Leo Feser Award

This was definitely a shocker.  I didn't expect anything like this.
-Justin
___________________________

Oct. 29, 2010
GCSAA certified golf course superintendent recognized for writing Facing Facebook, Talking Twitter

Ruiz wins GCSAA's Leo Feser Award
Justin Ruiz, CGCS, has been honored with the 2010 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Leo Feser Award for his article, "Facing Facebook, talking Twitter," which appeared in the June 2010 issue of Golf Course Management magazine.
Ruiz is the GCSAA certified golf course superintendent at The Rim Golf Club in Payson, Ariz. His article focused on the communication advantages with golfers/members/customers that social media can provide.
The Leo Feser Award is presented annually for the best superintendent-written article published in GCM, the association's monthly magazine. The award winner is selected by members of GCSAA's Strategic Communications Committee. Ruiz, a 12-year GCSAA member, will receive the award at the 2011 GCSAA Education Conference Feb. 8 during Celebrate GCSAA! presented in partnership with Syngenta. The conference (Feb. 7-11) will be held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show (Feb. 9-10) in Orlando.
"Justin's article does a great job of simplifying social media and its relevance to our profession," said GCSAA President James R. Fitzroy, CGCS. "Through his writing he was able to help readers understand how helpful these new technologies can be to a golf facility's communication efforts."
As the Feser Award winner, Ruiz will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. Ruiz's name will also be engraved on a plaque that is on permanent display at GCSAA headquarters.
The Feser Award honors the late Leo Feser, a pioneer golf course superintendent and a charter member of GCSAA. Feser is credited with keeping the association's official publication alive during the Great Depression. For three years (1933-36), he wrote, edited, assembled and published each issue of The Greenkeepers' Report (as the association's magazine was called then) from his home in Wayzata, Minn. The award was first presented in 1956 and has been given annually since 1977.
Golf Course Management is the leading publication for golf course managers. It has a circulation of nearly 30,000 and is delivered to every golf facility in the United States.
GCSAA is a leading golf organization and has as its focus golf course management. Since 1926, GCSAA has been the top professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to more than 20,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA's mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf. The association's philanthropic organization, The Environmental Institute for Golf, works to strengthen the compatibility of golf with the natural environment through research grants, support for education programs and outreach efforts.
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For more information contact:

Ed Hiscock, editor in chief, Golf Course Management, 800-472-7878

Frost at The Rim

It is that time of year in the Rim Country. Overnight temperatures are below freezing and frost is inevitable. Fall is a great season with many colors to look at along the forest, but it also means frost delays are here.

Photo Courtesy of Purdue University www.ppdl.purdue.edu/PPDL/images/frostdamage1.jpg
We have adjusted are start times to reduce any frost delay during the winter months. We also have had cold enough weather to have frost stick around long enough to even delay our 1000am start time. We will do our best to get the course ready during the cold weather to reduce any kind of delay that may occur.
During the times of cold winter weather we will need to delay traffic on the turf until frost is melted. We want to avoid frost damage, because recovery is very slow this time of year. Damage from a cart or a walker can take more than a week to recover. The damage will start out purple in color and turn to a straw brown as the leaves begin to dry.
I like to use the analogy of a piece of glass shattering, when I explain frost damage. When the leaf blade of the plant is frozen and becomes crushed by a tire or a shoe it is basically like a piece of glass shattering into many pieces. Microscopically when the leaf blade sustains the damage the cells shatters into pieces. The pieces move through the plant destroying cells in its path. Once the plant begins to thaw the plant fluid leaks out and the leaf blade and will look water soaked and purple. The leaf blade is now dead and will turn brown. Rarely does this damage affect the crown of the plant so the plant itself is not dead. The problem is that growth is slowed during cold weather, which makes for a slow and painstaking recovery.
With that being said, we ask that walkers and cart traffic avoid turf while it is frozen to protect the grass. If there are any questions about frost and how we make the decision to delay golf please contact me.
Justin C. Ruiz, CGCS

October Greens Committee Report

Course Condition


Winter weather has moved in and the grass is starting to slow down a little on growth.

