GREENS RENOVATION
Last week all the greens were renovated with the staff carrying out around 100 hours of work on the surfaces. The tees were also dressed and sprayed for weeds. The week before we got started the greens were liquid fed to aid recovery and the Air2G2 machine was used on the greens to blast air into the subsoil, fracturing the soil and allowing air and water to move more freely down below.
All the greens were spiked with the TerraSpike machine, using 12mm solid tines down to a depth of 175mm. The greens were then heavily topdressed and that dressing was brushed in. Then, the greens were spiked again using the Procore with 8mm worn tines down to a depth of about 60mm. Another dusting of sand was put on and then the drag mat was used to help smooth out any discrepancies. We also added some bent seed into the dressing.
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| SQUARE SPACING |
The vast majority of this work was carried out over two days, which meant some morning course closures, but this definitely went some way to help the Greenstaff achieve their goals.
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| TOPDRESSING |
There are always two sides to the renovation work which we feel is very necessary in trying to achieve the best quality surfaces possible all year round. Firstly, there is the disruption to the golfers. We fully appreciate that many golfers cringe at the thought of maintenance being carried out on the greens. However, without sound management the greens would go into a state of decline which can be difficult to get back. There will always be certain conditions which mean the greens are not at their best for a short period of time following the work, however they will be much better in the long term.
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| BRUSHED IN |
Secondly, it is now proven that the best time of the summer to carry out the main maintenance procedures on the greens is in August. Many, many golf courses up and down the country are now following suit (and those that are not wish that they could). The soil temperatures are at their greatest, weather dependent, and so the recovery of the surfaces will be at its fastest.
As you can see from the pictures it has only taken a few days to recover and from now on the greens will return to the good condition that they were before we started. This also means that the greens will be firmer and drier going into the winter months so that golf can be played on them all year round.
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| FEW DAYS LATER |
The greens have also received a liquid treatment consisting of phosphite and a general soil conditioner. This will help the greens to recover and fight off any disease which may be lurking after all the disruption. We will continue to manage the greens so that the disruption is kept to an absolute minimum and the surfaces are back to their best as soon as possible.
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| LIQUID FERTILISER |
