Greens & Grounds

August 11, 2008

The cool summer and timely rains have left the golf course in great condition.  The course is recovered from the floods of early summer and the winter damage.

Just like your home lawn we are surprised to be mowing the un-irrigated rough areas more than once a week in mid August.

A common question I receive is; Why do golf courses verticutt and sand the greens?

Agronomically we do it to reduce the amount of thatch or mat layer in the greens allowing air and water to penetrate evenly.  Verticutting is the thinning or thatching of the grass by cutting the grass blades sideways.  The verticutt blades not only cut the runners or grass laying down reducing grain it also goes into the soil and removes the extra thatch layer.  Adding sand regularly dilutes the thatch layer and helps it de-compose faster.

For putting playablity we do it to smooth the greens out and make them smoother.  The thatch and mat make the greens puffy and a little bumpy.  The less thatch we have the smoother the greens can become.

You may of seen we have had the bad luck of having a few hydraulic oil leaks this season.  It is alwayse frustrating, and we do check hoses for wear or cracks regulalry but some things are hidden on by framework or other parts of the mowers.  The most common question we receive after a leak is; Why didn't the operator stop right away?  Are they blind?  

I can tell you our operators feel horrible about any hydraulic leaks especially on greens.  Fresh oil on a green looks just like wet grass so to the operator it is nearly invisible.  When we are mowing in the morning it is nearly impossible to see a leak.  We usually find them because the operartor smells the oil or sees it on the equipment. 

Of course 20 minutes later the oil soaks into the grass plant and looks bright as can be in comparison to the drying grass around it.  We do use a vegetable based oil in all our mowers so any damaged is reduced although often the heat from the oil will kill the grass or at least thin it out.  The vegetable based oil does allow for quicker recovery as the new shoots will fill right in.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments feel free to give me a call at 920-929-3735 or a email at davidb@rollingmeadowsgolfcourse.com