March Green Keeper Update

Since Christmas the last two months have been quite a mixture of weather, long dry grey spells then hard downpours and then some heavy frosts in between and finally a heavy storm. This has caused problems on parts of the course not only from heavy rain storms in very short periods but also dry enough days for a steady footfall so some areas have become very worn in places. we know though that some prolonged dry days and the course will repair very quickly

The greens generally have held up well and the higher temperatures have meant that the grass has grown, albeit sporadically. They have improved over the years and the grass coverage has been very good this winter with only a few Fusarium scars to show for what was a very bad fungus infection season. Early season treatments of biological fungus protection have gone well and Turf Hardeners and Root repairs have seemed to do their jobs well with the general look and level having been very good, I have to keep reminding myself its only February!

This midway point between winter and the competition season can be tricky for greenkeepers as increased temperatures can provide a spurt of growth but ground conditions can dictate when machines can get onto greens and areas, then a frost can put them back into check or stop growth entirely. In the next weeks before Easter the maintenance regime will step up (weather allowing) across the course with top dressings and seed on greens and tees, fertiliser applications to fairways and greens and surrounds, fortnightly spiking, vibro rolling, and increased cutting. Along with this will be a top up of sand in bunkers and rake out of stones, plus clearing the tree debris from the recent storm.

We are though only as successful as the weather allows for we can go just as quickly backwards as we can progress forwards