Research

Formation of clay bands in sand putting greens

August 30, 2016 By Glen Obear and Bill Kreuser, Ph.D.

In 2014, we observed thin bands of clay in the sand putting greens of a golf course in Mississippi. These layers resulted in reduced water infiltration, saturated soils and a decline in turfgrass density. The greens, constructed in 2005 following ...

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A new key to Poa annua seedhead suppression

August 26, 2016 By Shawn Askew, Ph.D.

Research shows an early application of Proxy (ethephon) provides consistent Poa annua seedhead suppression. Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) seedhead suppression long has been among the more unpredictable turf management objectives faced by superintendents. One challenge is that annual bluegrass is ...

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Snow mold lessons learned from last winter

August 16, 2016 By Paul Koch, Ph.D

The winter of 2015-2016 can best be described as unusual, whacky, zany, goofy or any other words that imply it was abnormal for most of the northern United States. December had record-breaking warmth for most locales, and frequent heavy rainfall ...

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Indaziflam on warm-season native grasses in rough

August 1, 2016 By Michael Richard, James McCurdy, Ph.D. and Brian Baldwin

Native warm-season grasses are popular choices for low-maintenance rough on golf courses. They require minimal inputs to maintain but still require some maintenance. Annual grasses and invasive plants can be problematic within these systems, so herbicides often are needed for ...

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Golf ball lie, mowing height and shot execution

July 19, 2016 By Dan Strunk, Ph.D., Doug Karcher, Ph.D., Joey Young, Ph.D., Mike Richardson, Ph.D. and Aaron J. Patton, Ph.D.

Anyone who has played golf knows that shots from the preferred lies of the fairway are more likely to be successful compared with a similar shot in the rough. Players finding themselves in the rough can use a variety of ...

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What we know about bacterial diseases of turfgrasses

July 14, 2016 By Joseph A. Roberts, Ph.D. and Paul R. Giordano, Ph.D.

Concerns about bacterial etiolation (Figure 1) and decline exploded in the golf course industry more than five years ago. While etiolation had been observed for years, the abnormal elongation sometimes observed in putting greens usually was an unsightly occurrence that ...

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