The ATC Doublecut with Micah Woods

Jason Haines is the Links Superintendent at Cabot Cape Breton. We had a wide ranging conversation about blog posts from 2025, a new #MLSN article,  controlling snow mold, things that look easy but aren't easy, and more.The blog post we discussed is https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/ten-posts-no-one-read-in-2025/The spring 2026 article in GreenMaster about MLSN: https://online.flipbuilder.com/gbcmagazine/rpae/#p=16Video with Jason that shows the control of snow mold on greens in BC with minimal pesticides: https://youtu.be/L8Q8v5SAzSo?si=Jm8Vinz6fKZImH3PRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Stewart Naugler is the Director of Agronomy at Loraloma in Texas. We talked about zoysiagrass as a golfing surface, playability, and maintenance requirements. We started by discussion my "Achieving the warm-season links" article, available here: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/publication/woods-2013-gca/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Thatch and mat at the top of turfgrass rootzones are removed from soils prior to testing for soil organic matter. Total organic material (OM246) testing is designed to measure the soil organic matter plus the thatch and mat.The blog post discussed is https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/organic-matter-and-screens/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

This gives an overview of the seminars I presented at the GCSAA Conference in 2026 and discusses updated PACE Turf site analyses of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR).Seminar handout page: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/seminar/gcsaa-2026/Example PAR site analysis in the PACE Turf gallery: https://www.paceturf.org/gallery/detail/site-par-analysisRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Maggie Reiter joined me to discuss her "Finding Turf Twitter" analysis, her analysis of current turf research topics at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA meetings, tropical grasses, and irrigation water requirements.We discussed: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/a-brand-new-turf-twitter-analysis/https://maggiereiter.com/https://www.asianturfgrass.com/tag/carpetgrass/https://www.paceturf.org/gallery/detail/five-year-maphttps://www.paceturf.org/public/university-research-location-climate-appraisalsRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Scientific writing is not always as clear as this. There's an article I really enjoyed that stated right at the start, in the abstract, that core aeration "might not be worth doing." The blog post discussed in this episode is https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/core-aeration-lucid-abstract/Full text of the article is available at https://doi.org/10.4141/S05-073Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Dr. Kaminski joined me from his sabbatical in Australia to discuss flights, turf photos, and what he's been doing on his sabbatical.The blog post we discussed is: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/flights-favorite-turf-photos-2025/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

This episode answers that question with how I recommend doing this. For today, we don't need to add N. But the soil nutrient levels decrease with time, we can predict how much the grass will use, and I make fertilizer recommendations looking into the future, rather than waiting to test again before making a decision to apply. The blog post discussed in this episode is: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/we-only-need-to-apply-n/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Joe Gulotti joined me to give the doublecut treatment to the top posts of 2025 on the ATC blog, plus a bit of holiday extravaganza.Blog post discussed is: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/top-10-posts-2025/National Links Trust updates: https://www.nationallinkstrust.org/whats-happening-nowPetition to keep D.C.'s publich courses out of political control: https://www.change.org/p/keep-dc-s-public-golf-courses-out-of-political-control2022 Talking Greenkeeper Holiday Extravaganza: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/micah-woods-phd-iv/id1435947281?i=10005907006182023 Talking Greenkeeper Holiday Extravaganza: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-micah-woods-annual-holiday-special/id1435947281?i=10006392223562024 Talking Greenkeeper Holiday Extravaganza: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-micah-woods-phd-annual-holiday-extravaganza-episode/id1435947281?i=1000680710300Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

When grass clippings are returned to the turf, the quantity of nutrients required as fertilizer is decreased. In this episode I discuss how I handle the clippings returned situation.Blog post discussed is: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/clippings-removed-or-returned/Also discussed how to get a quick estimate of grass nutrient use: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/how-to-arrive-at-that-number/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

The #MLSN method for nutrient recommendations involves an MLSN value that the soil is not supposed to drop below. But what does this value mean, when converted from the usual units of ppm (mg/kg) to how many years it would take grass to use that much of the element? The blog post discussed is https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/soil-nutrients-and-extra-beer/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

