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Feature Article...EARLY SEASON PESTS

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SUMMER 2013 • THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HALFTIME 1

PRESIDENTChuck KlafkaDouglas Co. Parks & Trails 9651 S. Quebec Street Littleton, CO 80130 [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT Rob WallsDept. of Parks & Rec. 4800 W. 92nd Avenue Westminster, CO [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTDrew Barber Town of Erie PO Box 750Erie, CO [email protected]

COMMERCIAL OFFICER Tim BullardLL Johnson4700 Holly StreetDenver, CO [email protected]

COMMERCIAL OFFICER ELECT Cody FreemanGolf Enviro3240 Fillmore Ridge HeightsColorado Springs, CO [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/WEBSITE COORDINATOR Christi Clay191 University Blvd. #703Denver, CO [email protected]

DIRECTORS

Aaron ColeHighlands Ranch3280 Redstone Park Circle Highlands Ranch, CO [email protected]

Bob MaloneyTown of Castle Rock 4175 Castleton Court Castle Rock, CO [email protected]

Ryan NewmanUniversity of Colorado Athletics Stadium Rm. 129, Campus Box 372 Boulder, CO [email protected]

Dave Radueg Polo Grounds 2835 Stout Street Denver, CO [email protected]

Jody YonkeCity of Glendale 601 S. Elm Street Glendale, CO [email protected]

CSTMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

President’s Message 2

Photo Quiz 3

CSTMA Board of Directors Biographies 4

Early Season Pests 7

Opinion: Out of Whack 10

Aeration: What Is Itand Why Do We Do It? 12

2013 Lawnmower Man Open 14

More Snow, More Numbers 16

SUMMER 2013

The Rocky Mountain Half-Time is published quarterly by the

Colorado Sports Turf Managers Association

www.CSTMA.org

191 University Blvd., #703Denver, CO 80206Fax: 303-215-3429

Editor - Drew BarberE-mail:

[email protected] M A N A G E R S A S S O C I A T I O N

C O LO R A D O


2 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HALFTIME • SUMMER 2013

Wow, it’s hard to believe that half the year is over already. The Colorado Sports Turf Managers Association has moved forward to be the best we can be in bringing you the most current and informative information in the industry.

Recently, we held our spring work shop at the J5 Equestrian Center. Thanks to all of you that came out on that cold day and got to experience another form of turf maintenance and received a first-hand introduction on how the game of polo is played. Thanks to Dave Radueg, J5 Turf Manager, and our most recent board member on an amazing event.

We are currently in the process of putting together the first annual “Team Challenge”, where you can bring some of your best workers and pair them against other CSTMA member teams to compete for a traveling trophy. We will have several events that will be timed and judged by board members. Thank you to everyone that took part in our online survey about interest in this event. We look forward to working with our sponsors to allow everyone the opportunity to try out different pieces of equipment and products. Please watch our website for more information to follow.

Also, mark your calendar for CSTMA’s Annual LMO Golf Tournament,on July 9th. This

year the tournament will be held at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in Westminster. We will be using a modified scramble format along with the Peoria scoring system to establish handicaps for each group. Lunch will be provided with a prize raffle to follow, please see www.cstma.org, for details and registration.

If you get a chance during your busy day, please take a moment to thank a sponsor of CSTMA. They are one of the reasons why we are able to continue to provide opportunities for our members to gain insight and knowledge to provide safer playing surfaces.

Thanks.

President’s MessageChuck KlafkaPresident CSTMA Chapter


If you would like to submit a photograph for the Photo Quiz please send it to

CSTMA91 University Blvd. #703, Denver, CO 80206

call 720-935-3840 oremail [email protected].

If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All photos submitted will become property of Colorado Sports Turf Managers Association.

CSTMA PHOTO QUIZCan you identify this sports turf problem?Problem: Dead ring of grass with dark green borders with live grass in the middle. There are other dark green rings of similar size in the area.

