The Benefits of Tree & Woodland Management - Lets Make Our Own Success

Generally a very contentious subject; however, also a very misunderstood practice.

There is no more better way of proving the benefits to fine turf playing surfaces than where there has been a success. The 12th main tee is one area in particular where this benefit is evident. Before the trees; and in particular the tree nearest the tee were removed, several times a year the side of the tee nearest the tree had to be overseeded and turfed. Apart from this waste on resources; the tee also required extra irrigation during the summer to try and prevent the grass plant suffering from drought and the competition with tree roots taking the moisture. Since these trees have been removed the 12th main tee has flourished and for the first year that can be remembered no additional work has been necessary. One other benefit of removing these trees has also seen the general tidiness of the 1st and 12th tee area. No leaves to contend with laying on the grass encouraging worms and disease; and no falling twigs and branches lying on the pathway. 

If we consider the many benefits this has had; then we can take that success story forward and be more pro-active in other areas of the course. Identifying trees that have been neglected and left to flourish in areas that are not practical for producing and maintaining fine turf areas over the last 40/60 years now need to be dealt with. Had a pro-active approach with some foresight been considered many years ago, we would not been in the current position we are. Too many trees have been left to develop and increase in size with no consideration for the negative impact it will have on future conditions. 

Unfortunately the responsibility now falls on us to tackle this problem. Burying our head in the sands is no longer an option. Taking steps to promote better playing surfaces and by reducing the unnecessary drain on resources is the target we must now aim for. There are plenty of mature trees outside of the main playing areas that can be left to flourish. In fact, successful woodland management focuses on removing young self-seeded trees and uncovers mature specimens which can therefore grow and develop with better shape.

We have reached a fork in the road and we either face up to the problems and tackle them head on; or we ignore what’s been gradually sneaking up on us and let conditions deteriorate further, wasting more resources than ever before. Let’s be brave and deal with the problem in hand and work in tandem with nature, while producing a financially efficient and great golf course. 

Winter Definition

It will soon be that time of year again when growth potential reduces as temperatures decline, (hopefully).
To maintain definition to identify the edge of the fairway during the winter months, the semi-rough only continues to be cut around the greens collar. The rough is blanket cut to a height of 50mm (2 inches). This greater difference in the height of cut between the fairway (14mm) and rough helps define a sharper edge.

COURSE UPDATE

All the things we normally associate with this time of the year are well and truly here; saturated soil, worm casts everywhere, leaves and grass still lush from a late October growth flush.

October was a very mild month and a stark contrast to last October. This represented extremely high disease pressure throughout October and particularly towards the end of the month. To highlight just how mild it has been; October gave us a new weather statistic with Halloween being the warmest on record.

The combination of high GP (growth potential) and high relative humidity creates ideal conditions for both fungi spore germination and mycelium growth of Microdochium Nivale (Fusarium), and highlights why October and November are now recognized within the industry as ‘THE MONTHS’ for disease. This is why we have to remain protected with preventative fungicide applications and yet to be ready to apply additional curative applications to combat outbreaks at the first visible sign. We cannot afford to be complacent during these periods and failure to take the window of opportunity to spray when conditions are favorable can therefore not be missed or ignored. Another consequence of an increasing GP is an increase in clipping yield; when removal of the fungicide in the plant leaf is quicker due to mowing more frequently to keep up with growth. Therefore new growth emerges that may or may not be protected. This is one of the reasons why the height of cut is raised during the winter period and why frequency of mowing is reduced to increase better fungicide contact to the leaf surface area and to prolong the active properties of fungicide applications within the grass plant.

The leafing process is well underway and follows the guidelines as detailed in the leafing procedure. This activity now takes all priority over any other tasks or projects as keeping the main playing surfaces clear is paramount for both golf and agronomic aspects.  This will unintentionally generate wheel marks as machinery needs to access areas otherwise avoided. The use of golf buggies has been limited in recent weeks and the protection of the course will remain the priority as we head into the real winter period.

The recent unsettled weather has created a lot of soft mushy areas around the course. Attempts to protect these areas and to direct traffic have been put in place with white lines, hoops, stakes and rope. The wet weather has also generated a lot of worm activity which is being treated with various products to try and alleviate some of the problems. This is a wide spread problem throughout the country with worm control products currently in short supply due to demand. Rainfall figures show we have now had more rainfall than last Novembers total. It is expected that if conditions continue to deteriorate, unfortunately a long trolley ban will necessary until conditions underfoot stabilize.

On a positive note; the 11^th fairway drainage completed several weeks ago appears to be proving a success and has coped well so far with recent rainfall.

In between leafing when conditions have allowed we have managed to undertake some other winter projects. Pruning down and removing the overgrown broom and gorse along mounds on the right of the 14th has now been completed. This maintenance practice will help promote growth of young, fresh plants and tidy the area in general allowing balls to be found more easily.

The large Oak Tree directly to the side of the 9th main tee has also been removed to improve air and light to the tee and to stop the continuous amounts of tree debris from covering the fine turf playing surface. Some additional tree work has also been completed in this area in favour of tee shots played from the rightside of the tee.

