Golfdom, April 2015

Color me interested FIGURE 2 Over time some colorants will shift in color from their appearance at application inside boxes drawbacks to using a colorant It does not provide a wearable surface like an overseeded grass Once the dormant tissue is worn or torn away there is no regeneration until spring So the wear factor must be considered if you get a lot of winter trafc Also divot sand in fairways or on tees may stand out more although most of these products can also be used to color sand A common complaint heard is that some of the colorant treated turf exhibited a bluish tint over time some quicker than others Fig 2 While this may sound like a negative attribute in one survey many people did not mind the bluish color Why blue Well ofen green color is produced by mixing blue and yellow pigments Te yellow pigments are generally not as stable as the blue pigments so as the products age the blue tends to be the more dominant color We also found that most of the darker more bluish products held their color longer than the products that started out a more natural green color Te more natural green products tend to fade to a grayish color as they age Reapplication can provide improvements for of colored colorants but once a product shifs in color reapplication may not result in a natural green color due to the base color Tis is especially true for products that shif to a bluish color In our research we have not been able to predict color longevity from year to year Te climatic infuences on product performance have been a significant factor in this unpredictability Tere are a number of good products on the market with more being introduced each year Evaluating colorants has proven to be as challenging as evaluating grass cultivars Our research has classifed the products and shown that they can be an attractive and costeffective alternative to overseeding There are still opportunities for improvements to be made in terms of colorant color and longevity Acknowledgment The authors greatly appreciate the financial support of the Turfgrass Center of NC State University and United States Golf Association USGA for trials in 2011 2013 Grady Miller Ph D is a turfgrass scientist and Drew Pinnix M S is a graduate research assistant at North Carolina State University Grady Miller can be reached at grady_ miller@ ncsu edu for more information Seven time winner of the national Folio Award for editorial excellence April 2015 Golfdom 37 Golfdom com Photo courtesy usga Editorial advisory board Mike Bavier CGCS Ret Barrington Ill Conrad Broussard CGCS st JamEs Plantation Southport N C Julio Diaz Puntacana bEach and Golf club Punta Cana Dominican Republic Damon Di Giorgio fiEldstonE Golf club Wilmington Del Chris Erickson shadow hawk Golf club Richmond Texas David Hay CGCS indian wElls country club Indian Wells Calif Bill Irving lawrEncE cc Lawrence Kan Rees Jones rEEs JonEs inc Montclair N J Tim Kreger ExEcutivE dirEctor carolinas Gcsa Tom Lively CGCS tPc san antonio San Antonio Texas Tom Marzolf fazio Golf coursE dEsiGnErs Hendersonville N C Roger Meier valhalla Golf club Louisville Ky Jef Plotts tPc scottsdalE Scottsdale Ariz Jackson Reiswig coral crEEk club Placida Fla Steve Sarro PinEhurst country club Denver Colo Anthony Williams CGCS CGM stonE mountain Golf club Stone Mountain Ga Andy Wilson bEthPaGE statE Park Golf coursE Farmingdale N Y