A Question and Answer session with our Head Greenkeeper Gary Watkins
Q.1
Two years ago you mentioned that the greens were heavily thatched. What does this mean and how long will it take to get rid of this problem?
A.
You need a small layer of thatch to bind the surface together. If however it exceeds ½" then it forms an impenetrable membrane which does not allow water to pass through. Water sits on the top and the green is vulnerable to diseases. Below the surface the roots are starved of water and this weakens the plant. Close mowing will then stress the plant. With various activities we are 2 years in to a 4 year program to reduce our thatch to acceptable levels.
Q.2
Why can't we have fast greens all the time?
A.
If your thatch levels are high then you will have a weakened plant that will stress out as described in Q1. Other causes of slow greens are: - rain - whilst the grass plant is in seed - after fertilisers have been applied as the plant becomes very bushy.
Constant close mowing will mean that the surface will have to constantly opened up to allow air in, by hollow tining, spiking etc.
Q.3
The greens on Corbett Bowl time were excellent. Why can't we have this type of surface all the time?
A.
A great deal of preparation went in to the greens to get them to the level we did. This is considered to be our Tournament standard and cannot be reproduced until the thatch levels are reduced and the root structure improved. Over time they will continue to improve and our present Corbett Bowl standard should become the norm, with a faster pace reserved for our new Tournament standard.
Extensive verti cutting (thinning out the surface) was carried out. With this treatment and lowering the height of the mower cut the plant went in to a type of stress. Raising the height of the cut allows them to recover.
In addition we were lent some specialised equipment by our machinery suppliers which helped quicken the pace. This equipment has been put on our shopping list.
We have to be realistic and realise that to present the course in the same condition as the Corbett Bowl would take a lot of extra work, time and money, all of which are simply not viable. This is the case for all major courses as well. Leading up to major tournaments, budgets, man power etc are increased, and then after cut backs have to be made.
Q.4
We have water to all greens and tees, yet brown patches appear on many surfaces following the recent hot spell. How can this happen?
A.
Nearly every time this occurs is when there is debris underneath the surface, such as tree roots, stones, drainage pipes etc. The grass roots get affected by the heat generated by this debris which is hotter than the surrounding soil. Flooding the area is not an option. If we put huge amount of water on the green then the rest of the green will become saturated and be liable for fungal attack. We use a wetting agent to encourage dry spots to get water, hand water selected areas and check our irrigation system to make certain it covers the areas we want it to.
Certain tees are prone to drying out as there is a lot of debris under several of them. Also the irrigation system could be improved to provide greater coverage. This will be undertaken when we rebuild tees in the future.
Q.5
We are told that most of our greens are "Clay Basin" type. What does this mean and what will it cost to replace them with American type greens?
A.
Clay based greens are as the name suggests, a clay bowl construction under the surface. They retain water in the basin and require a regular opening up the surface to allow air, water and nutrients in and adequate drainage system to remove excess water.
American type greens are built with porous material and the grass grows in a band of sand. They require a great deal more water and nutrients than clay based greens and dry out much quicker due to their excellent drainage properties. As sand heats up quicker than soil they allow the plant to grow earlier in spring. An average estimate for installation of this type of green would be in the order of £30000 per green.
Q.6
There appears to be many types of grass on our greens. Why this is and what problems do you encounter?
A.
There are several different types of grasses in our greens. They are made up of meadow grass, fescues and bents. Fescues and bents are the finer type of grass which provides an excellent surface. Meadow grass will always be present in our greens (unless you spend a fortune) as it is all around the surrounding fields. It does tend to seed more than the finer grasses which can make the ball snake along. The one problem we have with this mixture of grasses is that they grow at different levels in early spring, creating an uneven surface until the slower growing grasses catch up. Once night time temperatures rise to a constant growing level the surface can be worked on with operations such as verti - cutting and top dressing to increase speed and consistency of ball roll.
Q.7
During the summer the greens have firmed up considerably. Why can't you water them so that the ball stops easily?
A.
We are in Catch 22 territory again. If we over water for you to play target golf then the surface will become soft and spongy and the thatch layers will increase, undoing all the hard work we have so far achieved. This will also encourage fungal growth to manifest itself. The cost of spraying the 19 greens for Fusariam is in the region of £700-£800 a time.
Managing the amount of water the greens require is a very fine art, I am a believer in watering the greens to keep them alive and not over watering for colour or appearance.
Q.8
Why can't the groundstaff be responsible for pitch mark repairs?
A.
You made it, so, you repair it, is normally the stock answer to this question. You would not expect us to follow you around repairing every divot mark you made would you?
If pitch marks are repaired quickly then recovery is very quick. If they are allowed to dry out, they will scar the surface for weeks and that area becomes susceptible to weed growth and disease. If your ball lands on the green from a modest distance it will have left a depression that needs repairing quickly.
Q.9
Why are our bunkers always short of sand with the result that we either hit the lining or encounter stones?
A.
Our bunkers are small in size with the result that the ball tends to finish up in a confined area. Players tend to rake backwards as they retreat from the bunker. After a short time the above two factors have reduced the depth of sand in those areas considerably. When the ground staff rake the bunkers under normal maintenance (3 times per week), we find that the sand has been pushed backwards as players leave the bunker. When you leave a bunker, please push the sand forwards, which will leave a greater depth of sand for players following you.
