We are again approaching our annual fairway renovations. The scarification element of the work will commence on the 29th November, will take the entire week to complete and the following week we start the hollow coring schedule of works. Again, contractors will be assisting with our work, and we take great care in managing the contractors to minimize the impact on golfers. The scale of the work is large and in a tight timeframe, so I appreciate all members showing patience throughout these works.
At Lake Karrinyup Country Club we have hybrid Bermuda (couch) fairways. This grass can produce a great playing surface all year round in our climate. We typically experience 2-3 months of semi dormancy but the other 9-10 months of the year we have excellent growing conditions.
The flip side of having such an extended period of growth conditions is that we accumulate thatch at a high rate. Thatch is the living and non-living material located between the turfgrass leaves and the soil. Excessive thatch leads to soft surfaces, mower scalping, poor water infiltration and increased disease pressure. Due to the cooler and wetter conditions this year we have accumulated less thatch than previous years, but it is important to consider that if it is not managed in this window, we will have excessively thatchy fairways before we renovate the following year.
It is important to note that thatch serves an important role, without the cushioning effect caused by thatch playing surfaces would be difficult to play from and would not handle traffic as well. We are not eliminating thatch but instead preventing it reaching excessive levels. We monitor thatch accumulation throughout the year and then decide on the required practices based on this knowledge.
This year’s renovation will be lighter than previous years due to the unusually cool and wet conditions we have seen this year and the timing of this work is very important. My preference is to undertake this work when the couch is growing best which is in early summer. This gives the quickest possible recovery and works well with our golf fixtures.
After the works are completed, we then move into recovery mode and this year there will be a focus on a quick return to a strong coverage. We will complete a granular fertiliser application with a higher nitrogen component based on our recent soil nutrient testing, a residual wetting agent and an application of miticide for couch mites which if left unchecked will inhibit recovery.
I understand that fairway renovations are not popular but the decision to do so is best practice, based on solid science and in accordance with our consultant’s recommendations. I appreciate members patience throughout the next few weeks until we get full recovery, and we are back playing on great fairways again.
For further reading the USGA have an interesting article on different methods of thatch management including our practices. https://www.usga.org/articles/2012/10/course-care-thatch-control-key-to-firm-resilient-fairways-21474850692.html
