USGA Green Section Turf Advisory Service Visit - Beach Grove Golf ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Beach Grove Golf Club -4- May 4, 2005 every player appreciates smooth surfaces with adequate pace (9’-9’6” should be a realistic goal during the growing season). While Mr. Murray should not change his basic programs of light and frequent topdressing using the spin topdresser, regular vertical mowing (especially during seedhead time), light and frequent fertilizer applications, the use of growth regulation and careful irrigation, one area where green smoothness can be created is with a fast, self-contained roller. It was suggested to demonstrate the unit to the right as seen the day after this visit at Everett CC where rolling and spiking were being conducted in the same operation. Newer self-contained “sidewinders” can roll as fast or faster than triplex type units, thus this is one area where improvement can be made. Also, enclosed is the latest information on green rolling. Rolling can be completed up to 3 times weekly, however great care must be taken to avoid rolling during times of excess moisture (all winter and early and late in the season) and during warm summer temperatures. This is an area that should be under the complete control of the golf course superintendent based on his experience and weather patterns. Dictating a strict rolling schedule is not recommended! The other major difficulty facing Mr. Murray is the difference in growth amount and habit between creeping bentgrass and Poa annua. As opposed to virtually all of the other older private clubs in the Lower Mainland, the greens at Beach Grove are comprised of a high percentage of creeping bentgrass. While this grass is very smooth and consistent during the growing season, it does not grow during the winter and becomes grainy. Poa annua, on the other hand, grows all winter long, has little grain and develops seedheads in the spring. These differing growth rates result in bumpier surfaces during the winter months, however achieving smooth surfaces during the winter is very difficult since rolling should be avoided due to wet or frozen conditions, topdressing generally is not completed and vertical mowing can only be done with great care. Bottom line – do not try to “push” the greens at Beach Grove in the winter. Take a conservative approach of protecting the greens as you have done in the past so the majority of the membership can enjoy smoother and healthier surfaces during the growing and regular playing season. • Experiment with A4 overseeding on one green. While creeping bentgrass and Poa annua have different growth characteristics, newer varieties of bentgrass are far less grainy and display a similar density to most Poa annua. With this in mind it was suggested to select one green for overseeding with A4 at a rate of ½ lb./M during June, July and August following spiking efforts. With the natural ability to resist anthracnose and pink snow mold while germinating and surviving under low mowing heights, this could prove to be a valuable experiment. • Control seedheads when Proxy becomes available. For several years golf course superintendents in the U.S. have had the growth regulator Primo at their disposal, thereby allowing for faster and smoother greens during the growing season. This product is now
Beach Grove Golf Club -5- May 4, 2005 commonly used throughout Canada (and at Beach Grove), however a second growth regulator (Proxy) that virtually stops Poa annua seedhead development has not been introduced into Canada at this time. When it becomes available, its’ use during the spring will greatly reduce complaints about green speed and smoothness as has occurred throughout the U.S. • Increase aeration using smaller tines and an upgraded aeration unit. While green aeration is never appreciated by golfers or the maintenance staff, recent changes in aeration options has greatly reduced the negative nature of this operation. In regard to the aeration program, it was suggested to demonstrate the new Toro Procore 640 (shown in the photo to the right) to improve this important portion of the operation. This walking aerifier offers excellent versatility by allowing the operator to change spacing and depth (if desired) with a simple flip of a switch. In addition, this single unit is as fast as two other walking units combined and the tires on this unit are set to avoid smashing aeration holes that have previously been made. In short, if this unit provides the expected results of clean holes with tighter spacing you will be able to reduce the size of the tines down to ½” and recover from future aeration operations at least twice as fast as larger tine usage. For example, during a visit to Everett CC the day after visiting Beach Grove all of the members in attendance stated that the aeration was not a major disruption this year with good putting conditions within 7 days of the aeration with this new unit. Some even claimed that the conditions weren’t that bad after only 2-3 days! This unit (or similar) would be a major tool in the control of organic on your greens. • Demonstrate a new type of green spiker. In addition to upgrading the regular aeration equipment used for the greens, a very rapid and deep method of green spiking has been introduced with the Planet Air unit shown to the right. This unit offers a fast and labor efficient method to spike the greens to a depth of 3” (note photo at top of next page) with minimal surface disruption while creating results similar to regular tine aeration without organic matter removal. Monthly spiking with this type of unit followed by light sand topdressing during the growing season has proven very beneficial in other portions of the country, with exceptional
Page 1 and 2: USGA Green Section Turf Advisory Se
Page 3: Beach Grove Golf Club -3- May 4, 20
Page 7 and 8: Beach Grove Golf Club -7- May 4, 20

USGA Green Section Turf Advisory Service Visit - Beach Grove Golf ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?