Miramar Links Miramar Golf Club Wellington, New Zealand

Case Description:

Miramar had enjoyed a reputation as an outstanding golf course for many years. Under the expert management of Superintendent Alan Turvey, the turf was sustained at a consistently high level of quality. But this was when the turf was irrigated with "town" water. When the use of "effluent" water was initiated in late 2000, turf quality began to deteriorate. Melting out, a disease caused by a weak pathogen called Curvularia, occurred with such intensity that large sections of turf turned brown. Where damaged turf was hollow-tine cultivated, recovery was largely limited to the turf in the immediate vicinity of the holes. Otherwise, some of the only green grass evident by the end of summer included small populations of creeping bentgrass on the 16th tee and perennial ryegrass along side of the 9th green.

Alan concluded that the effluent water was the cause of these problems. He wanted to go back to town water for irrigation. To convince his superiors, however, he needed solid proof, especially given the substantial cost savings realized from the use of this water resource. The mild climate of Wellington had always provided good growing conditions for turfgrass. The course was constructed on natural dune sand with good drainage. It had to be the effluent water. Alan submitted samples for testing and anxiously waited for the call to pick up the results. When he was handed the report from Hill Lab, he began reading the columns of data. All he had to do was figure out what all those numbers meant and how he'd explain them to his superiors. Then, perhaps, he could get back to the way things used to be.

Study Materials:

• Irrigation Water Quality
• Calculating SARw
• Sodium/Salinity Harzard Chart
• Salt-Affected Soils
• Turfgrass Salinity Tolerance

Assignments:

One group will be assigned the responsibility for making a presentation containing the following elements:

A brief synopsis of the case description
A detailed analysis of the facts presented in the case description
A list of the issues emerging from the analysis
A broadly stated strategy for addressing the issues
A detailed action plan for implementing this strategy
This group should also prepare a report using the format that follows and submit hard copies along with appropriate attachments to on the date shown in the course schedule.

Download *Format* for Preparing Your Case Report