Technical
After collecting feedback from the members, we
realised that, as long as the greens were smooth, responsive and at a stimpmeter speed of around 10 - they would be perfectly happy
aggressively but less frequently. The Fescue is only capable of sustaining disturbance for a short period of time
- Try to miss out 2-3 perimeter cuts on the greens through the week and replace with light rolling if we feel the putting surface will still have good playability
- Carefully manage the amount of water applied to the greens through summer to avoid giving the grass too much, which will discourage annual meadow-grass
After collecting feedback from the members, we realised that, as long as the greens were smooth, responsive and at a stimpmeter speed of around 10 - they would be perfectly happy. They also stated that they dislike playing on hard greens because they found them unresponsive and impossible to stop the ball on. This gave us an opportunity to raise the heights of cut and concentrate on making healthy Fescue dominate. Luckily, the conditions that are perfect for Fescue will discourage annual meadow-grass. There is no magic cure for the reduction of annual meadow-grass, however, by making the conditions less hospitable for it to thrive, it should reduce.
Improvements we have made so far
This winter, as an experiment, we decided to trial a treatment on the 1st green, as it is one of the wettest on the course. We wanted to create channels leading from the surface right down to the drainage bed so water could be removed from the rootzone. We marked out areas over the green at 2
metre spacing and removed hole plugs with the holes cutter at these points. We then drilled 100mm diameter soak holes through the profile to a depth of 600mm, using a petrol-powered auger. These holes were then backfilled with pea gravel 200mm short of the surface. The hole plugs were then replaced to leave no sign of damage to the green.
This treatment has shown vast
improvements and has allowed us to keep the green in play more frequently than before. The inspiration for this method came from the Drill ‘n’ Fill method that has been successfully used on push-up greens. We consider this trial to have been a success and we are going to repeat the treatment on the 8th green. We have also verti-drained and slit tined the greens through winter to get some much needed air into the profile.
”
As part of our ongoing woodland management programme, we have cleared out large areas of scrub and self-seeding trees from around the course. This has opened the course up and has improved air movement around some greens. This has also helped to prevent disease and given golfers a chance to play shots out of these areas, thereby improving playability. We still have a long way to go and there
are still other areas we have plans for improvement in the future. However, now that we are following a carefully thought out plan, we feel we are on the right track at Drax.
Ben Morgan, First Assistant, Drax Golf Club BSc (HONs) Sustainable Land Management
Foundation Degree (Fd) Sports Turf Management
LEADING IN TURF CARE INNOVATIONS
With over 30 years of experience in the industry, Classen has established itself as a true force in grounds care as well as the brand of choice for commercial and rental markets. Our tough, easy to use and maintain product line includes sod cutters, aerators, turf rakes and overseeders.
www.classen.uk.com 0800 840 0888
Part of the Schiller worldwide group of companies PC0715
PC0416 PC APRIL/MAY 2016 I 115
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