T U R F TA L K By Terry L. Vassey, Ph.D., C.P.Ag., and assistant professor of Golf Course & Landscape Management at UT-Martin
Nothing is more difficult than balancing the growth of one species of turfgrass within that of another. We often work very hard to battle all manner of contamination or encroachment into our primary grass from undesirable types. What does it say about us, then, when we intentionally introduce an annual competitor into our perennial turf, as we do when we overseed? 14
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or golf courses that rely on winter play, overseeding is one of the most important practices that superintendents perform. In some instances, these courses receive much of their yearly revenue on overseeded turf. In addition, many of the local businesses depend on the golfers and, therefore, also depend on a successful overseeding for their revenue. This places a tremendous burden on golf course superintendents to be successful, to have “Augusta National pretty” courses during the winter. To accomplish this look, sometime in the fall of each year, superintendents use whatever skills they have to completely establish ryegrass in their bermudagrass. To make things even more difficult, in most instances, the date and the techniques are determined by economics, rather than agronomics. Since early fall is usually dry and warm and can be followed by periods of wet bone-chilling weather, many courses experience less than perfect overseedings. In almost every instance, under these conditions, a poor overseeding is no fault of the superintendent—he or she is just unlucky. Not everyone has to have a poor overseeding, though, as employing proper timing and good management practices can result in excellent overseeding results. Joe Jamison, superintendent at Crow Creek Golf Club in Calabash, N.C., is one superintendent who consistently is able to produce good overseeding results year after year. I recently had the opportunity to work with Joe and to pick his brain about what he does and what things he believes make him successful. What follows is the story that was gleaned from our conversations. Jamison is a 1993 graduate of Horry-Georgetown Community College in Myrtle Beach. His first superintendent position was at Sandpiper Bay Golf Club in Sunset Beach, N.C. from 1994 to 1999. He came to Crow Creek in 1999, where he finished construction and grew in the Rick Robbins-designed 18-hole layout. The greens are L-93 bentgrass, and tees and fairways are TifSport bermudagrass. The rough is 419 Tifway bermudagrass.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2004
Email TTA at: tnturfgrassassn@aol.com