PLS442/542 – Advanced Turf Management

Spring 2004

Syllabus

Course Goals: The purpose of this class is to prepare students for occupations in the turf management industry. This class will attempt to synthesize information presented previously in related courses and expound upon the most pertinent material. As such, this class has a number of critical prerequisites and will deal with agronomy, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, plant physiology and business management.

All students are expected to attend class. Information found on tests will come directly from class notes and the text. While attendance is not taken, the notes you take in class are critical to your success in this class.

Because the textbook is optional, reading assignments will not be given. However, topics covered in class can be found in the book listed above and in any number of turfgrass texts. If you have a question, please feel free to ask it in class, seek me out or consult a turfgrass management textbook.

Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, 9:30—10:45, Greenhouse 123

Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday: 8:30 to 9:30 am or by appointment

Textbook (Optional):

Beard, James B. 2002. Turfgrass Management for Golf Courses, 2nd Edition. Sleeping Bear Press (Ann Arbor Press), Michigan. ISBN: 1575040921

Final Grade Determination:
Exam 1 = 25% (Feb 24.)
Exam 2 = 30% (Mar. 23)
Final Exam = 30% (Registrar Scheduled)
Homework = 15%

Homework assignments will consist of a single question. You will be given a week to answer the question. Your answer may be typed or handwritten but should be no more than a single page. Deadlines are firm. Homework will be due at the very beginning of the class period. Excuses for not handing in an assignment include life threatening or severe injury and events not subject to rescheduling (a funeral). Documentation of the excused absence is required.

Please consider your answers to the homework carefully and take them seriously. They are worth 15% of your grade (equal to a grade and a half). All homework will count, none will be dropped.

Topics:

1 Relationships between the public and turfgrass managers

2 Golf Course Greens: Basics of design and ball speed

3 GC Greens: Construction

4 Construction continued

5 The root-zone, mowing strategies and seeding

6 Seeding and biotechnology implications

7 Fertilizer management

8 Exam #1

9 Irrigation techniques and strategies

10 The important of water quality and indicators

11 Cultural practices and miscellaneous issues

12 Practical fungal disease management

13 Nematode disease issues

14 Abiotic disease management and up-and-coming diseases

15 Highlights of golf course Tee management

16 Golf course Fairway construction

17 Most common Fairway problems

18 The Rough and its underemphasized importance

19 Bunker management and other hazards

20 Exam #2

21 Developing cultural management systems

22 Golf course management, personnel and budgets

23 Budget management continued

24 Athletic Fields, types and construction

25 Cultural aspects of Athletic Field management

26 Chemical aspects of Athletic Field management

27 Parks and Home Lawns and less intensively managed systems

28 Professional resources, the Extension Service and AES