Head Greenkeepers Update - 11.06.20
Welcome Back!
Allow me to speak for the entire “Agronomy Department” (fashionable and modern term for Greens) and tell you what a great pleasure it is see you all enjoying the course once again. Whilst I cannot deny it was far easier, quicker, and less stressful without you lot “getting in the way” the novelty soon wore off. Preparing the course day after day and week after week but having no-one to show it off to was a very deflating feeling!!
I mustn’t go any further into this blog without thanking all the Clubs Management / Directors and Members who have worked tirelessly for the benefit of the club during the lockdown period. Their planning and forethought in many areas have hugely benefited the greens department in being able to continue our daily tasks. This then allowed us the ability, when needed, to prepare for a quick re-opening of the course which was implemented smoothly. Without the continuous security checks over the weeks and restricted access onto the car park, I imagine the trespassing and vandalism levels would have been greater with more detriment to the club in terms of time and money.
I must also thank my team here at Penwortham for all their hard work and flexibility when staff numbers were restricted. Special thanks must go to James Hargreaves, who alongside me worked as the 2 man dream team. His efforts and enthusiasm to get the job done (as would my Deputy Matt Stone if roles had been reversed) enabling me to concentrate on completing several of the unfinished winter projects.
I have already received a few understandable queries (I’ll call them that rather than complaints) about certain aspects of the course and its presentation. However, given the events this year that have led to this point, I have taken them as a positive. They are so minor and easily explained that I believe it shows were covering most things.
Gift Horse
They always say, “necessity is the mother of invention” and so it has turned out to be! The opportunity to experiment with various mowing ideas whilst no-one was watching and the simple restrictions of having only two men to mow has led to long term changes to our cutting regime. The eagle-eyed among you may have already noticed but we are now cutting the fairways a little wider, however the biggest change has come with the machine that cuts the 1st cut of rough. The height of this has also been raised a little. This machine is now used to cut around all fairways, green surrounds, and tee banks. This creates a connection “pathway” almost from green to tee. This not only looks better in terms of presentation, it reduces machinery traffic and also promotes a more consistent standard of playing surface. This was always one of the thoughts behind the new tees and will be for any in the future, but we have also been able to implement it on many existing tees like 14th, 15th and 16th.
Despite having a very restricted staff levels and strict maintenance guidelines to work within. The opportunity to get some overdue but awkward tasks completed (e.g. drainage) on a virtually empty, dry course, was one too good to miss. I am pleased to say that many were completed seamlessly, and their benefits will be a positive for a long time in the future. However due to the fantastically fine and dry weather we have experienced, the recovery of some other jobs has been slower than we would have wished!
I am speaking about the areas that we have prepared for seed e.g. approaches, new grass swales (old bunkers) and areas of rough/woodland. Having completed the groundwork needed, I have been waiting for the weather (April showers) that would be conducive to sow the differing types of seed over these various areas. This weather has not arrived as-of-yet, so progress has paused. However, this may be fortuitous, because if this weather continues, as any recent seed sown will perish in the heat of summer. Focus therefore should be for over sowing this Autumn to prevent any financial waste. This nicely brings me onto the subject of the weather.
“Weather” the World of Extremes
The dramatic contrast we have experienced from last Winter to this Spring emphasises a comment often uttered from an old head greenkeeper of mine “The weather always evens itself out”. Never surely has this balance been achieved so quickly and from such an extreme position.
The rainfall totals for his year: Jan - 69mm
Feb - 282mm
March - 64mm, however no rain after the 18th
April - 11mm
May - 23mm
I had hoped that following the winter we had endured we were heading for a dryer period; however, I was thinking of spells of 4 to 5 days, without rain, rather than 30+ days.
Records in my diary show that the date of the 18th March was a highly significant day. This is the date it became obvious from the news that we were heading into a period of uncertainty. Due to COVID-19, all we had taken for granted would stop (at least for a while). However, it is was also the last day we received any significant level of rainfall. I noted in my diary “Exactly what we didn’t need, the course is absolutely saturated again”, little did I know about the change that was coming.
Turning the screw
I have been asked many times in the last few weeks since the course has re-opened “I bet you’re praying for some rain aren’t you” and my honest answer is that it would be nice, but I’m not desperate for it (yet). I would always prefer these conditions rather than the continuous rain we got last summer/ autumn/ winter. It has also got to be noted that the weather up to this point last year had also been very pleasant and only started to decline in the early part of June 2019. There is plenty of time for things to change, especially now the golf is back!!
The largest management headache I have faced in recent few months, has been the transition from total saturation to drought conditions on the course. This is not normally a major issue as there are basic techniques and operations that are periodically carried out as the ground dries that will “open the surface”. However, during this ideal interval of “drying” we didn’t have the staff to carry out such operations. This has then led to areas appearing to become “baked solid” at the surface. The new tees constructed this winter, are a perfect example of this especially the 1st tee. This was constructed when conditions were wetter than ideal and so soil structure was lost. This denser surface has now dried without having been “opened up” or loosened by any appropriate operation. Therefore, you may find its little more difficult to get a tee peg into it than it should be.
Unfortunately, despite the return of full staff and now having the perfect machine to “loosen” the surface, I am still prevented from doing so. To open any surface now, would lead to a huge increase in the loss of moisture from below the surface. Under present conditions this would then undoubtedly lead to a loss of grass cover. We also haven’t got sufficient coverage through our irrigation system so that can guarantee supplying enough water to all tees and greens over a prolonged period. Once a window in the weather becomes apparent, then all teeing surfaces will be “opened up”.
I have mentioned before that my main goal around the course (but especially on and around the greens) is the improvement in the sward (grass) composition. “Moisture management” is the key factor in achieving this.
Now for some technical stuff…..
The basic principle is that the more desirable species (of which we have been over seeding for a number of years now) have longer roots systems and therefore reach deeper. They also have a natural, better ability to cope/recover in dryer conditions than the undesirable species (Poa annua). In an environment that is detrimental to the undesirable species they will be out competed by the desirable species (competition for space). This is achieved in this instance by managing the moisture levels or VMC (volumetric moisture content) in the rootzone of the greens.
Without being unable to use any “chemical” control to remove annual meadow grass (Poa annua) from the sward, controlling the nutrition and moisture availability is the only “control” we have over it. Therefore, the longer we have a dry spell the longer we can “turn the screw” against the undesirable poa annua grass.
This management can feel a bit like living on a “knife edge” and does take a lot of monitoring. Anyone who has seen myself and my good looking assistant on a weekend can vouch for that. However, it is already noticeable how much things have improved since 2018 in this department. With our ever increasing percentage of desirable grasses within the greens sward. The overall root length of all the grasses lengthening significantly due to the purchase of our new Procore 648. The addition and/or relocation of sprinkler heads on a few greens over the last few winters have somewhat widened the cutting edge, (to carry on the simile) and made it easier. Using some fantastic products over the last few years has also been very advantageous.
Rest assured that nothing negative in the long term will ever happen to this golf course whilst I am in charge. Areas might seem to dry out too far and be lost, machines may spill their internal liquids and cause damage, gaps and holes will appear as beloved trees and shrubs are lost, but their replacements will be more suitable, longer lasting and only increase our pride to be a part of Penwortham Golf Club
See you out on the course!
Matt Dobbs, Course Manager