Completed Items

 Broadleaf weeds sprayed on tees.
 Fertigation
 Trimming Native along paths.
 Greens and Fairway Aerification.

Current Affairs

 Cleaning up Javalina damage.
 Edging sprinkler heads, valve boxes and drains.
 Seeding, sanding and fertilizing thin areas in the rough.
 Cleaning rocks, weeds and fixing liner in the bunkers.
 Spraying for moss on the greens.
 Cleaning up plug drop areas from fairway Aerification.

Upcoming Events

 Sodding out Poa encroached collars.
 Fall fertilization application
 Hand picking Poa from greens.
 Winter Projects soon to come.
Staff
The season is coming to an end and the last day for the seasonal crew will be the 31st of this month. This will leave us with 3 FT employees and 2 PT employees on staff for the winter months.

The Benefits of Aerification

The Rim Golf Club is a unique club. The breath taking views from every hole are like no other golf club in Arizona. The idea that we live in a desert climate is sometimes forgotten when we live among the largest forest of Ponderosa Pines in America. There is no doubt; it is tough to find a better environment to enjoy playing the game of golf.

Growing grass in Payson is much different than anywhere in the State of Arizona. Cool season grasses grown on decomposed granite is not accomplished anywhere else in the State. Sedona, Flagstaff, The White Mountains, all have more desirable soils to work with. Sedona is the closest to our climate with warmer summers to cause substantial disease pressure in the Monsoon months. The northern courses will never experience destructive disease like we do. Cooler overnight temperatures keep pathogens in check.

A frequently discussed subject among members is our soil or lack of. Adding soil or organic matter has been a topic for as long as I can remember. This could sound like I am contradicting myself, but we don’t have a problem with not having enough organic matter, actually we grow all of our grass in a two inch thick blanket of organic matter (thatch) that caps our native granite soil. We can utilize this organic layer by incorporating inorganic sand to create an optimum playing field. An ideal soil is shown in this diagram. If you notice mineral (rock, gravel) is a key ingredient. Organic is only a minor piece of the pie.

Building a soil is a slow process. The inability to make use of our native soil has become a reality. Making use of the organic matter (thatch) we have in place and mixing in sand through aerification and topdressing we can create a decent growing medium for turf. It is a slow process. I have been here for four seasons and three years ago we started a consistent cultivation program. The benefits of incorporating sand have been fairways that are more firm, slightly better water infiltration through the organic matter and a healthier root structure. Benefits we will see with continued cultivation will be less disease pressure due to better drainage, deeper roots that will endure drought better and utilize nutrients and water more efficiently. Aerification can be a dirty word in the golf community, but to a turf manager it is literally a breath of fresh air.

In my opinion, Payson is located in the most beautiful area in Arizona. Complementing the surrounding environment is quite a challenge as a turfgrass manager. Grass, being a living organism, needs adequate oxygen, water, and light. Aerification is the most important practice to oxygenate the soil, a practice that is needed twice a year to enhance the course’s future. Conditions will only improve over the years with consistent cultivation.

Aerification Dates

September 20th Greens

September 21st – 24th Fairways

If you have any questions about our upcoming aerification practices please feel free to contact me at any time.
Justin Ruiz, CGCS
jruiz@therimgolfclub.org
928-951-3421

Watering The Rim Golf Club

Applying water to the golf course is the most important practice we perform every season. With limited storage, it is imperative that we make sure every drop is used properly. To ensure optimum efficiency when scheduling our irrigation events, we use evapotranspiration (ET).
ET is the combination of evaporation from the soil surface and the transpiration from the turf plant. The ET is the amount of water used by the plant in a 24 hour period accounting for wind, humidity, temperature and solar radiation. Our goal is to replace the amount water used in a single day.

The height of cut also makes a difference in the rate at which water is used by the plant. The lower the cut the more evaporation loss from water applied. As the height of cut increases, the evaporation portion of the plant water use decreases. Transpiration from the plant increases as the plant gets bigger. The relationship between the two values is not equal. That is why the larger plants will use less water. We expect to see some savings with the new height of cut in the fairways.

