IPM — Best Management Practices for New York State Golf Courses

February 17, 2019 by NYS BMP ·

Since publishing the Best Management Practices for NYS Golf Courses book and this website, the NYS BMP committee has focused on outreach and education efforts to promote the acceptance and implementation of BMPs in New York State’s golf industry.

As part of these efforts, the committee surveyed the state’s golf course professionals to conduct a formative assessment of BMP concepts and a survey of BMPs as implemented on NYS golf courses. This survey was conducted in 2015 and early 2016 with a response window of four months. Once the survey period ended, the results were analyzed to determine educational and outreach priorities for our target audience of NYS superintendents and assistant superintendents. The following topics were identified to emphasize and prioritize:

pesticide and fertilizer storage and handling
pesticide and fertilizer application
regulations such as the P-law
key elements of a progressive golf turf IPM program
equipment washing areas
optimizing irrigation systems
soil nutrient test interpretation

To find out more on the quiz and survey results and how the NYS BMP committee is implementing the plan, download the Educational Plan (pdf).

Dollar Spot

April 30, 2017 by NYS BMP ·

Dollar spot, caused by the pathogen Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, is a common golf course disease in New York State. Besides using chemical controls, managers can plan to lessen disease incidence and severity with the following activities:

Plant resistant cultivars of creeping bentgrass such as Memorial and Declaration.
Minimize moisture stress and leaf wetness.
Remove morning dew as early as possible.
Roll putting greens three or more times per week.
Apply biological organisms known to suppress dollar spot such as Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aureofaciens.
Use horticultural oils (Civitas), labeled for the intended use both for treated area and pest, instead of or in conjunction with traditional fungicides.