letters to the editor

Golf Course News, Jun 2004

Moss control revisited

I would like to clarify some of the information presented in the article, "Moss control on greens," by Kevin Ross in the April 2004 issue. First, the moss treatment procedure developed at the Sharon Golf Club and referred to in the article doesn't involve drenching the green as shown in the photo used. The procedure we have used successfully involves spottreating moss using 4 ounces of Ultra Dawn mixed with one gallon of water and applied with a one- or two-gallon hand pump sprayer. The applicator thoroughly soaks each moss spot until it puddles with the mixture by holding the nozzle about 1 inch from the surface. When this proportion of mixture dries, the moss dehydrates, which kills the plant. Adding extra water or drenching the surface of the green with water only dilutes the mixture and nullifies the desired result.

second, conditions needed for the desired result are full sunlight and temperatures between 60 F and 80 F. Under such conditions, we've experienced no damage to the surrounding Bentgrass or Poa annua turf. The moss will turn an orange-brown color within 24 hours. The surrounding Bentgrass spreads over the top of the dead moss in a week or two. If the application is made as we have stated above, the desired results have been consistent.

Todd Voss, superintendent of Double Eagle Golf Course in Galena, Ohio, and Tony Mancuso, former superintendent of New Albany Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, and now superintendent at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Mo., also have experienced excellent results using the described procedure.

Finally, it's the opinion of Todd Voss and Frank Dobie, superintendent at The Sharon Golf Club in Sharon Center, Ohio, that failures may result if the procedure, as we have stated, aren't followed exactly. From our experience, the detergent mixture won't kill moss if you drench it with extra water, or if you fail to apply enough mixture to wet the base of the moss plant. Boom spraying has been shown to discolor the moss, but will not kill it because there isn't enough volume to penetrate to the base of the plant.

You can obtain a copy of our procedure for the treatment of moss by sending an e-mail to SharonGC@gte.net.

DAVID WILLMOH

Assistant Superintendent

The Sharon Golf Club

Sharon Center, Ohio

Editor's Note: The Sharon Golf Club in Sharon Center, Ohio, was listed incorrectly in the previous article as being in Pennsylvania.

More about moss control

You provided valuable insight on a prominent recurring issue. Well done. One of the clubs I currently am consulting for is the Country Club at Muirfield Village. They have had a moss problem during recent years. Last fall and throughout the winter, they increased their granular sulfate of potash levels, and we are seeing some good results. So far this spring, we have found only two dimesized spots on all of the greens! We think it's a major contributing factor.

MIKE MCBRIDE

Agronomist/renovation services

Nicklaus Design

North Palm Beach, FIa.

U.S. courses are overdone

After 26 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Jack Nicklaus hired me to be his design coordinator on one of his courses in Japan, the Komono Club. I've been in the golf business ever since and am now the U.S. Army's training area manager in Hawaii.

My travels to Scotland and Ireland have led me to believe that we in the United States, as the folks in Ireland and Scotland have told me often, "all love the game but have ruined it with the way you play, driving golf buggies around instead of walking. Your golf courses look like cemeteries, everything is so neatly cut and flowers are planted all about."

They're right. High maintenance costs are incurred because we cut the primary, secondary and tertiary roughs. It takes more than five hours to play a round of golf. In Ireland and Scotland, average walking time is about 3 hours. They're right about our courses looking like cemeteries and parks rather than golf links.

We need to address all these items in the United States if the game is going to survive. Golf in the United States is on a down slope and skidding. Golf is in a spin, and we better pull out before we crash.

KEN ZITZ

Training area manager

U.S. Army

Oahu, Hawaii