RADCLIFFE-ON-TRENT GOLF CLUB

Transcription

1 Making great sport happen RADCLIFFE-ON-TRENT GOLF CLUB Advisory Report on the Golf Course incorporating the STRI Programme Report Date: 9 th September 20 Consultant: Adam Newton

2 Date of Visit: Wednesday th September 20 Visit Objective: Present: Weather: To review the late summer condition of the golf course, collect greens performance data and confirm recommendations for ongoing improvement. Bill Dunn, Club Manager; Luke Wilson; Acting Head Greenkeeper Neil Moore, Dep HGK; Martin Jones, Dep HGK Fraser Moore, Asst. GK; Stephen Barnes, Asst. GK Adam Newton Turfgrass Agronomist, STRI Ltd Fine, dry and mild with temperatures of approximately 23 C. Headlines Staffing issues and difficult weather conditions have presented a real challenge this season, however the course is reported to have largely performed well and received positive golfer feedback. Organic matter content has seen a sharp increase in the top 20mm over the last year in response to overwatering, excessive feeding and a lack of sanding and aeration. Values are now much higher than ideal and the greens are retaining too much moisture and the surfaces softening/footprinting. An increase in textural refinement work over recent weeks has brought about good ball roll qualities. Overall presentation and turf conditioning in the wider areas of the course was of a high standard. Reducing the size of the green approaches was suggested, along with organic matter management. Renovation plans for the 6 th teeing ground are fully supported, along with considerable tree removal. Key Actions Hollow tining, sanding and Graden sand injection work in September to reduce organic matter. Verti-draining and Air2G2 to relieve deep seated soil compaction. Routine aeration and sand topdressing through the year to manage soil structure and organic matter. Diligent disease management through the autumn and winter to avoid fusarium outbreak. Careful management of nutrition, aiming to reduce nitrogen inputs to 80 90kg/ha/annum. Reduce the size of the green approaches and apply hollow tining, sanding & verti-draining in autumn. Objective Measurements Measurement Average Target Range Soil Moisture (%) 4% (range 43 4%) 1-30% Hardness (Gravities) 92 Gravities (range 90 9g) 8-1 g Smoothness (mm/m) 18 mm/m <2 mm/m Trueness (mm/m). mm/m < mm/m Green Speed 9 ft in 9- ft Organic Matter 0-20 mm (%).3% 4-6% Organic Matter mm (%).2% <4% Soil ph Phosphate (P 2O ) 21 mg/l > (mg/l) Potassium (K 2O) 8 mg/l >30 mg/l Key: In Target Marginal Variance Out of Target

3 Photo Observations and Comments The putting surfaces were presented well, supporting a good texture. Heavy feeding and watering during the early-mid season caused the surfaces to become lush and dense hindering ball roll qualities. Performance testing results were very favourable during the visit (see appendix.) The greens were generally supporting a good body of grass, however grass cover on the th green was notably thinner particularly in high wear areas. High levels of feeding and watering, coupled with minimal aeration and sand input caused a deterioration in the agronomic condition of the soil profile. The productive growth caused led to a significant build-up of organic matter at the turfbase, as per laboratory testing (see appendix). The organic matter was holding on to water like a sponge and causing the surfaces to soften. This was evident with considerable footprinting seen on the greens following play. This will no doubt worsen as we approach winter The underlying soils were also rather tight and compact particularly at depth where finer textured soils dominate. Applying good amounts of aeration is now critical to improve soil structure and gaseous exchange. Organic matter levels beneath the approaches have also increased in response to high fertiliser and water input. This will need addressing through hollow coring, sanding and verti-draining this autumn

4 The green approaches were well presented but I would suggest that they are too long (23m standard length) to practically manage. Maintaining a shorter approach would allow for more intricate and affordable maintenance input. Plans to improve the 6 th tee are fully supported. The left hand tee is far better from a visual and strategic point of view. However, the surface area of the tee needs increasing to support Par 3 play. Dense tree populations surrounding the 6 th tee will need thinning to optimise turf quality. Trees to the left and behind the tee will need thinning considerably. The large ash tree to the right of the tee stops a considerable amount of sunlight from reaching the surface and should be removed. The bunker redevelopment programme will greatly improve the course strategically and aesthetically. The 13 th fairway bunkering would be considered a priority as both bunkers are bizarrely situated either side of lime trees. I was pleased to hear that the Club are currently trialling a flail collector following our discussions in spring. This will help with improving the playability of the roughs in the future as well as assisting autumn leaf collection.

