t

Turf 5 udents learn by doingHere are some projects turf students at several universities completed this past

academic year. Thanks to Andy Me itt, Pamela Sherratt, Kent Kurtz, GradyMiller, and David Green for their help:

Learn by doingThe Cal Poly Pomona turfgrass program was really launched in 1969 with the

hiring of Dr. Kent Kurtz, who brought with him industry experience and the prac-tical approach to turf management was infused into all of the turf classes. "The stu-dent needs to see how grasses are installed and established by seed, stolons and sodand how the soil is prepared for planting. They also need to experience aerifica-tion, vertical mowing, mowing, renovation, overseeding, and all the aspects of turfmanagement. This is the reason the program has been so successful," says Dr.Kurtz.

Our Lady of Assumption School, Claremont, CA, has had a carnival with ridesand booths on their playground turf for many years to raise money for school activi-ties. The playground turf suffered for many years with gas and oil spills from thecarnival rides, compaction and unevenness, dead grass and all the ills of a lack ofconcern.

The site was part of Cal Poly-Pomona class assignments that have students visitchallenging situations and try to come up with solutions. Part of it this time was

"This is the best and most etiordeble,dedicated sprayer I have Iound"- I Hayes

Spray Technician

overseeding the school's grounds last winter, part of The Turf Club's communityproject program to help a non-profit organization each year. Some groups give theclub a donation that assists them in traveling to professional meetings like theSTMA Conference or GCSAA Conference & Show.

eck out our Web Specials Today!when only perfection will do

For more info: 800.228.1003,ext. 34 • sales@broyhill.com • www.broyhill.com

24 July 2005

Circle 148 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/5062-148

SPORTSTURF • http://www.greenmediaonline.com

SPORTSTURF HighlightsBy Asa High

Transition of overseeded turfgrasses in the southeast can be a difficult periodfor sports field managers and golf course superintendents. Newer cool-season turf-grass cultivars have proved resilient to warmer temperatures and possess the abilityto compete with the underlying Bermudagrass well into the spring and summermonths. Thus, turfgrass managers are left with a less than appealing stand ofBermudagrn~. IamaUn0er~tyof ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-

Florida graduate student workingtoward combating this dilemmathrough overseeding research.

As an Environmental Horticulturegraduate student specializing inTurfgrass Science, I'm currently evalu-ating in-season and transition perfor-mance of 31 cool-season turfgrass cul-tivars. Working under the supervisionof Dr. Grady Miller and in conjunc-tion NTEP, GCSM and the USGA,I'm conducting a 2-year NTEP trial atthe University of Florida AthleticAssociation facilities in Gainesville.

Over a 2-year period the overseed-ed cultivars are evaluated on a num-ber of criteria including: percentestablishment, percent coverage, over-all quality, genetic color, density, tex-ture, disease resistance, root shear

season grasses with superior in-season performance and excellent transitional quali-ties. The modeling portion of this research could lead to smoother transition forturf mangers through proper timing of chemical applications to aid in transition.

For more information on this research, contact Asa High at g8trhigh@ufl.eduor Dr. Grady Miller at gmiller@mail.ufl.edu.

strength, and transition performance. Iwill also be working to evaluate mod-eling methods for predicting cool-sea-son grass transition. Models that willbe looked at include Growing DegreeDay Modeling and other various mod-els for predicting turfgrass growth.

The implications of this workcould have far reaching impacts onturfgrass management and culture.This work could lead to better selec-tion of overseeded turfgrasses for dif-ferent climatic regions that provide asuperior sports turf playing surface.The work could also be helpful to tur-fgrass breeders looking to breed cool-

Nobody has ever seen before the unique, dynamicpattern of three dimensional channels that arecreated by a typical DryJect application. The aggressivesubsurface changes created allow for air, water andnutrients to feed the root zone like no other systemon the market today without disrupting the surface.DryJect has been used on some of the nation's topgolf venues including Oakmont, Winged Footand Merion. Also, the Dallas Cowboys TrainingCenter uses DryJect.

Over two dozen Contracting ServiceCenter franchises nationally,DryJect has a location near you.

Contact details for authorized DryJect contractors(franchises) are listed on the web. Interested franchisecandidates contact the Administrative Offices at800-270-8873 or email info@dryjeet.com.

