The golf industry does not have comprehensive national data on the property features, management practices, inputs, and outputs associated with golf courses. A series of surveys will be conducted to collect the data necessary to develop a national golf course environmental profile. This was the first survey of the series and the objectives were to determine total acreage of a golf course, land‐use characteristics, acres and grass species of each component of the golf course, acreage dedicated to natural resources and environmental stewardship practices. The survey was sent to 16,009 golf course facilities’ superintendents in the United States. Golf courses were stratified by agronomic region, course type, and number of holes to ensure all types of golf courses were represented in the results. Results indicate the total acreage of an average 18‐hole golf course is 150 acres, of which 100 acres (67%) is maintained turf. Cool‐season grasses are grown on 66% and warm‐season grasses are grown on 34% of all maintained turf acreage on golf courses. The remaining acreage is comprised of non‐turfgrass landscapes (16%), water bodies (7%), buildings (4%), bunkers (3%), and parking lots (3%). Approximately 44% of golf courses have increased the non‐turfgrass landscape areas by nearly 10 acres over the last 10 years. Over the last 10 years, an average of five environmental improvements have been made on 18‐hole golf courses, while those golf courses that participated in voluntary environmental stewardship programs have made an average of seven improvements. These data provide an accurate portrayal of golf course land use to guide golf industry agronomic and environmental initiatives and establish a baseline that can be compared to data from future surveys to monitor industry change.

The golf industry does not have comprehensive national data on property features, management practices, and inputs associated with golf courses. As part of the effort to develop a national golf course environmental profile, The Environmental Institute for Golf sent a survey to superintendents at 16,797 golf facilities in the United States to determine their number of irrigated turfgrass acres, water use, water cost, water sources, recycled water use, water quality, irrigation system characteristics, and water management and conservation strategies. Of these surveys, 15% were returned. Golf course data were stratified by agronomic region, course type, and number of holes. The analysis indicated proportional representation of all types of golf facilities in the results. Golf courses comprise an estimated 1,198,381 acres of irrigated turfgrass in the United States, and their total annual water use averaged over 2003, 2004, and 2005 is estimated at 2,312,701 acre‐feet. Water cost and water source vary by agronomic region. Recycled water is one of the water sources for 12% of golf facilities. Nearly all 18‐hole golf facilities use one or more techniques for irrigation scheduling, and they use multiple management practices such as hand‐watering to conserve water. These data provide an accurate portrayal of golf course water use that establishes a baseline for comparison with data from future surveys to monitor industry change, and the data can serve as a guide for industry agronomic and environmental initiatives.

The golf industry lacks comprehensive national data on the property features, management practices, and inputs associated with golf courses. To develop a national golf course environmental profile, a survey was sent to 16,386 superintendents at US golf facilities to determine their nutrient use, trends in nutrient use, nitrogen sources used, soil amendment and turfgrass supplement use, and fertilizer restrictions, storage, and equipment calibration. Of these surveys, 15.6% were returned. Analysis of data indicated a representative sample of golf facilities in the US was received with the exception of facility type. Data were weighted for facility type. Summed over all golf course components and all golf facilities, a total of 101,096 tons nitrogen were applied to 1,311,000 acres; 36,810 tons phosphate were applied to 1,131,000 acres; and 99,005 tons potash were applied to 1,260,000 acres in 2006. Only 9% of 18‐hole golf facilities reported restrictions on fertilizer use required by a government or tribal authority, and 18‐hole facilities calibrated their fertilizer application equipment before application 67% of the time. These results provide an accurate portrayal of golf course nutrient use and establishes a baseline for comparison with results from future surveys to monitor industry change over time.

There are limited options for controlling large crabgrass in spring-seeded cool-season turf. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of dithiopyr and quinclorac to control large crabgrass in spring-seeded Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass stands. Quinclorac at 0.84 kg/ha and dithiopyr at 0.56 kg/ha were applied separately at various times prior to seeding and after emergence of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Quinclorac applied once at 2, 4, 8, or 12 weeks after emergence (WAE) or split-applied preplant incorporated (PPI) + 12 WAE will give season-long control of large crabgrass with no injury to spring-seeded Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass. Quinclorac applied PPI or 0 WAE is safe to use in spring seedings, but it will not provide season-long control of large crabgrass. Dithiopyr applied 2 or 4 WAE will control large crabgrass season-long while not injuring spring-seeded Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass. However, dithiopyr applied PPI or 0 WAE will severely limit germination of desirable turf, and dithiopyr applied 8 or 12 WAE will not control mature crabgrass.

Environmental fates of turf‐applied fungicides are not well understood. The role of thatch as a sorptive surface for fungicides has not been evaluated. Thatch may decrease mobility of fungicides and decrease their potential to be transported off‐site. Batch type sorption studies were conducted to determine sorption coefficients (Kf) for the fungicides triadimefon, [1‐(4‐chlorophenoxy)‐3,3‐dimethyl 1‐1‐(1H‐1,2,4‐triazol‐1‐g‐1) butanone], vinclozolin [3‐(3,5‐dichlorophenyl)‐5‐methyl‐5‐vinyl‐1,3‐oxazolidine‐2,4‐dione], and chloroneb (1,4‐dichloro‐2,5‐dimethoxybenzone) in thatch and in the underlying soil. The Kf values also were derived from octanol/water partitioning coefficients (Kow) for these and five other compounds. All Kow values were determined with reverse‐phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and calculated from physical properties of the fungicides. The Kf values [µmol(l‐n) Ln kg−1] determined from isotherm data for thatch and soil (respectively) were 90 and 10 for triadimefon, 163 and 21 for chloroneb, and 431 and 47 for vinclozolin. When Kf values were adjusted for organic C content of the sample, the resulting Kow values were similar for thatch and soil. The Koc values estimated from HPLC‐derived Kow values were consistently less than those obtained using batch isotherm methods. The Kow values calculated from physical properties of the fungicides were poorly correlated with measured values. The HPLC method appears to be useful for determining sorption coefficients. Results indicate that thatch substantially increases fungicide sorption, which, in turn, decreases the potential for these compounds to migrate off site.