No Till in No TimeThe advantages of ultradwarfbermudagrassputting greens are unlocked with a minimallyinvasive and effective conversion method.BY CHRIS HARTWIGER

Doingyour homework is vital to successin any subject. A class on the no-till

method of ultradwarf bermudagrassputting green conversion is now open for regis-tration. Any takers? In this class, students willlearn what this term means, what types of golfcourses are attempting it, which courses aregood candidates, and what it takes to be success-ful. Last, but not least, any class would beincomplete without homework assignments, andthis article will provide anyone interested in theno-till method with plenty.

WHAT IS NO-TILL PLANTING?Golf course maintenance is under constantpressure to evolve. What is considered to be thestandard today may be outdated by next year andproclaimed to be obsolete in 20 years. Nowhereis the force of change more apparent than onputting greens. There is a trend going on in theSoutheast right now: removal of creeping bent-

grass or Tifdwarf bermudagrass and replacementwith an ultradwarf bermudagrass.

A technique called no-till or no-till plantingis the method used to replace these grasses. Cur-rently, the most popular ultradwarf bermuda-grasses (Champion, MiniVerde, TifEagle) offerno-till planting. Although each producer willhave its own protocol and specifications forno-till planting, the term no-till planting can bedescribed as the replacement of the turfgrass on aputting green with minimal disruption to theunderlying rootzone. No-till planting is popularbecause it lowers costs and requires less down-time compared to complete reconstruction.

THE NO-TILL PROCESSThere is more than one way to no-till plant aputting green, and several variations have beenused in the region. Outlined below are factorsthat can determine how the no-till conversion iscarried out.

Sprig preparation will vary among producers.

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Kill Existing Turfgrass - Most no-tillconversions involve killing the existing turfgrass,although some courses have no-till planteddirectly into the existing stand. Roundup is themost widely used product to kill the existingturf grass.Aggressive Aeration - The period between

killing the existing turf and planting an ultra-dwarf is an ideal time to aggressively aerate,dethatch, and topdress putting greens. Theextent to which golf courses complete theseprocesses vanes.Turfgrass Removal - Some golf courses

with unusually high levels of organic matter inthe upper rootzone use conversion as an oppor-tunity to remove this layer and replace it with asuitable rootzone mix.Fumigation - To fumigate or not fumigate

is a dilemma. If nematodes are present, mostcourses will fumigate. Higher-end clubs withbermudagrass putting greens are more likely tofumigate to minimize chances of the olderbermudagrass contaminating the new ultradwarfputting greens. Courses with fewer resources orclubs with bentgrass putting greens are less likelyto fumigate.

WHO IS USING THENO-TILL METHOD?At the present time, no-till conversions are beingembraced by all market segments from the entry

level to the high end. However, each marketsegment is using the no-till process for differentreasons, and success stories have been written atall levels.

Those in the mid- to low-level market arelooking for an improvement over their currentcircumstances. They are not seeking perfection.They believe providing better putting greenswill allow them to attract more members orcharge higher green fees. They understand thatno-till planting only replaces the grass and willnot wipe away any other problems affecting theputting greens. These clubs have performed thecost-benefit analysis and have determined that,given the costs of change, the anticipatedimprovements are worth the cost. They alsounderstand that switching turfgrass varietiesdoes not guarantee that other existing problemswill disappear. These golf courses desiresomething better.

Those in the upper-end market are usingno-till for different reasons. These are golfcourses that generally have well-built greens,few problems with site conditions, and plenty offunds for state-of-the-art maintenance progams.They have gotten the most out of their currentturf grass variety and have pushed it to the edgeof failure, yet those who play the course continueto ask for more. The upper-end courses believethat an ultradwarf bermudagrass will offer animproved level of performance. A good example

Boxes of sprigs are loaded onto refrigerated trucks at this producer's field. The surface is prepared with minimal disruption. Sprigs are ready to be planted.

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The sprigs are plantedby hand to ensureexcellent coverage.

is the high-end private club in the Southeast.These clubs are using the no-till method to re-place creeping bentgrass putting greens becausethose who play the course are seeking firmer,faster putting conditions throughout the summer.

IS YOUR COURSE A GOODCANDIDATE FOR NO-TILL?Setting expectation levels for putting greens isthe first step in determining if a golf course is agood candidate for a no-till bermudagrass con-version. Obviously, this assumes the golf coursein question is in a region where an ultradwarfbermudagrass can be grown and managedsuccessfully. Below are a series of questions toconsider.

Is is possible to grown healthy turjgrass on puttinggreens if this was the only goal for the putting greenmaintenance program? Many golf courses withTifdwarf or creeping bentgrass putting greenssuffer in terms of quality because too much isasked of the grass in terms of playability. Thisplaces the grass under stress, causing turf healthto decline and playability to suffer. All the ultra-dwarfs appear to be well adapted to heavier soilsor soils with mature levels of organic matter inthe upper rootzone.

Are sunlight levels adequate at all putting greenlocations to sustain an ultradwarJ? Bermudagrass hasthe worst shade tolerance of any turf grass usedon golf courses in the world, and it has notearned the title without backing it up. If shade islimiting, grow-in will be slowed, thin turf willbe a constant battle, and ultimately puttingquality will be affected.

Are there issues with internal and/or surfacedrainage? Internal drainage relates not only tohow fast the water moves into the soil, but howlong the soil stays saturated. Chronically wetsoils are not desirable. These are common indepressions with no surface drainage, areas withshallow mix, in rootzones with a clay layer thatlimits drainage, and on putting greens with nodrainage pipe to carry water out of the rootzone.

