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Golf Greens: Developing an Upright Growth Habit

Creeping bent before brushing	Creeping bent after brushing

The importance of developing an upright growth habit was recently demonstrated (above).

Comments received in respect of a slow putting surface. Height of cut set at 6mm and cut on the morning of the visit. Little grass removed. Brushed 1/3rd of putting green and follow up cut removed a further box of grass clippings. Ball roll improved following this single treatment.

Golf Greens: Causes of Dry Patches

Dry patch symptoms (circled)	Tree roots identified just below the surface

Look carefully for the possible causes of dry patch on a golf green.

Fungus related dry patch is the likely suspect but do not discount competition from adjacent tree roots, inconsistent coverage with the irrigation system or a dry slope where water is continually shed from the surface. A sound wetting agent programme is essential to address this issue.

Fescue’s fine, but don’t forget the putting surface
A PSD Agronomy Visit to Denmark

PSD Agronomy Ltd would initially like to extend a thank you to Ian Tomlinson – Course Manager Rungsted Golf Klub for arranging a short tour of selected clubs in Denmark. In addition to ‘the Sons of Golf’, a group of Course Managers who meet to discus and debate the development of fescue turf, for allowing us to visit their courses.

Interest in this subject was aroused following a meeting at Harrogate earlier in the year and an increasing awareness within the industry of the work being carried out by Ian and his colleagues in Denmark. The R & A have launched articles on their web site and numerous papers written in the press extolling the virtues and success of the programme so far and it was therefore decided that Jay Dobson and Andy Cole, PSD Agronomy Ltd, would visit a few courses to see this work first hand. The following annotated photomontage has been put together for the benefit of greenkeepers looking to develop more fescue in the future, but also raising a few questions, which require further debate.

Ian Tomlinson and Andy Cole at Falster Golf Klub

The reasons for the golf clubs in Denmark adopting this policy of fescue promotion has been well documented, but just to re-cap in simplistic terms:

1. Fungicides are not available for the treatment of disease on the golf course. Severe attacks of fusarium patch disease, readily attacking the meadow grass, can be disfiguring and disruptive to the putting surface without treatment. What grass species is considered least susceptible to disease– FESCUE.
   
2. Alongside the heavy tax imposed on nitrogen-based fertilisers there is also a desire to reduce the level of chemicals applied to the golf course. What grass species requires a minimum amount of fertiliser to maintain good condition – FESCUE.
   
3. In the ‘good old days’, pre-popup irrigation, what was the dominant grass species within golf greens – FESCUE.

Without going too far you can see the logic behind the trend towards promoting more fescue for the long-term sustainability of the golf course under an enforced regime of turf management.

Graden and hollow tine aeration to reduce accumulated thatch at Falster Golf Klub.

Localised turf thinning and dry patch issues.

Ian arranged an excellent tour of six golf clubs, Falster Golf Klub, built in 1970 and coming out of what appeared to be a lapse in the ‘programme’. The greens were rather soft, an obvious result of the Graden and hollow tine works recently completed to reduce the accumulated thatch which had built up at the turf base. There was a degree of variability within the greens, the more exposed supporting a higher proportion of fescue compared to those shaded by the trees and wherethe putting surface was a little bobbly, exacerbated by the inconsistency in the blend of species composition i.e. fescue, bent and annual meadowgrass and dry patch. Flat and procumbent growth on the bent was noted though within our discussion it was confirmed that in the regime to promote more fescue, there has been a decline in the level of verticutting, which was reported to have been counter-productive.

Marielyst Golf Klub had nine holes built in 1995 and a second nine in 2000 was a gem. Relatively small greens, the turf supported a first sward of predominantly bent, fescue and small areas of meadowgrass, related to the size of green and relative pin placements.

The fescue and bent mix was full, dense and compact (note singular Poa plant seeding).

Of significant interest to the writer was the detail of the management regime – three full time staff for eighteen holes and a cutting regime for greens based on a 6mm bench set… cut three times per week….. four on special occasions!!!!

A fertiliser regime based on 40 – 60 KgN/ha/year and Henrik Christiansen, Head Greenkeeper, confirmed regular top dressings, applying 160 tonnes per annum to the greens alone.

Leaf spot disease was identified on some of the bent.

Skovbo Golfklub was built in 2000 originally with a sand: peat construction profile but the Head Greenkeeper has recently decided to switch to a pure sand top dressing policy. This was interesting as the other five courses had remained consistent with a sand: peat or sand: compost top dressing mix. With only two rootzone and top dressing suppliers in the country there was no evidence of heavy layering in the green profiles where changes of top dressing suppliers had been tried in the past, which is not uncommon in the UK..

Once again the writer was impressed with the level of fescue retained in the turf however the bent content had become a little procumbent, which will need to be addressed in the future.

Rungsted Golf Klub 18 th green. No thatch now and extensive root development. Very uniform profile.

Rungsted Golf Klub was built in 1937 by C.A.MacKenzie, brother of the famous Alistair MacKenzie, architect of Augusta National, Alwoodley and even Bingley St Ives in 1927. It was felt that Rungsted best matched the sort of golf course managed in the UK i.e. old push up greens, which had over the years become colonised with Poa annua.

Over the last five years, though an intensive management programme, Ian has removed in excess of 50mm of thatch from the profile, promoted root development in excess of 150mm and created a much better growing environment for the encouragement of the finer grass species. Ian was very critical of his own course, almost demanding more fescue and pushing hard to achieve this goal. Both Jay and Andy confirmed to Ian that he was achieving his goal of promoting a higher proportion of both bent and fescue in his greens, to a large extent and where take-all patch disease had removed a proportion of bent, the infill was primarily fescue. Consistency and uniformity is key and the blend of component grass species being developed at Rungsted was worth seeing – though still working towards increasing the proportion of the finer species.

