2024 Canadian Golf Course Management Conference

Slides

You can download the slides here:

• Systematic improvement of golf course conditions, 3.1 MB PDF file

• 10 things I’ve learned about clipping volume, 2.8 MB PDF file

Systematic improvement notes

I started off with this as an introduction:

For a system of putting surface management, we can start with measuring the playing conditions that are produced. That’s going to involve the stimpmeter measurement, possibly an assessment of how smooth the surface is, and perhaps a measurement of firmness as well. These playing conditions happen when the grass that comprises the surface is healthy and resilient enough to tolerate the work that needs to be done to produce those playing conditions. And of course the grass is growing in soil, so the soil must be able to produce this type of grass.

That is a top down approach, starting with the type of putting surfaces we want to have, then measuring the surfaces to determine if we have achieved those conditions, and recognizing that we need to have resilient grass, and suitable soil conditions, in order to have the desired conditions. Another way to think of this is that if we have the type of soil conditions that allow resilient grass to grow, then the inevitable result will be the desired type of playing conditions on those putting surfaces.

I suggested that the inevitable result when taking a top down approach is systematic improvement, but if we start from the soil, and then the grass, in a bottom up approach, it’s not so certain that the playing conditions follow.

We discussed:

• Bill Kreuser answers all my questions about plant growth regulators in this video
• The ClipVol book, One Bucket at a Time
• OM246 testing as a four step process video
• Bobble test rating scale
• Bobble test video

10 things I’ve learned about ClipVol notes

See the slides (2.8 MB PDF file) for the list of items, ranging from the normal amount harvested in a single mow being 12 mL/m², to adjusting N rate based on how much the grass is growing.

• The One Bucket at a Time book
• How to use the growth ratio to adjust nitrogen rate based on an assessment of one thing—how much the grass is growing in comparison to how much you expect it to be growing given the recent weather: Turfgrass growth ratio, nitrogen harvest, and fertilizer adjustment

Notes

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Find turfgrass reference information, site-specific weather and climate appraisals, and weekly updates at the PACE Turf information center.

For more about ATC’s soil testing services, and example reports, see our soil tests page.

See more about OM246 testing, including sampling instructions and a sample report, at the OM246 project page.

For even more information, see:

• The ATC YouTube channel
• The ATC Doublecut and the ATC Office Hours podcasts.