Texas Turfgrass Association 4th Quarter Newsletter

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2019 Sponsors

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

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Table of Contents President’s Message Executive Director Message 2019 Board of Directors Past President Farewell Feature-GCSAA Golf Championship Press Release-Thomas Turfgrass Feature Article-Noel Garcia NEW CPTM’s 2018 Winter Trade Show Scrapbook

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ADVERTISERS TTA 2019 Sponsors Aqua-Aid Bowlin Consulting Larson Golf Services King Ranch Thomas Turfgrass DWF Golf PMC Trimax Mowing Systems

GCSAA National Champion Steve Gilley (above) 2018 Soccer and Lacross Field of The Year Moneygram Park Congratulations! (right)

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President’s Message

Howdy and Happy New Year to All, It seems we always comment on the previous year’s winter events, whoever is writing or posting their first newsletter of the New Year and all I can say is, just wow what a ride it was for 2018!

I saw a headline recently that stated Texas missed out on any major weather issues?! Tell that to all the Turfgrass industry partners in Southeast Texas! I believe we started 2018 with some of the lowest temps in the state in several years as well; I could probably ramble on so we will just continue to watch Mother nature in awe of her wonder and be thankful we can keep moving forward.

I want to give out a special Thank you to Patrick Pankratz for his service on the Board these last few years and especially his leadership as President with the transition over to Katie Flowers as our Executive Director. For the TTA what a year it’s been for our new Executive Director, Katie, as she now has a full year under her belt. Katie has done a great job changing things to help us keep moving forward and is looking to made great strides in improving our database and accounting system this next year. We hope to see this make our association stronger.

I would also like to thank the entire Board of Directors for their continued support and dedication to the TTA. Without their ideas and constant representation, we could to keep us growing and moving forward in the way we have this past year. Their dedication and Sponsor and Member outreach have been phenomenal.

We wrapped up 2018 with our annual conference and show at the Hyatt in San Antonio. if you didn’t get to attend, you missed an excellent caliber of speakers, topics, and some good comradery with the Turfgrass community. Thank you to the committees that helped to make this past year conferences a success, with great topics and speakers for each event.

Our next conference will be in College Station on the Campus of Texas A & M, July 14 th- 16th.

We will strive to have great education and even tours of the facilities and fields so please mark your calendars now for this summer. This Winter, our conference and show will be in Corpus Christi, December 10-12, 2019. The Board is excited to see how a location like Corpus treat our members and Exhibitors and a region that we have not yet traveled to in a long time. We are all confident, it should be a great Conference and show!

I am excited about the future for the TTA and look forward to serving as your President for 2019!

Along with the Board of Directors we are all committed to bringing the TTA back to the levels we were at several years ago.

As we move forward into 2019, I wish everyone continued success and hope mother nature is more even handed in her weather patterns!

Sincerely, Mike Chandler MCPTM 2019 President of the TTA

Executive Director Message

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Howdy!

A great big THANK YOU to members, sponsors, vendors, advisors and our Board of Directors for helping guide me through the first year with the Texas Turfgrass Association as your Executive Director.

I am beyond blessed to have been so warmly welcomed by such an invocative, kind, intelligent, and dedicated group of industry professionals.

However, I can honestly say, we have all just scratched the surface of how TTA can grow and evolve and I invite all of you to stay on this ride with me through 2019 as we embark to College Station for our Summer Conference and Corpus Christi for the Winter Show.

Many of you (vendors and members) have taken me aside as each show to give me your insight and I ask that you please keep doing that. Change will come as we all persevere together but the ideas are needed. Feel free to send me an email, text or call at all times as you see a way the Turf industry and TTA can benefit with your company or job site.

I would personally like to be invited to as many outings as possible. If you or your company feel TTA’s presence is needed in your organization, let me know and myself or a Board member can arrange to be there to assist! Let me remind you that we do post jobs for all TTA members and can be a valuable resource to findings Turf needs with our Board of Directors help!

Lastly, I want to take the time to also thank our Sponsors, Speakers, and Exhibitors from this past year in 2018 for both summer and winter. I loved working with each of you and I hope our relationships continue to grow!

