Baberton Golf Club. Advisory Report on the Golf Course. Report Date: 10 th December 2015 Consultant: Ian Craig. Baberton Golf Club 1

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1 Baberton Golf Club Advisory Report on the Golf Course Report Date: 10 th December 2015 Consultant: Ian Craig Baberton Golf Club 1

2 CONFIDENTIAL Date of Visit: 22 nd October 2015 Visit Objective: Present: To carry out an autumn inspection of the golf course and confirm on-going maintenance requirements. Mr Gary McKenna Course Manager Mr Derek Smart Deputy Course Manager Mr Ian Craig Turfgrass Agronomist, STRI Ltd. Weather: 8 o C sunny with strong winds. Contents Executive Summary 3 Key Observations 4 Greens 4 Disease 5 1 st Green 6 Organic Matter Content 6 Soil Chemical Analysis 7 Aprons & Green Surrounds 8 Key Recommendations 8 Greens 8 Aprons & Green Surrounds 9 Appendix 1 Subsurface Analysis 10 Baberton Golf Club 2

3 Executive Summary A difficult set of circumstances had been presented this year with a cool and extended spring resulting in no real growing temperatures before June and this was followed by the wettest July on record. Despite the challenging circumstances the general condition of the greens has shown a significant improvement in the last 12 months and general playing qualities to the greens have been good throughout the year. Black layer persists in response to wet conditions and a more pro-active approach in terms of soil aeration is required in order to combat this. The combination of wet and mild conditions throughout the season has resulted in high disease pressure and outbreaks of both microdochium patch and anthracnose have been noted to a number of surfaces throughout the growing season. Organic matter accumulations in the upper soil profile have shown a notable increase in the upper 10mm, which would indicate that more routine sand top dressing is required during the growing months. The 1 st green remains weaker in terms of grass cover and overall sward health and this green was noted to be retaining moisture in the upper 20mm, which is greatly restricting the development of the bent/fescue sward. Shade continues to be a major issue to a number of greens. The 13 th and 17 th in particular were noted as being heavily shaded and both of these greens exhibit high levels of disease activity in comparison to the remainder. The tees were generally seen to be in good condition having coped well with the seasons play. Aprons, green surrounds and fairways do require some more intensive work in order to improve general turf health and consistency of lies. Baberton Golf Club 3

4 Key Observations Greens The more established greens on the golf course continue to show a dominance of annual meadow grass with supporting populations of bentgrass. The botanical composition of the greens does vary somewhat from green to green with the drier and more exposed surfaces supporting higher populations of bentgrass and the wetter and more sheltered greens demonstrating a dominance of annual meadow grass. Sward density to the surfaces was generally good however, some variability was noted with the notably weaker greens, such as 17 and 13, supporting thinner and weaker swards which are more open to fungal attack. Significant shading to the 13 th green. The above photograph demonstrates the significant issues with shading which is currently affecting a number of the greens at Baberton. The photograph was taken at 12 noon when sunlight levels would be considered optimal and this green was still subject to almost total shade owing to the southern and easterly aspect of the surrounding trees. At this time of year it is not until mid to late afternoon before this green receives adequate sunlight. Morning sun is critical, particularly in the late summer and autumn months in order to assist with the natural drying of the surfaces and to reduce the likelihood of fungal attack. Significant scarring from microdochium patch and some instances of anthracnose were noted to this surface and the general overall health is among the poorest of the greens on the course. Inspection of the soil profiles did confirm the persistence of black layer to a number of the weaker greens. This black layer is largely confined to the upper 40mm of the soil profile and it is thought that it would be triggered by some water perching within the organic matter at the surface, indicating that more routine sand top dressing would be required during the summer months, however it must also be noted that the black layer will have been exacerbated during this particularly wet summer. Aeration practices are generally very good with a combination of hollow coring and solid tining carried out at various points throughout the year, however the persistence of this black layer would indicate that a change in strategy may be required and it would be worthwhile to consider the use of an air Baberton Golf Club 4

5 injection unit such as the Air2G2 in order to better aerate the rootzone and alleviate the anaerobic conditions, which are currently present. Continued evidence of black layer. Disease The greens have been subject to outbreaks of microdochium patch during the months of June and July and during the month of September the more pressured surfaces such as 4, 13 and 17 have shown signs of both microdochium and anthracnose activity. These disease outbreaks have generally been controlled by accurate use of fungicides. It is worth noting that anthracnose activity has reduced significantly this year following some severe attacks during 2014 and this is most likely a result of increased fertiliser inputs as anthracnose is often a sign of a lack of inadequate nutrition. Evidence of microdochium activity Baberton Golf Club 5

6 1 st Green The 1 st green continues to show signs of thinning at the surface and a generally weaker all round sward and turf health is evident. Soil profile 1 st green: note the dense layer of organic matter in the upper 20mm The above photograph demonstrates the thinner and more open sward currently evident on the 1 st green and the soil core does demonstrate a significant problem within the upper 20mm of the soil profile. The layer of organic matter and soil appears to be holding significant moisture which is providing unfavourable conditions for the establishment of the finer grasses (fescue and bent) and the resultant thinning sward will inevitably lead to an ingress of annual meadow grass. Upon investigation with the Theta Probe soil moisture meter, it was found that the upper 20mm of the soil profile supported a soil moisture level of around 40%, underneath this level soil moisture was between 12% and 15% which indicates that excessive moisture is being held at the surface and not being allowed to penetrate down into the rootzone. Further work involving hollow coring will be required to this surface in order to break through the upper 20mm, ameliorating with sand and creating a more uniform soil profile allowing far greater infiltration and a more appropriate soil moisture profile. Organic Matter Content Samples were taken and submitted to our laboratory to assess the organic matter content in the upper soil profile beneath the selected indicator greens. Our target range for organic matter is 4% - 6% in the top 20mm moving to less than 4% lower down. On this occasion the organic matter was tested at 10mm increments through the top 40mm of the soil profile. This offers a higher resolution of conditions, especially at the turf base. The results of the organic matter testing are contained within the table below with graphs in the appendix section of the report. Baberton Golf Club 6

