Monthly Feature Hosted By:
	Anthony L. Williams, CGCS at Marriott’s Stone Mountain Golf Club in Georgia

Above standard performance is generally achieved through extra effort and that is exactly what Fritz McMullen, Class A member and superintendent at Forest Lake Country Club has done with their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. McMullen and the golf course’s staff took a creative approach and partnered with experts outside of the property to reach a new level of IPM excellence.

Since 1995, Forest Lake Country Club has worked with Site Specific, Inc. to expand and document the property’s IPM goals focusing on their turfgrass scouting program. These goals range from the judicious use of all pesticide and plant care products to the creation of seasonal maps that document both insect and weed populations. The teamwork and shared vision is apparent throughout this innovative case study and it reveals a win – win – win situation. The club wins, the contractors wins and perhaps most impressive of all the environment wins. McMullen clearly states, “We have met our goals.” Beyond the project’s agronomic, IPM and Scouting goals there is a clear financial benefit. The program has virtually paid for itself (the annual cost is around $4,000) in chemical savings and other efficiencies.

I have seen many approaches to environmental stewardship and the best ones seem to evolve from a basic team approach that brings in the best available staff and information. Forest Lakes has achieved success by tapping into a local resource to enhance every aspect of their IPM program. Is there a way to bring this type of environmental synergy into your operation? Read this case study and look for the answer.

If you have a project you would like to share we would love to hear from you. You can receive 0.25 service points for your submission. Please contact me at Anthony.Williams@marriott.com or Mark Johnson at GCSAA at mjohnson@gcsaa.org.

January's Guest:
	F. Dan Dinelli, CGCS at North Shore Country Club in Illinois

Routine scouting with trained eyes is a corner stone in IPM. Timely and accurate identification of plant health care issues allows for quick responses, which often requires fewer inputs and provides for favorable results. Scouting large landscapes with diverse plant species can be a labor intensive task. Trained eyes learn how to hunt for problems often associated with microclimates or susceptible hosts. It takes experience and an investment in time to learn the site specific personalities of each landscape.

Mr. Fitz McMullen, Class A member and superintendent at Forest Lake Country Club, secured the resources to partner with Site Specific Inc. to further his scouting and IPM program. Weekly site visits from a trained scout provides the means to document plant health care issues, pests and diseases. This practice, combined with Mr. McMullen and his staff’s daily observations, offers a sound foundation to his plant health care program. Too often distractions occur interfering with consistent observation and documentation by staff. Written records, which often includes mapping, are important because it helps with planning, budgeting and future scouting efforts. The weekly site visit assures these tasks are satisfied.

The following are suggestions to help in developing a scouting program:

• Multi-task. Effective scouting is needed daily during the growing season, especially when plants are under stress. People responsible for daily course setup should be capable scouts, trained to hunt for potential issues while traveling the course changing pin locations and preparing teeing areas.
• Document. Writing notes and keeping records are essential. As the saying goes, “history tends to repeat itself.” Trends will develop, which overtime can become predictive models, offering a heads up on what may be developing. Taking photos and making maps are great methods to help document conditions and provide visuals for reference.
• Weather data and growing conditions. Monitoring on-site weather data, including soil temperatures and growing degree days, will help scouting efforts by providing the scout with a calendar on the development stages of various living things. Phenology is important and involves observing natural events in annual cycles and correlating them to other timely issues. Phenology helps to develop observation skills and develop a keen trained eye. Using disease and pest forecasting models as a scouting tool offers insight on what to look for in the field. Pheromone and sticky traps can also help to identify the presence of a pest in the area.
• Learn the personality of the course. Learn the plants, their strengths and weakness. Learn the microclimates and how they affect plant health, pests and diseases. Understanding these dynamics will create a foundation in planning for needed improvements to favor plant health and playability.
• Networking. Keep in touch with local superintendents, researchers and other professionals in the green industry to learn what others are seeing in their scouting efforts.