December 16, 2007
Not all Mowers are Created Equal
 The following article discusses research conducted at Cornell University investigating the effects of mower design on cutting quality and disease incidence. More »
Water Use Issues
Water use in the golf industry has certainly become a “hot button”issue. This article, by Dr. Frank Rossi, presents some interesting statistics on water usage in the golf industry and outlines suggestions for improving irrigation management. More »
Ronstar approved for use on residential landscapes
New labeling allows for Ronstar herbicide (oxadiazon) to be used for preemergent broadleaf and grassy weed control in residential landscapes. This change applies to all product formulations. More »
Turfgrass Soils Laboratory Open at UH
 A turfgrass soils testing laboratory, under the direction of Dr. Jim Brosnan, opened this past week at the University of Hawaii. Currently, this laboratory has the ability to perform particle size analyses on rootzone samples according to the methods outlined in the ASTM F-1632 specification. In the coming months the laboratory will be expanded to provide measurements of saturated hydraulic conductivity, air-filled and capillary porosity, as well as the organic matter content of turfgrass rootzone mixes. For more information on soil physical properties analyses at the UH Turfgrass Soils laboratory, contact Dr. Jim Brosnan.
October 31, 2007
Bermudagrass Shade Tolerance
Many turfgrass managers in Hawaii have inquired about the shade tolerance
of bermudagrass cultivars over the past few weeks. Currently, the National
Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) website has no published data on
this subject. The following article, published in the June 2007 issue
of Turfgrass Trends, presents the results of a research project at Clemson
University evaluating the effects of shade on bermudagrass quality. In
total, 42 bermudagrass cultivars were evaluated, with ‘Celebration,’ ‘TiftNo.4,’ ‘TiftNo.1,’ and ‘Transcontinental’ exhibiting
the highest quality in shaded conditions. More »
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Over
the past few months a severe drought has plagued many areas
of the U.S. mainland, as well as certain parts of Hawaii. As a
result, water restrictions placed on golf courses have increased.
The GCSAA will be offering an educational webcast on November 29 outlining
strategies to best deal with this issue. The session, which costs
GCSAA members 45 dollars, is worth 0.2 GCSAA education points. 
The
amount of time devoted to bunker maintenance on golf
courses is increasing. Golfers expect these “hazards,” to
maintain a high level of functional and aesthetic quality
in all weather conditions; however, this can be quite
a challenge on some courses in Hawaii that receive heavy
rainfall. This
article, from the September 2007 issue of Golfdom, discusses
the increased bunker maintenance demand in today’s
industry and its effect on maintenance budgets. 
It
is important for turfgrass managers to maximize irrigation
efficiency. Conducting an irrigation audit will allow
facilities to make the best use of valuable irrigation water resources.
Furthermore, being armed with statistics regarding water usage, will aid
any turfgrass manager should their irrigation practices every come under
scrutiny. 
