Greens After This Winter

Greens Condition After the Winter

By the end of October the greens were looking great and work was underway to keep them healthy going into winter. However due to varied issues the greens are not where we would exactly want them to be coming out of winter. This report outlines the issues we have faced and how we intend to overcome them.

One of the main threats as we approach the winter period is disease appearing on the greens with the chance of no winter growth helping with repair.  One cause of disease outbreak is from the heavy dews that appear in the autumn time and therefore we applied a dew repellent chemical to assist. Two weeks later the greens received their normal feed which we had applied regularly all year. With these two separate sprays, ground temperature and anaerobic conditions in the soil, there was a reaction and some of the greens took a turn for the worse.

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Some areas on some greens badly thinned out and we have lost some grass cover there. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! If we had any idea that this would be the effect of our actions then the chemicals would never have been used in those conditions. Having said that The mild winter has meant we have had some amount of growth through the winter and those areas on the greens are on the way to recovery.

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Aeration is key to having successful surfaces. Remember this phrase “Air is everything to anything that lives). The soil and grass on the course are living, breathing features and air is crucial to their health. We have tried to do as much as possible but with consistent rainfall filling any air space in the soil it has been smothered most of the time. This has meant that the thatch in and around the surface has continued to thrive meaning the greens have stayed soft throughout the winter period.

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In October we applied nearly 60 tons of topdressing during our renovations and this is about half our yearly target. However as the turf is always developing the thatch is too. During the winter period the thatch has continued and so more work is required to keep on top of the problem. Otherwise the surfaces will continue to be soft.

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This spring we will be focussing much of our time on improving the greens ready for the main playing season. Aeration, topdressing, verticutting, sharp mowing and rolling will all be taking place so that we can provide surfaces to be proud off. This takes time and patience and hopefully someone will turn the taps off!

 

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It is difficult with soft surfaces to work on them but we will endeavour to do as much as possible. The golfing calendar is very busy but it is imperative that this kind of work is carried out. The aeration will provide the air, the topdressing will help to heal scars, dilute the thatch in the soil and smooth surfaces. Verticutting is a light scarification which stands up lateral growth that has subsided over winter. These practices are crucial for the improvement we need. Please stay patient with us while we carry out this necessary work