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Courses : Pitch & Putt - Green Keeping Tips

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For those involved in the upkeep of their club's greens here are some valuable tips from a legendary greens keeper of his time, Kit Garry. He was head greens keeper in Mullingar Golf Club from 1935 until his retirement in 1973.

Most of the foundation work for greens in a season starts in autumn, so this is where we will begin with some fundamental information.

September/October: If possible aerate (pall fork) the greens while they are dry. This will help greatly with drainage during the coming months. Sand the greens with a sharp low lime-content sand. Sanding has such a good effect in keeping the greens firm that it should be done on a regular basis right through until spring. Spread the sand with a drag mat. Do not put too much sand on at a time as the grass growth may be affected. At this time a dressing of well rotted compost could be applied. The ideal dressing would be leaf mould or rotted grass cuttings from the previous years which had rotted down and been turned several times, or a mixture of old rotted leaves and rotted grass. A good substitute is Peat Moss. Spread with a grad mat also. Towards the end of September a final dressing of 1 oz. Sulphate Ammonia and one third oz. Sulphate of Iron per square yard is recommended.

This time of year you may notice patches of grass thinning out and dead grass in these patches. On closer examination you may notice that the dead shoots have been cut just under ground level by grubs. This grub is likely to be the leatherjacket. In bad attacks you will find the grub on lifting the sod and breaking it up. This pest is the Iarva (maggot) of the Daddy-Longlegs and can be got rid of with Dieldron or BHC.

With regards to machine setting from now until March the machine could be let up five sixteen inches. Mow at least once a week from now on without the box.

November/December: Continue sanding. If using regular greens change the holes regularly using the front and sides of the greens so as to save wear and tear on any one spot. During December and January there will be little need for the greens mower, which should be completely checked over and serviced at this time.

January: Keep machine at five sixteen inches. Mow only if not frosty. Sand and dress greens as in September/October.

February: Continue cutting at five sixteen inches (at least once per week). Continue sanding, remember little and often. If earthworms are active treat the greens and surroundings with chlordane.

March: Pall fork the greens when they are dry out and apply fertilizer dressing. A good fertilizer is Greenfeed No.1 from Gouldings. Spread according to manufacturer's instructions mixed with a sandy compost (sand and fine peat moss) as a carrier. Spread with a drag mat. Cut greens at four sixteen inches. Treat earthworms if active. At this time bunkers should be topped up with lime free sand and trimmed.

April: This month signals the busy time for greens keepers with the onset of growth. Greens should be cut three times weekly at four sixteen inches. Apply first of summer dressing - 1/2 oz. Sulphate of Ammonia; 1/6 oz. Sulphate of Iron per square yard mixed with sandy compost. Slitting greens before dressing will give better results. If greens have a lot of coarse or creeping grass, scarify when the growth is good. Watch out for earthworms and leatherjackets.

May: Spray fairways and greens with a selective weed killer. Ensure weather conditions are right and follow manufacturer's instructions carefully. Some fertilizers contain weed killer also. Watering - if you have a watering system start watering before the greens get too dry. Only apply enough to keep the soil damp to a depth of 4 inches i.e. under the grass roots. Avoid over-watering thereby causing water logging. Ensure, if you have got one, that he comb is attached to the grass mower. This is a good time for scarifying greens to remove surplus grass, prevent build up of mat and give a better putting surface.

Let the mower down to three sixteen inches and continue to mow the greens three times weekly. Apply another summer dressing four or five weeks after the April application and every five weeks up to September.

June/July/August: Work in these months is similar to May's with the mower remaining at three sixteen inches and the greens being cut three times weekly. Remember, in order to have your greens looking their best for your Open or important weekend apply your fertilizer (summer dressing as April) between ten and fourteen days prior to the event.

Surrounds - when mowing the immediate vicinity of the green, the first fringe, make sure the grass height is about half the height of the golf ball or less.

Mowing Pattern - Imagine that there are four points on the green North, South, East and West. Start for instance with North to South, then the next time East to West, then North East to South West and the fourth time North West to South East. With this rotation system you will be cutting the grass in all directions which will have the effect of scarifying to an extent and will ensure that the grass won't be lying. More important maybe, it will make greens more attractive.

In conclusion, we hope that the above pointers will help those dedicated people who look after our club greens. Keep up the good work!!