Turfgrass area: Softball outfield

Location: Erie,CO

Grass Variety: Kentucky Bluegrass, 4-way blend

SEE ANSWER ON PAGE 15.

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Christi’s career path has taken her from Minor League Baseball, to construction and renovation, website and graphic design, and finally brought her to her passion for sports turf. Christi worked for Jeffco Schools at the North Area Athletic Complex beginning in 2010, and was responsible for managing 2 natural grass fields which host varsity games for 6 local high schools, along with numerous other events. Since the spring of 2012, she has worked for the City of Glendale, helping to maintain the rugby specific natural grass Infinity Park, the synthetic practice field/public park, South Park, as well as all the public parks in the City. While her sports turf career has just begun, Christi has already been a member of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game turf management crew, and STMA’s Sporting Grounds Field of the Year turf crew. Her involvement in the CSTMA has long surpassed working in the field, serving as Executive Director of CSTMA since 2006. A native of Ironton, Ohio, Christi graduated from Denison University with her B.A. in Economics.

Chuck was raised in a family that was heavy into agriculture and livestock. So it’s no wonder that Chuck ended up in the profession that he is now in. It was quite a change for Chuck, moving to Castle Rock, Colorado in 1979 from Lewisville, Texas. Chuck graduated Douglas County High School and moved on to a two-year local community college before being asked to come to work for Douglas County. Starting from the bottom, Chuck learned the ins and outs of the turf profession from a variety of individuals including supervisors, co-workers and industry professionals. He worked his way up and was eventually promoted to Parks Supervisor fifteen years ago. While attending his first STMA National Conference he was drawn to the mul-titude of different thoughts, teachings, and actions of others in the sports turf industry. Chuck is now the District 1 Supervisor for Douglas County Parks, Trails and Building Grounds. He is currently responsible for roughly 23 acres of sports fields, 1 regulation synthetic soccer-field and 25 miles of soft surface trail within Douglas County.

Chuck and his wife Kim live in Castle Rock with their two kids: a daughter that attends UCCS in Colorado Springs and a son who is a junior at Douglas County High School. Chuck spends most of his vacations hunting, fishing and visiting fami-ly. He is also currently the President of Colorado Sports Turf Management Association and a member of the Colorado Parks Recreation Association.

Hailing from Fairfield, IA, Cody Freeman got his taste of the sports turf industry by coaching high school baseball and foot-ball in his hometown. After college Cody worked at Iowa State University using his knowledge to assist the turf operations of all their sports fields. It was at ISU that he first cut his teeth and began to learn about the true meaning of being a turf manager. In 2006 he moved to Colorado for an opening with the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. It was under the impressive management of Ross Kurcab that Cody began to hone his turf manager skills and was promoted to the Assistant Manager of the Turf Department. Cody moved on to an opening in the Jefferson County School District as a stadium manager. It was there he managed the ins and outs of hosting high school sports. Having the desire to be in the sales field, Golf Enviro Systems invited him to come aboard as their Sports Turf Specialist. Cody and his wife enjoy living in Colorado and absorbing everything this state has to offer. During his off hours, he enjoys throwing a fly line on any body of water, or hunting with his two yellow labs.

Cody is an active member of the National Sports Turf Managers Association having previously sat on the Education Com-mittee and the Chapter Relations Committee, a member of the Colorado Sports Turf Managers Association having held the President role in 2009, and currently serves on the Colorado Turfgrass Foundation as a board member.

Drew first realized his love for turf and parks management while attending the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. He completed his education there and received a Bachelors of Science in Recreation Management. During college he worked several seasonal parks maintenance jobs and knew that this was the profession that he wanted to pursue. His career began with the Town of Avon, near Vail, where he was responsible for general grounds maintenance and special event support. During his time there he took every opportunity to learn about all aspects of turf and irrigation management. In 2004, he was hired on with the Town of Erie Parks and Recreation Department and is now responsible for the maintenance of all athletic fields and playgrounds throughout the Town. The Erie Community Park hosts numerous concerts, tournaments, and other special events throughout the year. Drew truly enjoys the challenge of working with co-workers to find creative solutions to problems. He will be finishing an Associates of Applied Science Degree in Horticulture from Front Range Community College this spring.

