What to expect from the Players Club herbicide spray

      This past week was our first application of herbicide for the green conversion at the Players Club. We sprayed a combo product on the perimeters of the green surfaces. Our target for this application was the bermudagrass that has encroached onto the bentgrass putting surface. We need to spray this area prior to being 'officially' closed to achieve absolute eradication. First, let me explain in more detail the area that we are spraying.

  
      In the above picture you see #6 green at the Players Club. The blue line is the current mowed green edge. The black line is the bermudagrass encroachment onto the putting surface. The orange line is the original green edge. This picture illustrates how much the bermudagrass has encroached over the years since initial construction. The area between the orange line and the black line is our target for this herbicide application. This area extends, variably, around all of the greens at the Players Club.

      Now that you know where to expect a change, let me show you what you can expect. In mid-April we performed a trial of various combination products. We did this trial on the rear of #14 green at the Players Club. This trial allowed us to predict the effectiveness and timing of each product. With some illustrations I will show you exactly how the sprayed turf should appear over the coming weeks.





To the right you can see our trial plot. There are three squares in the photo. The center is the combination herbicide we used for the application. This photo was taken on April 12th.

The photo on the left was taken five days later on April 17th. I have highlighted the square in yellow. You can see a slight discoloration of the turf. Since we sprayed on May 29th, considering all circumstances are equal, this is how the perimeters should appear on Sunday, June 3rd.

At right, you see a photo from April 19th. This would be a week removed from the application. Conversely, this is what you can expect from the perimeters on Tuesday, June 5th. At this point the application will become noticeable to the naked eye. Playability, however, will not be affected. 

 The picture to the left shows our plots on April 23rd. This is eleven days removed from application. And again, all factors equal, this is what you can expect on Saturday, June 9th. You can see that the turf is now completely yellow. This should not affect playability. If so, all measures will be taken to ensure the best possible playing conditions.

Finally, here is a picture taken on May 8th. You can see that our product has completely eliminated the turf. Fortunately this date converts to June 24th and we will have been closed for one week.





     We are hopeful that this article will help explain exactly what is happening on the course. The dates and appearance of the turf are subject to change. Variables such as heat, humidity, rain and wind all contribute to the efficacy of a herbicide. Performing a trial in April helped us in establishing the proper timing for this application. The golf schedule and post-app playability where vital in the decision to make our application on May 29th. We hope that this information will provide you with a better understanding of our planning and execution.