The Whiteboard

Fishing for a New Poa Control
So we get a lot of invitations to come to company events around the industry. Press conferences, media briefings, sales conferences, etc. These usually take place in the Radisson in Edina, Minn., or the Day’s Inn in fabulous Fargo in, say, January. Because we have an obligation to you, our beloved readers, we dutifully trudge through the snow and muck to attend and report.

So, we were more than pleasantly surprised to be asked to take part in the Bayer Warm-Season Weed Symposium last month – at a really nice resort – in Key Largo, Fla. But this was more than just a fabulous trip; the event featured mucho brainpower, including an all-star cast of Ph.D. weed scientists from the leading turf schools from around Dixie and all the way over to Hawaii.

From a golf perspective, the big news coming out of the symposium is Bayer’s imminent registration of Specticle, a new pre-emergence herbicide that researchers say is a dynamite Poa annua and goosegrass control in Bermudagrass fairways and greens. The active, indaziflam, was commercialized specifically for the T&O market, which is unusual since nearly all herbicides and other products are originally developed for agriculture and later introduced in our market. The researchers – including Dr. Fred Yelverton of N.C. State and Dr. Bert McCarty of Clemson – confirmed that Specticle’s Poa control capabilities are everything Bayer had hoped. The product, which should receive a federal label this summer and come to market for the fall, nails annual bluegrass, goosegrass and a host of other broad-leaf weeds. It can also hit bentgrass, so Bayer is advising a buffer around bent greens to prevent non-target effects.

The most notable thing about Specticle in addition to its efficacy is its incredibly low dosage. The proposed turf label calls for 52.5 grams – yes, grams – of active per acre compared to rates in ounces or pounds for existing pre-emerge products. “Superintendents will be able to get the control they want and have a great environmental story to tell,” says Matt Bradley, the herbicide product marketing manager for BES. “Specticle also creates an option for those who are concerned about resistance issues with existing controls.”

Oh, and like any good tourist – er, I mean reporter – I went armed with a video camera. Look for videos we shot at the event on http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/MultimediaList.aspx.   

Mega problem, “Mega” solution
GCI's field agent — working out of the “all-things-Mega” division, Florida office — reports that Megamelus has been released from a government facility.

Sounds sort of like the opening scene from a Godzilla creature feature. Should we be worried and running for the hills?

Not quite. Actually, if you're in charge of a facility in the southern half of the U.S. you may be relieved to hear this news. Our man in the field reports this pint-sized critter — known more correctly as Megamelus scutellaris — could be an effective biocontrol solution to combat invasive watyerhyacinth.

Waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a free-floating aquatic plant native to South America that has infested freshwater ecosystems from North Carolina to California, but is especially problematic in the Southeast. The plant is a real menace, affecting water traffic, water quality, infrastructure for pumping and hydroelectric operations, water use and biodiversity, including fish kills due to low oxygen levels.  

ARS entomologists Philip Tipping and Ted Center, both with the agency's Invasive Plant Research Laboratory (IPRL) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., worked closely with scientists at the ARS South American Biological Control Laboratory (SABCL) in Buenos Aires to find and test Megamelus scutellaris, a new biocontrol for waterhyacinth.
Megamelus scutellaris is a small South American planthopper whose nymphs and adults feed on the sap of waterhyacinth. Nymphs are active and readily hop, even off the surface of the water. The insect's population increases rapidly, which enables it to quickly impact the waterhyacinth population.

Herbicides are the common method for reducing waterhyacinth, but their use directly interferes with the biocontrol agents currently deployed against this weed. The scientists believe M. scutellaris may integrate better with existing herbicide programs because of its mobility, which should improve its survival in such highly managed systems.

Roll Call
The Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association inducted Tom Cook, retired Oregon State University turfgrass professor, into its Hall of Fame.

American Golf appointed Lawrence Moran general manager of Dyker Beach Golf Course, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Hunter Industries added Chris Olsen to its FX Luminaire sales team covering northern California and Nevada.

Agrium Advanced Technologies promoted Jeff Novak to vice president, marketing and innovation.

Redexim Turf Products, the factory direct store for Redexim North America, added Jeff Clinite to manage inside sales and a new retail Web site and salesman Grant Rundblade to cover the Chicago area market.

The Carolinas GCSA honored founders Grant Bennett and Henson Maples with the Bennett-Maples Scholarship honors.

Valley Country Club, Warwick, R.I., hired Frank Arruda as its superintendent.

Christopher S. Gray Sr., superintendent and general manager of the Marvel Golf Club in Benton, Ky., received an Earth Day Award from the state’s Environmental Quality Commission.

Ewing named Steve Ramsey national product sales manager of its industrial and agricultural irrigation division.

Chockoyotte Country Club, Weldon, N.C., named Jeff Crouse superintendent.

Paul Saunders joined E-Z-GO, as vice president, information technology.

The Golf Matrix
Beware, the robots have begun their revolution. Our agent within GCI’s Advanced Technology Department reports that Precise Path Robotics is manufacturing robotic golf course conditioning and maintenance equipment.

The company’s RG3 navigates precisely and safely through a course and travels in straight lines and along curved paths without the need of a human operator – GASP! According to the company line, their robots help superintendents produce excellent course conditions, reduce operational costs and minimize negative impacts to the environment. The RG3 has a price tag of around $29,000.

And the company’s long-term vision statement sounds like the premise for a summer sci-fi blockbuster: “The product development plan includes a fleet of robotic vehicles designed to tackle every aspect of golf course conditioning and maintenance.” It goes on to state: “By leveraging patented core technologies, the company is on track to achieve their long-term vision of ‘automation for the outdoors,’ enabling the development of a wide-range of robots for use in a variety of outdoor environments, including golf courses, sports fields, residential homes, corporations and public spaces.” The only thing it left out was “enslavement of humanity.”

Are we being paranoid if we envision a future of Arnold-esque robo-superintendents armed with phrases like “Hasta la vista, weeds,” and “Stay on the cart path, or I’ll be back.”

Tracks of my Tears
This spring’s rains have stressed out many superintendents throughout the U.S. And if you were lucky enough to escape any of the countless flood situations, then you most likely had to deal with turf damage caused by cart traffic.
GCI’s man in the field, Kevin Goss, superintendent at Sugar Creek Golf Course in Villa Park, Ill., reports that to avoid this problem and secure playable conditions throughout the season he enacts two types of restrictions – no carts available or cart path only.

After some recent heavy rains, Goss reports that he had to restrict carts to paths for two days. During that time he had a number of golfers stray from the paths and, well, you can see the damage they did. That’s why Goss says he’s forced to occasionally restrict cart usage.

“As a superintendent, I really dislike having to restrict cart usage to the paths,” Goss says. “But you can see why it is important. Imagine if 10 people decided to go off the path instead of the two or three that probably did. If the areas you can see in the pictures were driven over multiple times, these areas would be damaged for weeks or even months.”

That’s why Goss suggests that superintendents who are dealing with this problem should not hesitate to enforce cart path restrictions because it’s for the long-term health of the course and to ensure consistency in playability. “Just like frost delays, no one likes them,” he says. “But they are necessary for the health of the course.”