He and his wife enjoy attending local activities and events throughout the Denver-metro area. Drew strongly believes in developing your professional skills through participation in professional organizations and certifications. He has served on the CSTMA Board of Directors for five years and is the current Vice-President.

Tim was born and raised in Denver, CO. He began pursuing his interest in turfgrass management by attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins,CO. There he received a Bachelors Degree in Landscape Horticulture and Turf Management. His professional career started at the Valley Country Club in Centennial,CO as a Superintendent. Here he continued to refine his turf management skills managing the ever changing challenges that golf courses can present. After several years as a Superinten-dent he decided to go into the sales side of turf management. He started working with Boyd Distributing and eventually became the Territory Manager with L.L. Johnson Distributing Company for the past 23 years.

We enjoy golf, trips up to the mountains, fly fishing and get-togethers with friends. I mostly enjoy the relationships I’ve made over the years with customers who have become a large part of my personal life.

CSTMA Board of Directors Biographies

PRESIDENTCHUCK KLAFKA

VICE-PRESIDENTDREW BARBER

COMMERCIAL OFFICERTIM BULLARD

COMMERCIAL OFFICERELECT

CODY FREEMAN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / WEBSITE COORDINATORCHRISTI CLAY


BOB MALONEY , DIRECTOR Bob has been with the Town of Castle Rock Parks Department for the past seventeen years: four years as an Athletic Fields/

Open Space Technician and the past thirteen years as Superintendent. He enjoys the ever changing responsibilities that come with being in the parks maintenance and management profession. In his spare time he enjoys coaching baseball at Douglas County High School, which he has done for the past eighteen years.

JODY YONKE , DIRECTORJody came to Colorado from Bourbonnais, Illinois, in 1985. Soon after arriving he started working for the City of Glendale

Street and Wastewater Department. After working with the department for some time he was promoted to Parks Supervisor. In this role he was responsible for all aspects of parks maintenance including irrigation, general maintenance, horticultural respon-sibilities, and special event support.

He is now the Field Operations Manager for the Public Works Department. He believes in the importance of professional certifications; holding a Certified Backflow Tester Certification and CLT Certificate in Irrigation. He has also been a practical examination judge for CLT testing for the past ten years. In his spare time he enjoys running a sprinkler business.

Rob earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Black Hills State University with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Computer Programming. He started with the City of Westminster in 1995 and was hired as their first Athletics Field Parks Worker in 1997; promoted to Crew Leader in 2004. He gained valuable knowledge running multiple parks with numerous recreational choices available to guests. In 2006, he was asked to take over maintenance responsibilities of Westminster City Park, which hosts numerous special events, tournaments, and other programmed events throughout the year and serves as a recreational hub for the city. He is also responsible for the maintenance for all outlying soccer and ballfields throughout the City of Westminster.

He loves sharing ideas with fellow sports field managers and likes to learn from others in the industry about their successes and failures. Knowledge is a powerful tool and the Colorado Sports Turf Managers Association is a great vehicle to network with people that really care about this profession and want to see others succeed. He is always willing to help anyone out or lend them a hand.

RYAN NEWMAN , DIRECTORRyan is currently in his eleventh year as the Assistant Athletic Field Manager with the University of Colorado’s Athletic

Department in Boulder. As a 2002 graduate of Iowa State University, he worked with the Athletic Department’s grounds crew as a student. Prior to enrolling at ISU, Ryan worked for two seasons with the Sioux City Explorers, a Minor League Baseball team. He spent the second season with the Explorers as Head Grounds Keeper.

AARON COLE , DIRECTORAaron was born in a small town in southeast Kansas where he spent his summers working on his uncle’s golf course. In

2003 he moved to Colorado and worked as a temporary employee for the Highlands Ranch Metro District. Three years later he was hired full time as a turf manager for the Highlands Ranch Metro District. Aaron has been with the district for almost seven years and helps maintain 22 parks with 164 acres of irrigated turf.

