Athletic Fields Resources

Professional and Continuing Education Turfgrass Management Program

Professional and Continuing Education Turfgrass Management Program

Whether you work for a lawn care company, manage an athletic field, landscape at a city park, work at a golf course or just want the best lawn on your block, our turfgrass management program can help you succeed.  This program is also great for anyone interested in a profession that deals with lawn care. If you work for a hardware or lawn care store and field customer questions or consult with landscape architects, this course will give you the language, knowledge and skills needed to succeed.

List of Courses 

Publications

July 1, 2008

Oregon State University; Dr. Robert Golembiewski, Assistant Professor; Tom Cook, Associate Professor; Brian McDonald, Research Assistant; Final Report; July 31, 2008 (Updated 9/8/10)

December 1, 2010

A PACIFIC NORTHWEST EXTENSION PUBLICATION • PNW299

Cover Image

Washington State University • Oregon State University • University of Idaho

May 23, 1995

Reports from the 1995 Annual Student Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

January 1, 1987

Reports from the 1987 OSU Turf Trials

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

May 23, 1989

Reports from the 1989 Annual Student Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

January 1, 1985

Reports from the 1985 OSU Turf Trials

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

May 21, 1991

Reports from the 1991 Annual Student Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

January 1, 1984

Reports from the 1984 OSU Turf Trials

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

May 20, 1997

Reports from the 1997 Annual Student Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

August 14, 2001

Reports from the 2001 OSU and WSU Turfgrass Field Day

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

May 19, 1992

Reports from the 1992 Annual Student Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

August 12, 2003

Reports from the 2003 OSU and WSU Turfgrass Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

May 18, 1993

Reports from the 1993 Annual Student Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

August 9, 2005

Reports from the 2005 OSU and WSU Turfgrass Field Day

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

May 29, 1986

Reports from the 1986 Annual Student Field Day

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

January 1, 1988

Reports from the 1988 Turfgrass Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen. 

February 28, 2008

Preliminary Report
02/28/2008

Purpose

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate one and two applications of various herbicides for the control of English Daisy (Bellis perennis) growing in lawns.

Materials & Methods

December 17, 2013

Overview of the presentation by Brian MacDonald

  • Making sense of all the Choices
    • Review the “standard” 3 – way mixes
    • Look at “new kids” on the block
    • Review “alternative” herbicide mixes
  • Review the common weeds and match the herbicides to the weeds.
  • Maximizing weed kill – other factors.
  • Go through a few scenarios.
November 1, 2014
Ten years of research into microdochium patch disease.
August 15, 2010

Avoiding Buildup of Resistant Fungi

  • Most failures are probably not due to fungal resistance to fungicides.
     
  • Fungal resistance is most likely to develop where you over use systemic fungicides and don’t alternate modes of action.

    Examples in the PNW on Microdochium Patch: Clearys 3336, Chipco 26GT, and Heritage.
     
  • Pathologists have numerous theories on the best strategies for managing fungicides to avoid resistance.

Tom Cook, retired OSU turfgrass professor, has published a new book detailing the construction and maintenance of sustainable landscapes! The book includes topics such as sustainable landscape design, how to develop an ecosystem, issues regarding the use of chemicals, and approaches for modifying existing lancescapes.  The book can be purchased from Amazon: Sustainable Landscape Management: Design, Construction, and Maintainence!

October 11, 2010

Introduction

Maintaining a healthy, aesthetically pleasing lawn depends on many variables including turfgrass species; mowing height and frequency; fertilization; and insect, disease, and weed control. Proper irrigation, despite being one of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy lawn, is the most often overlooked variable in lawn care (figure 1).

May 1, 2008
Oregon State University; Dr. Robert Golembiewski, Assistant Professor; Tom Cook, Associate Professor; Brian McDonald, Research Assistant; Final Report; May 1, 2008 (Updated 9/8/10)
May 21, 2008
Oregon State University; Dr. Robert Golembiewski, Assistant Professor; Tom Cook, Associate Professor; Brian McDonald, Research Assistant; Final Report; May 21, 2008 (updated 9/8/10)
January 12, 2009
Oregon State University; Dr. Robert Golembiewski, Assistant Professor; Tom Cook, Associate Professor; Brian McDonald, Research Assistant; Final Report; January 12, 2009 (Updated 9/8/10)
May 27, 2008
Oregon State University; Dr. Robert Golembiewski, Assistant Professor; Tom Cook, Associate Professor; Brian McDonald, Research Assistant; Final Report; May 27, 2008 (updated 9/8/10)
May 24, 2010

Objective

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate a single preventative application of various fungicides for the control of gray snow mold on a golf course fairway.

Materials and Methods

The trial was initiated on October 23rd (after the last mowing) on the 11th fairway of the Meadows Golf Course (4,160 feet elevation) located in the Sun River Resort in Sun River, Oregon, 15 miles south of Bend.

August 20, 2010

Introduction

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of various fungicides in controlling Microdochium patch (Microdochium nivale) on an annual bluegrass putting green.

