Ground contours & grass

This presentation was given as part of the Design, Build, & Maintain: a different way? seminar at Laem Chabang on 8 March 2015.

I explained two things. First, once a sandcap is in place, a tremendous amount of work must be done to keep that surface firm. Second, growing grasses that don't die or thin out when allowed to grow slow, or when irrigation is reduced, will produce the firmest surfaces.

Transcript

1. Ground Contours & Grass Micah Woods Chief Scientist | Asian Turfgrass Center Handout: bit.ly/grass_contour www.asianturfgrass.com Design, Build, & Maintain: a different way? Laem Chabang, Thailand 8 March 2015
2. are these conditions possible in a tropical environment? fine fescue Scotland
3. are these conditions possible in a tropical environment? bermuda & carpetgrass Rayong, Thailand
4. are these conditions possible in a tropical environment? tropical carpetgrass Chumphon, Thailand
5. are these conditions possible in a tropical environment? manilagrass & carpetgrass Chonburi, Thailand
6. 1. Soil Yes, such surface conditions are possible, but sandcapping is not the way to achieve them. all referenced articles are at bit.ly/grass_contour
7. Tremendous ground contours, excellent playability. But no sandcap. bentgrass & ryegrass USA
8. What happens when we grow turf in sand? 1. Sand has low water holding capacity – we have to add more water. 2. Sand has low nutrient holding capacity – we have to add more fertilizer. 3. When more water and fertilizer are added, the grass grows more.
9. Once a sandcap is in place, the organic matter must be managed. organic layer over sandcap Singapore
13. why do we core aerify greens? creeping bentgrass Japan
14. why do we apply sand topdressing to greens? Tifeagle bermudagrass Thailand
15. If the organic matter is not managed, greens fail. Once a fairway is sandcapped, that same work of organic matter removal and dilution with sand must be done on the entire sandcapped area. sandcapped seashore paspalum fairway, Hong Kong
16. “The long-term health of putting greens depends on maintaining sand as the primary medium. If organic matter accumulates beyond a reasonable degree, the physical benefits of sand are diminished and putting green physical properties decline along with the health of the turf.”
17. An alternative: drainage, plus sand added as topdressing Poa annua & ryegrass USA
18. An alternative: drainage, plus sand added as topdressing fairway topdresser USA
20. “The end result is a well- drained, stable, sand- based field at a fraction of the cost required for other renovation processes.”
21. Sandcapped seashore paspalum fairways, no rain for previous 21 days. Seashore paspalum Thailand
23. manilagrass fairway Philippines This used to be a bermudagrass fairway. Not anymore. The transition happened naturally.
24. We grew 419 bermudagrass, Salam seashore paspalum, & nual noi manilagrass Zoysia matrella Thailand
25. These are the grasses during the fourth week of the experiment in December 2013. simulated fairway turf Thailand
26. nual noi was 22% more efficient in water use and 25% more efficient in N use. It does not require as much water or nitrogen to produce a dense sward. measuring water use Thailand
29. Kawana: no sprinkler system, zoysia tees, fairways, greens, rough. Z. matrella & Z. japonica Japan
30. Royal Hua Hin: native grasses, excellent ground contours and playing condition mix of native grasses Thailand
31. Ground contours at Royal Hua Hin mix of native grasses Thailand
32. Tree shade is pleasant on a tropical golf course; what other grass is so versatile? tropical carpetgrass Thailand
33. Tifeagle & manilagrass Thailand Handout: bit.ly/grass_contour