PHOTO A: The thin and discolored bermudagrass turf outside this golf shop patio is a result of copper toxicity. The copper level in the weak turf tested at 193.2 ppm. The reason for the high levels is a copper gutter and downspout that dumps rainwater off the roof of the golf shop and into the drain you can see in this picture. Since the downspout is over the adjacent concrete and not directly over the drain basin, much of the water coming out of the downspout goes onto the turf. You can also see what appear to be copper deposits on the concrete under the downspout as well. Because this area of the country sees an average of more than 50 inches of rain a year, each rain allows copper to leach from the downspout and into the rainwater, ultimately building up in the soil around the drain to toxic levels, causing the turf decline. The superintendent suspected what was causing the problem and did a soil test to confirm his suspicions.

Photo courtesy of Larry Livingston, CGCS at both Camp Creek Golf Club in Panama City, Fla., and Shark’s Tooth Golf Club in Lake Powell, Fla., and a 31-year GCSAA member.

PHOTO B: The bare spots void of grass on this green were caused by a flock of wild turkeys. Apparently the nice green grass on this bentgrass green caught the eyes of a flock of wild turkeys as a feast for the day. The course was closed for the winter at the time, and judging from the photograph, the flock grazed for several days. The tender bentgrass was not just trimmed down to the ground, but in many areas the entire grass plants were actually pulled out of the ground and consumed. The green had to be taken out of play for a month and reseeded. There’s no report of a new blue-plate special featuring wild turkey in this part of the country yet, but be on the lookout for it during hunting season.

Photo courtesy of Tod Soeby, the volunteer superintendent at Walhalla (N.D.) Country Club, the president of Soeby Motor Co., and a three-year affiliate member of GCSAA.