This year has been the tale of two golf seasons here in Michigan. We started out hot with extreme droughty conditions. Around the Fourth of July, the faucet turned on, and we have dealt with saturated soil conditions and high humidity.

Justin Hudson may have never expected a career in the turfgrass industry, but now he can’t imagine anything else. “I just went to turf school because a buddy of mine was going and ended up liking it and kind of stuck with it,” he said. “I've been doing it about 20 years.”

As we charge forward into some of the toughest months for golf course management, DEFENSE becomes the name of the game. We offer some great options to help battle these harsh conditions.

Localized dry spots become more of a problem in the summer heat and stress.

Topdressing is the act of applying a layer of sand (as thin or thick as can be applied with the correct growing conditions) to a turfgrass stand and brushing, grooming, or irrigating it into the canopy. The purpose of topdressing serves three main goals, as described below.

Everywhere you look, crabgrass is out and at different stages of its growth cycle.

Maintaining high-traffic turfgrass areas, such as sports fields, golf courses, and recreational parks, can be a challenging task. These areas are subject to heavy foot and/or machine traffic, which can result in soil compaction, wear and tear, and overall decline in turf health. However, with proper care and management, it is possible to maintain lush, resilient turfgrass that can withstand intense usage and continue to provide a safe and visually appealing surface.

ProVista Kentucky bluegrass are new cultivars that have been bred with two novel traits: half the mowing requirement and complete weed control.

In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll look at three popular turfgrass species.

Sustainable Turfgrass Solutions from PURE SEED

This time of year, many golf courses become home to some unwanted visitors: crabgrass and goosegrass. Both are annual weeds that germinate in the spring and thrive in the heat of summer. They do best in sparse turfgrass that is mowed short, which is why greens are especially susceptible. The weeds find plenty of room to grow and soak up the sun in this close-mown turf. 

Experienced turfgrass managers know that "growing grass" ends up being a small part of their job. Managing people and budgets and the politics of their positions consume far more of their time than actual turfgrass management. With all the distractions, it’s easy to forget some of those simple practices that can have a big long-term impact on turfgrass performance.

This year’s seed update is a little different from the past few.

Advanced Turf Solutions added seven new products in the second quarter of 2023. Keep reading to find out what’s new.

Grubs are relentless but relatively easy to control if you take certain considerations before determining the application product and method.

Water management on golf courses is more than simply budgeting your water use for the year.

As we move into the heart of the summer, we need to be mindful of how we can better prepare ourselves to battle the stresses the summertime temperatures can bring.

With spring finally giving way to summer heat and drought conditions appearing across much of the Midwest, pump stations, wells, and irrigation systems are being pushed to their limits as water shortages start to occur.

You may have heard about poison hemlock in the news recently, as it’s making headlines for its aggressive growth in the United States this year. The invasive plant is spreading throughout the country, and with it, concerns about the severe risks it poses.

There’s nothing worse than walking into a mess first thing in the morning on your course and, if you discover ant mounds on your greens and/or tee boxes, a mess is what you will have.

From heat and drought to traffic stress, summer is hard on golf course greens. To help, we’ve put together some recommendations for cultural practices and products that support summer greens management.

We asked Aaron Hathaway, Nufarm Technical Services Manager, a few questions about yellow nutsedge. Learn when the weed begins to appear, how to identify it, what conditions create a perfect environment for it, challenges we face when trying to manage it, and how to effectively control it.

Grow Together is one of our core values at Advanced Turf Solutions. That's why we offer FREE education events to support green industry professionals throughout our territory.

In the transition zone, the warm summer months are ideal for growing warm-season zoysiagrass on fairways. Zoysia will thrive in the summer heat and has relatively few pests compared to cool-season grasses. However, several key management practices and product applications should be done to make it shine.

Perhaps the best-known turfgrass species, Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is popular for lawns, golf courses, and sports fields.

This year has been especially challenging for warm-season turf managers. What initially looked like a mild winter in the South has turned into many courses and field complexes dealing with winterkill on fairways, greens, and fields.

Advanced Turf Solutions has 24 locations that proudly serve customers in 15 states. Our Monroeville location first opened in 2010, relocating to a new building down the road in 2016. Since then, the Monroeville operation has grown so much that it now occupies both the old and new buildings, with 25,000 total square feet of space.

Find out how to complete successful preventative applications for red thread & pink patch, snow mold, summer patch, take-all patch, Pythium root rot & dysfunction, dollar spot, brown ring patch, and fairy ring on your golf course.

As if there is not enough stress on your turf throughout the season, cart damage can be that thorn in your side you could do without. Like the weather, it is unavoidable. However, there are ways to mitigate the wear and damage.

For busy superintendents, plant growth regulators (PGRs) are allies in the fight for efficiency. Not only do they reduce labor needs, but they also help turfgrass make the most of its limited resources through stressful conditions.

Spring means a lot of rapidly changing weather patterns and conditions, leaving golf course superintendents often feeling like they're on a roller coaster.

An often-overlooked, and arguably the most important, ingredient affecting successful product applications is water.

Perennial ryegrass is a cool-season grass that’s popular in Northern geographies as a permanent turf and for overseeding in the South.

Your time is valuable, and tasks can add up quickly. Give yourself a hand by adding these products to your tank to make your job easier. 

When thinking about white grub prevention management, there are a few product options to consider. Control options for preventing white grubs include imidacloprid (Merit), clothianidin (Arena), chlorantraniliprole (Acelepryn), and tetraniliprole (Tetrino).    Imidacloprid (Merit) Imidacloprid has been in the green industry for some time and is the most common preventative control for grubs. It is a […]

Common yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a broadleaf perennial weed found in most of the United States. It is sometimes referred to by other names, including yellow oxalis, upright yellow sorrel, and lemon clover.

Foliar-Pak Pond Additive is a safe, effective, and unique approach to algae control in ponds. We asked John Gruneisen, Midwest territory sales manager with EnP, who supports the Foliar-Pak line, a few questions about Pond Additive. Learn how it clears ponds, how to apply it, and more in this Q&A.

Turf-type tall fescue (TTTF) is a popular grass for lawns, sports fields, and golf courses. It is in the Festuca arundinacea species but has improved traits. Tall fescue is known for having coarse leaves, but the turf-type variety has been bred to have finer blades. It also has a dark green color that’s visually appealing to homeowners, athletic facilities, and golf course superintendents alike.

Advanced Turf Solutions has added two new product lines and four other products in the first three months of 2023. Keep reading to find out what’s new.

We asked BASF a few questions about anthracnose. Learn what anthracnose symptoms are, how applications should be managed, and what challenges we face when controlling this disease.