5 Recommendations Greens Organic Matter Management Reducing the build-up of organic matter beneath the greens is the key priority. The current levels are causing excessive water retention and consequent surface softening/footprinting. This will hinder yearround performance of the greens and also provide an ideal environment for turfgrass diseases to proliferate thus leading to increased fungicide requirements. With this in mind, it is imperative that we conduct an intensive renovation of the greens during the maintenance week at the end of September. Recommendations for September renovation work are as follows: o Lift mowing heights to 4mm to help ease the pressure placed on the turf. o Apply a preventative fungicide 3 days before o Hollow tine the greens using mm diameter hollow tines, targeting 0mm depth and at 0x0mm spacings. o Apply a heavy sand topdressing, use the Sweep-and-Fill brush with the aim to fully-fill the tine holes with sand additional sand topdressing may be required if all the holes are not filled after the first application. o Then apply Graden sand injection to the greens to a depth of 22 2mm. o Remove surface debris and carry out further brushing to integrate the sand. o Apply a granular feed to the greens to help promote recovery o Some very light sand dressings may be required in subsequent weeks to restore surface levels. This should be coupled with occasional turf ironing (if conditions are suitable) to help restore ball roll qualities. o The end product on the surface should be hollow tine holes fully filled with sand, with sandfilled Graden lines over the top. This will ensure that the maximum benefit from the renovation is achieved. Future Renovations It would be advisable that the maintenance week reverts back to August/very early September to gain a much quicker recovery of the surfaces. The greens may take a greater length of time to recover this autumn if weather conditions turn unfavourable. We need to apply some renovation to the greens in spring to help make real headway with reducing organic matter levels. Do not be overly aggressive in the spring as surface recovery can be extremely slow if conditions turn cold and dry (as per the last two years) but it is important that we do some early renovation work next year. I would recommend micro hollow tining (mm diameter tines) and sand topdressing is applied. Disease Management With these renovations taking place quite late in the year, it is even more important that we carefully manage disease on the greens. Environmental conditions through October and November are notoriously ideal for fusarium and anthracnose development. Therefore, apply a further preventative fungicide application 4 weeks after the above mentioned one. A preventative approach will be far more effective when disease pressures are high particularly given the high levels of organic matter beneath the greens.

6 It is imperative that the surfaces are kept as dry as possible (from dew). Apply regular switching to remove dew and consider application of occasional dew dispersal agents. Keep up with occasional applications of iron sulphate through the autumn and winter to harden the sward and acidify the surface. Aeration & Topdressing Ensure that good levels of aeration are maintained moving forward. Verti-draining should be applied in late October/early November once the surfaces have settled. This operation must be applied when soils are suitably dry to provide compaction relief. Provision should be made for an Air2G2 air injection operation through late winter/early spring. This will also target deep seated compaction which has built-up over the winter but cause minimal surface disruption. Continue with regular micro solid tining (monthly) and occasional star tining through the autumn and winter. Only aerate when the surfaces will take the operation. It is critical that good levels of sand topdressing are applied to the greens through the course of the growing season to dilute organic matter at a rate faster than it accumulates. The bulk of sand will be applied at greens renovations but this should be coupled with regular, light dressing in between. Sand inputs have been disappointingly low this year so far (approximately 11 tonnes) but the September renovation will allow for us to make up some ground. Our aim next year should be to apply a minimum total of 0 tonnes of sand/hectare. Nutrition High levels of nitrogen were applied to the greens through the early part of the year. We were not able to decipher the exact quantities applied. However it is certain that we need to reduce inputs moving forward to produce a balance between turf health, surface performance and organic matter management. The Greenstaff are already adopting a leaner approach to nutrition and moisture and we discussed the need to keep nitrogen inputs to approximately 80 90kg/ha per year. The feeding programme through the early part of next year should focus on ammonium sulphate based feeds with application of lawn sand in late Feb/early March followed by application of 4:0:8 Invigorator in April. The timing of these may well change in response to weather conditions. Laboratory testing results confirmed that soil ph has remained relatively stable over the last year (average ph.9). The current values are adequate but it would be beneficial to acidify these slightly down to around ph.. This increased acidity will favour the bentgrasses on the greens and help to discourage disease. Phosphate levels were satisfactory and there is no need to apply any phosphate for the next year. Potassium levels were also ideal and after the autumn feed, there is no need to apply potassium again until the spring at the earliest. Monitor the density of grass cover on the weaker th green. This green may need an additional liquid feed over the coming weeks if turf density remains thin. We ideally want this surface to be stronger leading into greens renovations. Moisture Management Closely monitor soil moisture levels on a regular basis using the moisture probe. Our aim is to keep moisture at 1 30% whenever possible throughout the year. Through the summer months, this will

