New Flags on the Greens

If you've played in the last few days you may have noticed our brand new flags on the course. Featuring just the color silhouette of the Ravenna logo as well as the specific hole number, the new black and white flags bring a clean and classic look to our greens for the year. We can't promise they'll help you hole more putts or stick it close from the fairway, but they bring an improved aesthetic to our grounds. Speaking of playability and aesthetics, we have begun...

PoaCure trials on the Practice Putting Green and #4 Green

Poa annua is an invasive grassy weed that is common to golf courses in our climate. Poa thrives in short cut turf, prominent in bentgrass greens, but does not have the same winter or drought hardiness as bentgrass. As golf course greens age, there is a linear correlation with age and increased Poa annua populations. As Ravenna nears 15 years, the USGA suggests that Poa populations would typically average 35%. We have been effective in “flattening the curve” with our management program and our greens range closer to 5-15% Poa annua with the exception of a couple of select greens. The practice putting green and #4 stand out as the two greens with the greatest population, with some areas within #4 estimated to be 40-60% Poa annua.

In March 2020, after many years of successful trials, PoaCure was approved by the EPA for use on golf course greens. PoaCure is safe-to-use herbicide that specifically targets Poa annua, and is now available to Golf Course Superintendents that complete an “Intended Use Survey”, discuss program goals with the scientists that developed the product, and follow a prescribed program to minimize Poa annua or eradicate Poa annua. Based on Ravenna’s current population of Poa, we are following a program to minimize our populations with a slow spring transition.



Our first PoaCure application was made on hole #4 and the practice putting green in mid-April and we will continue prescribed treatments on those two holes through mid-May. The effects will likely last through mid-June. During the treatment period, the Poa annua will become very yellow and pale in color and the greens will receive extra fertilizer to encourage horizontal bentgrass growth. Expect slightly slower speeds on the 2 treated greens through mid-June as we manage these greens with a different program. We anticipate reducing the Poa populations by 40-50% and based on the results of this trial, we look forward to taking this program course wide as early as Fall 2020.

Our goal with this program is reverse the mixed stand putting green surfaces and avoid the challenging uphill battle of maintaining Poa annua greens. We are aware that the aesthetics of the greens during treatments are less than acceptable, but this will be short lived and we will “make these greens great again!” Together, it's all part of providing the absolute finest playing experience at Ravenna that we can for our Members and Guests.

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