Questions for Greenkeepers?

Ally McIntosh wrote: »

I think that would be an excellent idea.

Maybe you can explain to all the different grasses used on Irish courses and what each means to playability, appearance and maintenance labour and cost.

It would also do well that people get a better understanding of seasonal conditioning so they might not be so judgmental based on one visit.

Thank you,
Ally

P.S. good choice of user name.

You're a hard task master Ally. I'm sure you have plenty of insight you can add also.

If we are talking about grasses then it is probably best to first talk about the grass that dominates the majority of our courses and in this instance the ones that dominate our putting surfaces.

Poa annua/Annual Meadow Grass

This grass is an opportunistic little bugger that will grow almost anywhere it finds an opening. The climate we have here in Ireland is ideal for Poa annuna.

Well managed Poa can produce excellent putting surfaces. It can be mown at very low heights of cut which obviously produces fast putting surfaces during the playing season.

The biggest cause of concern to playability is its ability to produce seed. The production of seed causes uneven playing surfaces and it can be very difficult control. Unlike most other grass species, Poa can produce seed even while being cut very low. It can also produce seed all year round.

Its a very high maintenance grass that requires a lot of water, fertiliser and mechanical work to keep surfaces at their best. It produces a lot of thatch and this usually requires hollow tining once or twice a year. Perhaps scarification in extreme cases.

The other problem with Poa annua is that as a turfgrass plant it susceptible to so many problems, especially during the winter months. In particular its prone to diseases such as fusarium, which in winter can cause scarring as there is less recovery from growth.

I have not worked on a course with Poa as the dominant grass species so perhaps others may be able to shed a little more light on it than me.

The Finer Grasses

I am going to put a number of the bent grasses and fescue grasses into this category. Though not the creeping bentgrass varieties imported from America.

The finer grasses such as fescue and browntop bent require less water, fertiliser, mechanical maintenance than Poa annua. They are less susceptible to disease, drought and wear.

They produce better year round playing surfaces as a result and are a very desirable plant from a greenkeepers perspective. They can be mown at greater heights than poa without any loss of speed.

Typically they thrive in less fertile environments such as links land. Hence why the game evolved in these coastal areas.

I hope that gives a little insight into the types of grasses we find in Ireland.

bigtimecharlie wrote: »

Great post.

I have been watching youtube video's relating to course maintenance.

Any video's that you could recommend?

http://www.usga.org/CourseCareLanding.aspx?id=21474846413

Great video here on aeration. I think if you look through the site there might be some other good videos.

fred funk }{ wrote: »

None really. I have a lot of respect for you guys. My experience with GK's has always been good and you guys will always give a quick wave when passing.

Thats good to hear. Most of us are golfers anyway and experience things from a golfers perspective regularly.

I haven't encountered many golfers over the years who aren't polite, friendly and patient. As with most walks of life there are a small few who give the rest a bad name.

I'm not trying to set myself up here as an authority either, if I can answer a few questions you guys have I will do. Hopefully there are some other greenkeepers on boards who can contribute to the discussion.

The one thing the greenkeeping industry seeks is some recognition and respect for the work they do. It is a profession that has more and more highly qualified people with good groundings in the science of turfgrass management. In the last 30 years the standard of courses have sky rocketed and so too have expectation levels.

Back in 1977, the year of Tom Watson’s first Masters victory, the U.S. Golf Association measured the greens at Augusta National and found them to average 7.9 on the prototype Stimpmeter then in use. Not only were the greens much slower back then but they also varied dramatically from one to the next, with the par-3 12th hole measuring only 6.3 and the sixth green, also a par 3, topping out at 9.5. Arguably, it took more skill back then to adjust to such different putting surfaces. This week, regardless of average speed, the variance across the entire golf course will be no more than plus/minus 3 inches.

dan_ep82 wrote: »

There was a thread the other day on smoking and one thing that was brought up was throwing butts on the course, do you come across it often, or any other types of rubbish?

Whats the biggest benefits of being a greenkeeper and a golfer?

Rubbish is an something we do come across regualarly but I wouldn't say its a widespread problem. Most golfers are quite responsible. Although those who shove rubbish into a bush should hold their head in shame!

Benefits of being both a greenkeeper and a golfer? Hard to quantify really. I guess you do have a better insight. From both perspectives. Though I find after spending a week on the course, the appetite to play golf on your time off is less. Bit of a busmans holiday.