Fine Golf Pitchcare Classifieds
The ‘Green Illusion’
It was only a few years ago the President of the USGA wrote about how we all love ‘brown’, reflecting the traditional colour of cool climate running-golf courses in the summer, emphasised by the need to conserve water
committees and golf associations at home or abroad.
To break this vicious circle requires hard work and targeted use of, for example, hand watering. However, this is only possible by adequately staffed greenkeeping teams, but it is here that spending of money will be saved.
The question remains, what happens if the EU bans chemicals for golf courses - as the national authorities in Denmark already have done, with Holland moving that way? What lies ahead are probably restrictions on water consumption.
To be realistic, the majority of our greenkeeping of Poa annua lacks the arguments that might resist this inevitable momentum towards sustainability. The only logical consequence for this problem is for the greenkeeper to go back to more traditional, austere, natural, ecological, conservationist and economic golf course maintenance.
Whilst world temperatures in April dropped 0.5 degrees, Antarctica has a cooling trend, the extent and thickness of Arctic ice is back to its previous levels and, even though 2017 has started quite dry, there has actually been no drought in the British Isles for some time, releasing societal pressure to conserve water.
Nevertheless, as Norbert Lischka MG says, golf clubs need to plan their long term direction, with the sustainable option for both inland and seaside courses being the best.
Most of you will be familiar with Augusta, home of the US Masters which, for many players, is the classic example of a perfectly manicured golf course.
Before the season starts at Easter, many northern European golfers dream of seeing ‘The Masters’ they see on television replicated at their course; of perfect, manicured greens, which is, unfortunately, far from an achievable reality. Augusta is closed for months immediately after the tournament to let the course recover from the stresses of its set-up.
To think that their own golf course may provide the same opportunities for so called ‘perfect playing conditions’ causes members to question how their course is being maintained. This situation can bring the greenkeeper into conflict with the membership because the golfers demand something from them that is unsustainable and, yes, unrealistic. If not resolved, such differences can lead to serious confrontation.
On most newly built courses, Agrostis/Festuca grasses (browntop bent/red fescues - called fine grasses that give firm and dappled coloured surfaces) are chosen for ecological, performance and economic reasons. Because the greenkeeper then tries to please the members by providing green, holding surfaces, annual meadow grass (Poa Annua) becomes the dominant grass species after a period of time. This grass is to be found on the greens of most of the golf courses worldwide and dictates that greenkeepers use an unsustainable,
142 I PC JUNE/JULY 2017
high input, high cost, chemicals based, maintenance programme, because this type of turf is not naturally resistant to disease or drought.
The solution to this problem is clear: any greenkeeper who wants green grass usually uses water, fertiliser and chemicals in abundance. Now, the responsible, straight thinking greenkeepers face this dilemma:
They pleased the members in the short term but, in the long term, they let the wrong grasses strengthen. If they follow their conscience about sustainability and its ecological requirements, they will have to make a difficult decision regarding their approach to course management.
If the greenkeepers do not change the way they manage their turf, the golfers will soon meet different conditions. Soft, green and slow putting surfaces make the game less attractive than firm and not so green surfaces. Such green surfaces will not be playable throughout the whole year.
The golfer’s wish for true, firm putting surfaces through the year is well known.
If a greenkeeper tries to fulfil the idea that a lush green putting surface is good, the quality of the green usually falls by the wayside. Certainly ‘green’ greens will never provide the faster putting speeds demanded these days, unless the greens are shaved ever lower, thereby stressing the grass further and creating the vicious cycle of the need for more water, fertiliser and chemicals to stop the grass from dying.
The very shallow-rooted, spring-seeding annual meadow grass (Poa Annua) is susceptible to disease. It needs multiple chemical applications each year, just to protect this undesirable ‘weed’ grass from total failure. In this situation, many golf clubs have to deal with increased costs in addition to the necessary extra mechanical maintenance and the additional expense for fertiliser, water and chemicals.
All this is not in the interest of the members,
For the golfer, this results in a new colour palette; a mix of green, yellow and brown rather than greened-up grass. It usually performs better, as well as being a healthy alternative putting surface to that which the ‘Green Illusion’ offers.
This article was written by Norbert Lischka - The Turf Fox - in conjunction with FineGolf.
www.der-rasenfuchs.de
Running-Golf Day
FineGolf, the online publication that promotes the classic values of traditional running golf, has organised, in partnership with Notts GC at Hollinwell, an opportunity for greens staff, secretaries, chair of green and interested golfers to learn about the key greenkeeping issue for the future, how to manage the change from ‘weed’ annual meadow grass (Poa annua) to ‘fine’ fescue/browntop bent surfaces, with Britain’s leading experts speaking on ‘The case for running-golf’.
Speakers include:
Steve Isaac, R&A Director, on the relevance to today’s needs of Jim Arthur’s book Practical Greenkeeping, updated in 2014.
Gordon Irvine MG, Europe’s foremost consultant on sustainable agronomic change to fine grasses.
John Philp MBE, the hero of Carnoustie and one of only two greenkeepers with a hole named after them in the UK.
Mick Grindle, Chair of green at Notts Golf Club / Hollinwell, which has been returned to fine grassed surfaces.
The 4th September day is sponsored by Symbio, Johnsons Sports Seeds, Barenbrug, Baroness and Farmura/Aquatrols.
To book a place (£30 including refreshments, or £55 to also play the championship course in the afternoon) email
lorne@finegolf.co.uk
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