Golf
“Even with a comprehensive PGR programme and the correct nutrients, it can seem impossible to get the grass to slow down”
a more stable relationship, it can go longer without being checked on, although if it is neglected for too long the problem will take longer to smooth over and recover from. Lastly, Manila is like your great-great uncle who survived two wars, six recessions and three heart attacks - it won’t complain until it’s dead. My methods for maintaining adequate soil moisture are a little more scientific than this, and involve constant monitoring of conditions and meticulous irrigation planning to ensure that firm, fast conditions are maintained throughout the course, whilst providing all areas with enough water to be healthy and keep driving the roots downward. All this planning, however, is at the total mercy of the weather. The five month stretch between May and September brings with it 80% of the annual rainfall amount of 2,400mm [HK Observatory]. This can be compared with London (591mm), Manchester (806mm) and Dublin (714mm) [MET Office]. Much of this can arrive in thunderstorms, as well as in passing tropical typhoons which generate in the South China Sea and around the Philippines. July 2012 brought a typhoon directly through Hong Kong, felling hundreds of trees on the courses and dumping 425mm of rain in the space of four days.
“Greens can be cut as low as 3mm during winter, with speeds up to 12ft on competition days
68 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
There are few pieces of equipment that Hong Kong Golf Club don’t possess - here two Verti-Drains go about their business ...
The May-September time period brings an average temperature of above 26°C, with maximum on course temperatures reaching 38°C. This combination of high- heat and high-humidity is the perfect growing environment for warm season grasses and, even with a comprehensive PGR programme and the correct nutrients, it can seem impossible to get the grass to slow down. The winters are a stark contrast, with consistent cool and dry weather replacing the violent heat and storms of summer. Growth comes to a standstill in January with the Carpet grass roughs turning dormant, giving the course a completely different look to the summer months. The winter period is also when the major club competitions take place and is the time when green speeds are fastest. The cool temperature, lack of rain and much lower humidity harden the leaf of the Bermuda, allowing putts to roll out much further. Greens can be cut as low as 3mm during winter, with speeds reaching up to 12ft on competition days through rolling and holding back water. In contrast, cutting heights are dropped in the cooler weather and raised slightly when the plant growth rate increases the chances of scalping. Cool season plants will generally slow growth once temperatures pass 28°C, whereas warm
season will continue to grow faster with the increasing temperature. One major challenge in winter is maintaining grass coverage. The pleasant weather ensures the courses are constantly full of golf, whilst the convenience of technology ensures that fairways are full of carts. However, with such little growth, divots, ball marks and traffic damage take much longer to heal, meaning that myself and the staff must be on the ball when it comes to traffic management and day to day course upkeep. Forget to move a rope for a couple of days and there will be a trail of cart tyre marks to remind you of your mistake for the next few months. Traditionally with cool season grass, damaged areas can simply be seeded but, with the warm season grasses we use in Hong Kong, there is no seed. Grass simply spreads through the rhizomes and stolons. Patching damaged areas is an option, although I prefer to do this as sparingly as possible, since it takes years for the new turf to become totally inconspicuous with the surrounding turf. These reasons make it all the more vital to restrict any damage, be it from traffic, drought, insects or bigger animals such as wild boar. Wild boar make rare appearances on the course during times of prolonged wet weather. The rain deprives them of their
A major challenge in winter is maintaining grass coverage
The majority of new recruits don’t hold a driving licence
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