The Rough Dilenunain the Mid-Atlantic RegionEstablishing uniform rough and maintaining it through sununerheat provides significant challenges for golf course superintendents.

BY DARIN S. BEVARD

Where irrigationcoverage is inadequateto maintain roughduring periods ofdrought. labor-intensive,roller-base sprinklersmust be used to preventdrought damage tothe grass.

Golfer expectations for turfgrass qualityhave increased since the game's begin-nings. Fast, smooth greens, tightly

cropped and uniform fairways, and firm, con-sistent bunkers are expected on a daily basis.Recently, expectations for playing quality andappearance of rough have increased dramatically.These expectations exist in spite of stretchedbudgets, harsh summer weather, limitations ofexisting rough grasses, and hundreds of golf carts

running through roughs on a weekly basis. Roughis expected to be uniform, dense and, for lack of abetter term, pretty, regardless of the vast acreagesthat often are involved. The larger the area to bemanaged, the lower maintenance intensity willbe. Mowers are used to produce stripes in therough in a manner similar to fairways. Courseofficials seem to be especially critical of roughquality in the immediate green surrounds due tothe delicate shots played from these areas.

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Rough that is understress can provide goodplayability and maintaina good appearance aslong as cart traffic isregulated.

New and renovated golf courses establishuniform rough grasses from seed and sod. Thisprovides a great advantage in rough qualitycompared to older facilities that paid no morethan passing attention to rough conditions untilrecently. Nonetheless, golfers at older facilities aredemanding better rough conditions, and efforts toimprove rough are increasing. Unfortunately,establishing better rough grasses into existing,mixed stands of turf has proven to be very diffi-cult, and once rough is successfully established, amyriad of problems awaits the turf grass manager.

Obviously, if you have warm-season rough,bermudagrass and zoysiagrass are the logicalchoices. This article will focus on the challenge ofestablishing new grasses into existing rough andmaintaining cool-season roughs in general in theMid-Atlantic Region. Choosing the proper turf-grass species, establishing the grass, and maintain-ing turf quality throughout the growing seasonare critical to meeting golfer expectations.

BEFOREYOU GET STARTEDIrrigation coverage is an important requisite forsuccessful rough renovation and management.Irrigation systems are now installed with setsof irrigation heads that specifically address therough, separate from tees, fairways, and greens.Tees, fairways, and greens require less irrigationthan rough over the course of the growingseason. Roller-base sprinklers and hand wateringmust be used when older irrigation systems donot provide good coverage. These practices arelabor intensive, but necessary. Roughs will declineduring extended periods of dry weather if the

irrigation system is not designed specifically forrough areas, or labor resources are not availablefor supplemental watering. Good irrigationcoverage is especially critical during establishmentto sustain newly emerged seedlings or new sod.Without good rough irrigation coverage, estab-lishment of new seedlings will be difficult, andany progress that is made during the fall andspring can be lost during the summer months.

Initial capital to upgrade the irrigation systemis expensive, but in the long term, this can berecovered through more efficient watering thatrequires less labor. If expectations are high forrough conditions, a proper irrigation program iscrucial.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT GRASSChoosing the right cool-season grass for roughin the Mid-Atlantic Region may be the biggestchallenge of all, because there may not be a"right" grass. Generally, perennial ryegrass,Kentucky bluegrass, and tall fescue are used toestablish primary rough. Each of these speciescomes with advantages and disadvantages in termsof establishment, appearance, and maintenance.

Perennial rye grass is easily established. Seeds arelarge, and seedlings are aggressive. Rapid seedgermination makes rye grass more competitivewith annual bluegrass (Poa annua) when seededin late summer or early fall. Leaf texture is fine,and the grass has a dark green color and goodwear tolerance. Perennial ryegrass is very tolerantof most herbicides needed to control weedsthroughout the growing season. Perennial ryegrasssounds like the perfect rough grass until weak-nesses are discussed.

The biggest weakness of perennial ryegrass issusceptibility to widespread turf loss due todisease. Gray leaf spot is particularly troubling.Control of gray leaf spot is expensive, and diseaseoccurrence is difficult to predict. Perennial rye-grass varieties resistant to gray leaf spot are avail-able and should be used. Pythium blight also canbe devastating to perennial ryegrass, rapidly thin-ning the turfgrass stand in a single night. Coldtolerance is marginal.

