The latest from our Head Greenkeepers of The Downs and Park Courses.
JUN 01st 2018
From Tee to Green ‑ May
The Downs Course
It has been pleasing to see the performance of the greens improve this month without stressing out the grasses too much. We carried out some light maintenance which went extremely well. This included verti cutting to a depth of 5mm, which was done to remove any lateral growth. We then applied 15 tonnes of topdressing over all the greens, pencil tined to a depth of 75mm using 8mm tines, drag mat the sand in and then rolled the greens. We then applied a heavy water application to aid plant recovery.
Light aeration work and light topdressings have also been carried out this month to help with greens trueness and speed. May’s trueness readings average 80%, while green speed for the month was averaging around nine foot on the stimp meter.
The height of cut on the greens was reduced again this month to 3mm. It will remain this height throughout the summer months.
We have applied another fertiliser application on the greens, but this time at half the normal rate. This was done one week before greens maintenance to promote good recovery. We continue with our foliar feeds and now have started our monthly liquid soil feeds to increase the microbiology in the soil. We have also applied a growth regulator which will mean the greens will be more consistent in trueness and speed throughout the playing day.
During our maintenance, the fairways and aprons were brushed and then double cut using a rotary and cylinder mower. This helped improve the definition and playability. We have applied a selective weed killer on the tees, aprons, fairways and cut rough. This will help with the aesthetics of the golf course.
Next month we will continue with our feed program and apply another 20 tonnes of topdressing. Most of this dressing will be applied during our next maintenance window after the club championships.
Also, we aim to spend more time on bunker levels. When the bunkers are moist, they perform quite well, however when the sand dries we lose consistently, as the sand moves around when played in and in the wind. The sand dries rapidly, as being on a chalk soil. In June we are going to trial wetting the bunkers in the morning before raking them. Hopefully, this will make a big difference to playability. Looking forward we will be trialling new sand in the bunkers which have more angular particles rather than rounded ones to bind the sand together tighter. Also, we will be carrying out experiments on bunker liners to eradicate any sand contamination and aid in bunker consistency due to holding more moisture in the sub-base.
Look forward to seeing you on the course!
Rob Dyer, Head Greenkeeper, The Downs Course
The Park Course
The Course:
Greens maintenance took place this month and went without any problems. The task undertaken was as follows;
Verti-Cutting – Slicing the surface of the green with blades close together to thin the surface and remove any lateral growth and any annual meadow grass seed heads that may be present. The total amount of unwanted fibre removed was 400kg.
Over Seeding – Continuing with the overseeding programme we broadcasted 40kg of Colonial Bent seed across all the greens.
Sand Dressing – Once the seed has been broadcasted we applied a medium setting of sand, putting down a total of 12 tonnes across all the greens. The amount was enough to fill the channels and smooth out any imperfections.
Tinning – Using tines of 10mm going into the depth of 75mm to relieve compaction aid drainage and aerate the profile.
Brushing and drag mating – Once the sand had dried out, we used a brush and a drag mat to work the sand into the surface and into the aeration holes.
Organic Granular Fertiliser - We applied a granular fertiliser to increase grass sword and aid colour and strength, the growth increase will help the plant push through the sand dressing.
Tees
The tees have been fertilised with a slow release granular to keep the sward thick and healthy and the growth consistent. Regular devoting and overseeding continues weekly.
Fairways
Our cutting programme continues three times a week and regular maintenance with brushing to produce carpet-like surfaces. A spot treatment of selective weed kill was carried out to eliminate small patches of clover.
See you on the course!
Simon Berry, Head Greenkeeper of The Park Course