© Advanced Agro Technologies, Inc; DryJect LLC, 2005

http://www.sportsturfmanager.com • STMA

Only DryJect Contractors give you this3 dimensional, dynamic effect.DryJect does two unique functions at once. First, as an aerator. Most aeration equipmentpunches, drills or slits; some pull plugs. Only DryJect aerates three dimensionally-side to side,front to back and even connects hole to hole. There's no glazing of hole walls, broken tineson buried rocks, changing tines or depth concerns of cracking drainage or other buried lines.It's a revolutionary concept using powered water - a patented Venturi process - to open thesoil for air, water and amendments in high volume without disturbing the surface.

Secondly, it's the only machine that can inject while aerating. Following a water blastinto the turf, it instantaneously injects a selection of flowable dry amendments - sand, peat,diatomaceous earth, calcine clay, zeolites, top dressing, seed, wetting agents, insecticides, orbiological products, you select the mix. For root zone modification, DryJect can use about oneton of material per green.

DryJect Service Center Contractors eliminate the traditional need for a crew to drag, filland remove cores; saving a tremendous amount of labor and time. Some have calculatedsavings into six figures for a year. What's more, DryJect allows you to start a soil modificationprogram even as part of your regular aeration.

Why own equipment when you can contract for it with an authorized, experiencedDryJect Service Center Contractor? With over two dozen territories nationally, there's adependable DryJect contractor near you. Check out the full animation on our website orphone today for more details, pricing.

DryJect®Only DryJect Contractors can inject while aerating.

DryJect llC, Manufacturing Operations:307 Lincoln AvenueHatboro, PA 19040

DryJect llC Administrative offices:1001 Deal RoadOcean, NJ 07712800-270-8873Fax: 732-493-3255www.dryject.comemail: info@dryject.com

Circle 149 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/5062-149

SPORTSTURF 25

the gra nde

sports venues around the world. In the sports turf arena Penn State has interns atFenway Park in Boston, Baltimore Ravens in Maryland, Lakewood Blue Claws in

ew Jersey, Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin, Lebanon Valley College inPennsylvania, and at Beaver Stadium on the Penn State Campus, among many oth-ers.

Of particular note is Aaron Fineberg, one of the SAFE Scholarship winnersfrom last year. Aaron will be interning with Tony Leonard of the Philadelphia

Eagles. Along with the everyday main-tenance and preparation of the facilityfor the upcoming season, Aaron'sinternship project will consist of astudy of the chemical control of poatrivial is in high-cut stands of KentuckyBluegrass.

The objectives of the studyinclude evaluation of the side effectsof chemical compounds on the vary-ing cool season turfgrass species pre-sent at the time of application, thetime needed to see results, and howquickly reseeding can occur.

Having undergraduate studentsaiding in research in the field givesresearchers valuable informationregarding real world application ofour findings and allows the studentand practitioner a greater understand-ing of the scientific process.

Penn State ProudPenn State has a long tradition of training turfgrass managers. There are cur-

rently 240 resident students pursuing undergraduate degrees in turfgrass science atPenn State University. Many more students pursue a degree through Penn State'sWorld Campus, an online education program where students can receive aBachelor of Science Degree in Turfgrass Science via the Internet.

This summer Penn State students are interning at various golf courses and

Why Does This Certified Bermudagrass VarietyMake Such Good sense for

Sunbelt Playing Fields?Closer N\Owing u · ht Leaf Blade Im~ Leaf

Heights ~ TextureResearch conducted in Tifton GA shows , ... T1fSporthas a similar leaf texture tothat TifSportcan tolerate closer mowing nfSport s leaf blade stilfness IS being to~ted Tifwov, and a finer leaf texture thanheights than Tifway and Midiron. With by many turfgrass professioncls. With TlfSport most other grasses. TifSportwillTifSport, mowing fanatics can mow away players seem to get better bounces. deliver excellent footing for sportsto their heart's content. ( fields of all stripes.

Su·TUrf~

TifSport has a greater densithan Tifway - about a1 point difference on a 10point scale. And it's about 3points better than commonbermudagrass.

Good LateralGrowth

TifSport is more aggressivethan genetically pure Tifway,especially during the coolweather months. This mayaccount for TifSport'srapidgrow-in and repair time.

Su · Sod~

TifSport'ssuperior sodstrength means quickerinstallation with less waste,

_and that's got to be goodfor your bottom line.