Past construction was to build a soakaway under the bunker with stones, then to cover this with upturned turf. Over time the turf has rotted away exposing the stone soakaway.
We have planned to refurbish a third of our bunkers this winter in our winter project. They will be dug out to a greater depth and have a liner inserted which will not rot. The remaining bunkers will be refurbished the following year.
July 2009
A MEETING WITH GARY WATKINS HEAD GREENKEEPER
AUGUST 20TH 2009
Q.10
Why have you chosen to carry out major work to the greens during the season? Why cannot this wait until October.
Make no mistake the work undertaken to the greens on the 11th August is major. We used a Graden machine which takes off considerably more surface area than hollowtining. It is designed for greens that have a thatch problem as it rips up the surface and up to 4 inches below. With healthy soil temperatures recovery is relatively quick whereas we could face months of recovery if this is carried out when the ground goes colder. Once we have the thatch under control we will revert back to less intrusive maintenance which recovers quicker. Unfortunately the heavy rain and wet conditions on Wednesday (13th Aug) and Thursday (14th Aug) precluded us from top dressing until the following Monday. I could not take a trailer and dresser, weighing over 2 tons, on to the greens until they had firmed up as it would have left deep ruts.
Q11.
Why cannot you get a decent view from the steps on the 4th?
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The offending bush has been trimmed.
Q12.
The rough just recently is impossible. Are you trying to toughen up the course?
Definitely not. The height has been set at 65mm (two & one half inches in old money) for the last two years. With over 6" of rain in July we are experiencing spring like growing conditions. It physically takes one machine all week to cut the rough once. Therefore there will be parts that have not been cut for a number of days. Normally we have dry conditions in August so that cutting rough and fairways is carried out once a week at most. We have been cutting the fairways four times a week recently and have one person full time on the rough deck. The rough mower is frankly not man enough to tackle this rough and is leaving unsightly grasses everywhere. With dryer weather on the way this will be broken down further and the rough will be back to normal. In addition we have experienced breakdowns on this machine and had to borrow a couple of machines to help out.
Q13.
Why can't you mow the RHS of the 12th as it impossible to find balls and it slows play down considerably?
The decision for this rests with the Greens Committee. This area has been designated as a natural area and my instructions are that it should not be mown. To be fair a ball hit in the trees is well off target and against playing the hole as it has been designed. The cost of diesel, manpower and machinery also has to be taken in to account as if we cut this it will simply be that the rough elsewhere will not be cut as often.
Q14.
Why do our fairways appear spongy?
They are soft due to the cutting techniques used in the past. We intend to cross cut more next season to reduce the thatch. We cannot carry this out now as it would look a mess and yellow up.
Q15.
I have discovered that one bunker has astra turf used as a liner. Why cannot this be pulled out?
Previously astra turf was use as a liner as it does not rot. Unfortunately this has not been placed deep enough. We have sumps underneath a large number of our bunkers which would then expose stones and drainage material if the astra turf was pulled out. We have identified a number of bunkers for total refurbishment this winter and are awaiting sanction of this expenditure.
Q16.
Why are there indents to the fairway on the 13th and 4th.
Good point. Greens have agreed that the fairways will revert back to full width in these areas. They will be cut back early next season.
Q17.
Are you trying to copy some USA courses with heavy rough near to some greens?
No. We have struggled to keep on top of the rough in the last two weeks as we have been tied up doing maintenance work. Illness and machinery breakdowns have worsened the situation. We hope to resolve this problem this week as we expect to get better cutting conditions.
Q18.
The bunker on the 2nd has rough around it and the ball often stops short of the bunker.
Agreed. This will be cut back to surround height to resolve.
Q19.
On many of our holes the rough stops the ball running in to the fairway bunkers as apposed to the 9th and 10th.
Again this is a policy decision by Greens. On some holes like the 7th and 8th there is not room enough to extend the fairway and have a first cut. Presently my instructions are that I should cut the grass to first cut height on holes where there is not sufficient room to extend fairways. These are not therefore classified as fairway bunkers.
Q20.
The old sign on the practice ground advised members not to hit down the hill to the teeing area. The new sign does not mention this.
Greens have discussed this and do not want yet another sign to be erected. The matter is being monitored by the Pro and my staff to see if this is a continuing problem. Over the last month we have nothing to report.
Q21.
The tree on the RHS of the 5th men's tee protrudes and restricts play.
Greens have looked in to this and consider that there is sufficient room at present. This will be monitored and the tree will be trimmed when it grows out further. There is also an element of protection for players coming down the 4th fairway.
Q22.
The run off area to the RHS of the 3rd should be fairway height.
Ideally yes but there is an H&S issue here. The only machine that can cope with the slope is our Sidewinder and that is set up to first cut height. It is a time consuming exercise to change mower sets for the benefit gained.
Q23.
Why are the holes getting smaller?
As previously reported we have a problem with moving holes around due to the small surface area of our greens. We normally move them twice a week and on competition days. The grass around the holes grows and gives the impression of it shrinking in size. I have instructed my staff to carry some scissors around with them so that they can trim the holes after cutting. This is assuming you have 20-20 vision.
Thanks go to The lady Captain, J Gray, C Battin, C Archer, A Bishop N Ramsden for their contribution plus a few members in the Spike Bar.
JS Aug 2009
|
