Crystal Blue Links Creeping Bent

I wanted to introduce our newest member of the Tee-2-Green family to everyone, Crystal BlueLinks creeping bentgrass. The name is different but for a good reason; its unique blue-green color allows it to green-up faster in the springtime in lower light levels and have excellent color year-round.

The color contrast to other turf areas will to set it apart from all the rest. When looking at turf plots, it’s the first one people notice and want to know more about. The turf professionals that have seen it, say it recovers like Penncross and performs like the A’s and G’s without thatch issues.

Like our A’s and G’s, Crystal BlueLinks requires less fertilizer, water, and fungicides to stay healthy. It establishes very quickly with very deep roots, and great lateral growth.
This variety tolerates heat, cold, disease, and wear better than most other bentgrasses.

Crystal BlueLinks has already shown its adaptability by handling the heat and humidity of the transition zone areas and the ultra cold of northern Canada. It’s the new kid on the block, but it for sure will be a stand out for Tee-2-Green in the future years.

What you can expect:
• Quick spring green-up
• Great year-round color
• Excellent disease resistance to dollar spot and brown patch
• Heat and cold tolerance
• Fast establishment and deep rooting
• Fast recovery with lateral growth
• Ability to adapt to all locations
• Less imputes needed
• Excellent wear tolerance
• Excellent for inter-seeding
• Can be blended with other bents like PennLinks II and PennEagle II

The above photo is from Oak Bay CC in Port Severn Canada

Special Thanks to:
Bill Irvin of Lawrence Country Club in Lawrence, KS
Crystal BlueLinks used for golf course renovation and interseeding program.
Don McFaul of Oak Bay Country Club in Port Severn Canada
Crystal BlueLinks on fairways for new construction.

Email me for more Pictures of Crystal BlueLinks from these locations and test facilities. lsharp@tee-2-green.com

Top-Dressing

I was visiting a golf course the other day that had just started to top-dress when a member came up to me said “I hate when they do this but we do have the best greens in town”. He told me that just three years ago the greens were puffy, slow, grainy, and had diseases all the time, but now they were perfect. He commented, three years ago the course did top-dressing once or twice a year, but now they lightly top-dress every two weeks and fairways three times a year. I was impressed about how much the member was actually watching the course, but come to find out he lived next to that green and watched out his window at the daily operations. I explained to him why they top-dress and that some courses are starting to eliminate topdressing due to budget cut backs in these hard times. He said they need to come sit on his back patio to see the difference.

Top-dressing
Smooth the playing surface
Protects the crown of the plant
Tighter, Finer, Upright turf to compete against poa-annua
Removes grain on older bent / poa greens
Thatch control
Less disease
Better water and Fertilizer infiltration
Alleviates Compaction
Protects against winter kill

Over the last six months I have visited several courses who have told me that they were going to eliminate their top-dressing program to cash flow.

Do the benefits out weight the price?
How often do you top-dress at your course?
Do you top-dress fairways?
Do you top-dress going into winter to protect against winter kill?
Can you tell the difference in your greens?

Indianapolis 500 and the month of May

The Indianapolis 500, held May 30th each year, is known around the world as the greatest spectacle in racing, and having grown up in Indiana, it was larger than life. Every year the Speedway hosts the Indy 500, NASCAR, Moto GP, and what might amaze you, golfers.

Located along the back stretch of the track is a Pete Dye designed golf course featuring 14 holes on the outside of the track and 4 breathtaking holes located in the infield of the track. Whether you are a race fan or not, the golf course is a one-of-a-kind gem that is a must for any golfer.

The undulating, elevated greens are as fast as some of the cars that travel around it. Make sure to bring your camera for an occasional glimpse of a race car, but for sure you will need it for some of the great golf holes. My favorite is hole number 7 on the inside of the track, one of the unique par threes you will play.

China Golf Show 2010

Golf in the Asian market is booming at an all-time high and brought international
exhibitors to the 2010 China Golf Show held at the China National Convention Center located at the Olympic Village in downtown Beijing. The show is a combination of all aspects of golf from maintenance, architecture, pro shop equipment, apparel, indoor golf, driving range, tourism, and so much more under one roof. It is the PGA show and the GCSAA Golf Industry Show all tied into one show. This is very impressive for a country who is just emerging as a golf powerhouse and will continue to do so with the world’s best golf designers flocking there to find work. The build-it-bigger mentality follows with some of the largest golf facilities being built in China. With equally large clubhouses resembling palaces, the golf courses are dream facilities for any golfer. Designers need qualified superintendents to fill positions for these dream facilities and are looking to the States and other countries to fill these jobs. It will be interesting to watch as this mighty powerhouse grows.

Ecological Golf

Perhaps more than any other sport, golf's relationship with the natural world is one of its defining characteristics. As relatively large green spaces, often with a variety of natural and semi-natural vegetation, and typically with sizeable out-of-play areas, all golf courses have the potential to contribute to the conservation of nature and promotion of biodiversity.
All golf facilities should take the opportunity to maximize the ecological value of their courses. It is an incredibly creative and rewarding process that won't simply benefit wildlife, but members, visitors and staff - all who will appreciate more diverse and naturalized surroundings in which to work and play.

The big question is...how to do that? How to create ecological richness and diversity in a way that compliments golf?

We would like to hear what you are doing at your course...

2010 World Forum of Golf Architects

My trip last week took me across the pond to the home of golf, St. Andrews.
The event was the World Forum of Golf Architects, consisting of architects from all over the world and industry partners like Tee-2-Green. The discussions focused on golf course sustainability in design, renovation, and the future of golf. The hot topics were Water (efficient irrigation, salt water, grey water, brackish water and water harvesting), Naturalization (using fewer acres of high maintained turf in the rough),Turgrass Science (selecting the right turfgrass for the course), Bunkers (reducing the amount), and other related topics. Another topic of discussion was the idea of building shorter courses for players of all ages, handicaps, and abilities to allow everyone to play. Providing courses that can be played in less than 4 hours with limited hazards could be appealing to more than just the high handicappers with the limited recreation time most people have these days.

As a former superintendent and golf course manager, it was great to see them talking
about topics that affect us on a daily basis as well as our livelihood. With budgets becoming tighter, we need to look at the best use of our courses and how to draw more players into the game.

“If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf.”
-Bob Hope

2010 Canadian CGSA Turfgrass Meeting Toronto

OH Canada …

My visit takes me up north to Toronto , Canada , and the 2010 Canadian International Turfgrass Conference. I truly enjoyed the educational conferences and the trade show, along with meeting some of our fellow superintendents north of the border. One of the highlights was to stand in a ballroom full of red and white hockey shirts, balloons, and Canadian flags to watch the 2010 USA v. Canada hockey game. Even with the American team losing by one point, my gain was to see the national pride that was displayed by the fans who truly love the game ... a memory I will not soon forget.

While attending the show, one of the hot topics on which I thought may be worth starting a discussion is “winterkill.” This came up in discussions in meetings, on the conference show floor, and in the local CGSA publications that were distributed. Feedback I would like to receive includes what you do to prevent winter damage on your course; and, if you do have damage, what is the best way to recover. I felt this topic may be a great one since this winter seemed to affect more states with above-normal snowfall and ice.

Some ideas for topics to begin with:
Covers or no covers
Do you remove the ice or not? If so, how…
Top dressing with black sand
Raising mowing height before winter
Fertilizer to use in the fall and the one to use in the spring to jump start
Watering before, during and after

Let’s talk it up and share our knowledge.