DAVE RADUEG , DIRECTORDave began in Turf Management in 1999 working as a golf course greenskeeper as a summer job in college. One season is

all it took for Dave to be certain that this was the ideal career path to follow. His other golf course experience includes Irrigation Technician, Integrated Pest Management Technician, and Assistant Superintendent. In 2011 Dave moved to polo field manage-ment as the head Turf Manager for J-5 Equestrian. Dave’s education includes a Bachelors in Environmental Science from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a Turf Management Certificate from Front Range Community College in Westminster.

PAST PRESIDENTROB WALLS


It’s early in the year, and green industry professionals share the same goal - they want to get off

to a good start. This is especially true of sports turf managers. Once the teams start practicing it seems like there’s never enough time to get everything done exactly the way it should be. The feeling only gets worse if you start the year behind schedule, because you’re always playing catch-up.

One critical management element where you don’t want to fall behind is pest control. Whether its insects, fungus or weeds, preventing pest damage on turf is crucial to your success. Early-season pests don’t dif-fer much from those that occur later in the season except that timing is on your side. Take advantage of this key factor to keep unwanted pests and diseases at bay.

Consider the field history

Get a jump on early-season pests by searching your records for which pests caused damage the previous year. In many ways, simpler is bet-ter. A three-ring binder with lined paper is a good record-keeping tool, as it can provide timely, detailed information regarding which pests caused damage, as well as where and when they were a problem. Depend-ing on the size of your facility, you may be able to keep disease and pest information from multiple years in one notebook. If you manage a larg-er complex, one notebook per year may be in order.

A notebook entry can include ad-

ditional details for certain fields or specific areas within a field. This is helpful for sites that have been espe-cially problematic. Another useful approach involves making notations on a calendar within the notebook. This will allow quick and easy access to information while comparing it to other time periods. Finally, a pocket in the notebook to store plant care tags is an important, but common-ly overlooked, feature. Again, this storage system can be as simple or as complex as necessary. The point is, tags from bags of turf seed and care tags for annuals, perennials and shrubs provide important infor-mation that will help you make management decisions during the upcoming season.

Regular turf inspection is a good pre-ventive step for many maladies.

PHOTOS BY JAMES KALISCH, UNL.

Scouting

Dedicate some time to a thorough search for early-season pests. Scout-ing can involve significant amounts of time, but could also be a quick “look-see” in many cases. For exam-ple, webworms overwinter as par-tially grown larvae within silk-lined tunnels in the thatch and upper layers of soil. If you’ve seen this type of damage before, and the historical

information from your notebook indicates that webworms have been a problem on a particular field in the past, the time required to deter-mine/confirm the presence of these turf pests may be minimal.

Monitoring, or scouting, involves frequent inspections of turf and ornamental plantings to detect early signs of diseases, weeds, insects and their damage. The primary goal monitoring is to detect, identify and describe disease and pest infesta-tions. All turf and landscape areas should be monitored on a regular basis during the growing season.

Sampling involves the use of specific techniques designed to detect and identify diseases and insect pests and assess their damage. For exam-ple, sampling may be initiated when an insect infestation is suspected, at appropriate times during a pest’s life cycle, or in historically infested areas. Sufficient samples must be taken to assure a reasonably accu-rate estimate of pest numbers in the sampled area.

Typical early-season pests

Sod webworm overwintering lar-vae - Depending on your location and weather conditions during fall and winter, webworms can cause significant early season damage. They complete development, pupate and emerge as adults (moths) in ear-ly summer. The tan-colored adults rest in the turf and on shrubs during the day and randomly scatter their eggs into the grass in late afternoon and early evening, typically flying in

Early-Season Pests John C. Fech andFrederick P. Baxendale


a zigzag fashion just above the turf surface. Eggs hatch in about a week, and the first generation larvae feed until midsummer. Second and third generations are possible, depending on the season and locale.