I will be updating you all as much as possible on Social media and via email so made sure you are following us on Twitter or Facebook- @TxTurfAssoc!

Thank you All for your support!

Safe Travels and God Bless!

Katie Flowers Your Executive Director

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2019 Board of Directors Texas Turfgrass Association

President

Mike Chandler Avery Ranch/Tervista Gold Club 2300 Antelope Trail Harker Heights, TX 76548 254-681-0725 michandl7@aol.com

Past President

Patrick Pankratz Fair Oaks Country Club 7900 Fair Oaks Parkway Fair Oaks, Ranch, TX 78015 830-981-4658 Patrick.Pankratz@ourclub.com

1st Vice President

Whitney Milberger-Laird Milberger Consulting, LLC 178 CR 166 Bay City, TX 77414 wmilberger@bgeinc.com

2nd Vice President

Raymond Miller Corteva AgriScience 4020 Collinwood Ave Fort Worth, TX 76107 rcmiller2@dow.com

Advisors

Dr. Ben Wherley Texas A&M AgriLife Research TAMU – Soil & Crop Sciences College Station, TX 77843-2474 979-845-1591 Ben-wherley@tamu.edu

Dr. Hennen Cummings Tarleton State University Box T-0050 Stephenville, TX 76402 254-968-9223 hcummings@tarleton.edu

Region 1

Scott Anderson City of Odessa 1101 West 42nd Odessa, TX 79764 915-368-3551 sanderso@odessa-tx.gov

Brian Noel City of Canyon 301 16th St. Canyon, TX 79015 806-341-2933 bnoel@canyontx.com

Region 3

Clark Wheatley Greater Austin First Tee 8806 Oak Ledge Dr. Austin, TX 77848 512-712-3161 cwheatley@furstteeaustin.org

Harry Jukes Region 4 Austin Turf and Tractor 809 Steve Hawkins Pkwy Marble Falls, TX 78654 830-693-6477 Harry.Jukes@austinturf.com

Neal Iverson Horizon Distributors, Inc. 11085 Denton Dr Dallas, TX 75229 972-207-2058

Craig Potts Texas A&M University 4724 River Wood Ct Bryan, TX 77808 979-739-4254 CPotts@athletics.tamu.edu

Jaxon Bailey Region 6 Sportsfield Solutions 120 Lux Drive Robinson, TX 76706 254-301-4320 Jaxon@sportsfieldsolutions.com

Brad Bentsen, MCPTM Mission Park and Recs 721 North Bryan Road Mission, TX 78572 956-580-8760 bbentsen@missiontexas.us

John Walker GCSAA 26011 Penguin St. Magnolia, TX 77355 713-557-0279 jwalker@gcsaa.org

Irene Gavranovic-Sipes All Seasons Turf, Inc. 32601 FM 529 Brookshire, TX 77423 281-375-7505 irene@allseasonsturf.com

Region 5

Region 7

Region2

Executive Director Katie Flowers Texas Turfgrass Association PO Box 9928 College Station, TX 77842 info@texasturf.com

Dr. Joey Young Texas Tech University Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences, Box 42122 Lubbock, TX 79409 806-834-8457 joey.young@ttu.edu

Rusty Walker City of Grapevine 501 Shady Brook Dr. Grapevine, TX 76051 817-229-0416 rwalker@grapevinetexas.gov

Neal.Iverson@horizononline.com

Phil Lozano City of Highland Village 1000 Highland Village Highland Village, TX 75077 972-317-7430 plozano@highlandvillage.org

Emory Thomas Thomas Turfgrass 3931 County Rd 154 Wharton, TX 77488 979-532-2593 Emory@ThomasTurfgrass.com

Executive Past President Message Farewell and Blessing to All, As I write my final presidents message, I would like to start with a huge thank you for allowing me to serve as President for the Texas Turfgrass Association in 2018. It was a true honor to serve in this great organization.

A Huge Thank You to our sponsors. None of our success would be possible without our sponsors. It is only through our sponsors which allows us the opportunity to keep our association moving forward.

Please help us by recognizing and thanking them for their continuous support.

