The right conditions for golf

Discusses the soil and water conditions necessary for golf. Presented in Beijing and Bangkok at The R&A Seminar on Sustainable Golf Course Design, Renovation, and Maintenance in Asia

Transcript

1. The right conditions for golf 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. Suzhou What is required, at a minimum?
3. 1. Soil There must be some soil in which plants (grass) can grow. Fairway “soil” Japan
4. Thailand Working with existing topsoil
5. fairway drainage Japan Topsoil or sandcapping required here
6. green construction Japan Putting greens generally use sand for consistency
7. Penn G-2 bentgrass nursery Shanghai All greens on a course should have similar soil conditions
8. 2. Water There must be some source of water to maintain turf at the desired growth rate. irrigation pond Thailand
9. bermudagrass Sri Lanka Need to have enough water, also need drainage
10. Calculating the irrigation water requirement • estimate the water use of the grass, which is represented by evapotranspiration (ET) • subtract the effective precipitation from the ET • multiply times the area to be irrigated • adjust for the distribution uniformity of the irrigation system
11. Example: 20 ha in Beijing for the month of June • estimate the water use of the grass, which is represented by evapotranspiration (ET) • the average daily ET in June is 4.6 mm, or 138 mm for the month
12. Example: 20 ha in Beijing for the month of June • ET = 138 mm • Average June precipitation is 71 mm • Effective precipitation is 32 mm • Amount that must be supplied is 138 – 32 = 106 mm
13. Example: 20 ha in Beijing for the month of June • Irrigation must supply 106 mm • 106 mm applied to 20 ha is 21,200,000 liters
14. Irrigation audit to measure distribution uniformity (DU) Tifdwarf bermudagrass Thailand
15. The irrigation applied to the lowest 25% cups is compared to the average of all cups Tifdwarf bermudagrass Thailand
16. Example: 20 ha in Beijing for the month of June • Irrigation must supply 106 mm • 106 mm applied to 20 ha is 21,200,000 L • Let's say the distribution uniformity is 0.84 • 21,200,000 / 0.84 = 25,200,000 L
17. Cart traffic is especially damaging to dormant turf. A lower growth rate can be maintained (and less water used) when cart traffic is reduced. manilagrass (Zoysia matrella) Thailand
18. bluegrass and ryegrass Japan There also must be drainage.
19. Installing more drainage to improve playing conditions Poa annua & ryegrass USA
20. bentgrass and bluegrass Kunming Soil, water, and drainage