Kentucky bluegrass is used widely for rough.Its color and texture make it a popular choice,and it performs well alone or in combinationwith other grasses such as tall fescue or perennialryegrass. Rhizomes of Kentucky bluegrassincrease sod strength and help it to heal frommoderate damage without overseeding.

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Weaknesses of Kentucky bluegrass include slowgermination and weak seedlings. New seedingsof Kentucky bluegrass are very successful, butestablishing them in existing turf that containsannual bluegrass and other grasses is difficult. Inthe Mid-Atlantic Region, Kentucky bluegrass canbe fickle when growth regulators are applied.Sensitivity to herbicides that are used to controlother weeds, such as Foa annua, is also a concern.Summer patch incidence has increased onKentucky bluegrass stands in recent years, and insome instances, this has occurred despite use ofpreventative fungicide programs.

Tall fescue use in rough has increased signifi-cantly in the last several years. Finer textured(turf-type) varieties have improved acceptance oftall fescue over its coarse-bladed predecessors. Tallfescue has good color and good traffic tolerance.It germinates quickly, but not as quickly asperennial ryegrass, and its texture is coarser thanKentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Tallfescue is susceptible to foliar diseases such asbrown patch and pythium, but it is not impactedby gray leaf spot in the Mid-Atlantic Region.Soil-borne diseases such as summer patch are nota problem. While tall fescue is prone to somediseases, they are more easily identified and con-trolled than the diseases that affect perennial

ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Some tall fescuevarieties are less susceptible to brown patch thanothers, and they should be used when they areavailable. Tall fescue is tolerant of most herbicidescommonly used for weed control in rough.

Other turf grasses used occasionally for roughinclude fine fescues, but their use is sporadic. Theintroduction of hybrid bluegrasses, created by across between Texas bluegrass and Kentucky blue-grass, have raised hopes for roughs, but use ofthese grasses is still too infrequent to establish atrack record. Limited research that has been con-ducted suggests that hybrid bluegrasses may notperform any better than tall fescue in golf courserough. Ultimately, perennial ryegrass, Kentuckybluegrass, and turf type tall fescue are the primaryoptions for cool-season rough in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

THEANNUALBLUEGRASS PROBLEMMost golf courses have been in existence formany years. For many of those years, expectationsfor roughs were much lower than they are today.Maintenance was minimal, and the only irriga-tion they received was along the edges of thefairways. Rough on these older courses generallyis composed of a variety of grasses that are not

Poor conditions inthe collar to roughtransition area can beparticularly frustratingto golfers when theyneed to execute adelicate shot fromthis turf. When thistransition is poor, ashot that misses thegreen by three or fouryards receives a betterlie than one that barelytrickles off the collar.Sodding usually is theonly way to fix thistransition problem.

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Hand mowing of greensurrounds is becomingmore commonplace.The opportunity formechanical damage isgreatly reduced onslopes when handmowing is employed.The problem is thatlabor and financialresources need to beincreased to performhand mowing.

capable of meeting current expectations on aseason-long basis.

Often a primary component of this mix isannual bluegrass. This grass has evolved toperennial forms on greens and even fairways, butthe majority of annual bluegrass in the rough isthe true annual biotype, which is considered aweed in many northern areas. Annual bluegrass inroughs generally germinates in the early fall, over-winters vegetatively, produces seed in mid-spring,and declines with the first summer heat. Look atit as winter crabgrass! Quality declines in thelatter part of June and persists into late Septemberand even October, at which time annual bluegrassreadily reestablishes from seed to continue thecycle that leads to annual decline. The role ofannual bluegrass in the rough dilemma cannot beoverstated.

ESTABLISHMENTThe annual bluegrass problem significantly affectsthe establishment of desirable new grasses inexisting rough. Generally, programs to increasedesirable grasses in existing areas of annual blue-grass are performed in late summer or early fall.Rough aeration and interseeding with perennialryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, or tall fescue is per-formed at the very time annual bluegrass germi-nation is most prolific. With the first Septemberrains and cooler temperatures, annual bluegrassseems to jump out of the ground. This weedygrass is better equipped to compete in existingturf stands than the grasses we wish to establish.Intense competition from annual bluegrass bothprevents establishment of newly seeded grassesand reduces their ability to spread.