I would also like to thank the Board of Directors and the Advisors for their service and continuous dedication allowing the organization to continue to grow.

I also want to thank Katie Flowers our executive director for all of her hard work and dedication in keeping everything in line and running smoothly.

Wishing everyone a great 2019.

Patrick Pankratz MCPTM 2018 Texas Turfgrass Association President.

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Feature Article-GCSAA Golf Championship

GCSAA Golf Championships: Gilley goes wire-to-wire to claim first National Championship The superintendent from Panorama Golf Club in Conroe, Texas, survived difficult playing conditions to win his first tournament title by four shots.

Article written and edited by : Scott Hollister; Published February 5, 2019 in GCM

Steve Gilley made his first GCSAA National Championship one to remember.

The superintendent at Panorama Golf Club in Conroe, Texas, fired a two-day total of 2-over-par 176 and went wire-to-wire on Monday to win the 2019 event, played out on the Champions Course at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. Gilley captured the title by four shots over a pair of multiple GCSAA National Championship winners: Michael Stieler, CGCS, and Seth Strickland.

Leading by two shots entering the final round, Gilley battled not only the field but Mother Nature to earn his first GCSAA title. Gusty winds and occasional rain made the going tough for all 72 competitors in the National Championship field on Monday, but it was Gilley who best navigated those conditions.

Although he didn't record a birdie during the final round, he did play the steadiest round among the top contenders, with 15 pars and just three bogeys en route to his final-round 75.

Stieler, on the other hand, birdied four holes, but the superintendent at Spring Creek Golf and Country Club in Ripon, Calif., also bogeyed seven holes and double-bogeyed another on his way to a final round 77. For his part, Strickland, from Miami Shores Country Club in Florida, finished round two at 4-over-par 76, with two birdies, two bogeys and two double bogeys on his card.

Two players finished tied for fourth at 9-over-par 153: Bryce Koch, CGCS, from Cypress Lake Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., and Keith Stein from Rose Hall Development Jamaica. Five others finished at 10-over-par 156 for the tournament: James Beebe from Priddis Green Golf and Country Club in Priddis, Alberta; Shawn Westacott from Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas; Tanner Chrastecky from The Clubs at Houston Oaks in Hockley, Texas; Anthony McFadyean from Nedlands Golf Club in Australia; and Michael Goldsberry from Wing Point Golf & Country Club in Bainbridge Island, Wash.

In the chapter team competitions, the Lone Star GCSA No. 1 team took the gross division title while the Rocky Mountain GCSA took the net division crown.

For a full rundown of all the results from the 2019 GCSAA Golf Championships, which were presented in partnership with The Toro Co. for the 25th consecutive year, see the GCSAA Golf Championships on Golf Genius.

Summer 2019 Conference July 14th- July 16th College Station, TX Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center

Save the 2019 Dates!

Winter 2019 Conference December 10th-12th Corpus Christi, TX Omni Hotel and American Bank Center

Thomas Turfgrass– GOLD Sponsor 2019 Press Release In April of 2017 Craig Potts, the Head Sports Field Manager at Texas A & M University, developed the idea of "no -till" sprigging to convert the Tifway 419 Bermuda Football practice fields to Latitude 36 Bermuda.

The process began with close mowing and aggressive aeration of the existing Tifway 419 grass. This was followed by two Sprigmaster Sod Machines to sprig at a rate of 600 bu. per acre and 1200 bu. per acre between the hash marks down the length of the field.

Craig was impressed with how well and how quickly the Latitude 36 took over the Tifway 419 and he decided to use the same process on the main football competition surface, Kyle Field. This project was sprigged at a rate of 1200 bu. per acre over the entire playing surface this time. He followed up with a sand-based top-dressing, facilitating faster grow-in and dominance by the Latitude 36 sprigs.

The process proved to be a success on Kyle Field, similar to the practice fields. Football camps were held on the Kyle field playing surface within a month after the no-till grass conversion was complete. The existing Tifway 419, along with the sprigs of Latitude 36 provided a great playing surface.

On this Latitude 36, the Fighting Texas Aggies were nearly undefeated at Kyle Field and extremely close to defeating the National Champion; their only at home loss.

