June Golf Trades Digital Edition

The June issue of Golf Trades is up and ready. Most of you have probably already received your printed copy, sorry for the late posting it has been really busy here.

My thanks to John Van Kampen from Scott Aerator Company for the excellent article about ponds and lakes and how to keep them healthy by using an aeration system. Fountains are not only good for your ponds or lakes, but they are very nice to watch.

Click on the picture above to go to our home page from there just click on the same picture and your there. Happy Reading.

A Take on the 'Dandelion King'

I urge you to read Marcus’ blog posting from Wednesday, April 28th. The post refers to an article from the NY Times and a person self dubbed the ‘Dandelion King.’ I find his opinion that the war on weeds isn’t “winnable at a morally acceptable cost” is based on his opinion rather than any actual knowledge of turfgrasses or turfgrass management. See the complete article by clicking here.

I believe everyone in our industry should heed Marcus’ advice, “Equip yourself with this knowledge so you can provide an insightful answer next time you are challenged about the benefits of turfgrass.” The Wednesday April 28th blog article from Marcus contains excellent ‘equipment’ for that answer.

Again and again I observe the most ‘interesting’ writers getting their blather printed as fact because they are able to editorialize with word choices and interesting adjectives. For example, the so called ‘Dandelion King’ states; “I soon learned that the carpets of green in suburbia are the product of assiduously applied chemicals…” The word assiduous sounds very sinister here but the definition is benign:

I am certain the author meant ‘constant in application’ but the truth we know is that diligent is a better definition.

What the author obviously does not understand is that good management can lead to good turfgrass quality without an abundance of inputs. He just ‘doesn’t have time to figure this stuff out,’ so he has developed an ‘environmental excuse’ for his poor skills. Take a look at Marcus’ scientific response and help this author and others like him realize that there is nothing insidious about proper turfgrass management. It does take a little work and knowledge, but the environment will benefit from that knowledge and effort.

I won’t go on bashing this author about the other misrepresentations in his article, except to say that his ‘multiple’ applications of pre emergent are senseless and the subsequent post emergent applications he so despises have little to do with the success or failure of the preemerge. So it goes.

Suffice it to say the author has done just enough ‘Googling’ to be dangerously misinformed. Atrazine is a grass killer, let’s not lump it in as a ‘lawn chemical.’ Please.

Bottom line is simple, we either educate those that think like the ‘Dandelion King’ or we let the self proclaimed ‘environmentalists’ screw up things beyond belief.

Jeff Wendel Executive Director Iowa Turfgrass Institute

Ladies Day

I’m not sure our course is very different from other courses. We’re open 7 days a week, year around. We have no “Maintenance Day”, a day set aside for aerating, topdressing, verticutting, fertilizing, etc.

Most of those agronomic chores we begin on Tuesday, which just happens to be “Lady’s Day”. Why we don’t start some of our practices on Monday, or the Lady’s start on Wednesday, I don’t know. That’s just the way it is here. It seems a shame but at times, the Lady’s groups are viewed more as an inconvenience and an obstacle.

I look at my Mom in this light and what I see amazes me. Here’s a woman, who is barely 5’1” and as she says, “And shrinking”, who on a very good day can drive the ball 150 yards. She’s played at some of the better known and recognized clubs in the country, not that anyone would recognize her, but just because of her enjoyment of the game.

She’s the one who kept entering the ticket lotto for practice day tickets at Augusta, and then took the family there when she got them. (Twice) I’ve seen here walkup to a 6’4” linebacker type and ask if he’d mind letting a “short person” stand in front. Dad and I’d be left in the back while one way or another she’d work her way up to the ropes. At Augusta, we never saw the front nine. Mom had trouble walking. It was tough for her, we stopped regularly for breaks. Still, she managed to see her favorites, truly enjoyed being on the course and appreciated the efforts of the staff.


She’s the one who insists on the Membership in their Country Club, not Dad. She’s the one who goes for lessons, always trying to improve her game, brings him for Sunday Brunch and participates in the social activities. She’s the one who knows practically every employee by name and always has something nice to say to him or her.  

Even though she’s been playing golf over forty years she also liked tennis. But shoulder surgery took care of that. Her running days ended with hip surgery. Recently, after triple bypass surgery, within 15 minutes of coming out of anesthesia, she let me know she wouldn’t be able to play golf for 3 months. Nascar would kill to have fans this devoted.

When I see the Lady’s driving out for their shotgun start, I wonder. What have there lives been like? How did they end up here on this day? It would be reasonable to assume that they represent our Grandmothers, Mother’s, Wives, Daughters and Girlfriends. I can surmise that they aren’t out trying to impress some client or cut some kind of deal. Which leaves one with the possibility that they just may be out here, on the day the club allotted, because they enjoy the game of golf.

From the blog of TheMilitantMechanic, aka Turftech

Meet your greens: Valley Club golf course honored Sun Valley Brokers

The Valley Club golf course has achieved designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, an Audubon International program. Cameron Lloyd, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, has led the effort to obtain sanctuary status on this course and is being recognized for Environmental Stewardship by Audubon International. The Valley Club is the 4th golf course in Idaho and the 781st in the world to receive the honor.

"The Valley Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program. They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property," said Jim Sluiter, staff ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Programs.

"To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas," explained Sluiter. These categories include: Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management.

"It is a privilege to be awarded certification for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses. The program has provided us a template for protecting our unique environment here in Idaho. It is our responsibility to be the best stewards of the land and this program continues to guide us in the right direction," said Jerry Flaherty, director of agronomy at The Valley Club.

The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed by the United States Golf Association, provides information and guidance to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources. Golf courses from the United States, Africa, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Southeast Asia have also achieved certification in the program.

For more information on golf and the environment, visit www.golfandenvironment.org. In addition to golf courses, Audubon International also provides programs for businesses, schools, communities, and new developments. For more information, contact Audubon International, 46 Rarick Rd., Selkirk, NY 12158, USA, (518) 767-9051, e-mail them via the Internet at acsp@auduboninternational.org, or visit their website at www.auduboninternational.org .

Source: Idaho Mountain Express