By John Hoyle, CGCS, Corning Country Club When comparing the nutrient, pesticide and water use inputs between various suitable fairway turgrass species and varieties, bentgrass is, in northern climates, head and shoulders above the rest. This concept is impactful from an environmental perspective, but how does it impact other important factors i.e. budget, golfer satisfaction, etc.? Significantly! For example, reductions in irrigation and fertilizer requirements of creeping bentgrass (Jacobs & Gross, 2019; Dobie, 2020) as well as fairway fungicide use (Bekken et al., 2021) suggest that the ROI of installing creeping bentgrass can be as little as 1.3 years (Jacobs […]
January 15, 2020 by NYS BMP · Do you have a stream on your golf course property? Interested in a way to measure water quality without spending a lot on costly testing, learn a thing or two and have some fun at the same time? One method is to examine what is living in it – in particular the benthic macroinvertebrates. These insects live underwater in our streams and rivers, lack a backbone, and can be seen by the naked eye. The NYSDEC program called WAVE (Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators) is a project where volunteers collect, or sample “stream bugs” to assess water quality […]
May 21, 2019 by NYS BMP · New York State’s golf course BMPs were first published in 2014. Now five years later, we are updating the BMPs, in some cases adding new and updated information, including incorporating the pollinator BMPs (published in 2017). We have also incorporated discrete BMP statements to complement the BMP principles we identified in the first edition. As part of the process of revising and updating, we are seeking input from superintendents across the state and the state’s regulatory agencies to review the draft final version and provide comments to NYGCF. Any superintendent or asst. superintendent in NYS is […]
April 7, 2017 by NYS BMP · While the NYS BMP Committee is hard at work formulating BMPs for pollinator protection on the state’s golf courses, an increasing amount of information is available to help golf course superintendents protect pollinators by minor modifications to management regimes and to enhance habitat to help sustain pollinator populations. Selected publications and websites are briefly described below: Websites: New York State Integrated Pest Management, Cornell University IPM program web page with resources specific to pollinators and related links to additional information. Pollinator Network @ Cornell. Listing of pollinator-related publications and information. New York State Pollinator Protection PlanNYS […]
Planning Step Description Assemble Team The team should include, but not be limited to, a golf course architect, golf course superintendent, clubhouse architect, irrigation engineer, environmental engineer, energy analyst, economic consultant, civil engineer, soil scientist, golf course builder, biologirst or ecologist, and a legal team. For new golf courses, a licensed golf course designer is required by law to guide the site analysis process. Define Objectives Identify realistic goals, formulate a timeline, etc. Conduct a Feasibility Study Evaluate finances, environmental issues, water availability and sources, and energy, materials, and labor needs. Identify applicable government regulations. Select and Analyze Site […]
Welcome to the New York State Best Management Practices blog page. On this page we will be providing news, information, and insights on the use of Best Management Practices to protect natural resources. To be notified of new postings, please sign up using the form at right. Sign up to receive the latest BMP […]
11 Maintenance Operations New construction designs should consider combining storage, mixing, and washing operations in an integrated chemical management system. For existing facilities, updating these areas does not necessarily require a new building as many changes can be easily made. Information specific to pesticide storage and handling can be found in the “Pesticide Management” chapter of this document. BMP Principles for Maintenance Operations Assess potential point source pollution risk for maintenance operations. Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements designed to prevent point source pollution. Manage organic and inorganic waste to minimize potential point source pollution. 11.1 Regulatory Considerations Every golf course […]
10 Pollinator Protection Most flowering plants need pollination to reproduce and grow fruit. While some plants are pollinated by wind, many require assistance from insects and other animals. Most people are aware of managed honey bees, but there are also 450 wild pollinator species in New York State, including bees, wasps, beetles, flies, ants, moths, and butterflies. In the absence of these pollinators, many plant species, including the fruits and vegetables we eat, would fail to reproduce. These include economically important crops in the state, such as apples, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, squash, and peppers, all of which are pollinator-dependent for […]
9 Pesticide Management The storage and handling of pesticides on golf courses presents the greatest risk to water quality contamination because of the potential for an unintended release of a large volume of pesticide resulting in a point source of pollution to surface and/or groundwater. Therefore, the greatest attention to BMPs should be directed at storage and handling. In addition, the potential for pesticide nonpoint source pollution through runoff, leaching, or drift is minimized through proper handling and application. Adhering to pesticide regulations helps to ensure that all proper procedures are followed. For more information on the general use and management […]
8 Integrated Pest Management Sooner or later, pests can become a problem, especially when turf is stressed, such as when heat, drought, or high humidity conditions persist. Pesticides alone will not control pests; a more effective approach is to develop an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program to reduce pest damage and reliance on pesticides. IPM is a sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks and maintains turfgrass quality. By following the latest research, managers can have high quality playing surfaces with minimal impact on […]
