Maintaining a healthy and playable golf course requires hours of work and a lot of help from staff and equipment. However, one of the most important things is to have the right products that can be used on the surface to keep it perfect for the players.
As well as the usual products that many people use in their lawns, there are other chemicals and ingredients that are added to help the grass grow and to prevent diseases and pests.
Here are some of the best products that you can use to help care for your golf course lawn.
Sand
For those courses that are newly created, there needs to be some top dressing required. This allows the surface to be perfectly smooth with no lumps or bumps. To do this, the top surface of the soil is removed and the surface is mixed with sand to fill in the holes and create a smooth surface.
The lawn is then resowed and allowed to grow. This is then carefully mown and maintained to create a strong root system.
Soil Amendment
One of the components that are added to the top layer of soil is inorganic soil amendments. This is a blend of Illite Silica and Amorphous Silica that is designed to help promote drainage and maintain a healthy root system.
This compound is designed to stay in the soil for many years, so help add drainage to the soil that would otherwise retain water such as clay. It is also included to reduce the compaction of the soil and reduce the likelihood of disease.
There are many products such as this one that can help:
Fertiliser
Once the grass has been sown and is growing, regular applications of fertiliser need to be applied to help boost the nutrition and keep the grass looking green and lush.
There are many types of fertiliser, and it depends on the soil and grass as to which one you use. If the soil is already high in nutrients, then you need a fertiliser that will maintain that as the grass will otherwise use it up.
For soils that are lacking in nutrition, you will need to add a lot to the soil and maintain that level as some will inevitably sink away. Most golf courses will have a schedule of fertilising that ensures all areas of the course are treated adequately.
This type of fertiliser is slow release so that it can maintain good levels over a prolonged period.
Worm Control
One thing that lives in most soils is earthworms, but these are not a desirable thing to have in your golf course. They can disrupt the root layer of the grass and cause piles of earth or ‘casts’ on top of the lawn.
There are certain times of the year when worm casts are a problem, and you will know when this is depending on where your golf course is located. The worm control solution is carefully measured according to the size to be treated, and some recommend adding a colour dye so you can see the treated areas.
This is one of the main products that is used for worm cast control:
https://www.castclear.co.uk/index.php/when/instructions-for-use
Weeds
One of the biggest problems for golf courses is weeds. Not only do they spoil the aesthetic of the course, but they can also damage the surface and ruin the run of the golf ball for the players.
It is a good idea to put a herbicide on the lawns well before the appearance of any weeds. This can differ throughout the year depending on what part of the world you live in.
There are a number of herbicides that can be used on golf courses, usually these are used in liquid form and sprayed on the green when it is watered.
https://bestofmachinery.com/best-weed-killer-for-lawns/
Watering
Water is, of course, a major part of a good lawn. Too much and it won’t drain properly, too little and the grass will lose its colour and strength.
In areas that get sufficient rain, this is usually not a problem, but in the summer months, or in countries that get limited rainfall, a wetting agent is used.
The wetting agent is designed to remove the surface tension of the water, making it better at soaking into the soil. This means that the roots of the grass get more of the water than they usually would, making watering more efficient.
These are some of the best watering agents that can be found
https://www.pitchcare.com/shop/wetting-agents-penetrants/index.html
Nutrient Supplements
Just like any living thing, grass needs a range of nutrients to help it grow. While fertiliser will have some of these, you may need to add additional nutrients if your soil needs them.
One element that is often added to golf course lawns is iron. For courses with clay, chalk and other high pH soils, the iron can be locked away and not available to the grass. This means that an iron supplement needs to be added at regular intervals. The iron used is call ‘chelated’ iron, which means it has been processed to protect it from oxidation and makes it available in a form that the grass can use.
By adding the iron, you can prevent the grass from becoming deformed and being prone to disease.
These are some of the iron supplements used:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=chelated+iron+for+lawns&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
By adding these treatments to your golf course lawn, you can have a lush, green grass all year round.
