Painted Greens?

[Vintage1976]

Here in the North Country I occasionally run into green paint covering the surface of local area golf course greens in the fall. I'm embarrassed to admit that I still do not know if this is purely cosmetic, or functionally protective in some way. Any input folks?

[jdhallissey]

They do it a TON down south. The snow birds dont like to see anything but super green things. I prefer a duller green color even yellowish. Means everything is fast and not over watered.

[Mulligan26]

It also could be a product called Cascade which allows the roots of the turf absorb more water and also makes the turf look much much more green than usual

[TexMex36]

I've always wondered the same thing. Areas around the green too?

[RJRJRJ]

They have it a couple of times per year on a course I sometimes play around here. I always thought it was some type of fertilizer or something since they rarely use it. It turns my hands green.

[Soloman1]

Golf courses are like women.

Sometimes days we love 'em and other days we don't. And sometimes they look better with a little makeup.

[Langlands]

I've seen it here in Scotland however always assumed it was some sort of liquid feed.

[stryper]

Dye added to the squirt apps to check for proper coverage.

[bruinsPATSirish]

Posts in this thread have both circumstances correct. There are two practical applications when you see "paint" on the course. One is when the grounds crew adds a small amount of green dye to the fertilizer application to show where they have been. Another application for the green dye, and also what you will see this time of the year down South, is simply a water based green paint used to color the fairways and greens when they go dormant. It serves no purpose other than to "green up" the bermuda grasses going dormant and turning brown. Most golfers that do not understand how the Southern grasses grow (grow green spring/summer/fall and then go dormant and turn brown for the winter) so when they come down and see brown and yellow grass they think it is dead and bad condition. Courses do it simply to make the golf course look "pretty".

[esketores]

Many courses in Ohio "paint" the greens. From what I was told there is the cosmetic side to the process but there is a nutrition side as well.

[TVGM]

I'm a course super and owner. It's just a purely cosmetic alternative to overseeding. Painted greens roll better and come out of dormancy better than over seeded greens and there's lest maintenance and you don't have to mess with spraying poa trivialis out during transition .

[somaplr]

[quote name='esketores' timestamp='1384438981' post='8147718']
Many courses in Ohio "paint" the greens. From what I was told there is the cosmetic side to the process but there is a nutrition side as well.
[/quote]

Really? What pat of ohio do you live in? I have never seen that in my life.

[RJRJRJ]

[quote name='TVGM' timestamp='1384459293' post='8149150']
I'm a course super and owner. It's just a purely cosmetic alternative to overseeding. Painted greens roll better and come out of dormancy better than over seeded greens and there's lest maintenance and you don't have to mess with spraying poa trivialis out during transition .
[/quote]

How often is this done? The "paint" on the course that does it around here wears off after a week or so, and then never reappears for another 6 months to a year or so. Thats what lead me to believe it was some kind of fertilizer or nutrient.

[TVGM]

[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1384468051' post='8149814']
[quote name='TVGM' timestamp='1384459293' post='8149150']
I'm a course super and owner. It's just a purely cosmetic alternative to overseeding. Painted greens roll better and come out of dormancy better than over seeded greens and there's lest maintenance and you don't have to mess with spraying poa trivialis out during transition .
[/quote]

How often is this done? The "paint" on the course that does it around here wears off after a week or so, and then never reappears for another 6 months to a year or so. Thats what lead me to believe it was some kind of fertilizer or nutrient.
[/quote]

Just depends on weather. We usually do it 2-3 times a season. Spray dye indicator is usually more of a bluish color and will disappear in a couple days after irrigation hits it while the paint is a darker green and has a heavier application . If you're at a course with bent greens your super should be spraying every 10-14 days in the summer and probably once a month in the winter for preventative measures on fungus. I personally don't use marker on bent with fungicide because overlapping isn't going to hurt it and i hate seeing the dye on my greens. If I'm spraying a foliar feed fertilizer on Bermuda greens or growth regulator like Primo I use it religiously. In other words you might just be seeing dye indicator from something your super only occasionally sprays. Ask your golf shop or your super what something is if you see him, he'd probably enjoy some conversation and a compliment .

[Vintage1976]

Thank you everyone! I guess sometimes you just have to ask!

[FSCMatt]

[quote name='TVGM' timestamp='1384469474' post='8149924']
[quote name='RJRJRJ' timestamp='1384468051' post='8149814']
[quote name='TVGM' timestamp='1384459293' post='8149150']
I'm a course super and owner. It's just a purely cosmetic alternative to overseeding. Painted greens roll better and come out of dormancy better than over seeded greens and there's lest maintenance and you don't have to mess with spraying poa trivialis out during transition .
[/quote]

How often is this done? The "paint" on the course that does it around here wears off after a week or so, and then never reappears for another 6 months to a year or so. Thats what lead me to believe it was some kind of fertilizer or nutrient.
[/quote]

Just depends on weather. We usually do it 2-3 times a season. Spray dye indicator is usually more of a bluish color and will disappear in a couple days after irrigation hits it while the paint is a darker green and has a heavier application . If you're at a course with bent greens your super should be spraying every 10-14 days in the summer and probably once a month in the winter for preventative measures on fungus. I personally don't use marker on bent with fungicide because overlapping isn't going to hurt it and i hate seeing the dye on my greens. If I'm spraying a foliar feed fertilizer on Bermuda greens or growth regulator like Primo I use it religiously. In other words you might just be seeing dye indicator from something your super only occasionally sprays. Ask your golf shop or your super what something is if you see him, he'd probably enjoy some conversation and a compliment .
[/quote]

The super at the course where I work used it about every 2 weeks. He used a type of fertilizer that was clear and then added dye to it.

Our greens struggled mightily this year (for multiple reasons). We had other supers come play our course and say that the fertilizer basically created a paste on the greens and wouldn't allow as much air or water to get to the root system and that that could be one of the issues with the greens.