For golf course supervisors, turf problems are often either unforeseen or poorly timed... or both.
Inclement weather can be an enormous risk factor for turf health. For example, in 2016 a long run of adverse weather conditions in Myrtle Beach cost courses numerous rounds of golf and created a wide variety of problems for superintendents. Record rainfall and flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew in October, compounded by a humid December, contributed to their Pythium root rot that struck much of the South Carolina coast. A cool spring meant that superintendents who overseeded didn’t even realize their Bermuda grass was in trouble until well into the spring season. They needed to move quickly and work as efficiently as possible to avoid losing out on many rounds of golf right in the middle of the most important time of the year.
To help assess weather and other risk factors that can set the stage for turf disease, predictor tools like Turfcast from the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University, and the new Smith-Kerns Dollar Spot Prediction Model provide a summary of risk ratings for turfgrass diseases such as dollar spot. One of the costliest diseases of turfgrass throughout the world, dollar spot creates unsightly patches and can affect playability on putting greens and fairways.1
Predictor models can help supervisors and staff use fungicides in the most effective way possible, both to help manage turf disease threats and work within their budgets. However, no predictor system is perfect, and outbreaks can still occur despite long-term control strategies.
This type of situation is what inspires innovative Sensient® turf solutions such as SensiPro™ Green Links, a line of turf colorants designed to deliver high-definition results and contrasts on turf under the kind of stress disease can produce. It easily adapts to greens, tees, and fairways in any season, to produce a darker green result with high UV stability. To learn more about keeping your courses greener and providing the highest quality experience possible for your customers, read more about SensiPro™ Green Links.
1. Anthony, A et al. (April 12, 2018). Predicting dollar spot just got easier. Retrieved 6 August 2018, from Golfdom.com: http://www.golfdom.com/predicting-dollar-spot-just-got-easier/
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