Regardless of which turfgrass is being seededinto existing turf, seeding rates need to be two tothree times greater than they would be for newlyestablished areas. Aggressive core aeration and slitseeding can help increase the degree of establish-ment. Each grass has strengths and weaknesses forestablishment. If annual bluegrass is a concern,herbicides for its control should be applied afternew seedlings are well established, usually afterNovember 1.Successful annual bluegrass controlmay require additional seeding in the spring to fillvoids that are created.

Because of its slow establishment, Kentuckybluegrass is a poor option for interseeding.Residue from late spring or early summer appli-cations of preemergent herbicides has greaterimpact on the small seeds of Kentucky bluegrasscompared to larger seeds of perennial ryegrass andtall fescue, further complicating the matter.Kentucky bluegrass seedlings also are more sensi-tive to annual bluegrass herbicides, such asPrograss. Though many try, interseeding toestablish Kentucky bluegrass in existing roughgenerally fails. If Kentucky bluegrass is going tobe established from seed, existing turf should besprayed out with a non-selective herbicide toeliminate the competition.

Tall fescue is better equipped to compete withannual bluegrass than Kentucky bluegrass, but itcan still be difficult to establish if seeding is per-formed after Labor Day. Good establishment oftall fescue from seed in existing stands takes com-mitment and requires tolerance for poor springplayability for several years. Interseeding turf-typetall fescue can be successful, but it usually takesthree to four years to establish a good (not great)

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stand of this grass. A seeding rate of 10 lbs. perthousand square feet is recommended.

Of the three grasses profiled, perennial ryegrassestablishes itself much better in mixed turf standsdue to its fast germination and aggressive seedlingvigor. Perennial ryegrass is very tolerant of Pro-grass applications, even early in its development,providing a good option for annual bluegrasscontrol. In situations where resources are limited,perennial ryegrass produces good rough duringthe fall, spring, and early summer, compared totall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. ProblelllS withperennial ryegrass generally start in mid-July,when summer stress is in full swing. Pythium,gray leaf spot, and dollar spot can quickly infectperennial ryegrass, causing a rapid decline inquality. In some years, this decline in qualityis less severe than others. It all depends onthe weather.

In summary, roughs can be improved throughinterseeding, but it takes a long-term commit-ment and a lot of seed. There must be an under-standing that the roughs will be only as good asthe weakest turfgrass that remains in thepopulation.

In recent years, several golf courses have imple-mented progralllS of stripping existing sod fromregularly in-play areas and resodding them to pro-vide uniform stands. This practice has been espe-cially common on green surrounds. Kentuckybluegrass and tall fescue have been used alone, buta combination of these two grasses with approxi-mately 85% tall fescue and 15% Kentucky blue-grass has been the most common. Tall fescuealone and in combination with Kentucky blue-grass is performing very well throughout thegrowing season. The addition of Kentucky blue-grass to tall fescue provides the appearance of afiner-textured rough than turf-type tall fescuealone.

The initial expense of sodding is high, but theresults are immediate and dramatic. A uniform,dense rough is provided and greatly improvesplayability and aesthetics. Sodding defines adistinct edge between rough and fine turf areas.If the expense of aerating and seeding of roughover several years is considered, and given theresults provided, sodding becomes a more reason-able option. Remember, every green surrounddoes not need to be sodded at one time. Resultsachieved from sodding a single green surroundcan be the impetus for implementing a long-termsodding program to improve other areas.

MAINTENANCEAlthough grass species are important, mainte-nance progralllS are the biggest factor in overallrough quality. A uniform stand of the right grassis certainly a big help, but available resources tomaintain any area of the golf course dramaticallyimpact quality. The resources allocated for roughmaintenance usually are the biggest factor inrough quality. Expenditures affect seeding ratesand determine whether large areas can be soddedto provide immediate improvement. Irrigationcoverage, the use of fungicides to prevent turf

loss, and options for herbicide applications toprevent long-term weed encroachment arerelated to available resources.