7 help inform irrigation and wetting agent requirements. In the winter, the information will gain a greater understanding of surface drainage rates. Green Collars and Approaches Consider reducing the size of the green approaches. Currently these are set at a uniform 23m length but I would reduce down to around - 1m which would be more appropriate to manage. Our aim is to continue to improve turf quality, presentation and performance of the approaches and managing a smaller area will allow for more intricate greenkeeping practices to be applied (e.g. feeding, sanding, verticutting, wetting agent, aeration etc.) without huge expenditure. Organic matter levels beneath the approaches are also quite significant and I would recommend that hollow tining and sand topdressing is applied in autumn once greens renovations have been successfully completed. Verti-draining should also continue as planned in early autumn before soils become too wet and soft. Tees Plans to renovate the 6 th teeing ground this winter are fully supported. Plans are to remove the existing white tee on the right handside and extend the yellow tee back and also widen (to the right). This will improve the view and strategy of the hole when playing from the medal tee and also create a more succinct teeing platform as a whole. This renovation work will be an opportunity to improve the pathway alongside the tees, which currently looks quite unkempt and disjointed. Tree removal is an important part of these renovation works and it is crucial that sufficient tree management is carried out to ensure that turf quality on the tee is not compromised by shading. Removal of a considerable amount of trees behind the tee is required, along with some thinning of trees along the left handside. It was interesting to watch golfers play the hole during the visit and observe how many tee shots were impacted by the encroaching trees to the left handside of the hole. Look to also carry out some tree thinning to the right handside of the tee as these trees restrict sunlight from reaching the teeing platform (particularly through the winter). Certainly remove the large ash tree to the right of the ladies tee. Roughs I was pleased to see that the Club have recently trialled a RyeTek flail collector to carry out cutting, scarification and clipping collection in the roughs. As discussed in my previous report, carrying out this work each autumn would greatly improve the quality and playability of the rough s overtime. We also discussed the potential for utilising the tractor mounted chain harrow following cutting and collection work to help rake-out material from the turfbase and reduce the density of the roughs. Signed Adam Newton BSc (Hons), MBPR, FQA Regional Turfgrass Agronomist Official Agronomist to the R&A Championship Committee STRI is completely independent and has no alliances to commercial products, services or contractors. This ensures that our design, project management and advisory services provide the best solutions for each individual client.

8 HARDNESS (GRAVITIES) VOLUMETRIC SOIL WATER CONTENT (%) Objective Data SOIL WATER CONTENT MEASUREMENTS Target 0 02/08/ /0/20 26/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Objective Data Graph 1: Soil moisture values were very high on all greens tested. This can be attributed to the excess organic matter at the turfbase holding on to moisture like a sponge (see photo in observations section). This will be further exacerbated through the winter where surface drainage performance will be restricted. 130 HARDNESS MEASUREMENTS Target /08/ /0/20 26/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Objective Data Graph 2: Firmness levels were within target ranges on all four greens but we could see that the immediate surface was certainly softening down and footprinting in response to high levels of moisture and organic matter.

9 LATERAL MOVEMENT (MM/M) VERTICAL MOVEMENT (MM/M) Objective Data (continued) SMOOTHNESS MEASUREMENTS Routine Target Tournament Target 02/08/ /0/20 26/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Objective Data Graph 3: Smoothness values were excellent and within tournament target ranges following a double cut and a roll on the morning of the visit. The th green was particularly smooth and well within tournament target. 20 TRUENESS MEASUREMENTS Routine Target 4 Tournament Target /08/ /0/20 26/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Objective Data Graph 4: Trueness values were also excellent and well within tournament target ranges. The increased level of surface refinement applied to the greens over recent weeks has paid dividends and produced a good texture to the sward. This in turn has resulted in good levels of trueness.

10 GREEN SPEED (FT) Objective Data (continued) GREEN SPEED MEASUREMENTS 11 Tournament Target 9 8 Routine Target 6 02/08/ /0/20 26/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Objective Data Graph : Greenspeeds were ideal for the County Fourballs tournament taking place and generally a good consistency in pace was seen from green-to-green. It was interesting to note that the th green was the smoothest, truest and best paced and also has the lowest organic matter figures (see below). This highlights that if we reduce organic matter suitably, achieving the desired level of performance will become easier.

11 LOSS ON IGNITION (%) LOSS ON IGNITION (%) Soils Laboratory Data ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT 0-20MM Target Range /08/ /0/20 28/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Soils Laboratory Graph 1: Organic matter content in the top 20mm has seen a dramatic increase from an average of.% last year to.3% this year. This is quite astounding and can be attributed to the excessive levels of feeding and watering earlier in the year, along with minimal aeration and sand topdressing. We have some way to go to bring values down into target ranges and this will involve a combination of renovation work, dedicated sanding and aeration, coupled with careful nutrient and water management. 14 ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT 20-40MM Target Range 0 04/08/ /0/20 28/06/2013 2/09/ //201 0/09/20 Soils Laboratory Graph 2: Values at 20 40mm depth have seen an increase on the th and th greens but have remained stable on the th and th. Values are much closer to target range at this depth but there is still some work to do.