Temporary Greens

Frequently Asked Questions

Temporary Greens are used simply to protect the main greens from excessive wear and damage during adverse weather conditions. Continuous foot traffic during poor conditions can create detrimental effects both short and long term to the green surface and the soil stability.

They are also used on the odd occasion when contractors/staff safety is required due to greens maintenance; or when the greens are recovering following maintenance or vandalism.

How do we decide when to use a temporary green?

All Greenstaff follow a procedure and set guidelines which determines whether a temporary should be used.

• Walk on and walk off areas (traffic management around greens and on greens)
• Standing water (localised flooding/surface water)
• Unstable putting surface (root shearing/compaction)
• The long term detrimental effects to the playing surface
• During a thaw following freezing conditions
• Light dusting of snow or thawing snow
• Undergoing maintenance 

Why can the temporary not be cut shorter? 

The temporary greens are essentially the approaches. Due to the nature of some temporaries on approaches also suffering due to poor conditions; additional temporaries are cut out in-front of the approaches on the fairway. Both the approaches and additional temporaries are mown to a height of cut of 10mm.

The maintenance and attention given to the main green surfaces is not applied to the same level to temporaries. This is simply due to the performance of the area and costs.

If the temporaries are cut shorter, the risks on how they react to wear increases. The plant will become weaker and less tolerant to wear. The opportunity of disease developing during high disease pressure conditions will also increase. Ultimately cutting them shorter could potentially render them completely unusable.

Greens Maintenance - Drill & Fill

The main focus of attention of greens maintenance in recent years has been in and around the upper profile.

Hollow-Coring is of course the most normally recognised procedure for improving rootzones and for reducing organic matter. In recent years new techniques and alternative procedures have come to the forefront. Several years ago we concentrated solely on the upper profile, undertaking the Graden with Sand Injection. This procedure was carried out twice. Soil samples tested, reported that organic matters levels in the top 20mm were low, below 4%.

Attention was then afforded to moving maintenance into the lower profile following the success of the Graden to improve more on drainage and to link up with the surface. The next step was the Sand Injection procedure that was carried out last August. Like most Greens Maintenance techniques the best time to undertake work is when conditions are favourable for the best possible chance of success and quick recovery. Which is genuinely somewhere in August and September.

Having tackled the upper profile and then moved to lower in the profile, this years maintenance is focusing even deeper still. The Drill & Fill process is not a new technique, it was actually carried out here at Langley Park some 13-14 years ago. It is hoped that it will not take that long this time before it is carried out again. Linking all the different depths of maintenance is the target. What will determine the next type of maintenance is how well the greens and our next set of soil tests perfom. 

DRILL & FILL

The Drill & Fill aerators provide improved solutions to: slow drainage; compaction; thatch;black layer and poor grass growth. These aerators will help us to improve our fine turf areas and help to keep them in play for longer, improving rootzone and the microbial environment.

The Drill & Fill advantages :

• Relieves compaction instantly
• Improves drainage rate
• Penetrates to a depth of 310mm
• Backfills instantly with soil amendment
• Accelerates infiltration rate
• Promotes deeper rooting
• deeper rooting means better sward performance and soil structure 

Effective Aeration

The Drills remove soil allowing lateral movement within the rootzone and releasing compaction pressure. Drilling improves surface water infiltration and percolation, reducing the soggy, spongy conditions common in "push-up" and old clay-based greens. Deep holes encourage deep, strong roots and drilling depth is always consistent.

Precise Backfill

The Drill & Fill puts the soil amendment - sand mix directly into the rootzone. this holds open the drainage channel giving extended life to duct life. Langley Park is using a taylor-made soil exchange with a sand mix blended with zeolite amendments.

Seeding Procedure

The seeding of bare or damaged areas is carried out following a certain procedure.

Areas identified for spiking and seeding receive the following treatment. 

A seed spiker is used. 

The spiker creates slots in the ground for the seed to sit in, and to a depth ideally suited for seed germination.

Seed is then gently broadcast across the spiked area by hand. Not all the seed falls into the slots and obviously some seed lays on the surface. After a period of time, with nature and traffic, the slots are not always visible and can give the appearance of seed having been broadcast across a sealed surface. However, this is simply not the case, and with the right conditions the seed will soon germinate and the grass will thicken. Weather conditions play a huge part in how quickly and successful this procedure is; sometimes it may be necessary to work on an area again.

Signs of new shoots developing following treatment

Winter Damage Repairs

Following the worst winter for over 200 years, many areas around the course struggled to cope with the continuos pounding without any rest bite. These areas have been the main focus of attention in recent weeks now conditions are favourable for areas to be treated so they can recover and develop. Areas are treated in relevance of priority. Greens, collars and areas directly around the greens are the areas of most importance. Areas of lesser priority such as areas in the rough will be treated if significant enough to require attention. Not all areas will be treated as this is not practically achievable, nor necessary. Small areas with recover naturally as growth increases. Many areas have been either turfed or seeded. 

Before

After

Before

After

Other large areas such as tracks created from machinery have also been treated.

Two weeks later and signs of germination are plain to see.

Before

After

Before

After