GCM’s Photo Quiz is presented in partnership with STEC Equipment.
Problem A: Irregular brown areas
Location: South central U.S.
Turfgrass area: Putting green
Turfgrass variety: Bentgrass
Problem B: Trees with vascular bundle issues
Location: Dorado, Puerto Rico
Turfgrass area: Golf course resort, pool deck
Tree type: Royal palm tree
Scroll down for answers.
Problem A: Irregular brown areas
These irregular brown areas were caused by an experimental attempt to remove Poa annua from this bentgrass green. A decision was made to use a weed-dabber-type applicator with straight glyphosate to eliminate the Poa. Extreme care was taken to make sure
the application was exact so the surrounding bentgrass would not be impacted. The following day, rain, followed by an irrigation cycle, reactivated the glyphosate and allowed it to move downslope on the green’s surface, browning out the bentgrass.
Luckily, this was only tried on one green, and as you can guess, it was decided not to repeat the experiment. According to the person who submitted the photo, the damage “looked worse than it really was.”
Photo submitted by John Wesley Boyd, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Extension Service.
Problem B: Trees with vascular bundle issues
A two-by-four from the patio of a nearby residence — which had been dubbed “Su Casa” — impaled this Royal palm tree during a hurricane and caused the vascular bundle issue you see in this photo. The residence is a rental property
inside the reserve, which is what this club and hotel is famously known for and is the only one like it in the world. Hurricane Irma skirted past Puerto Rico’s north coast in early September 2017 as a Category 5 storm, causing more than $700
million in damages and knocking power out for more than 1 million people. Two weeks later, Hurricane Maria made a direct hit to the island as a powerful Category 5 storm, destroying the power grid, causing flooding and an additional $100 billion in
damage, unfortunately killing many people. The superintendent described the aftermath as a war zone all over the property. Many other palm trees were simply flattened and uprooted, as was a huge ausubo tree on the property. The crew worked many long
hours to get the property back in shape, and play resumed a month later.
Photo submitted by Alejandro Baiocchi, the superintendent at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., and an 11-year GCSAA member. This photo was taken while he was an assistant superintendent at TPC Dorado Beach in Dorado, Puerto Rico.
Editor’s note: Have a photo of an on-course anomaly? GCM would love to have a look! Email it to Photo Quiz author John Mascaro.
John Mascaro is the president of Turf-Tec International.