Turf Grass

When i am doing this Blog i am guiding it to people like I who share the same love for Turf Grass as i do.  There is nothing more that i enjoy than being out in the sun working on the course making it beautiful and a good play for the guest.

My favorite

I am favorable to the links course i think there flowing look really appeals to me.
This is the Hershey Links here

Desert Golf Courses

Last of all the types of courses are the Desert Courses.  They are located in the southwest of the U.S. They are located in the deserts so they demand lots of water.  These courses are generally flat, and are surrounded by Sand.  They usually give shape to sloping greens, and are decorated with cacti palm trees and boulders.
This image is presented by Spring Hollow golf course.

Heat-Land Golf Courses

Heat-Land Golf courses are typically Located in the UK They are inland courses that have many shrubs and bushes, but few  large trees.
Here is a image given by The crowley Collection

Resort Golf Course

The type of courses are located usually down south as in Florida these courses are typically owned by traveling and Hotel companies.  They usually have Wide fairways and shortly cut rough.  This is to adapt to all peoples playing styles.
Here is a picture found on an Orlando traveling Blog

Parkland Golf Course

A Parkland Golf Course is the most common in the U.S. it is usually situated on a nice patch of green with old mature trees lush fariways and greens.

Image was Posted on About.com

Links golf course.

A Links Golf Course is considered a Links course because it is situated on the strip of sand, grass, and  agricultural land, linking it to the ocean.  Most Links courses have a flowing landscape, Dunes, Pot Belly bunkers and little to no trees.

The image was found on a blog site called Golf Dash.

What is a Bunker?

A bunker is a area covered by sand that is added to the course to add difficulty.  A lot of course will put their bunkers near the green to make the shot to the green harder

Ams turf division provided me with this photo.

NO RAIN!

With no rain fall, and high tempatures a great looking golf course can go from something to nothing.  Back in 2010 100's of superintendents lost their jobs due to the extremely harsh summer, many courses were actually shut down here shows what dry climate can do to the grass/
It is provided by Arkansas Turf blog

Fairy Ring

"The symptoms of fairy ring appear in patches, rings, or arcs that are initially 1 foot or less in diameter, but expand in size year after year, reaching up to several hundred feet in diameter in old turf stands. Most fairy ring fungi do not infect or parasitize the turf. Instead, growth of these fungi in the soil can indirectly affect, or even kill, the turfgrass above. "
This passage comes from NC States Turf DIsease blog.
Fairy ring looks like this.

What is that? Is that a hover craft?

No this is not a hover craft.  The red machine is called a Fly Mower.  It is used to mow around the bunkers where the grade is to severe for the regular rough mowers.

The average day, of the average Greenskeeper

I myself am the average Greenskeeper, as I noted earlier I work at the local Hershey Links.  Here is my usual day...  I Wake up at 5:00 a.m.  Get to work and clock in at 5:30 a.m.  After I clock in i go to the lower part of the barn and find out what my morning job will be.  So lets say it is mowing the greens, we will split up all 20 greens between around 4 to 6 guys.  After our "Greens Run" is over its around 9:30 and we then go and re read the board this is when the small course maintenance jobs will be accomplished.  So knowing first hand that one of the only battles of the job is sleep.  So i urge you if you will be a Greenskeeper any time soon make sure you stick to a sleep schedule and make it a routine.

Aerifacation

To be considered an Elite Golf Course, the course needs to have fast greens and firm fairways.  To be able to have the right combination of firm and fast your grass roots need to be healthy and strong due to the low cut length.  The greens are being cut 7 days a week at less than a quarter of an inch.  When aerifying a machine punctures the green and then you back fill with sand.
Here is a picture of the machinery used to do this procedure.
It is given to us by a Turf Grass Website AER-Core.

Ground Breaker

Becoming a well established Superintendent you must stay above the curve, there are a few new methods that Golf course superintendents are trying.  One is using the new Blec Ground Breaker.  It is a piece of machinery that tears into the ground with 12 inch tines.  The purpose  for this procedure is to allow better drainage and to allow oxygen to the roots of the fairways.  Here is a picture of a Blec
Ground breaker from Google images.

           

As i entered the Turf Grass Science Field one of the first things I looked up what was the average salary for a golf course superintendent.  There are two extremes to this spectrum just like most jobs.
But here is a Graph of average salary based on completion of schooling.

This graph was found on Rutgers University's turf department web site.

Winterizing your yard

As the grow season comes to an end the grass stops to grow.  To best manage your Turf you have to apply a applicant that feeds your turf with a lot of carbohydrates and in return helps the seed grow strong in the beginning of spring.
I was able to gather this information from the Hershey Golf Collection Blog.
Hershey Golf Colection

An Early Spring

As a hard working member of the Hershey Links Golf Course, I am going to use a Blog ran by the Hershey Golf Collection which includes Hershey Country club courses East and West, Hershey Links, and Spring Creek.  On there latest blog entry they go over how we are now in an early spring season and about 10 to 14 days ahead of where we were at last year in the grow season.  So with an early grow season comes earlier pesticide and weed control.
hersheygolfcollection

Pros and cons of both Foliar and Granular fertilizers on sports turf grass fields.

Here is Extensive Podcast hosted by Sports Turf Managers Association.  Dr. Grady Miller of North Carolina State talks about Foliar and Granular fertilizers explaining both.  Granular is a hard bead like fertilizer ans Foliar is a liquid Fertilizer.
Fertilizers

Man Power

When it comes to maintaining a pristine golf course to its top shape it demands a massive amount of man power, and machine power here is a short video from TPC Sawgrass.  A golf course that host some of the biggest tournaments on the PGA TOUR.
TPC Sawgras

Here are a few steps and procedures to correctly water your Turf(Grass)

Scotts lawn care advice

This short video was posted on youtube from scotts lawn care giving a few simple tips on preventing your lawn from burning out.