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Keeping inputs to a minimum while producing optimum playing surfaces

Keeping inputs to a minimum while producing optimum playing surfaces

Presented on 10 March 2016 in Thailand as part of the R&A Seminar on Sustainable Golf Course Design, Renovation and Maintenance in Asia. This discusses playing surfaces for golf, what the conditions should be, some advice on how those conditions can be achieved, or adjusted closer to the desired conditions, and in particular explains how this can be done with a minimum of inputs such as water, fertilizer, energy, and pesticides.

Micah Woods

March 10, 2016
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  1. Keeping inputs to a minimum while producing optimum playing surfaces

    Micah Woods Chief Scientist | Asian Turfgrass Center www.asianturfgrass.com The R&A Seminar on Sustainable Golf Course Design, Renovation, and Maintenance in Asia March 2016
  2. Data, what is it good for? The data are only

    useful when they can be used as a decision making tool. • Identify a target range. • Learn what affects green speed, surface hardness, and soil moisture. • Use data and that knowledge to work more efficiently and improve playing conditions. fine fescue England
  3. Modify the green speed by adjusting … - the mowing

    height - frequency of rolling - N rate - plant water status - grass species
  4. Modify the green hardness by adjusting … - soil organic

    matter - soil moisture content - sand topdressing - scarification - coring - other types of cultivation
  5. Modify the soil moisture by adjusting … - irrigation -

    soil organic matter / sand topdressing - drainage
  6. When organic matter accumulates, soil moisture can be high, with

    soft surfaces. seashore paspalum Hong Kong
  7. To get better control of soil water, manage the accumulation

    of soil organic matter. seashore paspalum Hong Kong
  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
  10. 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
  11. “The end result is a well- drained, stable, sand- based

    field at a fraction of the cost required for other renovation processes.” this & other articles at bit.ly/grass_contour
  12. 4. Rent or purchase old equipment for the grow-in. Avoid

    damaging new equipment at the grow-in stage.
  13. 5. Have the golf course superintendent involved from the start.

    Preferably the same superintendent who will maintain the course after opening. Source everything yourself. Don't just hire a general contractor and let them do it. bermudagrass Hanoi
  14. 6. Do it right the first time. Mistakes at the

    time of construction are difficult to fix. path & drainage Japan
  15. 7. Measure year after year, and take steps to reduce:

    • water • fertilizer • pesticides • energy from Golf Course Management, 2013