The way many people apply water today is by using time intervals. Watering 5 to twenty minutes per station per night is common practice. Our computer uses ET so we can water to the second, replacing the water used that day. The computer’s database contains information about each head’s makeup. Gallons per minute, area covered, arc pattern in degrees and spacing with other heads to calculate a specific precipitation rate for that designated head. This information was what we were working on three years ago to make sure the computer could accurately make watering decisions using the ET. Each night the run time is changed to meet the plant’s water usage and throughout the year adds up to a sizeable amount of savings due to the accuracy of water application.

The central control system that we use is by far, one of the most important and most powerful tools in our arsenal. Minor inconsistencies in programming can lead to major watering inefficiencies. Incorrect adjustments in the field that are not corrected in the computer can also contribute to poor use of water. There is no doubt, each year we are close on the amount of water needed to maintain the turf and the amount of water in our storage lakes, but with the efforts made over the past three years, we have lessened the our historic water shortages.

Water is our most precious resource. Making sure to apply it in the most efficient way is important to the sustainability of our club. Superintendents still make use of time interval irrigation, but calculating the actual plant water use and replenishing that water, is the most accurate application method available today. When you are out on the course enjoying the summer weather, you can appreciate the science behind the way we use our water.

If you have any questions about ET or how we apply water to the golf course please feel free to contact me.

Justin C. Ruiz, CGCS

jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

Green Speed

Recently, I was able to watch a little bit of the U.S. Open. Pebble Beach was the host this year and one of the topics mentioned quite a bit from the newscasters was green speed. The greens were rolling 13 at Pebble Beach during the week. Of course, pretty much every golfer in America knows that “13” is fast. Did you know that that number is measured with a tool called a Stimp meter? The Stimp meter was originally designed to give the superintendent a way to measure consistency among all eighteen greens. It wasn’t until recently in golf’s history that the tool was used for speed.

There is no doubt the Stimp meter has changed the way we manage greens and green speed. Rolling the greens has become a management tool rather than a cultural practice. We roll on average two to three times per week to give the greens a break from cutting and maintain speed. The greens are being cut higher than past years, but our speeds have remained similar. With a higher cut, more plant is available for photosynthesis, resulting in healthier root structure.

So, next time you hear the number that so many people use to describe greens, you will know that the Stimp meter was originally intended to achieve consistency over all the greens on the course, not necessarily speed.

If you have any questions about green speed or other course issues please feel free to contact me.

jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

Did you Know Vol. 1

Did you know that the mowing equipment we use to cut greens is adjusted to thousandths of an inch?
Yes, the mowing equipment used on the greens is adjusted with a tool called an accugauge.  This tool measures the distance from the bedknife to the bottom of the rollers in thousandths of an inch.  For example the greens are currently cut at 120/1000".  In the past, to get the greens speeds fast for tournament play, the greens have been cut as low as 80/1000".

When the mechanics set the greens mowers up, they have many variables that apply to their adjustments.  They must maintain a 5 degree angle on the face of the bed knife for the mower to properly stand the leaf blade upright for cutting.  The must obtain the proper clearance between bedknife and reel at .002" to allow for heat expansion under operation.  And finally they must maintain a parallel relationship between the reel and the rollers to ensure an even cut across the width of the mower and to avoid uneven wear of the reel causing a cone shape.

With that being said it is imparitive that the mowers are checked daily for adjustment.  Quality of cut and proper height of cut can be compromised by loading and unloading the mower or even a small particle of sand can cause havoc on the cutting integrity.

Now, with the importance of proper adjustments made daily to the mowing equipment also affects the turf as well.  Turf when mowed with a sharp mower is much more healthy.  The plant has a better opportunity to heal and a better ability to sustain the damage caused by mowing.  As for a dull mower, it will leave the leaf blade shreaded.  The plant uses energy made from essential nutrients to repair the damage.  All grasses prefers the production of leaves over roots.  So in the case of dull mower damage the plant will expend it's energy trying to produce more top growth to ensure the efficient production of energy made from photosynthesis. "Shoots before Roots"

What does that mean?

The plant will then use more resources to make this process happen.  The plant will require more water, more fertilizer and more plant protectants to outgrow any stress that the plant is under.