We believe this process can be employed on most all athletic fields that have Tifway 419 as well as other bermudas in existence. At this time, the process is not proven on all bermuda grasses but we believe it does work when converting to Latitude 36. If you would like more information please contact us at www.ThomasTurfgrass.com or (877) 220-9194.

2019 Sponsors with TTA have an opportunity for Featured Press releases in Newsletters– Contact Katie Flowers for more information.

877.220.9194

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Turfgrass and Installation for the Entire Great State of Texas!

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Feature Turfgrass Article

Management of Saline Irrigation Water on Turfgrass

by Noel Garcia, CCA Chemical, physical and biological aspects are important for salt management and turfgrass health.

In recent years, many parts of the world have begun experiencing increasingly difficult droughts.

This has affected our most precious resource and resulted in higher and higher concentrations of the salts being found in the irrigation water. Salts in irrigation water can be stressful for turfgrass as they contribute to the breakdown of the soil’s structure, increased osmotic stress and reduced nutrient uptake. The symptoms are very similar to drought stress. Because of this, effluent water has become a valuable resource to the turfgrass industry. In fact, what used to be an alternative source of water, effluents are quickly becoming the only source for some growers. This, of course, calls for proper management as some effluents are very high in Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and can cause some real problems of their own.

In order to properly ascertain the quality of irrigation water, a complete analysis is necessary. A water test will give us a quantitative value of the salt levels which will be expressed as TDS in terms of milligrams per liter (mg/L = ppm). Ideally, your water’s TDS level would be less than 1500 mg/l, yet this is not the only metric we need to consider. We often find that effluent water may contain up to 50% or more of its TDS composition as sodium chloride, which is toxic if allowed to accumulate in the soil. To provide you with a more visual representation of how much salt that is, take a TDS of 1000 mg/l, where sodium chloride is at 50% or more, this equals 1.50 tons of salt for every acre-foot of water applied. That is a lot of salt! The other components included in the TDS measurement are usually comprised of favorable salts such as calcium and magnesium.

Sodium hazards are greater in soils with higher clay content. This is because sodium reduces the soil’s permeability by dispersing clay particles which in turn seal larger pore spaces resulting in infiltration problems long before toxic levels are reached. The Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) is an indicator of how fast harmful salts accumulate in soil. SAR readings of less than 6 are desirable. For those with sandy loam soil, better leeching is possible due to this soil’s naturally better tilth, making it easier to get those salts below the root zone.

Once we have reached high concentrations of harmful salts (sodium, chlorides, boron and bicarbonates) treatment with an orchestrated approach that includes chemical and biological components will be necessary. The most common and cost-effective approach is the application of gypsum

There have always been mutually-beneficial interactions between plants and soil micro-organisms, but research over the past few decades has helped us better understand the specific mechanisms of action.

(calcium sulfate) to increase the soluble calcium in the soil and help promote the leeching of sodium away from the root zone.

This is an ideal treatment that increases the infiltration rate in non-calcareous soils with a neutral to slightly acid pH. Alternatively, extremely acidic soils will benefit from an application of lime. Should your situation be that you have strongly alkaline and calcareous soil, then a better treatment option would be the use of elemental sulfur.

Gypsum can be used on alkaline soils, but the added benefits of sulfur are better in the long run. The conversion of sulfur to oxidized forms that can be used by soil-borne bacteria to form sulfuric acid allows the breakdown of calcium bicarbonate into calcium sulfate while temporarily reducing the soil’s pH and making phosphorous and other micronutrients bioavailable for uptake by the turfgrasses. Using gypsum only as a treatment will not produce the same benefits.

The next and equally important part of a complete remediation program includes the use of beneficial soil microbes in the form of soil inoculants or compost teas. These will greatly enhance the remediation or preventive process. Microorganisms release beneficial enzymes, organic acids and chelators that ‘unlock’ tied up nutrients in the soil. With high pH soils, microorganisms will work to break up the tricalcium phosphate, an unavailable for of phosphorous, into Ca++ and PO 4. Being that calcium is stronger than sodium, it displaces sodium ions at the cation exchange site. Through this chemical process, larger pores are created allowing for better air and root penetration and we stimulate better soil structure while flushing toxic salts down and away from the root system.

