TURF TALKIssue 3: December 2017

brettyoung.ca

BrettYoung Becomes TWCA Certified Partner

At BrettYoung, we recognize that water conservation is a primary concern for our customers. We are pleased to announce that BrettYoung has recently become a Certified Partner with TWCA (Turfgrass Water Conserva-tion Alliance) as of Spring 2017. Making BrettYoung the first and only TWCA Class-A Member in Canada.

As a Class-A Member of TWCA, BrettYoung will bring to market turfgrass varieties that have been rigorously tested to meet the most stringent criteria of water usage and conservation methods.

TWCA is a 501 c3 non-profit dedicated to water conser-

vation and committed to preserving the ecological benefits of turfgrass in our managed environments. The main goal of TWCA is to combat the rising concern of depleting water resources. The Turfgrass Water Con-servation Alliance qualifies grasses that demonstrate a statistically significant water saving potential over conven-tional varieties of the same species, utilizing a multi-year, multi-site trialing process based on the third party peer review of objective data.

“BrettYoung is a leader in bringing world class genetics to market and ensuring we are meeting our customers’ evolving needs. We’re confident that partnering with TWCA will allow us to continue to be at the fore-front of technology devel-opments in plant breeding. This partnership will ensure

BrettYoung turf products are delivering the utmost water conservation benefits” says Wayne Unger, Vice President for BrettYoung’s Forage and Turf business unit.

Jack Karlin, the Program Director for TWCA adds “BrettYoung’s membership in TWCA is a real testament to their commitment to conser-vation and shows their vision for the future. We’re really looking forward to working with BrettYoung to promote drought tolerant turf and make every drop count.”

Look for the Seal

TWCA products are the only independently qualified turf-grasses to save water without sacrificing the quality turfgrass performance required by professionals.

@BYTurf

Customer Profile: Coal Creek Golf Resort

While golf course development has certainly slowed down to a crawl in the last decade, it has forced potential projects to eval-uate what can make them special and unique. And a property that has achieved those critical factors in spades is Coal Creek Golf Resort.

Located about an hour southeast of Edmonton, near Ryley, AB, Coal Creek has been getting rave reviews since opening to the public in 2012. The unique property has quite a story behind it. Coal mining had occurred on the site since the early 1900s and after the decommissioning of the mines in 2007, the golf course dream began. Puddicombe Golf became the golf course design and construction team and five years later the golf course opened to the public.

Surrounded by farm land in every direction, Coal Creek

definitely stands out, says Super-intendent Dean Zilinski.

“Years of strip mining has created a rolling topography that doesn’t exist on surrounding properties,” says Zilinski.

Another unique feature is the mining equipment left on site. There are several pieces that seem to be perfectly suited for the property. And the black bunker sand, sourced out of southern British Columbia also adds to the distinct look of the course.While it does create an interest-ing topography and some fun holes, growing grass in an old coal mine isn’t without its chal-lenges.

“My greatest challenge as a turf manager is salt. Our soils are high in salinity and if not man-aged properly our irrigation wa-

ter can be toxic as well. Frequent water testing allows us to monitor salinity lev-els and adjust our maintenance prac-tices accordingly.”

He’s relied upon some of Bret-tYoung’s advanced product solutions to help achieve effi-ciency.

“I first tried Redox about six years ago and the results amazed me. Conventional fertilizers did not give me the response I was looking for. The combination of Plant Food and Redox nutrition has allowed me to grow turf on soil I didn’t ever think was possible. In fact, I once had an agronomist look at my soil tests and say, “There’s no way there is grass growing on this site!””

Beyond fertility, Zilinski was one of the first superintendents in Alberta to install a Magnation system in their mainline in 2016. “I was skeptical of this product,but with very little fresh waterrun-off that spring, I felt that now was the time to try it. Admittingly, I still don’t have a solid under-standing of how it works, but I like results, and that is what I got. We had an incredibly dry start to the season and my irrigation pond was low and poor quality (EC of 1500 µS/cm). I have been forced to use irrigation water of similar quality in the past, and I know what response the turf has after prolonged use and it’s not good! But with the Magnation system, I wasn’t seeing a re-duction of turf quality that I was expecting. Day after day I would come to work expecting turf de-cline, but it never happened.”

With this progressive approach,

brettyoung.ca

See You SoonUPCOMING TRADESHOWS & CONFERENCES

January 16-18: OGSA Golf Management Conference – Niagara Falls, ONJanuary 23-24: Annual Winter OVTA Conference – Ottawa, ONFebruary 7-8: GCSAA Golf Industry Show – San Antonio, TXFebruary 14-16: WCTA Tradeshow – Richmond, BC

February 18: Grow16 Green Industry Conference – Winnipeg, MBFebruary 21-22: Ontario Turf Symposium – Guelph, ON

along with consistent cultural practices, Coal Creek has seen their conditions improve year over year and their A/1-A/-4 putting surfaces are constantly getting rave reviews from Northern Alberta golfers. They are continuing to work on construction of tee-to-green cart paths and are nearing completion of the first 50 lots for their RV Park.

As for Zilinski, he knows that the salt challenges will be an ongoing battle for him on the property, but he knows he’s got a trusted partner he can rely on to help him with any issues.

“I became a loyal customer of BrettYoung once I realized that selling products wasn’t their first priority, but helping their customers was. Many agronomic problems we face on a golf course can be unique and challenging. I don’t claim to know everything, but with a sales rep committed to help and with a wealth of knowledge from their rolodex of experts, I feel there isn’t a problem that I can’t handle.”