Chemical Free Greenkeeping Amongst 2400 Deer

Transcript

1. Chemical Free Greenkeeping Amongst 2400 Deer Martin Nilsson Headgreenkeeper Royal Copenhagen Golf Club
2. Agenda • Club and golf course • A little about myself • What’s special about my workplace • Chemical free greenkeeping • Disease management • Weed management • Pest management • Deer management • People management (survival guide)
3. Club history Established i 1898 (first in Scandinavia) 18 holes golf course opens in 1931 (Architect unknown) Renovated in 2008/09 (Tom Mackenzie, Architect and Frank Lowell, Contractor)
5. Club history Situated in a very popular Public Park called “Dyrehaven” (The Deer Park) 8 m. guest p.a. “Dyrehaven” is part of a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage site
6. Club history • Farmland until 1670 • 1670-1780 used by the King for hunting • Today a public park (1000 ha) • Main attraction is the mature woodlands and more than 2000 deer
8. A little about myself • 49 years old • Greenkeeping since 2001 • Headgreenkeeper Copenhagen GC since 2006 • Board Member DGA 2008-2017, Chairman 2009-2017 • Board Member FEGGA 2018-
9. Discussion group • Likeminded greenkeepers • Creates an immensely strong Network and pool of knowledge
10. Discussion group ”Tour de Fungus”
11. Meeten is weeten Research STERF/ R&A European Research Dutch Sustainablity group Visits to other countries Visits to Denmark
12. Dyrehaven and the Golf Course Government owned land Nature Protection Act (DK) Ancient Monuments (DK) Natura 2000 (EU) World Heritage (UN)
13. A Multifunctional Golf Course
15. The Hubertus- Hunt
18. Restrictions on everything
19. Flags are brought in every night
20. The day starts
21. The day starts
22. ”Open Parkland” golf course
24. Well structured more or less free draining push-up greens (1928)
25. Chemical Free Greenkeeping • 1999 Government land most be pesticide-free including Copenhagen Golf Club • Herbicides and insecticides dissappears • Dispensation to use fungicides on greens • Last application of a fungicide fall 2011 • Today weeds are a bigger problem than disease
26. Progress of focus points Greens (from Poa to fescue dominance) Bunkers Greens surrounds and aprons Fairways
32. Disease management • Focus on fine fescues • Low input, HOC 4,2mm, grooming instead of verticutting • Winter program starts in august • Last application of fertiliser (N) • No aerification after mid-september • Last cut on greens in mid-october • Rolling greens to suppress Microdochium Patch and to maintain playing quality
33. Weeds Management • No Herbicides • Clover on greens, greens surrounds, teeboxes, fairways • Plantains on greens, greens surrounds, teeboxes
34. Clover Management • FeSO4 at 60 kg/ha • Spring and late summer • Up to 3 or 4 applications • Intervals of 7-14 days
35. Clover Management • FeSO4 at 60 kg/ha • Spring and late summer • Up to 3 or 4 applications • Intervals of 7-14 days
36. Plantain Management • Straight N+Fe Fertilizer • Garlic • Handweeding
37. Plantain Management • Straight N+Fe Fertilizer • Garlic • Handweeding
38. Pest Management • Chafer Grubs, Leatherjackets, Crows • Worms and wormcasts • Moles • Ants
39. Grubs and Crows
40. No strategy besides repair and communicate Not easy in a low-productivity environment
41. Wormcast Management
42. Sand and low input works …. maybe also fine fescues due to it’s high lignine content
43. Moles and hunting moles
45. Deer Management
55. Survival Guide ”Trying to win the Tour de France without doping” Communication is key Help can come from many places: • Ladies Section • Old Boys section • Young Elite Players working Summers
56. Ladies section and Old Boys Section
57. Young Elite Players working Summers Easy to train Good ambassadors Future chairmen?
59. My Greenkeeping in the Coming Years • Clipping Yield Management • Can I expand the days or weeks were the greens are in balance? • Tweaking the greens • How do I make the greens softer without compromising the overlaying strategy? • Raise the quality of the poorest performing greens • Creeping bents? • Stickers
60. Take-aways • Seek Knowledge and Experience – also abroad • Team up with like-minded colleagues • Always communicate and everywhere you can • Build up alliances and create ambassadors
61. Thank You