Continuing research has shown us that the interaction these soil microorganisms have with plants is vital to maintaining healthy turfgrass. Keeping these microbes healthy and thriving in your soil is easy with the use of carbon-based products such as humic acid, fulvic acid, amino acid, etc.… With the application of these types of products you can ensure that the microscopic team that is working day and night for you stays healthy and happy.

We are just now, as an agricultural community, beginning to really understand the many benefits of having a thriving microbe population. Primarily, they help dissolve and supply nutrients that may be otherwise inaccessible to plant roots. Some rhizosphere bacteria, for example, have been found to produce several compounds including plant hormones that help promote growth even under stressful environmental condition such as excessive moisture, salt, heat or cold.

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Feature Turfgrass Article

Other groups of soil microbes produce antibiotics, biocides and compounds that help reduce the population of not only crop pests like insects, but also fungal or bacterial pathogens. Some studies have shown that the physical presence of large numbers of rhizobacteria around turf roots can act as a physical barrier to root infections caused by pathogens and possibly nematodes. There have always been mutually beneficial interactions between plants and soil microbes. Over the last few decades continuing research has helped us better understand the specific mechanisms of some of these actions.

In closing, while the quality of our irrigation water is in decline, using water and soil testing we can establish a management program to remediate and improve most if not all turfgrass conditions. These tests give us insight into what is happening in the soil and with that information we can develop a plan that is not only economical, but that will also help us achieve our desired goals. It’s important to note that there are other tools available that can work together with soil and water tests to give us more options for remediation. Plant sap analysis, when used alongside soil and water testing, will guide us to a game plan that can help offset some of these poor soil conditions by identifying poor nutrient uptake. A test on the grass itself will show what remediation would work best for the specific stress affecting your turf. A cocktail of balanced nutrients, carbon-based products, organic acids and more can be applied as a foliar spray. In this way, we bypass the affected root system and supply the grasses actual needs, thereby mitigating the stress caused by the sodic soil conditions. Following a ‘big picture’ approach that considers chemical, physical and biological aspects is essential for successful salt management and turfgrass health.

DWF Golf Supplies, LLC Your TEXAS Source For: Turfpride USA CTI Tines and Bedknives

Noel Garcia, CCA is Chief Operating Officer and Senior Consultant

Woodbay Turf / Dynablades Macrosorb / SMS

at TPS Lab – Edinburg, TX

Darren Fletcher

ngarcia@tpslab.com

golfbyfletch@yahoo.com

817-832-7905

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Congrats to our newest CPTM’s

Johnny Martinez, Jr. Compass Group, SSC Service Solutions, Texas A&M, College Station, TX Currently Attending CTU for Business Management. Johnny was recently promoted to Team Leader III and enjoys taking care of fine turf!

Bryan McGee Compass Group, SSC Service Solutions Texas A&M , College Station, TX Professional: ENTSOC, Texas Pest Control Association, and National Pest Management Association Associate for Certified Entomologist and TDA Structural License.

Matt Furr Town of Prosper 22 Years in the Industry TXSTMA, TTA, TRAPS; TDA SPCS Applicator Arbors Days Foundation

19 Michael Chaney City of Wylie Parks Texas Sports Turf Managers Association

Larry Redmon Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service PhD Range Science, TAMU; Masters of Wildlife Science, TAMU, MS Agronomy, Stephen F. Austin University; BS Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin University

Casey Knapp Town of Prosper, Parks Operations Supervisor TXSTMA ; TTA; TDA SPCS Applicator

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WINTER TRADE SHOW SUCCESS

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Thank you to our Members

Thank you to our Speakers

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2018 Award Winners!

2018 Baseball Field of the Year– Dell Diamond

2018 Multi Purpose Field of the Year– City of Rockwall

2018 Complex of the Year– McMahan Turf and Agronomics, LLC

2018 Soccer and Lacrosse Field of the Year– Money Gram Park

2018 Green Thumb of the Year AwardCity of Sherman

2018 Softball Field of the Year-Sports Field Solutions