indigenous soil. This kind of method has been replicated with the construction of two new greens on the Highgate Course, the 11th and 15th. These have been built to improve the layout and architecture of the holes and also give added yardage. They have been built with soil from areas close to the new sites. This will enable us to create green conditions very similar to that of the existing greens and will be available for play next year. Fertiliser is kept to a minimum with 32kg N per hectare being applied and included a lawn sand application at the start of the year followed by a Sulphate of Ammonia based 8:0:0. The only other products used on the greens are liquid seaweed and wetting agent.
Aeration is always on the agenda, with star tining and brushing being implemented every week (when possible) during the main season. This operation is perfect as there is very little disturbance, with the added benefit of brushing thrown in.
During the autumn and spring we vertidrain with ½ inch tines and follow this up with star tines on a John Deere aerocore to make as many holes as possible for the overseeding. We are currently monitoring organic matter levels and will hollow tine if the need arises but, with a programme of minimal inputs, we hope to maintain OM levels at around 4-6%.
During the winter months we conduct slit tining every two weeks or when possible. Topdressing is applied throughout the season with around 150-200 tonnes applied to each course. We have found this sits very well within our programme of minimal inputs and helps to create the firm, dry surfaces we are after and a good environment for the finer grasses.
The formation of the gingerbread group in the Midlands will be a great asset to all involved and has already proved to be successful Cutting heights for the greens range
from 4.5mm in the summer up to 6mm in the winter. We do cut a little closer for competitions but have found rolling, combined with our austere management, does gives us adequate pace. We have been very to keen to monitor the changes to our swards in terms of grass composition, in light of the management of the fine turf surfaces, so we have completed grass composition testing to create a benchmark and to assess every two years on its effectiveness. This will also be the case for the organic matter testing in the future.
The first grass composition testing was completed back in 2007 and the results this year speak for themselves, with the percentages of Agrostis species rising considerably in 2009. We have also seen the amount of fescue increase. However, we do still have a number of greens with high percentages of poa but this is down to environmental conditions, such as shade, which we will address over time.
Other Work
Tree clearing and thinning is ongoing through the winter period helping to create airflow around the more shaded greens. We aim to overseed in spring and autumn with fescue and bent, but also try and complete at least one operation during the season, usually towards the end of July, with pure bent. In our view the change to a more
austere management regime has made a great difference and is achieving good results. We believe, given the correct management and approach to improving the sward, we can achieve a predominance of the finer grasses. It is sometimes very easy to dismiss these types of grasses, especially fescue, but the finer grasses can withstand wear and do
achieve good quality sustainable surfaces. In an effort to set up the course with an emphasis on shot making, especially playing golf across the ground (as golf was meant to be) and not through the air to target greens. We apply the same management regime to the aprons and approaches, creating firm surface conditions with a sward dominated by the finer grasses.
Over the last four years we have completed considerable work to improve the grass species in our fairways and improve surfaces in general. Some of our fairways are predominantly fescue, however intensive aeration and overseeding programmes, combined with regular wetting agent applications, have improved the percentages of fescue considerably. It is our intention to continue with this type of work as some of the woodland fairways still need more work to improve.
The majority of our rough areas are amongst the heathland part of the course, which currently is cut once a year when the heather seed is harvested in October and November. That said, we are investigating the purchase of a new front rotary deck system which will allow us to cut some of these areas throughout the year without damaging the heather. We have noted that, as a result of
recent wet summers, some of these rough areas have become very dense, causing problem with retrieving golf balls. More regular management may have to be implemented to thin these areas out. The formation of the gingerbread
group in the Midlands will be a great asset to all involved and has already proved to be successful. We’ve got our third meeting planned for this autumn and, as usual, we are expecting a good turn out.
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