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GreenKeeperApp.com: A digital tool for superintendents

By |  January 25, 2017 0 Comments

Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., is a turfgrass scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. To help get his research findings into the hands of superintendents, Bill and his colleagues at UNL developed GreenKeeperApp.com. For more information, Bill can be reached at wkreuser2@unl.edu and on Twitter @UNLTurf.

Q What was your motivation for developing GreenKeeperApp.com?

It started as a method to get our growing degree day (GDD) models for plant growth regulator (PGR) applications into the hands of superintendents so they could make individualized decisions for their golf courses. It has grown into a decision-support tool not only for PGR applications but for fertilizer and pesticide applications and weather monitoring. GreenKeeperApp.com launched Jan. 1, 2016, and we have more than 1,500 total users with about 750 golf courses as active users.

Q What features are available today?

In addition to GDD models for PGRs that alert you when it’s time reapply a PGR, the website-based app also will alert you when a fungicide application is nearing the end of its effectiveness (the product expiration lifetime is nearing). Also, you may select an area of your golf course to treat and choose products and application rates from an extensive turf product database. The app will calculate how much product goes into the sprayer tank, the number of tanks needed and the number of gallons in the mix. You also can print an easy-to-read report with mixing instructions.

A superintendent can save all spray data in the application to maintain a permanent record of applications. If desired, a superintendent can share the targeted pest and preventive or curative strategy with other users, and GreenKeeperApp.com will compile maps showing the relative locations of recently reported pests, which helps superintendents keep tabs on pests showing up in their area. The maps only show the relative location of a golf course, not the specific location of an individual golf course.

We are working with Weather Underground to improve the weather monitoring provided to
superintendents.

Q Tell me more about the cooperation with Weather Underground.

Starting this year, weather data will be provided by Weather Underground using one of several options. First, the user may link an existing on-site weather station to their GreenKeeperApp.com account and it will report weather from their weather station. If you don’t have a weather station you may purchase one for about $350. It will integrate weather conditions on your golf course in real time to the web for use on GreenKeeperApp.com. If you are not interested in an on-site weather station you can enter your ZIP code and weather will be reported based on location determined by ZIP. Superintendents outside the United States can enter their city and country to search for weather based on the closest weather station to their location.

Q How does a superintendent sign up for GreenKeeperApp.com, and what are the logistics behind the scenes?

GreenKeeperApp.com is free and always will be free, thanks to our sponsors. Sign up by going to GreenKeeperApp.com and following the sign-up instructions. I recommend you do the initial signup and setup on a computer. It’s easier to use a mouse to add the necessary golf course set-up and product inventory information on a computer than on a phone. Once the setup is complete you can access your GreenKeeperApp.com account on your phone or other mobile device.

We value your privacy and will never share or sell individual golf course information. No users can determine who may be signed up for and use GreenKeeperApp.com.

I serve as the behind-the-scenes technical and agronomic expert. If questions arise, send me an email and I can help solve the problem you are experiencing.

Q Anything else you would like to add?

I will be at GIS to speak about GreenKeeperApp.com on the trade show floor and give demonstrations. If you previously tried using the website and were frustrated using it, please try again. We have improved and debugged GreenKeeperApp.com.

This is posted in Columns

About the Author: Clark Throssell, Ph.D.

Clark Throssell, Ph.D., is the former director of the Purdue University turf program as well as the former director of research for GCSAA. Throssell is the research editor for Golfdom, focusing on managing the Super Science section of the magazine and website. He also contributes his "Clark Talks Turf" column to Golfdom every month.


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