This episode explains the steps I'd take to change greens from too hard (surface hardness and ball bounce, not hard as in difficulty) to just right. It follows that the opposite steps could be taken to move greens from too soft to just right.The blog post discussed is https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/to-keep-green-soft/The ball bounce video from Dan Dinelli is at https://youtu.be/r1LV77z_ZiwRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Expressing sand quantities as a depth makes communication easier. But to know the depth, you need to know how much sand was applied to begin with. I've been surprised at how many turf managers don't know the exact amount applied. This short episode explains why I think you should measure sand amounts.Blog post discussed was https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/sand-topdressing-by-depth/Sand rate unit conversion calculator at https://asianturfgrass.shinyapps.io/om246/USGA video on measuring sand https://youtu.be/7tPilHP5QiAATC video on measuring sand by exact methods https://youtu.be/6LurONpyg5MRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

I explain how I answered a couple questions about how much N and how much sand a particular grass might require. Specifically, I recommend adjusting N based on #ClipVol and sand based on #OM246.Blog post discussed: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/sand-nitrogen-measuring-guessing/OM246 calculator: https://asianturfgrass.shinyapps.io/om246/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

The New York Golf Economic & Environmental Impact Report has interesting results for MLSN and ClipVol usage in New York. 58% of golf courses measure clipping volume and 47% interpret soil tests using MLSN.Blog post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/survey-says-mlsn-clipping-volume-golf-courses-new-york/Full report: https://www.newyorkgolfimpact.org/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Piper and Oakley wrote that "there is nothing mysteriously beneficial in their formulas" and that mixed fertilizers are "extensively advertised" but "are not to be recommended." Arthur wrote that soil testing is a "commercial gimmick" and that fine turf with clippings collected needs only "a little nitrogen in spring, no phosphates, and very little potash."  I recommend an article I wrote that attempts to explain this in the context of #MLSN.Blog posts discussed are:- https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/very-generally-used-not-to-be-recommended/- https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/jim-arthur-mlsn-and-precision-fertilization/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

I explain why I recommend collecting soil nutrient samples to a 10 cm (4 inch depth). I also discuss the importance of repeated soil sampling in order to check the change in test results over time. I look at a photo gallery from the 2025 Danish Golf Championship.Posts discussed include:https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/recommended-soil-sampling-depth-for-turfgrass/https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/a-pesticide-free-golf-course/PACE Turf post about Vixen 7x stand loupes: https://www.paceturf.org/memberedition/where-to-find-small-magnifying-loupesRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

My Short Grammar of Greenkeeping book is one of the required books for turf class at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in South Carolina. Professor Jim Huntoon joined me to discuss the book, why he uses it for teaching, and how the internship (or summer cooperative work experience) program works.We discussed this post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/i-wrote-a-book-and-you-can-read-it-this-weekend/Get your own copy of the Short Grammar at https://leanpub.com/short_grammar_of_greenkeepingFor more about the turf program at Horry-Georgetown, see https://www.hgtc.edu/academics/academic-departments/engineering-technologies-sports-turf-management/golf-sports-turf-management.htmlSee more from Professor Huntoon at https://www.instagram.com/huntoonjmsc/, https://www.instagram.com/hgtcgolfsportsturf/, and https://x.com/huntoonjmscRead more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

Janne Lehto from Hirsala Golf in Finland attended the 15th International Turfgrass Research Conference (ITRC) in Japan. We discussed the heat and humidity in Japan during summer, saunas, his golfing experiences in Japan, and the ITRC. The blog post with information about heat and humidity is: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/japan-hot-humid-latitude/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/

John Forrest and Jeff Austen joined me from Western Australia to discuss layers in the rootzone, the educational system and apprenticeships, and sand.We looked at photos of layers in this post: https://www.asianturfgrass.com/post/layers-in-the-rootzone/Read more about all kinds of turfgrass topics at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/Find a suite of decision-making tools at https://www.paceturf.org/Get free ATC newsletters at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/newsletter/ Thailand GCSA Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia conference: https://stmia.asianturfgrass.com/Find out more about soil tests with ATC at https://www.asianturfgrass.com/project/soil-tests/