Basic weed and insect control progralllS arenecessary to maintain good rough. This is notoptional. Pre emergent herbicides are available tocontrol crabgrass and goosegrass, and post-emer-gent products can be used for weed escapes. Awide range of herbicides are available to controlclover, sedges, and broadleaf weeds. Regular pro-grams that include broadcast and spot spray appli-cations help keep weeds out of rough. The extentof the treatments generally is determined byavailable resources.

Long residual insecticides have simplified con-trol of white grubs, which are the primary insectproblem of roughs in the Mid-Atlantic Region.Late June or early July applications can provideseason-long control. Without insecticide applica-tions, damage from white grubs, as well as fromthe animals that use them as a food source, shouldbe expected.

With coolertemperatures andmoist conditions, annualbluegrass germinatesrapidly and fills in voidswhere existing annualbluegrass died duringthe summer. The sameareas generally will failduring the followingsummer if correctivemeasures are not taken.

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Summer patch cancause severe thinningin stands of Kentuckybluegrass, even whenfungicides are applied.In this photo. the tallfescue in the centerof some of the patchesis not affected.

The biggest addition to rough programs inrecent years is the use of fungicides. Expectationsare driving this trend for better or worse. In manycases, golf course superintendents are expandingfungicide treatments into roughs without anincrease in budget. The result is less intense main-tenance for other areas of the golf course in favorof fungicide applications in roughs. However, oneor two properly timed fungicide applicationsduring the summer months can dramaticallylimit rough decline if annual bluegrass is not asignificant component of the turf population.

Disease susceptibility is one factor that makesturf-type tall fescue attractive for roughs. Theprimary pathogen - brown patch - can easilybe diagnosed and treated. Summer patch inKentucky bluegrass requires multiple preventativetreatments, and these treatments are not alwayssuccessful. Gray leaf spot can seriously thin standsof perennial ryegrass before one even realizes thedisease is present.

Good fertility programs are needed to maintainthick, healthy rough. Adequate nitrogen fertilityin roughs usually leads to golfer complaints dur-ing the spring and early summer because of thedifficulty of the rough, requiring a delicatebalancing act to satisfy both the golfers and thegrass. If adequate fertility is not provided, theappearance and quality of the grass will suffer.

HigWy trafficked areas require special mainte-nance attention. Good traffic regulation canspread wear to limit concentrated traffic damage,but areas that receive concentrated golf cart traffic

or walk-on/walk-off areas need higher rates ofnitrogen to maintain expected conditions. Moreaggressive aeration is also needed to combatcompaction in higWy trafficked rough areas.

One final trend that has emerged is the hand-mowing of roughs around green surrounds. Thegoal is to limit mechanical damage that occursfrom riding mowers being used under moistconditions. The mechanical stress damage fromhand mowers is far less than that of ridingmachines, especially on sloped areas. Obviously,many courses do not have the resources to hand-mow greens, much less hand-mow greensurrounds.

CONCLUSIONMany different factors affect rough quality. In theMid-Atlantic Region, disease pressure during thesummer months can produce a rapid decline inrough quality. This is especially true if annualbluegrass is a primary component. Perennial rye-grass, Kentucky bluegrass, and turf-type tall fescueall have strengths and limitations. Tall fescue isholding up best to environmental stress in theMid-Atlantic Region where reasonable irrigationcoverage is present. At this point in time, it seemsto be the best option for roughs, and tall fescueshould be included as part of rough turfgrasspopulations. Regardless of the grass established inrough, at some point there is a good chance itwill be the wrong choice.

The bottom line is that, as expectations rise forroughs, more inputs must be earmarked for roughmaintenance. This includes capital to establishbetter grasses and more money in operatingbudgets to implement more intense rough main-tenance programs. Unfortunately, many golfcourses do not have the financial resources or thegrasses in place to keep up with this trend. Never-theless, expectations continue to grow. Establish-ing rough that meets these new expectationsrequires commitment to the programs and fund-ing of resources that are needed to implementthem. There are no shortcuts in this process, andthere is no perfect cool-season grass for roughs.The expectations for roughs beg the question ofwhether limited resources should be used tomaintain uniform conditions in a turfgrass areathat is supposed to impose a penalty for errantshots. This is the basis of the rough dilemma.

DARIN BEVARD is a senior agronomist in the GreenSection's Mid-Atlantic Region.

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