Ian, Antoine (Deputy Coarse Manager) and Andy

The realism of fusarium scarring brings everyone back to earth – still some way to go.

Fureso Golfklub and the enthusiastic Hans Beurling, Head Greenkeeper, was a delight. Nearing retirement, but very sprightly and deep in thought for the task in hand, Hans had was in the process of completing the most radical treatment yet, stripping the surface off with a Koro Fieldtopmaker, making good the rootzone and reseeding with a mixture of Avalon (Velvet Bent) and fescue.

New green being top dressed – a regular feature of the maintenance programme

Foreso Golfklub was originally built in 1974 as a 27-hole complex, but recently undergoing a re-building programme, the first nine-holes through 1999/2000 and the 2 nd nine-holes in 2004.

25mm of organic matter had built up at the turf base on the first nine-holes to be reconstructed and superficial fairy ring activity had created a significant dry patch condition on selected greens. Potassium carbonate was being tried as a treatment for the fairy ring condition.

Smorum Golfklub has been one of the most talked about courses in the press and again you cannot fail to be impressed with the quality of the turf, in terms of fescue, bent and meadowgrass proportions. In addition Per Herlov Rasmussen, Head Greenkeeper is conducting on-site trials of individual grass species and mixes to determine the best suited to his situation – forward thinking.

Trial plots at Smorum – even dwarf ryegrass!!

Impressive, but the course is very exposed, so good light and air movement across the greens, and built in 1993 with 27 holes, a par three course and six hole pitch and putt, is not your average members club.

Food For Thought

There has been much written about the management and encouragement of fescue turf in Denmark and the writer is full of praise and admiration for what has been achieved. There are however a number of fundamental questions which need to be answered if we are to be able to extend this ethos successfully elsewhere. The quality of information is very much in the detail, which in some areas needs to be tightened up.

1. Aims and Objectives

We need to identify not only the primary objectives of encouraging more fescue and where applicable bent in the turf, but we also need to get back to thinking about and considering the quality of the playing surface that is being produced. What are the attributes of a good putting surface and are we achieving them? The writer would suggest the following as a start point:

• Uniform colour, texture and vigour.
• Dry, firm and of uniform pace.
• Playable for at least ‘x’ months of the year. To be determined by your situation.

Free of weed, pest and disease activity has been omitted from the above list, which would have been included in the UK where pesticides are still freely available and used.

Having set out these objectives, you can review the management plan to make sure we are realizing those objectives. If not, fine-tuning or explanation as to why those objectives are not being achieved.

2. Mowing Heights

This is a fascinating subject in its own right and for years we have all focuses on “bench setting” as our guide for heights of cut. Unfortunately, depending on turf condition and how an individual mower is set up, a 5mm bench setting on one golf course will cut differently to the same bench setting on another golf course. This can vary between hand and triple cutting, grooved and smooth front rollers and the attitude of the bottom blade.

To reduce this problem, the writer would suggest investing in a Prism gauge. A simple device, which is placed on the turf and provides a measurement of the “actual height of cut”, independent of how the mower is set up. There was no doubt on the day that in every case the greens were longer than the perceived bench setting of 5mm or 6mm. At such close tolerances this is critical if clubs are to follow a guideline relating to heights of cut. This will also have a fundamental effect on the ‘GS’ phrase – Green Speed.

We are aware that fescue will not tolerate close mowing but an optimum height needs to be identified which suits the needs of the turf and the playing surface.

3. Verti cutting

Optimum treatments again need to be identified against the grass species being developed and the quality of the playing surface being presented. As a colleague of mine keeps saying, “never say never!!”.

4. Soil and Water Analyses

A complete soil analysis would be useful to identify the base-line nutrient status of the greens and tie this in with the fertiliser programmes being adopted. Optimum nutrient requirements are essential once again if we are to achieve our objectives.

Two of the courses visited use acid injection systems to optimize water pH at 6.8. Base-line water analyses would also be useful to complete the picture.

Nutrient input from fertiliser is easy to measure. The nutrient input from 160 + tonnes of top dressing, however is more difficult to quantify, but should also be looked at as part of the overall equation.

5. Grass Species Composition

There is much talk and speculation regarding the quality of the turf at individual golf clubs. But we all know the difficulty in making an informed judgment on species composition, which can be affected by the time of year and the species appearing to bemore dominant at the surface. To overcome this anomaly the writer did suggest investing in or making a Point Quadrat, to analyses statistically species composition. You can then judge the success of your overseeing programme – at 1000Kg bent/fescue seed per annum and compare the success on individual greens, shaded and exposed and between golf clubs. It takes out the subjectivity.

6. Green Speed

We need to determine what is an achievable and acceptable green speed for the golfer. This figure will be determined by management objectives and not necessarily golfers wishes, but the Stimpmeter is a valuable tool for measuring the effect of different treatments i.e. top dressing, heights of cut, light verticut etc. but should not be used to achieve unrealistic targets.

Golfers should accept that the course should be played as it is set up on the day, according to the rules of golf, but for academic interest we need a reference point and the readings achieved with theStimpmeter can be used as that reference point – and no more.

7. Pest and Disease

Dollar spot at Smorum – optimum feed and water to look at

and finally…

Jay Dobson and Andy Cole would like to extend their thanks once again to Ian Tomlinson and his colleagues in Denmark and would hope that the visit was of mutual benefit to both parties in taking the process forward.

There is still much to be debated on this subject and the unique position Denmark is in with only 150 golf clubs, 50% of which are adopting the fescue promotion policy and a government forcing you into this position. In the UK we have 3000 golf clubs and associated members to convince and a government, which has not yet turned the screw in terms of pesticide legislation and fertiliser use.

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