Sod Web WormOverwintering populations of sod webworms can be problematic.

Pine sawflies - Be sure to check your scotch and other short-needled pines for sawfly injury. These chew-ing insects feed only on the previ-ous season’s needles, since the new candles will not have been produced yet, hence their classification as an early-season pest. For best results, treat for pine sawflies while larvae are still small and before they have caused significant needle damage.

Pine Saw FliesDon’t let pine sawflies get away from you; they can cause lots of early-sea-son damage in a hurry.

Snow mold - Though it’s too late at this point to treat, snow mold will be evident as an early-season disease, as well as the look-alike condition of snow and ice damage. Management strategies for snow mold include the installation of snow fences to reroute

snow away from important play-ing surfaces, snow removal where practical, judicious applications of fertilizer following injury to encour-age regrowth, overseeding to replace damaged turf plants, as well as application of preventive fungicides to high-value and/or previously injured turf in late fall.

White grubs - Most grub species overwinter as larvae, and some feed for a short time in spring before pupating. On rare occasions, these grubs can cause additional damage, particularly on turf stressed from other factors, such as snow mold or winter injury. In general, however, the majority of white grub damage likely occurred during the previous late summer and fall, and a spring treatment would not be justified. Save your product for white grub infestations later in the season.

Voles - Tunneling from voles can cause some odd-looking and un-sightly damage in early spring. Most damage occurs in the winter as voles move through their runways un-der the snow. The greatest damage occurs during years of heavy snow-fall. Vole damage can be reduced by habitat modification, exclusion, trapping, repellents and the use of poison baits.

Summer patch - Even though sum-mer patch doesn’t cause visible dam-age early in the season, infection of the roots takes place at this time. To prevent summer patch symptoms in early to midsummer, preven-tive fungicide applications must be applied in early spring. This is a classic example of when good notes and documentation are essential for effective disease and pest control.

Sunscald - Though not a pathogenic disease, this malady can cause severe

damage to shade trees at sports facil-ities. During winter, thin-barked trees can be warmed by the sun to the point where the bark becomes tender and subject to damage during later periods of extreme cold. Pre-vent sunscald by leaning a pair of boards that have been nailed to-gether to form a “V” against the southwest side of the tree. Paint the boards white to reflect winter sun rays. PVC drainpipe can also be used. Split the pipe vertically and loosely enclose the trunk. Again, painting the pipe white is recom-mended. PVC drainpipe will also help protect thin-barked trees from mouse damage during the winter.

Prostrate knotweed - Germinating soon after the snow melts, knotweed has the reputation of a weed that grows under compacted conditions. Actually, knotweed does not really prefer compacted soils, but it is able to produce roots when soil particles are smashed together sufficient-ly to form an unsuitable growing medium for desirable turfgrasses. Relieve compaction through core aerification and traffic control, and apply appropriate three or four-way postemergence herbicides early in the season just as the plants are starting to emerge. Be sure to read and follow all label directions.

_____________ John Fech is an extension educator specializing in turf and ornamentals at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Frederick P. Baxendale is a professor and extension entomologist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

This article was originally published in Sports Field Management Magazine in March 2011.


We live in a sports-crazed country in which more than 50 million children

play organized sports, yet, many are required to do so on fields that are not safe and lack basic maintenance practices.

Athletic endeavor often is looked upon in a way that is out of whack with reality. Child prodigies are told from an early age how great they are, that being a success on the field or on the court is more important than success in the classroom, and that winning trumps all, including sportsmanship and fair play. Each year, baseball and football fields at the little league and high school levels are jammed with fans hurling insults at referees, umpires, coaches and fans and players from opposing teams all in the name of trying to gain an edge that leads to victory. Anyone who says they haven’t seen such behavior first hand either never leaves the house or is not telling the truth.