Sometimes poor internal drainage can beaided by excellent surface drainage. If slopescarry water off a green rapidly, poor internaldrainage may not be so problematic. If waterflows from surrounds onto putting greens, evenaverage to above-average internal drainage maynot be enough to avoid soggy surface conditions.

Will there be adequate time, stciff, and equipment tomeet expectations upon completion if the no-till con-version? The time/staff/equipment matrix oftenlimits what can be done to the putting surface.When clubs expect significant improvements,make sure these pieces are in place. Rememberthat a beat-up 20-year-old mower is still a 20-year-old mower regardless of the grass it mows.If it did not cut well on the old greens, it willnot be any better on an ultradwar£

Will increases in green speed exceed the architecturalspeed limit? This refers to slope in the puttinggreens. If an ultradwarf is desired because of theability to increase green speed without undulyrisking turf health, make sure all the greens areplayable and have enough hole locations tohandle the rounds of golf played.

Are there significant pest issues that impact turjgrassquality? Of all the pests that affect a putting

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green, few are as frustrating or as hard to controlas nematodes. None of the ultradwarf varietieshas documented improved tolerance to nema-todes, so this pest will still be present after no-till unless the rootzone is fumigated.

Does the club desire architectural changes to theputting greens? Many putting green renovationprojects seek to not only improve the infrastruc-ture, but also address strategic elements of thegolf course by changing the design of the greens.Courses seeking different architecture are notgood candidates for no-till planting, as thisprocedure is intended to produce minimaldisturbance to the surface. Removing featuressuch as steep slopes, ridges, etc., is not recom-mended with the no-till procedure because it

can result in variable mix depth and the need toexpand the renovation out into the surroundsand approaches to create the desired tie-in. Theone exception is on golf courses seeking torecapture parts of putting greens lost due toencroachment.

Is cost savings in maintenance the main goal for theconversion? Cost savings should not be the primarygoal for a no-till conversion. On courses withbentgrass considering a no-till conversion, it islikely that there will be less money spent onitems such as hand watering, electricity for fans,and fungicide applications, but there may beother areas with higher costs. Examples includethe need to hand water steep slopes because ofultradwarf density, more scheduled double

Adequate irrigation isa must during grow-inof a no-till conversion.

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Thriving nine years afterno-till conversion, thisputting green continuesto meet or exceedexpectations each year.

mowings, more scheduled rollings, and moretime spent on mower sharpening. Great thingsare possible with a no-till conversion, but justdon't bet the ranch on cost savings.

WHAT IT TAKESTO BE SUCCESSFULA successful no-till putting green renovationbegins with planting an ultradwarf bermudagrassand establishing it over a period of six to tenweeks. It is complete when a product that

meets expectationsis produced. Beforeattempting a no-tillrenovation, reviewthe factors below andmake sure that oncethe grass is replaced,these components arein place to meet orexceed expectations.Expertise and

Desire of Staff -The motivation tosucceed is of para-mount importance.Superintendent know-how is more importantthan budget. Super-intendents who enjoychallenges and areexcited about learninga new maintenanceprotocol will achievebetter results.Time/Budget/

Equipment Matrix-There is a commonbelief that ultradwarf

varieties are maintenance-intensive grasses.There is an element of truth to this saying, but itneeds clarification. Keeping an ultradwarf aliveis not maintenance intensive, but maintenanceintensity does increase as expectations for play-ability increase. Much, if not all, of this highermaintenance intensity is scheduled maintenancein the form of keeping sharp mowers, more fre-quent mowing, reel and bedknife maintenanceafter topdressing, the time to schedule lightvertical mowing/grooming, etc. This type ofmaintenance is much different from bentgrassmaintenance intensity, which is focused on planthealth and summer survival.

HOMEWORKSelecting the turf grass variety requires home-work. There are differences among the majorultradwarf producers in no-till planting experi-ence, techniques, and grow-in. Every golf courseis advised to perform appropriate due diligencebefore selecting a variety. This homeworkincludes the following:

INTERVIEW AND/ORVISIT THE PRODUCERAsk the producer the following questions:

How many no-till jobs have you completed?What is the average grow-in time?Where are the sprigs grown?Is a nematode test available for the fields

where the sprigs will be harvested?How are they harvested?How are they transported?What is done to prevent excessive sprig

heating?How are the sprigs planted?How long will the grow-in take?

VISIT OTHER COURSESVisit a minimum of three courses for each no-till variety your golf course is considering. Tryto schedule one of the visits during grow-in.Make sure the managers of the courses visitedhave expectations and budgets similar to yours.Ask about the conversion process. What wentwell? How could the process have been better?Ask the superintendent and others if they aresatisfied with the no-till conversion.

CONCLUSIONNo-till conversions from creeping bentgrass orTifdwarf to an ultradwarf bermudagrass varietyhave been and will continue to be successful.Although no-till may be a quick way to improveputting greens, making a quick decision may notresult in the best decision. Replacing the grasson putting greens is a decision that will affectgolfing conditions for years, and therefore itrequires some work before an informed decisioncan be mad~,. For those seeking to earn an "A"in no-till, pay attention in class, do your home-work, and ace the test at your golf course.

CHRIS HARTWIGER is a senior agronomist workingwith golf coursesin the USGA Green SectionSoutheast Region.

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