What a crazy spring! Throw normal out the window. I am as confused as the plants! We still have a few trees just starting to leaf out. We have others that leafed out early and were zapped with freezing temperatures. Throw in the short bench for staff this time of year and there are not enough hours in the day leaving us scrambling to keep up. Warm temps mean lots of activity at the golf course including the first installment of the “Birding on the Greens” tour.
Birding on the Greens was first launched to help Brooks fulfill its Outreach and Education portion of the Audubon International Certification Program. I approached Barb Tagami, Dickinson County Naturalist, with the idea. Barb loved it, promoted it and lined up two very skilled local bird experts to lead the event. Since its inception in 2002 Birding on the Greens has evolved to a five month tour with stops in May, June, July, August and September. Why five different months you ask? As the experts explained, many bird species migrate through the area at different times of the year. By hosting tours throughout the season the odds of seeing different species increases. The tours are always on the first Monday of the month starting at 7:00 am and depending on the size of the group are off the course by 8:30-9:00 am. The early morning scheduling gives them free access to the golf course with very little distraction to our golfing members and guests. Group sizes have ranged from as little as 3 to as many as 40 depending on weather and time of year. I used to ride along in the early years but soon realized that I lacked the talent for example to determine which of the 10 species of sparrow we just looked at. They all look the same to a grass guy!
The bird experts are absolutely amazing. Not only can they spot birds half way across the golf course but they have the ability to mimic their sounds and get them to respond! Birders are very passionate about their hobby. If they hear about a bird that has been spotted somewhere they will visit looking for that species. Through this program we have confirmed over 130 birds species at Brooks which is incredible and a tremendous marketing tool for us to showcase our habitat and conservation efforts. It is getting more difficult to add new species to the list but you never know when an occasional bird may migrate through Brooks and be spotted as a first timer.
Brooks provides use of golf carts that we stage the morning of their event. The Dickinson County Nature Center handles all the marketing and trained staff for the event and they are great to work with. The biggest reward is the enhanced community awareness of our property by the non-golfer. We receive great PR, get to showcase our golf course and have become a very popular destination for the bird watching community.
Local Bird Guru Ed Thelan in Red Shirt
| Measuring Green Speed with iOS DevicesPosted: 21 Feb 2012 06:24 AM PST
Marcus Jones, PhD, Iowa State University and Quincy Law, Graduate Student, Purdue University The iStimp App With over 250 million iOS devices sold to the public, the iStimp may have already appeared at your facility. If not, chances are you will at some point in the future. The question is, does the iStimp produce stimpmeter readings equivalent to what you generate with the USGA stimpmeter? A study conducted at Iowa State University set out to answer that question. How we did it Stimpmeter readings were obtained using the iStimp app with an iPad 2, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4th generation. The USGA stimpmeter was included as a control along with a research stimpmeter which is known to produce equivalent stimpmeter readings. Three people, each with varying experience using stimpmeters, operated each device. All accessories (cases, ect.) were removed from each iOS device with the exception of screen protectors. A level area of the green was selected and a tee was inserted at the end of the measurement device. Three golf balls were released, one at a time, from each device according to the guidelines suggested by the manufacturer. Titleist Pro VI golf balls, each weighing within one gram of the others, were used in this study. The distance each golf ball traveled was measured from the end of each device to the front of the golf ball. The built in ruler function was used with the iOS devices and a measuring tape was used to record ball roll for the USGA and research stimpmeters. This length was recorded for each golf ball and the average obtained. The same three golf balls were rolled in the opposite direction along a similar line and the same measurements and calculations performed. Accuracy of the iStimp The three iOS devices equipped with the iStimp app failed to produce stimpmeter values similar to the USGA device (Figure 1). The iStimp application when utilized on the iPad 2 underestimated stimpmeter readings by 9%. In contrast, the iStimp application overestimated stimpmeter readings on the iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4th Gen. by 21 and 16%, respectively.
If golfers approach you and want to discuss stimpmeter readings obtained from the iStimp, take the time to find out which device they used. While the iPad 2 generated readings most similar to the USGA stimpmeter, this seems the least convenient device to obtain stimpmeter readings with due to its size and expense. There are probably far more iPod’s and iPhone’s that find their way onto golf courses and each of these devices will overestimate stimpmeter readings. Regardless of the iOS device used, stimpmeter readings obtained with the iStimp app on the iPad 2, iPod touch 4th Gen. and iPhone 4 are different compared to the USGA stimpmeter and comparisons are not valid. |
I had the privilege to speak on Thursday to Dr. Lewis and Dr. Gleason’s Pest Management class at ISU in Ames. The topic was Practical Environmental Management Ideas for Turf. The goal was to show examples of Integrated Pest Management and how these principals are practically applied in the real world.
Topics covered included:
- Why IPM and the Environment?
- Define Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
- Show practical examples of IPM.
- Discuss environmental programs available to you.
- Using the web and social media to spread the message.
Iowa State University Pest Management Class March 2012
The abnormally warm temperatures continue. Light rain over the last couple days has really turned things green on the golf course. Greens have been mowed twice and tees &collars have been mowed once keeping us at least a 3 weeks ahead of schedule. The spring emerging weeds are enjoying the early warm temps as well as we started seeing knotweed and dandelions which means timing your spring pre-emerge application is going to be early and difficult to predict this year.
The yellow and white courses are both open to carts. Working on getting blue open for the weekend.
5 White and 3 Yellow green March 20, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Brett Hetland, CGCS, elected Iowa GCSA Vice President
Ames, IA
February 2012
Brett Hetland, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Brooks National Golf Club in Okoboji, was elected Vice President during the Iowa GCSA Annual Meeting on January 18th, 2012. Hetland’s position will assist in developing and planning programs for chapter meetings, help obtain speakers as well as coordinate special functions and is responsible for securing appropriate meeting facilities. The Iowa GCSA Annual Meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel in Des Moines as part of the 78th Iowa Turfgrass Conference & Trade Show.
Mr. Hetland has been an Iowa GCSA member since 1999 and has served a term as At-Large Director and most recently Director of Association Affairs on the Iowa GCSA Board.
The Iowa GCSA is dedicated to promoting continuing education, research, and networking among superintendents and within the turfgrass industry to enhance the game of golf and the environment.
Contact:
Jeff R. Wendel, CGCS
Iowa GCSA
515-232-8222
515-232-8228 fax
17017 US Hwy 69
Ames, IA 50010-9294
The warm spring has allowed us to open the Yellow and White courses on Tuesday to walking. Today we will be open to carts on both the Yellow and White. Blue will remain closed through the weekend to dry out.
The golf course is in great shape for this time of year. We mowed greens yesterday for the first time and this was the earliest we have mowed greens by two weeks!
Come on out and enjoy an early season round of golf in March in a short sleeved shirt and shorts!
2 White green freshly mowed March 14, 2012
Just went for a ride on the golf course on this beautiful 60 degree day. I was surprised by how much snow we still have on the golf course. It was difficult to maneuver around without getting stuck. There is a lot of melting occurring today which is good for our ponds as they were empty going into winter.
I am optimistic we will have an early spring and have at least one of the nine’s open by the end of next week to walking but that will all be weather dependent.
I have attached a couple pictures showing how much snow remains.
1 Blue fairway towards clubhouse
9 Yellow green
