Golf
When Greg Evans ‘came out’ about maintaining greens in an aggressive manner (such as cutting at heights as low as 2mm), a huge amount of debate and discussion followed, questioning the merits of such a method. Some commented that the greens would be dead within three years. Others said that the approach was irresponsible at best and suicidal at worst. A silent few also maintained their greens in this fashion, but they went about their business without comment.
Whatever your views, the topic has at least got people talking; a discussion that continues three years after his first article was published in Pitchcare
O
ne of the biggest criticisms of my method was the lack of data supporting it. This used to really frustrate me, as I knew it worked but
could not prove it with anything except anecdotal evidence. I would not undertake a new regime or method without evidence of the results to expect. With this in mind, I started collating my own data two years ago. Organic matter tests, infiltration rates, bulk density, tissue analysis, sward density, ball roll speeds and more besides. By investigating my method, I hope to understand it more and hopefully eliminate future mistakes. Right from the start, I split the tests into two categories; agronomy and playability. To produce a top maintenance plan you need to have a balance of these two disciplines. There’s no point going out spiking
every week if you are losing members and your club’s finances are going to pot! Get the balance right and a successful regime is sure to follow.
In this article I am considering playability (arguably the most important issue for golfers), leaving the agronomy for another time. If daisies produced great surfaces, golfers would quite happily putt on them.
Speed, Smoothness and Firmness = Playability
One of the biggest complaints
from golfers is that, despite their greenkeepers doing all the agronomic work, the surfaces don’t seem to be improving. Speed matters a great deal to golfers and we are commonly asked “What speed are the greens today?” Golfers generally love quick greens.
How
SMOOTH are YOU?
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