One would think that with the emphasis adults place on sports and school-aged athletes that their parents and those who oversee the complexes on which they play would be dedicated to providing safe surfaces. While that is indeed the course more often than not, there are far too many examples of fields that I wouldn’t let my child play on

Opinion: Out of Whack John Reitman

Bare Field

Soccer Field


because of surface hardness and riskof injury. Usually, subpar conditions are not the fault of the person charged with maintaining the field. Instead, blame typically rests with school, park or municipal administrators who don’t understand the resources and exper-tise required to provide safe, quality athletic fields or the risk from not doing so. For them, all a field needs is some paint for lines and boundar-ies and to occasionally run a mower over it. After that, athletic facilities are moneymakers for padding the general fund, not an entity that actually needs money pumped back into it.

“For them, all a field needs is some paint for lines and boundaries and to occasionally run a mower over it...”

Of course, this view represents the extreme of the pendulum swing. The reality is that most facilities are under the direction of professional grounds managers who report to people who, thankfully, get it when it comes to providing resources needed to maintain safe and aesthet-ically pleasing fields. But when we read stories like the one this week in Washington in which a high school baseball field maintained by volunteer parents was condemned because of unsafe con-ditions, we’re reminded that there still are people out there who don’t get it. A school district in Missouri this month decided to replace its natu-ral grass football field with artificial

turf. Among the reasons for the con-version, according to the district’s superintendent were unsafe playing conditions around worn areas on the field. Kudos to school district officials for recognizing that changes needed to be made. Shame on them for allowing kids to continue playing on a field they knew was not com-pletely safe. Just this season, a school in north-western Ohio has had to cancel home softball games because its field is not up to snuff.

Last football season I read a story about a high school football field in Kansas City, Mo., that many be-lieved was unsafe for the players. As improvements trickled in, the first ones made were new bleachers and a new, larger game clock. But im-provements to the field itself lagged behind. And because the stadium is located in a rough part of town, many want gun-detecting metal detectors installed before improve-ments are made to the field. Heaven forbid athlete safety should come first. While these are just a few recent ex-amples of what can go wrong when fields are not properly maintained, there are hundreds of baseball, foot-ball and soccer complexes around the country with ground so hard it’s a wonder that injury lawyers are not lined up in the parking lot. “it’s a wonder that injury lawyers are not lined up in the parking lot...”University extension Web sites around the country are a wealth of information for helping non-turf stakeholders understand the impor-tance of proper field maintenance,

and the occasional lawsuit filed on behalf of injured athletes should be enough to make them reach for the checkbook in haste. I have saved perhaps the best for last. In 2011, a principal at an Ohio high school refused to let his team play on another team’s home field when he sank ankle deep in mud after getting off the bus. The field was, in the principal’s view, unsafe for his school’s student athletes. Another nearby school heard of the dilemma and quickly offered their field as a replacement. The home team, however, refused to move the game, insisting the contest be played on their field. When the principal of the visiting team refused, his team had to forfeit the contest for refusing to play on an unsafe surface. Talk about out of whack.

____________This article was originally published on www.turfnetsports.com, in April 2013. TurfNetSports.com is an online news, information, educa-tional and networking resource for athletic turf managers. Launched in 2013, it is a sister site of TurfNet.com, which has been providing news and information as well as networking opportu-nities for golf course superintendents since 1994.


Aeration is defined as the process of disturbing the soil in a controlled fashion

in order to relieve compaction and allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate into the soil. Core aeration can also be an effective method of thatch removal and management. In both sports fields and golf courses, compaction is an issue that must be proactively managed. Turf managers should always be proactive in their approach to aeration.

Thatch is a layer of organic matter, roots, and stems found at the soil surface. Thatch offers many bene-fits to the turfgrass stand as long as it is managed properly. A moder-ate layer of thatch can increase the water holding capacity of a soil, similar to a sponge. However, this layer can become hydrophobic if it becomes excessive. If this occurs, verti-cutters, power rakes, or core aeration can be used to remove an appropriate amount of the thatch layer. Wetting agents can also be used to drive water through the thatch layer into the soil if remov-al of the thatch is not practical. Fertility programs that are heavy in nitrogen application can also accelerate the accumulation of thatch. Thatch, if managed appro-priately, can help with compaction related to foot or vehicle traffic.

