SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/739563
FIELD OF THE YEAR FIELD OF THE YEAR Annual maintenance plan Hohlbein: The greatest pleasure I derive from my job is the end product. It is a great feeling when you can look at all of the blood, sweat and tears you and your crew have invested into a fi eld to achieve nothing short of the best, and having the results speak for themselves in the end. It hits a soft spot when outside parties tell my crew how great the fi eld looks. I think this gives them a sense of accomplishment, and shows them that all those hot days and long nights really paid off in the end. The greatest headache of my job is scheduling. There are too many day-to-day variables (weather, practices, games, walk-thrus, commercials, photo shoots, equipment issues, logistics, etc.) to name a few. This really puts a kink in things when one items changes. This generally means that the whole day then needs to be fl ipped upside down, and/or even the rest of the week. The challenges faced with scheduling haunt me in my dreams, but it is just part of being a turf manager that you learn to accept or try to accept. SportsTurf: What's the best piece of turf management advice you have ever received? Hohlbein: The best advice I have received is, "You can't control the weather." Mother Nature is going to do what she wants, and we as turf managers need to adapt to the situation and come up with solution. I think we as turf manager's plan for the worst, and hope for the best. SportsTurf: How are using social media at work? Hohlbein: I believe that social media is a vital tool for turf managers. This allows us to network with other turf managers around the country that we would not normally communicate with to get feedback on what practices they have tried or are trying currently, and what results they are achieving. Our industry consists of a lot of trial and error. No one person has all the answers, so even if you are already doing a certain practice/s, maybe someone else has a more effi cient way of achieving better results. It is great to be a part of an industry where everyone is connected, and feeds off of each other's ideas to achieve a great end product for its users. SportsTurf: How do you see the sports turf manager's job changing in the future? Hohlbein: I believe the sports turf industry is fi nally being recognized by owners, players, and the community as an incredibly, valuable asset. I think the portrayal of the "grass cutter" has vanished. Our industry continues to evolve, and we as sports turf managers are called upon more and more every day to achieve tasks out of our normal realm. Athletic fi elds are being used at a very high volume for many different events, and us as fi eld managers need to adapt to what is thrown at us daily, and focus on the task at hand. Things are only going to intensify in the future, and if we are able to keep producing at high levels by doing tasks outside of our normal job description this will make us that more valuable to the organization we are representing. JANUARY 32-5-7 @ 1⁄2 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Solu-Cal Mag @ 330 lbs./acre via soil test results. Urea (1/2 lb. N/ 1000), Fe (6 oz./1000), Par (16 oz./acre), N30 (6 oz./1000) and Minors (3 oz./1000) Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. FEBRUARY 18-0-0 @ 1⁄2 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Turgor application @ 3 oz./1000 sq. ft. Solid tine high traffi c areas. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. MARCH 32-0-8 with .67% Ronstar @ 1.5 lbs. N/1000 sq. ft. Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000), Fe (6 oz./1000), Potassium + Calcium (3 oz./1000), Earthmax (3 oz./1000) and N30 (6 oz./1000) Turgor application @ 3 oz./1000 sq. ft. Match Play at a rate of 5 gallons/ acre Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. Solid tine high traffi c areas. APRIL 32-3-8 @ 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Primo (22 oz./acre) , Urea(1/2 lb. N/1000) and Fe (6 oz./1000) Turgor application @ 3 oz./1000 sq. ft. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. Solid tine high traffi c areas. MAY 32-0-8 with .67% Ronstar @ 1.5 lbs. N/1000 sq. ft. Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000), Fe (6 oz./1000) and Chlorothalonil (5.5 oz./1000) MSM Turf (.53 oz./ac), Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000) and Fe (6 oz./1000) Rolled entire surface with 1.5 ton roller in 2 directions Aerifi ed with 3⁄4" spoon tines at a depth of 4" (2"x2" spacing) and harvested cores. Sodded 20,000 sq. ft. with 419 bermudagrass where terra trac fl ooring was down. Sprigged 80,000 sq. ft. with 419 bermudagrass Topdressed entire fi eld with 75 tons of USGA sand. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Replaced plastic valves with brass valves via being crushed by crane used for Shaky Boots Music Festival set-up. Edging every other week. JUNE 18-24-12 @ 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. 34-0-0 @ 1/2 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. every 10 days Rolled entire surface with 1.5 ton roller in 2 directions Spiked fi eld every other day Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000), Jump Start (6 oz./1000), IronMn (6 oz./1000), Primo (11 oz./acre), Monument (15 grams/acre) and Quinclorac (1 lb./acre) Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. JULY 34-0-0 @ 1/2 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. every 10 days Bio-Mas (12 oz./acre), Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000) and Fe (6 oz./1000) Spiked fi eld every other day. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. AUGUST 19-2-19 w/.21 Barricade @ 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000), Bio-Max ( 12 oz./acre), Earthmax (3 oz./1000), Calcium (6oz/1000), and IronMn (6 oz./1000) Match Play at a rate of 5 gallons/acre Revolver (26.2 oz./acre), Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000), IronMn (6 oz./1000), and Bio-mas (12 oz./acre) Spiked fi eld every other day. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. SEPTEMBER 32-3-8 @ 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Urea (1/2 lb. N/1000), IronMn (6 oz. /1000) and Bio-Mas (12 oz. /1000) Match Play at a rate of 5 gallons/ acre Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. OCTOBER Solid tine aerifi ed with star tines. Overseeded @ 15 lbs. /1000 sq. ft. with LandPride Seeder and drug it in. 18-24-12 @ 1 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Talstar @ 4 lbs. /1000 sq. ft. for June Beetle grubs. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. NOVEMBER 18-0-0 @ 1⁄2 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. DECEMBER 22-0-11 @ 3⁄4 lb. N/1000 sq. ft. Soil Test Mowing every other day + dew removal. Edging every other week. www.stma.org November 2016 | SportsTurf 41