Excellent TrafficTolerance

TifSport'sturf density, sodstrength and good lateralgrowth rate give it a highranking for traffic tolerance ..

Dark GreenColor

Pastel green is passe.TifSport'sdark emeraldgreen color will makeyour fields the envy of theneighborhood.

Drought ToughAll grass has to have water,but TifSport can help youmake it through thosesummer water restrictions.It stays healthier and recoversfaster from drought than mostother bermudas.

Cold Tolerant-TifSport has expanded thenorthern limit for warmseason bermudagrasses.It has survived multiplewinters as far north asStillwater OK & Lexington KY.

Pest ResistantResearch has shown thatmole ceickets just plain don'tlike TifSport.That's just onemore reason why youshould.

Fora

~;1llts inside view of a typical TifSport plugsh~ws TifSport'simpressive root system,stolons and rhizomes.

U~ .. «in '.' port Growers VISit:wwW:tifSport.com

26 July 2005

Circle 150 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/5062-150

Research OverviewBy Jim Brosnan, Ph.D candidate

Little research data exists on thesafety or playability of baseball sur-faces, especially the skinned portionof the infield. Baseball field managers

place the majority of their effort intomaintaining adequate moisture in theskinned areas of the infield. It remainsunknown though, how changes inmoisture content of this surface affectnot only the ball to surface interac-tion, but the player to surface interac-tion as well.

As a part of my dissertationresearch at Penn State University asurvey of baseball fields across theUnited States will be conducted.Fields at all levels of competition willbe evaluated for surface hardness andball bounce. Surface hardness will bemeasured using both a Clegg Impact

SPORTSTURF • http://www.greenmediaonline.com

these surfaces. Specifically, the effects of moisture and inorganic amendments (i.e.-calcined clay) on skinned areas will be investigated.

This project will provide an understanding of how maintenance proceduresused in baseball field management effect the playability and safety of the field. Itwill also provide input into the relevancy of commonly used material testing meth-ods. By gauging actual strain on set forth onto the player due to surface type andcorrelating that information will values obtained through traditional testing meth-

ods (Clegg Impact Tester, etc ..),we can begin understand howaccurately the evaluation toolswe are equipped with today willpredict field safety in the future.

Soil Tester and the ASTM F-355 method.Ball bounce will be evaluated with an apparatus I developed here at Penn State

named PennBounce. This apparatus quantifies ball bounce by measuring the coef-ficient of restitution (COR) for a playing surface. COR is defined as the ratio of abaseball's velocity after impact with the surface as a proportion of its velocity priorto impact. The apparatus uses infrared chronographs placed twelve inches fromthe testing surface in an arrangement to obtain the inbound and outbound veloci-ties of baseballs propelled atvarying speeds and angles tothe surface.

Information regarding soiltexture, soil moisture, cuttingheight, and thatch layer willalso be collected. The surveywill allow for average baseballfield surface conditions to bedetermined at varying levels ofcompetition.

Upon completion of thesurvey, field plots will be creat-ed at the Joseph ValentineTurfgrass Research Center,University Park, PA. Skinnedinfield plots, natural turfgrassplots, as well as in-filled syn-thetic turfgrass plots will beevaluated in order to determinethe effects of various manage-ment practices have on alteringthe playability and safety of

Sports turf at Ohio StateBy Pamela Sherratt

The Buckeye Sports Turfprogram at The Ohio StateUniversity is now in its fourthyear. During that time we havebeen striving to improve oursports turf research, teachingand extension efforts.

Historically, most of the turf-grass science majors worktoward a career in the golfcourse industry. Out of the 100+majors it was not uncommon tohave just 2-3 that wanted to goon to be a sports field manager.Today, there are 107 turfgrass

http://www.sportsturfmanager.com • STMA

Circle 156 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/5062-156

SPORTSTURF 27

the grounds

science majors and 27 of them are looking for a career in sports turf.There are currently 18 graduate students in the OSU turf program and 2 post-

doctoral associates. Two Ph.D. students recently graduated. One of them, Young-ki[o, will be going on to the University of Wisconsin as a post-doc to study gray leafspot and pink snow mold resistance. Some of the graduate student research pro-jects are: characterization of biomass on sand systems; sports turf rootzone materi-als; phosphorus fertilizer programs; and effects of foliar nitrogen.

