Experiment 3 Putting Green Lightweight Rolling

Experiment 3

Putting Green Lightweight RollingBy: Mike McKeel, Mike Wright, Tristen Woody

Objective

Evaluate the affects of different rolling frequencies on putting green quality

Cultural PracticesNative soil make-up (topdresssed weekly)Height of Cut: .130 (Cut 3x/week)Fertility: weekly app of 28% foliar N @.1lb/M60 % Poa annua 40 % Agrostis varieties (Collins)

MethodsResearch ConductedSeptember 3 November 4 TreatmentsControlRoll 1x/wkRoll 3x/wkData CollectionGreen Speed 3x/wk (post rolling)Turf Color, Soil Moisture, Firmness, Temperature 1x/wk (post rolling)

i101Control201 1x/wk301 3x/wkii201 3x/wk202 Control203 1x/wkiii301 3x/wk302 1x/wk303 Control

MaterialsNVDI (turf color meter)TDR (soil moisture meter)Clegg Hammer (firmness meter)Measuring Tape & ThermometerTriplex Vibratory RollerStimpmeter / PelzmeterGolf Balls

NVDI (Field Scout TCM 500)Normalized Difference Vegetation IndexRates quality of turfgrass in terms of colorMeasures light reflected from turfGets rid of bias opinion, and weather conditions

TDR (Field Scout TDR 300 Soil Moisture Meter)Time Domain ReflectometryMeasured to 3 inch depthConverts an electrical signal into Volumetric Water ContentUsed to measure soil moisture

Clegg Impact HammerMeasures the firmness of surfaceRelatable resiliency valueImpact of traffic, ball marks, etc

Measuring Tape & Thermometer

Triplex Vibratory Roller (John Deere 2500B)Rolling: the use of manual or mechanically powered, ground driven, rotary cylinder to a) smooth and firm a turf (Beard, 2005)

StimpmeterMeasures green speed in terms of ball roll distance (Beard, 2005)Used three times from two directions to get an average

PelzmeterCreated by Dave PelzDeveloped to eliminate variables (e.i. ball bounce) (Pelz, 2002)

Clegg Hammer

TDR

NVDI

Stimp Meter Readings

Stimpmeter Conclusion9/3/1311/4/13GainsControl6 67 9+1 31x/week6 68 1+1 73x/week6 68 6+2

Pelzmeter Readings

Pelzmeter Conclusion9/3/1311/4/13GainControl7 69 621x/week7 610 32 93x/week7 610 32 9

ConclusionsStimp MeterPelz MeterDifferenceControl+ 1 3+ 2+ 91x/week+ 1 7+ 2 9+ 1 23x/week+ 2+ 2 9+ 9

Stimp differenceCorrect responsePartially correct responseIncorrect response6 inch18%47%35%12 inch55%21%24%

If Change in green speed < 6 in. golfer cant perceive difference in green speed (Karcher et al., 2001) If Change in green speed > 6 in. golfer can perceive difference in green speed (Karcher et al., 2001)

ConclusionRolling 3x/wk = Firmer, Faster, Smoother Putting Surface.Rolling 1x/wk didnt show lasting effects as did the 3x/wk.Differences in soil and turf properties increased as number of applications increasedDirect correlation with rolling frequency and greens speed (Nikolai, 2004)

Changes for Next TimeSpeed RollerMeasure green speeds the day after rolling, to determine loss of green speed per unit time

ReferencesBeard, J.B. 2005. Beard's Turfgrass Encyclopedia For Golf Courses, Grounds, Lawns, Sports Fields. Michigan State University Press.Collins, Mark. "Question about Experiment Plot @ HTRC." Message to Michael McKeel. 22 Nov 2013. E-mail.Karcher, D., Nikolai, T., and Calhoun, R. 2001. Golfer's perceptions of greens speeds vary: Over typical Stimpmeter distances, golfers are only guessing when ball-roll differences are less than 6 inches. Golf Course Manage. 69:57-60.Nikolai, Thomas A. 2004. Golf Course Management. April. 72(4): p. 121-124.Pelz, D. 2002. p. 748-760. In: Thain, Eric, ed. Science and Golf IV. London: Routledge.

Questions?