TURFGRASS

Disease management

Economic impact

Environmental issues

Fertilizer and lime

Insect information

Insect management

Irrigation water quality

Nematode management

Overseeding with cool season grasses

Plant growth regulators

Root zone cooling

Sod production

Soil amendments 

Soil microbiology & ecology

Turfgrass breeding, genetics and evaluation

Weed management

Winter injury to warm season grasses

Team members 

Program detail

Turfgrass

Measuring the impact of shade
Golfers love shade trees for a cool break on a hot day … but hate rough greens when they’re setting up a crucial putt. Now Clemson scientists are documenting the effects of shade on Tif Eagle bermudagrass, a popular variety for golf greens.

“The golf course maintenance superintendent gets blamed because the green doesn’t look good; but you just can’t cut down a 200-year-old live oak tree,” said Bert McCarty, a nationally known turf scientist at Clemson “This study will document the effect of six or more hours of shade on turfgrass. No one has ever had the numbers before.”

Todd Bunnell, a Ph.D. candidate from Kentucky, is measuring the impact of 0%, 40% and 90% shade over varying periods of time. The study includes both bermudagrass used on golf greens and other varieties used on fairways. The data is tracking the effects of shade on chlorophyll levels, root growth and carbohydrate accumulation, all factors in the turf’s appearance and durability. Mowing height, fertilization levels and growth hormone treatments are also being monitored.

Research results will be used to keep South Carolina competitive as the nation’s top golf destination. The studies, conducted on the main campus adjacent to the Walker Golf Course, are planned for completion in spring 2003. Other turf research is conducted at Clemson’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence and at commercial golf courses and sod production facilities around the state.
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