Compaction, for turf managers, is typically caused by foot traffic in

a concentrated area. It can also be caused by maintenance vehicles, vehicle traffic, animals, concert performance stages, and vari-ous pieces of equipment used for special event setup. Core aeration and solid tine aeration are effec-tive methods that turf managers use to minimize and alleviate the effects of compaction. Core and slice aeration can be very effective against surface compaction that is typical with traffic associated with athletics and thatch removal, while deep solid or core tine aeration is effective against established hard-pans and to penetrate layering caused by changes in topdressing programs. An effective aeration program should include a com

bination of both solid and coring tine aeration.

Aeration, by its definition, is the exchange of gases between the soil and the atmosphere. The space that is created in the soil profile, which relieves compaction, in-creases the soils ability to exchange these gases. Even a small layer of compaction can have negative effects on a turfgrass stand. Com-pacted soils also inhibit the growth of roots because of the removal of macro pore spaces in the soil profile.

An aeration program is a critical mechanical management tech-

Aeration: What Is It and Why Do We Do It?

Drew Barber

Town of Erie Parks and Rec

Aerway on fairway


nique that should be included in any comprehensive turf manage-ment program. As Jerad Minnick with the Maryland SoccerPlex recently said at an industry event, “If you don’t have gas exchange, you don’t have anything.”____________Some information in this article was gathered from the following sources: Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management, Christians; and Sports Fields: A Manual for Design, Construction and Maintenance,Puhalla, Krans, Goatley.

Hole spacing

Civic Green Aeration

Core Dragging

“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.”

Hal Borland


The 2013 Lawnmower Man Open will take place at Legacy Ridge Golf Course in

Westminster on Tuesday, July 9th. Make sure you mark your calendar for this one. Legacy Ridge is one of the best maintained golf courses you will find on the Front Range. The golf course was designed by Arthur Hills and is a great test for golfers of all skill levels. The staff, both in the clubhouse and on the golf course, is continually recognized as the friend-liest and most accommodating you will find. This day will go down as one of our best LMO tournaments. Make sure you sign up early.

The Colorado Sports Turf Managers Association will once again be using the modified scramble format for this tournament, which is always an enjoyable way of keeping all four players in your group on their

toes. Try to keep from tightening up when you know your individual score hole is coming up, and then take a little breather while playing in a scramble format on the other holes. This year, the Peoria scoring system will be used to establish the handicaps for all groups. Also, if your foursome birdies a hole you move back a set of tees for the next hole. If you score par or worse on a hole, you use the original set of tees for the next hole. Once again, the individual score will be combined with the scramble score for the total score on each hole.

As in past years, this tournament plays a major role for CSTMA’s annual fund raising. These fund sup-port activities and events put on by CSTMA, but also provides scholar-ship money for students studying to become sports turf managers. This

is a big event for all of us and for the future of the professionals in the field of work we all enjoy. We are, again this year, asking all CSTMA members to consider contributing prizes for the raffle drawing at the conclusion of the day’s events. The raffle drawing plays a big role in raising money for our association and has become one of the high-lights of tournament day.

Reward your crew for the hard work they do for you. Bring your admin-istrator, your assistant, your custom-er or that associate that is always helping you in your daily trials and tribulations. What a great opportu-nity to get away from it all for a day on the links and enjoy some golf, conversation, and a beautiful Colo-rado day at Legacy Ridge.

2013 Lawnmower Man Open Tim Bullard, LL Johnson


ANSWER TO CSTMA PHOTO QUIZ - PAGE 3 These rings are an example of fairy ring which is caused by a fungus. The dead ring of grass is caused by the fungal structures, or hyphae, weaken-ing the grass roots ability to compete. The fungal masses also cause the soil to be hydrophobic, or water repelling. Dark rings are caused by the ability of the fungus to breakdown organic matter, sort of wood source, into a plant available nitrogen source.There are several different ways to manage or mask the symptoms of fairy ring. Some turf managers choose to apply corrective or preven-tative applications of wetting agents combined with appropriately labeled fungicides. Other managers may choose to heavily aerate the affected areas to reestablish a beneficial grow-ing medium. In this case, the area was heavily aerated and topdressed with a mixture of USGA sand, Turface, and a 4-way blend of pre-germinated Kentucky Bluegrass seed.

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T1277 EG COLO STMA 2013_T1025-A Feb&Nov BB/EG Sprttrf04 13-03-03 3:46 PM Page 1

If you have any interesting photos and would like to submit them for the next newsletter, please contact us at [email protected].

(Left) Hydrophobic fairy ring soil vs.

(Right) hydrophilic soil ; 2” apart


As a majority of Colora-do begins to see some much-needed relief from

two years of hot and dry condi-tions, we all are talking about the many numbers associated with drought, with hope that the snow this spring will get us out of it. But, what numbers matter? Here’s what the experts at Denver Water are looking at:

The big one is snowpack. We get our water from the Colora-do River and South Platte River watersheds. But, it isn’t as easy as pulling up the latest report from the National Water and Climate Center to see what the snowpack levels are for those watersheds. Why? Because we need the snow-pack levels above our diversion points within these watersheds, not the entire watershed.

In the graphs below you’ll see that the snowpack that feeds our reservoirs in the Colorado River watershed is at 87 percent and the South Platte watershed is at 78 percent of average. So, while the complete watershed numbers are higher — Colorado River water-shed is at 103 percent of average and the South Platte River water-shed is at 90 percent of average — the areas within those watersheds that feed into our reservoirs are much lower.

Obviously, we are very excited

More Snow, More Numbers Posted April 22, 2013 by Denver Water in Conserva-tion, Drought.


to see these numbers increasing each week, but the snowpack levels that feed our reservoirs are still well below the normal peak.

What else are the experts track-ing? Because of the past two dry winters, our reservoirs haven’t been full since July of 2011. So as we move out of April, we will look closely at our reservoir levels, the temperature, and the amount of rain or snow we get.We will also monitor the condi-tions that determine how much of this snowpack will become water in our reservoirs because:

• Some will soak into the ground, depending on how dry it is and what plants need

• Some will evaporate• Some may be passed down-

stream to senior water rights

As we continue to evaluate the conditions and crunch the num-bers, we will continue to manage our water supply carefully. At this point, we are still in Stage 2 man-datory watering restrictions. The good news is you don’t even need to think about watering your landscape right now, because Mother Nature is taking care of that for all of us.

____________http://denverwaterblog.org/2013/04/22/more-snow-more-numbers/

“If God had wanted us to play football in the sky, He’d have put grass up there.”

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Feature Article...EARLY SEASON PESTS

DON’T MISS THIS EVENT!2013 Lawnmower Man Open

Tuesday, July 9thLegacy Ridge Golf Course

SUMMER 2013

THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HALF-TIMEAN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO SPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATIONTHE ROCKY MOUNTAIN HALF-TIMEAN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO SPORTS TURF MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

Are Your Bases Covered?Your Head Groundskeeper and crew need to negotiate rigorous – and often unpredictable – issues regarding the playing surface at your stadium.

That’s where the Sports Turf Managers Association comes in. STMA members are expertly equipped to deal with these issues and are up-to-date on all the latest information in the industry. Their expertise in resource utilization, operations management, and agronomics allow you to protect your players on the field and reduce your expenses while doing it.

Support your grounds crew’s STMA membership for access to the latest information, education, and industry developments. For over 30 years, STMA members have ensured their fields are among the safest, most playable and most beautiful around.

Are your bases covered? Is there an STMA member on your grounds crew?

To become a member, go online to www.stma.org or call 800-323-3875.

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