Problem A: Small black spot with brown turf surrounding
Location: Chatham, N.J.
Turfgrass area: Golf green
Turfgrass variety: Bentgrass/Poa annua mix
Problem B: Green under water
Location: Perthshire, Scotland
Turfgrass area: Putting green
Turfgrass variety: Bentgrass/Poa annua mix
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Problem A: Small black spot with brown turf surrounding
New Jersey experienced a long dry period last fall with no rain for over 60 days. About 30 days after Labor Day, a couple of these small black spots with brown turf surrounding them started to appear, and the brown area seemed to expand. It was a bit of a mystery to the superintendent until he stuck a knife into the center of one of these spots and came out with a small ball of sulfur. The club has a professional fireworks demonstration launched near the clubhouse every Labor Day. This particular year, the wind blew toward the 16th green. After the event, the crew does an extensive cleanup involving backpack blowers, turbine blowers and a debris sweeper because debris can be spread out over four or five holes. Apparently, a couple of small balls of sulfur had been missed and then pushed into the turf canopy by either a mower or roller. The brown spot was caused by the sulfur leaching off the ball of firework debris, and because of the drought, it took over 30 days before the sulfur began to discolor the turf. Once discovered, the spots were plugged out from the nursery green.
Photograph submitted by Pat Quinlan, GCSAA Class A golf course superintendent at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, N.J., and 25-year association member.
Problem B: Green under water
This nine-hole golf club in Scotland was built in 1934, and this golf green constantly floods in heavy rain or rapid snow melt. There is drainage at the back of the green, but it can’t take the volume of water in such circumstances. The club owns a portable water pump for emergency irrigation or flooding issues like this. The superintendent reports that “if the heavy rain stops, the green will clear in 11⁄2 to 2 hours with the pump and 4-5 hours without.” The longest the green has been underwater is roughly 8 hours, but every so often, the area has frozen solid, but not for more than a week. The green gets solid tining and topdressed with sand and seeded if it is needed. The apron and rough gets hollow-tined more to help with airflow. The crew plans to dig out a sump to the front of the green and install drainage from the sump to join existing drainage at the back of the green.
Photograph submitted by Iain Dugan, golf course superintendent at Muthill Golf Club in Perthshire, Scotland.
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.