We are looking for a site to do a fairy ring control trial in 2011.Fairy Ring Photo  If you are having consistent problems with fairy ring and are willing to allow plots to be set up and different fungicide treatments applied, please call Brian McDonald at 541 231-1149.  The ideal site would be about 2,000 square feet with uniform fairy ring symptoms throughout.  The area could be a golf course fairway, rou

August 19, 2008

Reports from the 2008 OSU and WSU Turfgrass Field Day

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

January 1, 2009

Reports from the 2009 WSU and OSU Turfgrass Field Day.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

April 1, 2004

This publication will take you through the steps needed to successfully plant a new lawn or renovate an old one. If you follow these steps, you will get it right the first time!

Along with the BeaverTurf.com website, we are also launching a BeaverTurf Community site.  An online community for Turf Professionals, the site is intended to:

  • Connect turf professionals in order to build relationships and increase networking
  • Provide a forum for collaboration, discussion, and knowledge sharing
  • Keep turf professionals up to date with the latest and greatest news, research, and resources

Check it out and sign up herehttp://beaverturf.ning.com

BeaverTurf.com - the new turfgrass website from Oregon State University - is nearing completion.  We hope you like the new site and the information and resources that it provides. 

Please let us know about any bugs, errors, or other problems that you might encounter, as well as any other feedback you may have.  Thanks and happy surfing!

Describes necrotic ring spot disease and methods of prevention and control.

January 1, 2005

Explains how to optimize a fertilization program for a home lawn. Discusses how to select and use fertilizers, the roles of various elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, pH, calcium, magnesium, and iron) in lawn fertilization, and the value of soil tests for each element. Provides sample calendars of necessary and optimal times for fertilizer applications for western, central, and eastern Oregon.

January 1, 2008

Identifying lawn grasses requires a basic knowledge of plant structure and the ability to distinguish between those structures to categorize specific grasses. To get really good at identifying turfgrasses you have to learn the characteristics of the common grasses.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

February 1, 2008

This is an unusual insect in that it causes most of its damage in late winter and early spring as larvae feeding on all parts of the plant. While we think of it as a turfgrass pest it is also active on many ornamental perennials. The historical pattern for this insect is to move quietly into an area where it may develop to very high populations within a year or two.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

February 1, 2008

Revised Feb. 2008

In nature, annual bluegrass, Poa annua L. behaves as a true annual. It germinates in fall or spring when moisture is adequate and develops quickly, often flowering six to eight weeks after germination. In the Pacific Northwest we see it most commonly as a winter annual (Fig 1). After flowering and setting seed these annual types die typically from drought and leave dormant viable seed behind to germinate when moisture again becomes available. This efficiency in seed production makes annual bluegrass a major component of the seed bank of cultivated soils.

January 1, 2008

Turf adaptation implies that commonly planted grasses have specific climatic conditions in which they thrive. Therefore, if we know the climate we should be able to predict what grasses will have a reasonable chance to prosper. The converse is also true. If we plant grasses in climates where they are not adapted, we can expect to have problems growing a healthy lawn. One way to depict turf adaptation is through maps.

February 1, 2008

Introduction:

For as long as golf has been played in the Pacific Northwest creeping bentgrass has been planted on putting greens, first as a component of South German mixed bentgrass, and later as seeded or stolonized varieties. In recent years, intense breeding and selection work has resulted in a flood of new cultivars with widely varying characteristics and generally much improved surface quality. While early creeping bentgrasses quickly gave way to annual bluegrass, newer cultivars are much more competitive and may prove to be much more persistent.

Construction of the Prothro Football Practice Fields at Oregon State University.  Design features:  Excavate existing field, Grade subgrade to 1.5% slope, Head-head multizoned irrigation, Hunter heads, Drains 15 ft on center, 8” mains, 4” laterals, Trenches lined with geotextile fabric, 90-10 sand/organic topmix approx. 12” depth, Sand grown perennial ryegrass sod, Fixed goals at south end of field.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.
(Formerly Festuca arundinacea Schreb.

Introduction:

Tall fescue is probably the most widely planted cool season grass in the world. This guide will cover botany, history, cultural requirements, and strengths and weaknesses of this fascinating grass.

Botanical Characteristics and Identification:

October 30, 2007

Putting greens in Oregon range from 80% to almost 100 % annual bluegrass.  The reality of golf course maintenance in the Pacfic North West is that annual bluegrass will eventually dominate turf on tees, greens, and fairways.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

Lolium perenne L.

Introduction:

January 1, 2008

 This series of slides shows the types of problems associated with shaded lawns and offers general advice on growing the best lawn possible in shade.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

Poa pratensis L.

Introduction:

January 1, 2008

Thatch is a layer of organic material between the green grass and the soil. Thatch is composed of living and dead stems and roots. Leaves make up only a very small percentage of thatch. Sometimes leaves will form a layer of pseudo thatch at the juncture of the thatch and the green grass. It disappears quickly.

*The following is a slideshare presentation.  Click the left or right arrows to navigate through the presentation, or click "full" to view the presentation in full-screen.

Festuca sp.

Introduction:

The fine fescues are composed of several different Festuca species and subspecies. All are fine textured compared to most other commonly planted turfgrasses. Fine fescues have long been used in mixtures with other grasses and are generally considered the standard for shade tolerance in cool season grasses. In recent years, the fine fescues have received attention as low input environmentally sustainable grasses. Most retail lawn mixtures contain at least some fine fescue.

Botanical Characteristics: