Livin' on the edge

 

 

 

 

Steven Tyler wasn't talking about the plight of golf course superintendents when he wrote the lyrics to Livin' on the Edge, but the analogy fits better today than it did in 1993 when the Aerosmith hit climbed to No. 18 on Billboard's hit list.

 

According to Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., at Ohio State University, the demands to duplicate conditions that golfers see on TV often can have superintendents and putting surfaces teetering on the brink of failure.

 

"What was that saying the USGA had? Brown is beautiful? You don't hear that so much any more," Danneberger said at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Spring Tee Off held recently on the Ohio State campus.

 

"Everything radiates from the putting green," Danneberger said. "What makes for a good playing surface? The agronomics, or the look of the grass. Consistency and smoothness are achieved through controlling grain. Speed is the benchmark by which people determine quality of greens.

 

"As we push greens, what is the edge of failure? We tend to push the grass to get what we want. We're dealing with biological systems. If you push too far, you go over the edge and end up with turf loss."

 

Danneberger likened turfgrass management today to going over the much-publicized fiscal cliff.

Danneberger likened turfgrass management today to going over the much-publicized fiscal cliff.

"The difference is with the fiscal cliff we know when it's coming and we pretty much know what the results will be," he said.  

 

When a biological system is pushed to the brink, it's difficult to predict how it will respond and when.

 

Maintaining a healthy growing medium is the best way to prevent flirting with the edge of disaster, Danneberger said.

 

"You can't have optimum surfaces unless you have a good rootzone mix," he said. "And drainage is important."

 

Inadequate drainage not only results in slow conditions due to sponginess, but also prevents a superintendent's ability to keep up with agronomic practices such as mowing and rolling.

 

"It can take days to get that speed back," Danneberger said.

 

Spring and fall coring can improve drainage and long-term root growth. But it also results in adverse conditions for three to four weeks after each event. That makes timing of aeration critical, especially in the spring.

 

"You can choose a day and send out a message every day for the next eight years telling everybody that is when (aeration) is going to happen. And the first question you are going to get is why are you aerifying? And how long is it going to last?" he said.

You can choose a day and send out a message every day for the next eight years telling everybody that is when (aeration) is going to happen. And the first question you are going to get is why are you aerifying?

"I can name a lot of good things about it, but it disrupts the surface.

 

"You're looking at six weeks throughout the year when your greens aren't as good as they were before (aeration)."

 

Danneberger suggests superintendents managing cool-season putting surfaces should try to time their spring aeration so that greens have several weeks to heal before periods of heat stress sets in, which helps protect the grass and the superintendent.

 

"One in 10 people in this country play golf. And most of the people who play don't know what you're doing," he said. "It comes down to knowing what you're doing and how well you can communicate that to your staff, golfers and members."

 

Indeed, research shows the benefits of core aeration, including a recent study at Clemson University. There are other studies that show it's possible to produce quality playing surfaces without aerating, including programs consisting of deep tining and straight topdressing with 30 to 50 cubic feet of sand per 1,000 square feet per year.

 

"You can do it if compaction is not an issue," Danneberger said. 

 

"The problem I have with that is I don't know how you get that much sand down without coring. If you just topdress, that's a lot of sand."