It’s becoming more difficult to work to a fixed diary, so we must use all the tools at our disposal to get the best out of everything we do, says Ganton course manager Simon Olver
Gone are the days when we could set our calendars and work to a greenkeeping schedule. The expectations of golfers are also higher, and the weather is more unpredictable.
With all those changes, we need to be more flexible, have less impact on playing conditions during the main season, and focus invasive maintenance practices into smaller windows at exactly the right time.
At Ganton, we’ve been able to refine our application of topdressing this season. In the past, this was done throughout the year with the annual input delivered to a set schedule. This caused disruption to golf and led to inconstancy in day-to-day conditions. While we still apply the amount of topdressing required to meet our needs, we now only apply this from September to March. We’re lucky to have a very dry site to be able to do this, but the result is more consistent surfaces, fewer complaints, and less time spent sharpening mowers.
This approach ties into our ambition to deliver consistently excellent playing surfaces every single day of the playing season.
It’s important that all greenkeeping teams – regardless of size, budget or location – look at how they impact golfers and carry out work at the right time and in the right place. For a short time, this may increase disruption while at others it will cause less.
Planning and solid analysis, backed up by data, are essential. Having soil samples analysed will give you a route map to long-term improvement. From there you can build a programme which minimises disruption while getting the most bang for your buck.
For example, proper analysis of every green will show you where to focus aeration work, and tell you the kind of work required. The days of hollow coring in the middle of August every year are a thing of the past for some clubs, and with good practices you too can reduce your reliance on this annually. I’m sure every greenkeeper would love to interfere with polished areas of fine turf less at the height of the playing season. Only proper analysis of what you do, why you do it, and the results it delivers, will lead to this.
While having reports and data is essential, it’s important you’re still able to look at what’s happening on and in the ground. The best greenkeepers balance their experience and what they know with data and what they’re told by expert analysis to produce a better final product.
Clubs also need to be open to investment in these areas for long-term success, and flexible in their approach to scheduling and budgeting. When work is done, it must be carried out at the right time, to the right plan and with the right budget.
The golf course is an ever-changing product, and we need to be better prepared and more flexible than ever to meet golfers’ expectations. Using all the tools at our disposal, both new and old, is the only way we’ll achieve this.
