4.5 Ways to Deliver Profitable Greens

The golf industry is in a transition.  Golf courses are having to compete for a piece of a smaller pie when it comes to golfing dollars.  Superintendents and owners are employing different strategies to stay profitable. When competition is fierce, providing an exceptional product with lower expense is the name of the game.  The following agronomic strategies will help make greens a profit centre within the golf facility.

1. Use the Most Efficient Inputs Available. Since the 1950's research has shown that foliar fertilizers are at least 4 times more efficient than granular and soil applied liquids.  More recently, delivery technologies exist that provide 95+% efficiency. This means that to achieve an equal nutrient response in the plant using true foliar fertilizers you need 1/4 as much nutrient!

2. Produce Vigorous Turf that Can Survive Stress. Proper nutrition including biostimulants, amino acid and antioxidant technology will go a long way to reducing our dependency on fungicides. The cost of proper nutrition is marginal compared to the cost of fungicides. Michigan State University has proven that proper foliar nutrition combined with low rate contact fungicide is a much more effective approach than using systemic fungicides combined with marginal nutrition in reducing disease incidence.

3. Drive Revenue by Maximizing the Length of the paying season. Golf revenue is commonly limited by poor conditions in the spring, reduced green fees after aeration and wet turf conditions.  University research at Virginia Tech and Purdue, have verified that biostimulants and proper nutrition will speed recovery time when mother nature is not cooperating. Turf strength can be improved during low light, wet periods with the use of amino acid technology.

4. Test, Test, Test. Soil physical and chemistry testing will help you make decisions most effectively based on science. Soil physical property testing may indicate that the usual aeration is not necessary, leading to less lost revenue. Chemistry testing will allow more of a prescription approach to fertilizing. Both types of testing will provide a glimpse into what the plant is experiencing, and allow proactive measures to avoid more costly decline and recovery down the road.

4.5. Provide a product people want to play on. We're in an environment where we must compete with our neighbors for each golfing dollar. Good greens will attract golfers.

Regulate? Now Stimulate.

It is safe to say that most golf course superintendents today are experiencing the benefits derived from plant growth regulators (PGRs). PGRs regulate the growth hormones within the plant, and thus produce turf that is of much better quality.

Using Biostimulants improves turf
performance early and late in the season

 In Canada, the only registered PGR for turfgrass is Primo Maxx made by Syngenta.  Primo Maxx inhibits the specific Gibberellic Acid hormone responsible for cell elongation and vertical growth.  Turf managers who use Primo Maxx see reduced clipping yield, which results in more consistent playing surfaces through-out the day.  The side-effects of limiting top growth is that the energy the plant produces is utilized in other growing points, such as the roots or stolons.  This results in better rooting and density.

There is a sister group of technologies available today known as biostimulants.  Biostimulants stimulate the various hormones in the plant.  By stimulating the balance of hormones, the turf manager can direct the growing behaviour as the conditions require. Before or after an aeration event, he may want to push recovery and density.  Leading up to a tournament, perhaps drive roots and create a finer leaf texture.  Maybe he would want to stimulate rapid recovery in the spring when temperatures are still cool.

The Result of Biostimulants with Plant Growth Regulators

It is well documented and accepted that stimulation of plant hormones works in synergy with the regulation of plant hormones.

Is it possible to regulate top growth and stimulate root growth?  Absolutely!!!

Can regulators regulate vertical growth and stimulators stimulate lateral growth for recovery at the same time? Absolutely!!!

Today’s turf managers can get an edge using products that regulate and stimulate turf in synergy.  Now with the popularity of hormone regulating products, the idea of stimulating hormones is much more acceptable.