr ade-offs from an economic and even an environmental standpoint." The move comes less than two weeks after officials reported the smelt population at an all-time low, raising questions about the species' ability to survive. The three-inch long fish -- considered a key indicator of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta -- are protected under the California Endangered Species Act.

The shutdown follows an April decision by an Alameda County judge ordering the state to stop pumping water out of the delta within 60 days. The judge ruled that the Department of Water Resources lacks the proper permits or authority to run the Banks pumping station, where smelt have been getting trapped. The state has appealed the ruling.

Environmentalists who have long asked for a reduction in the amount of water drawn from the fragile ecosystem celebrated the news. But they expressed concern the pumps are expected to resume within less than two weeks, without a long-ter m solution on the table. "We were standing with the smelt on the precipice of extinction," said Bill Jennings, head of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and longtime delta advocate. "Something had to be done."

One of the State Water Department's largest customers, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, supported the move, even though it meant falling back on water supplied through sources such as the Colorado River that are already experiencing low water flows.

"This highlights the fact the system is broken," said Jeff Kightlinger, the water district's general manager. Kightlinger said more needs to be done to cut back on other sources of stress on the species, including agricultural runoff that brings pesticide into the delta, invasive species that compete with the smelt, and predatory fish that eat them. Water districts more heavily dependent on delta water showed more concern about the immediate impact of the pump shutdown. "We're not panicked, but we are concerned, and we have all our engineers working on how we can reconfigure our system to deliver what we've promised," said Susan Siravo, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which gets about 50 percent of its water from the delta.

Interruptions in the supply of delta water might cause the district to increase reliance on groundwater, which could increase costs, hinder their ability to manage future droughts and cause the land to sink, district officials said.
Environmentalists, water districts and state officials all agreed that a long-term solution was essential. "If we don't fix the delta, this is going to start happening every year," Snow said. 

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. )

Mike Huck
Irrigation & Turfgrass Services
34001 Amber Lantern Street - Unit #A
Dana Point, CA 92629-6516

Jim Fetterly has developed a keen eye during his decades-long work as golf course superintendent. He has logged thousands of miles driving from course to course in Orange County and seen every affliction precious turf can endure. But he has seen nothing like the past 10 months — parched fairways and not-so green greens.

"Usually I can drive by a golf course and tell you what month it is," said Fetterly, a superintendent at Strawberry Farms Golf Course, San Juan Hills Golf Club and Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club. "I can't do that." 
What Fetterly and other course operators are seeing is the effect of one of the worst droughts in recent Southern California history: soil that is building up with high levels of salt and damaging turf because of the region's driest season in nearly 60 years. Less than three inches of rain has fallen in Orange County since July 1, compared to 8 1/2 inches in the 2005-06 season and the county's historic average of 13 inches since 1948. As Memorial Day marked the unofficial start of another dry, hot summer, the struggle continues to keep courses playable. 

The natural nutrients in rainwater dilute salinity buildup in soil. Courses can supplement it with ground water, but that itself has a high level of salt and forces excessive watering to get salinity out of the root zone, gradually raising the osmotic pressure so that the plant cannot take on additional water. "It's like taking a glass of water and putting a tablespoon of salt in it and (the water) evaporates," said Mike Huck, a Dana Point-based agronomic consultant. "So you put another tablespoon in and another, and there's three tablespoons of salt in the glass."

Huck, formerly a consultant for the USGA who is regarded as one of the state's top irrigation authorities, said that an average 112-acre golf course will use 5-10 percent more water during the drought. Considering that the average course uses 500,000-700,000 gallons of water a day during the summer, according to Fetterly, that translates to water bills well into six figures.

Orange County courses do not appear to be sucking the well dry. A 2004 study showed that about 30-40 percent of the county's private/public golf courses use recycled water, which is an uninterrupted supply, Huck said.
"I don't think the general public will notice a difference, but it will cost the club more," said Eric Lohman, manager of Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda. The popular inland public course gets water from the local district's Colorado River supply. The main concern, Lohman said, is maintaining course conditions so golfers won't get turned off. The county already is known for unimaginative layouts and the nation's seventh-highest average green fees, according to a 2006 Golf Digest study.

"Our customers pretty much demand and expect a golf course that is well groomed, plush, very green," Lohman said. "For the most part our demographic expects that, and people are paying top dollar to play these courses."
Michael Lautenbach, manager at city-operated Anaheim Hills and Dad Miller golf courses in Anaheim, said they have not been impacted by excessive water bills. Anaheim Hills draws from a reservoir and Dad Miller from a well. Fetterly doesn't think it will get to the point where courses will raise green fees, but said that "(the course) is just not going to be that good."

Huck has seen worst-case scenarios in the form of two private courses whose salinity accumulation is approaching toxic levels. Another is running up a $300,000 water bill, he said. Huck doesn't see the ramifications being transferred to the public as in the late 1980s-early 1990s, when a dry spell forced state officials to cut back public irrigation to three days a week when using potable water. But he noted that Southern California has been on a dangerous path since 2003, when the Bureau of Reclamation told Las Vegas and Southern California to stick to their allotments from the Colorado River. Said Huck, "If we don't see some significant moisture in our water systems in California in the next year or two, we'll hear the ration word, and I think golf courses are right at the top of that list."

