We highlight current topics of conversation among golf greenkeepers at clubs across the country.
10 Things Golf Greenscapers Talk About
Over the course of a year, the staff of Golf Monthly has the opportunity to meet, and sometimes play with, a number of greenkeepers and golf course managers.
This year has of course brought its share of particular problems due to Covid. But every year, greenkeeping teams at clubs across the country face constant challenges in their quest to maintain and present their courses as well as possible, for as long as possible.
Needless to say, these challenges are generating a lot of discussion behind the scenes. Here we present what several golf greenkeepers told us (anonymously) are the main topics of discussion among their peers right now…
Worm Casts and Leather Jackets
More and more clubs are experiencing this type of damage related to foraging, because certain pesticides and insecticides are banned.
The world is changing and many insecticides and pesticides that were once the blessing of golf course groundskeepers around the world are being phased out.
On many courses, damage caused by birds and other animals searching for earthworms and cockchafer larvae is a major concern. There is also the problem of worm droppings making playing surfaces muddier.
Gardeners appreciate that this is, ultimately, the right thing to do in the quest for increasingly environmentally friendly and sustainable practicesBut in the short term there are few, if any, alternatives and the condition of the courses is suffering at some clubs.
Staff recruitment
Recruiting casual seasonal staff has not been as easy this year
The workload for green space maintenance services increases in the summer. Those who rely on casual seasonal staff from abroad have had a harder time recruiting this year due to the pandemic.
This had an impact on the workforce during the summer months. These months proved to be busier than ever due to Golf membership boom.
Finding space to work around the full start sheets
Busy courses leave less free time for greenkeepers to work
This brings us to the problem generated by Covid. While the greenkeepers acknowledge that the increase in membership is good for the financial health of the club, it has created a problem in terms of access to the course, with very few holes in the tee sheets at many clubs for months.
Early starts helped in the summer, but it won’t be as easy in the winter. With more and more clubs having more and more membersGardeners are concerned about how easy it will be to work if the starter leaves are left bursting at the seams.
Changing weather conditions
Gardeners will tell you that weather conditions are definitely changing
Whatever your personal views on climate change, Most gardeners we talk to tell us that things have changedWarmer, wetter winters and less predictable weather make it more difficult to plan a work schedule, and increased flooding is a real problem at many clubs.
Leaves on the course
Leaves, leaves and more leaves to collect on certain parkland courses in particular
A variation on greens maintenance on the theme of “leaves on the line”! The labor and fuel costs of keeping our courses as leaf-free as possible in the fall can be a real headache and take up far too much valuable time. One groundskeeper told us that it will be a major task until early December.
Something to think about the next time you can’t find your ball and start moaning about why the gardeners didn’t remove all the leaves. It’s a Herculean task!
What else can 2020 have in store for us?
A rainy start, followed by Covid and then arid conditions on some courses… what else does 2020 have in store for us?
It may be a providential temptation, but after the challenges of lockdown and Covid, some may have forgotten that an incredibly wet start to 2020 left many courses congested and closed for long periods.
Busy courses after lockdown added to the challenge, as did prolonged dry spells in summer which left many courses dry.
They’re probably saying it under their breath, but many greenkeepers are wondering what else 2020 might have in store for them before it’s over!
Golf Course Rankings
How to climb the rankings is a topic of conversation for some greenkeepers
Some groundskeepers may tell you that course rankings don’t matter; others are eager to know what they can do to potentially improve their course’s ranking; some will even have such a task in their job description.
We receive many requests every year regarding Our Top 100 ranking and what a club needs to do to get into the ranking or improve its ranking. Our rankings clearly set out the criteria we work on. Out of professional pride, it is understandable that greenkeepers talk about such things among themselves.
Intentional damage to the course
This kind of deliberate damage to green spaces is enough to make a gardener cry and is too often reported on Twitter.
This is obviously a real problem, and it happens all too often if you follow the Twitter feeds of various gardeners.
Whether it’s practicing digging divots on the course, digging divots on the greens from a furious putter stroke, or senseless vandalism like in Walton Heath Earlier this year, things like this were enough to make a gardener’s blood boil. And that’s only natural after all the hours spent trying to get everything back in shape.
Preparing the course for winter
Preparing the course for winter is another topic of conversation.
Another important task at the moment is preparing the course for winter, whether that means mowing and preparation of temporary green spacesby deciding which tees to close or close, or by installing winter mats on some or all holes.
It’s a bit of a thankless task because there’s a lot to do to prepare for the course. the kind of situation most golfers would rather never face.
Members do not follow winter routes
It is clear that some members do not think the white line applies to them judging by the tram trails
Another real problem are members who think the winter routes don’t apply to them and simply walk where they are clearly not supposed to, even going so far as to lift ropes to get their carts under them.
Groundskeepers do all of these things for one reason: to minimize wear and tear in key areas so the course is in better condition for golfers.
Having this thrown back in your face does nothing for the relationship between the gardener and the members!
