Letters to the editor

Keeping Poa annua out
I read Kevin Ross’ article “Analyzing a nemesis” (page 40 in the March issue). I completely agree with the gist of his greens management program. It works. During the 1970s, I employed the same approach at Pasatiempo in Santa Cruz, Calif., and most recently have directed a similar program being used by the city staff at the newly renovated Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco.

In the case of the latter, the greens at Harding remain 100-percent pure bentgrass after more than two years since establishment. I credit Roy Goss, Ph.D., of Washington State University in the 1960s and ’70s for laying the program foundation. Goss was a genius who manipulated a subtle, natural weakness in Poa annua as a pest-control mechanism. He advocated spoon feeding nitrogen in foliar sprays with high levels of iron (bents naturally have a slightly higher tolerance of high iron levels than Poa annua). Here’s the approach I advocate, which is in lock step with what Ross wrote:

• Frequent, light foliar applications of nitrogen with chelated iron – Goss used iron sulphate. A synergistic plant uptake is enhanced;
• Light, frequent sand topdressing (dusting) – the work of John Madison, Ph.D., at UC Davis and the efforts of Jack Butler, Ph.D., at Colorado State in the 1960s;
• Light, frequent overseeding with selected bent varietals – always use two to avoid monoculture populations for natural diversity pest protection;
• A solid regime of cultural practices as required to physically manage root profile, salts, percolation, etc., (coring, sanding, light vertical mowing);
• The key is irrigation management – keep the fingers off the water button to encourage deep rooting. Cycle wetting and drying, deep watering like nature;
• Keep phosphorus levels at a bare minimum (near starvation levels) to discourage seed head (flowering) production of Poa annua;
• Keep pH in a range of 5.5 to 6.2 using a rotation of basistic and acidifying soluble fertilizer (i.e., calcium nitrate and potassium nitrate for basistic, ammonium sulphate and urea for acidic). I give Jon Scott, vice president of Championship Agronomy for the PGA Tour, credit for the aspect of pressing to keep pH low; and
• Daily hunting (scouting) to hand pick Poa annua out of greens (by cup changer – only takes two to five minutes per green).

In two years at Harding Park, with the Dominant X-treme blend of varietals Providence and SR1119, we’ve been 100-percent effective keeping Poa annua out. Additionally, we have seen little pest activity, have spot sprayed a minor outbreak of Necrotic ring spot about 15 months ago and only had to apply Heritage once last fall for a beginning manifestation of take-all patch.

Jim Prusa
Director of agronomy
Harding Park Golf Course
San Francisco

Instruction improvement
I enjoyed Jim McLoughlin’s column “Golf’s driving engine” (page 24 in the May issue). He’s right on with his observations and comments.

Golf professionals must continue to excel and lead in golf instruction as part of our qualifications and expertise, and tools are important to continue that leadership and continued growth. Golf professionals are so burdened today with budgets, revenue development and cost minimization that we sometimes fail to recognize that one of our original professional services is golf instruction, along with playing the game of course.

His column stresses the importance of golf professionals in the industry as leaders in golf instruction as part of our professional responsibility.

The statistics piece is a tool that will add to golf professionals’ methods of helping golfers improve and recognize their abilities, as well as adding another component to the game that will create interest for golf consumers. Everyone desires to compete, be entertained and compare, and this tool will bring that as a dimension to the game.

Tom Addis
Past president of the PGA
President
Medallion Golf
San Diego

Correction
The photo of the Cushman in the Travels with Terry column on page 60 of the March issue was inadvertently used. It doesn’t accompany the text about the pump. GCN

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