So, back to the important role of our equipment managers.  These guys are critical in the overall health of the golf course.  In turn the health of the golf course will dictate nutrient and water needs.  We rely on their precise and persistent adjustments made everyday to the mowing equipment.

Probably a little more than you needed to know about mowing equipment, but none the less it is an integral part of our golf course maintenance.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Justin C. Ruiz, CGCS
jruiz@therimgolfclub.org

Poa Annua, Taking Over?

Poa annua is the number one talked about grass in America. Courses throughout the country experience Poa invasion at all levels. The Northwest golf courses are nearly all 100% Poa annua including greens. We are currently looking at about 30% contamination on the golf course and less than 1% contamination on the greens.

Poa has been slowly invading the golf course since the construction. Poa is a very efficient annual grass plant. A prolific seeding capability has generated a substantial seed bank over the years since construction. The turf was compromised by disease three and four years ago giving the Poa a great opportunity to germinate with less competition.  This has in turn given us enough of a population to become more noticeable each season.

We have used Trimmit, a plant growth regulator that regulates the Poa plant enough to give a slight advantage to the host turf, the idea being to potentially out compete the vulnerable Poa. We have tried increasing rates of this product, but have only succeeded in making an uneven playing surface in the spring from the patches of Poa being sunken into the surrounding turf. I have not seen the expected regression on the larger patches of Poa. Now, on the greens we are nearly 100% clean. I would have to say Trimmit has some impact on the smaller patches within the creeping bentgrass. We also use hand picking for the small plants in the spring. Trimmit has done a great job on the pinky sized plants on the greens and we have been successful in keeping the bentgrass clean.

The question becomes, what do we do or what can we do now? My opinion on this subject is more of a realistic approach rather than my normal optimistic approach. Depending on how aggressive our membership would like to tackle this issue, we will have continual spread of the Poa. Using chemical control becomes very expensive and results in less than satisfactory results when it comes to complete eradication of the Poa. We can try to manage seed head production in the spring to not get the puffy broccoli looking turf, but we would be kidding ourselves if we thought that we were making a dent in the Poa seed bank that has accumulated over the years. This would be a purely aesthetic approach for a great deal of money.  Growing up in the Poa capital (Pacific North West) and working on relatively new courses I have seen every kind of control exhausted on Poa and I have yet to see one successful in complete eradication. Some have wiped out a lot of grass, but then you are stuck with trying to beat the Poa from germinating and filling in the spots left from the old dead Poa. It is a very difficult task.

Folklore surrounding Poa is that it will die in the summer heat. This is a common misconception. There is no doubt Poa is a little less drought tolerant than other grasses due to the smaller root structure, but in our climate Poa will not die unless something out of the ordinary happens. There is no doubt Poa has a smaller root system then it's competition but it is a pretty resilient plant, it has started to take over in a pretty difficult growing media and is good at out competing the resident turf. Poa isn't as weak or quick to expire as some of the folklore explains.  (Joe Vargas, Proffesor MSU)

What I can say is, Poa control is very expensive and will only prolong the inevitable. Spending valuable resources on Poa may not be the best answer at this time. If you are not getting complete (100%) control on seed head production or simple eradication, Poa will always prevail. Being a logical thinker, I look at the hundreds of thousands if not millions of poa plants growing on the course, if I spend valuable resources to get 80% or even 90% control then we still realize that we have hundreds of thousands of plants still producing millions of seeds that season.

The seed head production will subside later in the spring and the playing surface is not bad at all. Pebble Beach and Cypress Point are both 100% Poa tee to green. I grew up playing and putting on Poa surfaces and the lie you get on a patch of Poa is like placing the ball on a tee. The greens on the other hand we will make adequate efforts to ensure that they stay as clean as possible since Poa patches on putting greens make putting bumpy and inconsistent.

Discussion will continue about Poa. It comes down to playability and presentation, which is more important, how aggressive do we want to get, and do we feel that some type of control is necessary? This issue will become increasingly more noticeable as the years continue..

If you have any questions, please contact me.

jruiz@therimgolfclub.org