7 Organic Matter Content Loss on Ignition (%) Green 1 Green 4 Green 10 Green mm mm mm mm Average organic matter at the 0-10mm depth is 8.9% which is outwith the target range and would indicate that sand top dressing should be sustained at a higher level in order to dilute the organic matter as it accumulates in order to produce a sandier, firmer and drier surface. Average organic matter at the 10-20mm increment is 5.1% which lies slightly outwith the target range, however is of no major concern and routine aeration and topdressing should provide adequate control of this. Average organic matter below the 20mm level is within target range across all four indicator greens. The above results demonstrate that the upper 10mm must remain the key area of focus and it is thought that a combination of scarifying, routine verticutting and sand top dressing would be sufficient in order to target the problematic areas. Soil Chemical Analysis Samples were taken from each indicator green for routine chemical analysis of soil ph, phosphate and potassium. The results of the testing are outlined in the table below. Soil Chemical Analysis ph P 20 5 (mg/l) K 2O (mg/l) Average soil ph is 5.3 which is within the ideal target range and requires no rectification. The 1 st green shows some signs of a drop in ph from 5.3 in May to 4.6, this should be monitored over the next few months and should it continue to drop the ph can be gently raised with applications of dolomitic lime or calcium carbonate. Baberton Golf Club 7

8 Phosphate levels are generally consistent across the indicator greens and of no concern for the time being, however granular phosphate application may be required in the spring in order to help with general sward pick up. Potassium levels are satisfactory and inputs should be sustained at their current levels. Aprons & Green Surrounds The condition of the aprons and green surrounds varies significantly from hole to hole with some surfaces supporting dense healthy swards conducive to excellent lies and an accurate short game, however some of the more pressurised surfaces do tend to suffer from poorer grass cover and in extreme cases bare soil, which is restricting shot selection when faced with a poor lie. As with the greens, the weaker surrounds tend to be those subject to shading from trees and a lack of appropriate air movement and this is giving rise to a thin and patchy sward, which is negatively impacting on play. In the long term we should look to reduce the shading to these holes, however in the short term we should look to extend some more extensive works to these areas involving aeration, sand top dressing and applications of fertiliser and wetting agent. This should help to produce denser and healthier turf and areas where grass cover has been lost should be overseeded. Key Recommendations Greens The current nutritional programme is focused around the Symbio compost tea and bio stimulant programme with additional applications of granular and liquid fertiliser. Nitrogen inputs in 2015 are around the 80-90kg/ha mark and it would be recommended that some additional foliar nitrogen be applied throughout the growing season in 2016 in order to supplement the current nutritional programme and help to produce denser, healthier greens which should be less susceptible to disease outbreaks, particularly anthracnose. It may also be worthwhile to consider some applications of Primo-Maxx growth regulator, particularly to the more shaded and pressurised greens as this has been shown to improve the health and durability of turf in particularly shaded environments and could also help to reduce the incidence of disease to the particularly shaded greens such as 13 and 17. We must continue to target the anaerobic black layer conditions which persist beneath a number of greens. Routine solid tine aeration through the winter months as planned will go some way to alleviate this. However in order to accelerate the reduction in black layer it would be strongly recommended that the Club look to other methods such as direct air injection. The Air2G2 air injection unit would be the ideal tool for this process and consideration should be given to hiring of this machine in order to carry out the works to the necessary greens. It is important that the organic matter accumulations within the upper 10mm of the soil are targeted in order to eliminate the water retention and perching that we are currently experiencing. To this end we should look to a springtime renovation involving scarification to a 10mm depth followed by sand top dressing with the Dalhousie medium coarse sand. We should also look to apply sand top dressing routinely through the growing months on a monthly or ideally a fortnightly basis. This should be done in conjunction with verticutting, which will help to remove any litter accumulations from the surface and sarel rolling, which will help to penetrate through the existing organic matter allowing for the incorporation of the sand. Baberton Golf Club 8

9 Sand topdressing totals must be sustained at a minimum of 120 but ideally 150 tonnes/ha/year As mentioned in the previous report we would strongly recommend that the Club commence with some woodland management in order to improve the growing environments to a number of the major surfaces on the golf course. The highest priority areas for the time being should be the 13 th and 17 th greens, which are currently not receiving adequate sunlight and poor air movement. This is impacting negatively on the health of the turf and is leading to instances of disease to these surfaces, which are generally considered indicator greens for fungal attack. Aprons & Green Surrounds Ideally we should look to incorporate the aprons and surrounds into the greens maintenance programme. This should involve aeration, sand topdressing and applications of fertiliser and wetting agent. It would also be beneficial to carry out springtime renovations to the aprons, involving hollow coring, sand topdressing and overseeding where necessary to the weaker areas. Signed Ian W Craig BSc (Hons) Turfgrass Agronomist, STRI Ltd 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. The STRI Programme provides golf courses with measurements and data that help to monitor and assess golf course performance. The R&A has recently developed CourseTracker ( a free, online business management tool for golf courses, to record, review and analyse golf club performance across many areas of your business, including the golf course. STRI believes The R&A CourseTracker combined with the STRI Programme provides the tools you need to objectively monitor and assess your golf course performance. Baberton Golf Club 9

10 APPENDIX 1 Subsurface Analysis Baberton Golf Club 10

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