Bugs, features and.... Goldilocks

Hello there !

Well, we're into Spring, it's May and already, things appear to be fairly dry once more. April and May have a habit of being rather fickle. We should all really know better by now. April showers is a thing of the past. Now, it's exemplified by cold nights and warm days - precisely what we've just had. 4 days of rain total (5th, 12th 14th and 17th) and 22mm rain. That's not a great deal at all. Doesn't help kick start that much needed growth and recovery following winter work and turf deterioration

This manifests in a number of ways; dry ground conditions, limited/patchy growth, slow recovery from winter scarring - all things you've noticed out on the course recently, right? Amazing how we go from feast to famine almost at the flip of a switch - something myself and Tom Frame were discussing recently "we'll be crying out for some rain soon" so it started. And here we are....

Which leads me nicely into this.... 

"There's no grass on the fairways"

"The greens are so firm. Holding a ball on them is so tough"

A couple of comments heard recently. Both valid. Let's dig in and explore both.

4th fairway (above). Definitely grass there. So what gives? Or more precisely, what doesn't? Remember the rainfall statistics above? Here's a snapshot of what we're dealing with..

Also on the 4th. Soil literally like powder. Like it's not seen rain in donkeys years. No moisture at all - nada. Plenty of grass there though, right?

Just look at this - the surface opening up already. Cracks forming. This, dear members, is typical of clay based soils. Surfaces that hold water in that top 10mm in wet winters and then, like magic, have none of it in a dry spell. The line "there's no grass on the fairways" is actually more of "there's no moisture and forgiveness in the fairways". We're all looking for that, right, when we're going to take a divot. The resistance from club to ball to ground. Currently, there's none of it.

We want that Goldilocks scenario; not too wet, not too dry, just right

The bigger, wealthier golf clubs have fairway irrigation to solve this. They spray wetting agents to hold water for longer. Often, they're refining fairways with verticutters, brushes and overseeding regularly - usually with machinery that they have purchased for these tasks

Reality check alert: We're not them

Poulton Park Golf Club has done extraordinarily well over the last 15 years to restructure and pay down debt (hat tip Dave Ryder and the directors for being both prudent whilst reinvesting wisely in the golf club). We've reconstructed golf greens, installed fairway drainage, reinvested carefully into new machinery, reconstructed tees and bunkers, managed woodland through tree removal, increased maintenance budgets, hired more greens' staff, refurbished locker rooms and clubhouse, upgraded irrigation systems

We can't do everything. There is only so much money. All of these upgrades have improved the core areas of the golf club - the structurally important stuff 

What we would like to do now is refine it

Back to the fairways...

Ryegrass. Coarse agricultural ryegrass. Unrefined, garish, difficult to cut, unsightly. Dominates huge areas on some fairways. These characteristics are a bug, not a feature

If we didn't cut our fairways as low as we do (14-15mm mowing height) then this would proliferate. The problem would be magnified to the point where I'd hear what I did 5, 10 years ago

"The fairways look like they haven't been cut"

What's a guy to do, eh? !! 

So what we're looking at is a slow process of grass species conversion. Maybe something more what we might find on the 1st or 3rd fairways. Good density, more organic matter in the soil, supports finer grasses, allows us to maybe cut them that little bit higher. Let's look at fescue grasses, here on the 3rd approach on the temporary green area

Look at that beauty. Lovely and fine. Slow growing, refined, plenty of this to be found on a links course. Or somewhere like Delamere Forest Golf Club. Its fine texture is a feature, not a bug

So ideally, we look to introducing finer grasses into our fairways over time. Perhaps we might invest into fairway wetting agents, overseeding hire, spray tank purchases, brush attachments. However we approach this, let's not forget one thing: money. All of these refinement practices and machines/attachments cost money. There's no quick fix, no cheap fix or free lunch. We're on the right path but we have to invest sustainably in a world that's getting more inflationary with each year

Next point - golf greens. Yes, they're firm. That's also a feature and not a bug. I dare any budding golfer to play a good quality links or heathland or resort venue. Generally, their greens will be firm. Firmness is associated with better ball roll, drier surfaces, more resilient turf

I could name a number of golf clubs in our area whose greens don't meet thesecriteria. Which would you rather have? I once talked to a golf club member at another golf club a few years ago. We got to talking about golf greens. His opinion baffled me: "what I'd like is golf greens that are soft enough to hold a ball in the summer but dry and firm in the winter" to which I replied "good luck getting that then"

Usually, soft greens are wet greens. They drain poorly. They are often slower, denser and can get annihilated by disease. Firm greens are infinitely better all round. Our soil tests are used to help us to determine the fertiliser, topdressing and water requirements for their management. These guidelines are rooted in data and sound advice. Enjoy the firm greens. Use a soft ball. Get the odd lesson to learn how to generate spin off your irons. Enjoy a wry smile when you hear of the woes of other golf clubs who suffer soft greens in the winter (* we do know - gossip gets around in greenkeeping circles too)

Moving on to bunkers..

It was some project. What started out as something we thought would be turned around in a week, actually turned into a month

We found gravel. In the face. Actually, it's a drain from the green. We found stones. So many stones. So many in fact that I almost contacted Rio Tinto to offer them a mining permit. Finally, once all three greens staff had explored muscles they never knew they owned, we were ready to have the bunker liner installed

Then came the revetting turf - used not to prevent sand displacement (as per links courses) but to secure the liner in place

Finally, once all turfing and sand were added, we got the feeling. The feeling of satisfaction, relief and not having to endure this bunker for a long time 😎

Chipping green bunkers also renovated. Sand splash removed was equivalent of around 15 tonnes. Ask Morgan when you next see him. He and James were carting it off the bunker face and collar with a tractor bucket. But, it all worked out really quite well. Much better if I may say so

Back to the greens. It's that time of year again 

Yes, it's the poa of doom. Our friend and foe all wrapped up in one

Seedheads. The bane of golfers and greenkeepers alike 

Poa annua, an annual grass. Lives for one year. Establishes in the Autumn, matures during Winter, seeds in Spring and dies in Summer. Rinse, repeat in perpetuity. It'll still be going through that same cycle long after we're all gone. Essentially, it seeds because it will die and the seeds it produces will be next year's crop - or greens surface, if you like

Difficult to manage, very fickle. Shallow rooted, demands lots of water, lots of fertiliser, very prone to disease and drought. A weed grass but also a true survivor. You'll find it growing in roadside kerbs, bunker faces, garden patios or driveways. Almost anywhere. Yet, it does provide a good putting surface too. But at this time of year, it's not fun. Those pesky seedheads cause ball deviation when putting - 'snakey ball roll' is often used to describe it. Those seedheads are very adaptable too. They sit below the mowing height to avoid being removed. Even if they are removed, the plant will produce ..... more seedheads

Come summer, they'll go and the greens surfaces will look less 'white' . But for now, bear with us. I seem to have to repeat this issue each year but I actually don't mind now. It's part of the gig and this problem will always be with us. We do overseed our greens in Autumn with bentgrass - that's the darker grass you see in the above photo. The Aston Martin of fine turf grasses. Together they are chalk and cheese in Spring. One is resilient, hardy and quick to get going in Spring. The other is not

Many thanks as always to the team of volunteers who turn out in all weather conditions. Bridge building, strimming, path work, fence work, ditch clearing. They do it all

Finally, welcome to Kieran who has replaced Morgan. Kieran has only been with us for 3 weeks but he seems to be integrating very well. Do say hello to him if you get the chance

On that note, have a great weekend and enjoy your golf

Ben