Dr. Dave Gardner advises sports turf students and has revitalized the OSU turfclub to encourage greater participation from sports turf students. One change hasbeen to make sure that a sports turf student holds either the President or VP posi-tion. This year, sports turf student John Koenig is VP.

We are blessed to have great sports turf internships at professional facilities likethe Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Ohio Stadium, Jacksonville Jaguars, AkronAeros, and Columbus Crew. This spring we had three students with Dave Mellorat the Red Sox. International internships are also a possibility. The InternationalProgram annually sends 3-5 turf students to England, Ireland or Australia. Mostrecently, Erica Titus worked at Cirencester Polo Club in England, preparing pitch-es (fields) for England's royalty. Once they have graduated, sports turf students alsohave the chance to go on to work at professional sports facilities, such as BrianHoltzapfel, who just started a job with the LA Dodgers, or Derrik Grubbs at theCincinnati Reds.

There is now far better representation from professional organizations such asSTMA, and the OSTMA. Students now have professional organization thatencourages them to participate and awards student scholarships. In 2004, theOSTMA awarded over $2,000 in scholarships to Weston Applefeller, Erica Titus,Gregg Caspio, and John Koenig. 2005 was the first year of participation in theSTMA Collegiate Quiz. 11 students made the trip to Phoenix in January. TheOSU team took 6th place in the quiz and is planning for next year. 2005 was alsothe first year for the Buckeye Sports Turf "Students of the Year" awards. This yearwas a tie between Erica Titus and Rodney Brockwrath.

CA Poly-San Luis ObispoBy David Green

Cal Poly's turfgrass program had another exciting year in 2004-2005. Our stu-dents continued to diligently prepare for their future, but still found plenty of timeto have fun. The year started with the first Cal Poly Turfgrass field day in October.

Is your turf as tough as your team?

28 July 2005

GN- TM

Patented

Hvbrid Bermudaa product of Greg Norman Turf Company.

~;:;;if Exceptional dark green color~~~ Excellent wear recovery4l?f' Good cold tolerance~ "':.Tolerant of high salinity soils

d.~:=4' Lower maintenance costs

Choice

96www.PacificSod.com

Circle 152 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/5062-152

SPORTSTURF • http://www.greenmediaonline.com

More than 55 participants were provided updates on cultivar and fungicide evalua-tions conducted in 2004 and progress reports from the students on their senior pro-ject research, which was embraced warmly by the industry. A big thanks goes outto the students who helped make this first field day a success. A second field day isbeing planned for fall 2005.

In February Cal Poly students attended annual meetings of the Sports TurfManagers Association and the Golf Course Superintendents Association ofAmerica.Theopportuni~to meet ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and interact with individuals in theturfgrass industry is always a valuableexperience that is appreciated by ourstudents. At the GCSM meeting inOrlando we once again had two teamsparticipate in the Collegiate Turfbowl,a comprehensive 3-hour exam thatwould challenge the most experi-enced turfgrass managers. Studentscompeted in teams of four againstteams from other universities andfound the experience fun and veryeducational.

In May, the turf club hosted theirfirst golf tournament at Cypress Ridgein Arroyo Grande, CA, raising morethan $2000 to assist in funding travelto the annual meetings of the GCSMand SMA in 2006. Students also hadthe opportunity to tour several greatturfgrass facilities of southernCalifornia in their Advanced TurfgrassProduction class. Facilities includedPetCo Stadium and The Bridges ofRancho Santa Fe Country Club, anda new course under construction

Vellano GC.This summer our students are

once again out among the industry ina variety of internships. These intern-ships include sport field managementat the Philadelphia Eagles stadiumand at prestigious golf courses such asthe Olympic Club in San FranciscoCounty, and Poppy Hills Golf Coursein Monterey. We also wish the best torecent graduates as they begin theircareers in the turfgrass industry.

Finally, we look forward to the fall2005 implementation of a turfgrassconcentration in the EnvironmentalHorticultural Science major.

Developed through a collaboration of the turfgrass industry and Cal Poly faculty,this curriculum will ensure that our students are receiving the best education possi-ble to succeed in California's turfgrass industry. ST

David Green is assistant professor with the Horticulture and Crop ScienceDepartment, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. .

Circle 153 on card or www.oners.ims.ca/5062-153

http://www.sportsturfmanager.com • STMA SPORTSTURF 29