By CURTIS ZUPKE
The Orange County Register
Contact the writer: 714-796-7832 or czupke@ocregister.com

The year 2006 has been a very dry one, with many golf courses receiving less than 2 inches of rainfall. Golf courses which have their own wells or lakes fed by runoff or springs, are the first to experience an absolute shortage in available water (regardless of cost). Shortages may also occur from cutbacks from municipal water providers, and perhaps even from discontinuous supplies of effluent.

This article deals with drought, from the standpoint of turfgrass survival and management, should water cutbacks occur due to lack of otherwise normally available water. Practices listed below range from temporary shortages, to long-term reductions until restrictions are lifted, or to complete shut down.

Preparing for Drought:

If you know that water use restrictions are eminent, you can do the following to heat/drought harden the turf.

1. Increase irrigation intervals, if possible. Apply the same amount of water, but increase time intervals between applications. This will increase rooting depth and the mild stress that occurs will harden the plants for heat/drought tolerance. This works best on areas that have soils 6-8 inches deep. It won't work for shallow soils that have a hardpan layer, Dg, or caliche layer close to the surface.

2. Replace standard application of - N - , with iron. Iron will make the turf green, without the growth push of nitrogen. High - N - content in plants decreases heat and drought tolerance.

3. Apply K fertilizer 2 weeks before irrigation cut backs.

4. Raise mowing heights on roughs, fairways, and tees. Turfs will store more food reserves, have better insulation properties, somewhat better traffic tolerance, and better regrowth after the "drought" conditions ceases.

5. Deep tine aerify roughs, fairways and tees 3 weeks before water use restrictions. Bermuda roots will follow these holes and so will new rhizomes.

During Drought/Water Restriction Period(s)

Depending on the length of the drought (temporary or season-long) there must be a decision on what areas will have restricted play expectations. If restrictions are severe, consider not irrigating roughs, fairways, tees and greens in that order.

If restrictions are calculated as some percentage of a normal or typical water allotment, then you have more options (below).

6. Deficit irrigate, by applying either less amounts of water at each irrigation event, or apply standard amounts, but skip one irrigation per week. The latter is easier on the turf in the long run. It is very easy to do either of these if you have a PC computer as the main controller.

If you only have field satellite control, it is easier to skip one irrigation event than to change run times (deficit irrigation by rate).

If you have the PC as the controller, you can lower the Kc (crop coefficient value) to get the same effect (deficit by rate), or remove one "irrigation day" from the 14-day schedule (deficit by timing).

If you do both (decrease irrigation rate and skip days) the turf will not last as long, before going dormant. Also, if the water is salty, practice deficit irrigation by timing, only!

Courses with large roughs can trade-off irrigation for keeping fairways watered much easier than desert courses with limited roughs.

Control Cart Traffic:

Nothing will injure under-irrigated turf more so than traffic! Practice one of the agreed upon options:

7. No carts

8. Carts stay on paths only

9. Carts stay on outside of rough

10. Carts travel on roughs only

In prolonged drought, even the 90-degree rule will severely injure the grass on heavily played courses.

Daily Maintenance Routines:

Don't mow, just for the sake of mowing (if turf is barely growing). Rather, have the crew perform irrigation catch-can tests, one fairway at a time. What better time to get accurate precipitation rates and calculate run-time modifiers based on field performance.

Continue hand-watering greens between standard-normal irrigations.

11. Under the worst and most severe conditions, to maintain bentgrass, it takes about 28,000 gallons of 
water to maintain 18,000 square feet of bentgrass greens. This will be the minimum allocation to keep the greens if the course was to be shut down. If there is a regular source of water to irrigate greens, take them out of play and raise the greens to 3/16 or ¼ inches to insulate crowns and promote heat tolerance.

12. On 18 hole courses, only 9 holes could be made available for play.

13. On large-acreage 18 hole courses, with only full circle heads, the roughs could be shut off (heads capped). In this case, the outer edges of turf will appear scalloped with green and straw colored turf.

14. In the worse case scenario (no water), long-term shut down is inevitable. The renovation costs of re-establishment are greater than loss of revenue.

15. The turf will need a good six weeks regrowth before overseeding, otherwise, don't overseed.
 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (May 7, 2007) - Store, transport and wash your golf cups with ease, thanks to Standard Golf's new Cup Caddie. 

Daily changing and washing of your cups eliminates excess wear due to chemical, soil and sand buildup. Each rack holds nine cups and they stack for easy transport.  Keep an extra set of cups on hand and rotate each day. Cups will last longer and your players will appreciate your attention to detail. Standard Golf's Cup Caddie has steel construction with powder-coated finish.

Contact: John Kelly, (319) 266-2638, info@standardgolf.com
- or -
Sarah Willnerd, (402) 437-6411, sarahw@sramarketing.com