Mike Coker and son Troy work on golf courses ... - Backed By Bayer

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SOLUTIONS PEST MANAGEMENT Surviving the Summer of 2005 Pennsylvania superintendent uses a minimalist approach, to great effect By Debbie Clayton ABOVE: Talamore opened in 1996 <strong>and</strong> averages 30,000 rounds of golf each year. It’s good to look good in a bad year. With sizzling summer temperatures <strong>and</strong> skyhigh humidity, Philadelphia area golf courses suffered severely in 2005. But even operating on a somewhat restricted budget, Talamore Country Club, in the Pennsylvania suburb of Ambler, came out smelling like a rose despite the brutal weather. “Speed thrills, but speed can also kill,”says John Roedell, golf course superintendent at the 350-member private club.“I’d rather have a member complain to me about a slow green than a dead green.” Roedell operates under the philosophy that less is more. When hot, humid weather approaches, he backs off topdressing greens <strong>and</strong> raises the height of cut from 1/8th inch to 5/32 of an inch.“You want to appease your members, but there’s a fine line between keeping them happy <strong>and</strong> keeping the grass healthy,” explains Roedell, a graduate of the Rutgers University turfgrass program. Opened in 1996, the Talamore course was designed <strong>and</strong> built by Robert Levy. Levy owns another Talamore course — the first course at Pinehurst, N.C., designed by Rees Jones — as well as another Pinehurst course, the Mid- South Club, designed by Arnold Palmer. The Pennsylvania course <strong>and</strong> 400-home luxury community surrounding it were built on the previous site of Oak Terrace Golf Club. “Levy just loves golf,” says Roedell, who was hired in 1996 because of his experience constructing <strong>and</strong> growing in the Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Northeast, Md.“It’s refreshing to <strong>work</strong> with him because he really underst<strong>and</strong>s the business.” Natural Carolina look Talamore has a natural look with lots of fescue areas, native grasses <strong>and</strong> plenty of trees planted as a barrier between the course <strong>and</strong> nearby houses.“People say it reminds them of something from North Carolina, because we have several bogs with lots of cattails,”adds Roedell. Building on his previous success with golf course construction, Roedell went to <strong>work</strong> as soon as he came on board with various construction projects <strong>and</strong> hasn’t stopped since. In the past nine years, he’s built a new short game area,a new practice facility,several new tees <strong>and</strong> bunkers <strong>and</strong> reconstructed the driving range. In keeping with his less-is-more philosophy, Roedell runs a little lean on fertility on 32 Golf Advantage Winter 2006
his ryegrass/Poa annua fairways <strong>and</strong> bentgrass greens <strong>and</strong> tees. But he keeps on a regular schedule with his disease management program on greens, spraying an average of every seven to nine days during summer months. His biggest problems are brown patch, dollar spot, anthracnose <strong>and</strong> Pythium. His fungicide rotation schedule includes Compass for brown patch <strong>and</strong> Banol® for Pythium. “I can live with a little dollar spot, but I can’t live with brown patch <strong>and</strong> Pythium,” he says.“Compass is phenomenal for controlling brown patch. As far as Pythium, I spray preventatively on fairways <strong>and</strong> tees, but I don’t spray fairways until I see a little activity. If the weather looks ugly, I will hit my hot spots with Banol.” Charting enhanced turf quality In 2004, Roedell participated in the Signature Hole Trial program suggested by his Bayer Environmental Science sales rep, John Wiblishauser. The program allowed superintendents to try Signature fungicide free of charge on several greens throughout the growing sea<strong>son</strong>. Participating superintendents also received a journal to chart their results <strong>and</strong> a digital camera to record the enhanced turf quality promoted by Signature. Roedell noted a definite improvement in overall turf color <strong>and</strong> plant health on the greens treated with Signature. “There was a synergy effect,” he adds. “Those greens were healthier, happier plants.” The program turned the Talamore superintendent into a believer. He regularly used the product on greens during 2005. He credits improved plant vigor for getting his greens through the brutal summer weather with no major problems. For grub control, Roedell uses a tried-<strong>and</strong>true product: Merit® insecticide. “I first tried Merit in 1995,a year after it came out,”he notes. “It was a pretty rough year, but wherever we’d used Merit, it looked like we had painted the fairways. Everyplace else got hammered.” He has been using it faithfully ever since, applying the product at recommended rates on fairways <strong>and</strong> tees each May. Roedell aerifies twice a year <strong>and</strong> lightly topdresses greens every four to six weeks, backing off when hot, humid weather approaches. He fertilizes greens at six pounds nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. A Simple approach “I like a dry, firm, lean golf course,” he explains. “I don’t like to overwater, <strong>and</strong> I prefer a natural look more than an overly manicured look. In addition, I like to keep everything in check, without getting super-aggressive. It’s a simple approach. I believe in fixing the bottom before the top.” With so many golf courses in the Philadelphia area, Roedell shares information quite a bit with his fellow superintendents. He has even been known to share products with them from time to time. “I love to talk to other turf professionals to see what’s <strong>work</strong>ing <strong>and</strong> what’s not,”he says.“I also review a lot of research over the winter, look at trials during university field days <strong>and</strong> read a lot of the industry publications.” Roedell credits his distributor, Pocono Turf Supply, for helping him out when he needs products or supplies in a hurry. Tommy Hunter, his Pocono rep, will make deliveries on a Saturday or Sunday morning, if necessary. “They are awesome,” Roedell affirms. Future plans for Talamore include drainage <strong>work</strong> throughout the course <strong>and</strong> laser grading for all tees, as well as reconfiguring <strong>and</strong> enlarging several of them. Roedell also constantly overseeds bentgrass into areas where Poa annua has tried to move in. After surviving the summer of 2005 with all his greens intact, Roedell plans to continue with his simple approach.“If you keep the grass healthy, everything else will follow,”says Roedell. “Fungicides, insecticides <strong>and</strong> herbicides all <strong>work</strong> better if the plant is healthy.” John Roedell, right, golf course superintendent at Talamore Country Club in Ambler, Pa., talks with his Bayer sales rep, John Wiblishauser, about his disease management program. www.bayergolfadvantage.com Golf Advantage 33
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Mike Coker and son Troy work on golf courses ... - Backed By Bayer

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