GLENEAGLES HOTEL & GOLF COURSES

Transcription

1 GLENEAGLES HOTEL & GOLF COURSES Advisory Report on the Kings Course incorporating the STRI Programme Report Date: 29 th May 2014 Consultant: Richard Windows Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 1

2 CONFIDENTIAL Date of Visit: 22 nd May 2014 Visit Objective: Present: Weather: To review the spring condition of the Kings Course, take objective measurements of green performance and confirm ongoing maintenance requirements. Mr Scott Fenwick Golf Course & Estates Manager Mr Michael Doris Head Greenkeeper, Kings Course Mr Gavin Speedie Deputy Head Greenkeeper, Kings Course Mr Jay Dobson Turfgrass Agronomist, STRI Ltd Mr Richard Windows Turfgrass Agronomist, STRI Ltd Cool, breezy and dry. Spring conditions have generally been good with growth starting approximately 3 4 weeks earlier in comparison to last year. Over the past seven days before the visit approximately 10mm of rain fell with 3mm of irrigation applied the night before. Contents Executive Summary 3 Key Observations 4 Greens 4 Green Aprons & Surrounds 5 Fairways 5 Teeing Platforms 5 Rough 5 Performance Data 6 Soil Moisture Content 6 Surface Firmness/Hardness 8 Smoothness & Trueness 10 Green Speed 11 Organic Matter Content 12 Soil Chemical Analysis 15 Key Recommendations 15 Greens 15 Green Aprons 16 Fairways 16 Tees 16 Rough 16 Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 2

3 Executive Summary The general condition and presentation of the Kings Course was excellent and the best we have seen since visiting the course. Presentation to all surfaces was sharp with excellent definition and accurate maintenance programmes to individual surfaces. Great progress has been made regarding the greens improvement programme in response to the pipe drainage and intensive aeration and sand top dressing operations. The greens are firmer, drier and far more consistent in response to varying weather patterns. Surface firmness is now falling within the middle of our desired target and organic matter values continue to fall which is illustrative of excellent progress. Increasingly specific maintenance into individual sections of green and wider analysis of all greens on the course is required to optimise consistency between greens and through each individual surface regarding firmness and soil moisture content. Improving the drainage performance and increasing the sand content of the upper soil profile will help lay the foundation for botanical improvement to the greens. It may even be possible to obtain utopian sward species composition of browntop bent dominant surfaces with underlying populations of fine fescue. Due to improved surface firmness, ball roll qualities are far superior this spring than in comparison to previous years. Where operations have been most intensive to the 18 th, ball roll qualities were significantly better showing what can be achieved via on-going intensive organic matter and top dressing work. The significant improvements to the greens illustrate the need to intensify work into the soft green aprons to ensure consistent ball release characteristics as per the greens themselves. Intensive sand top dressing combined with solid tine aeration is the strategy in this regard. The teeing platforms were in excellent condition and superbly presented during the visit. To enhance performance and sward durability further, a programme of overseeding using Bar Platinum would be beneficial over the next couple of years. Localised drainage improvements to the fairways have been completed with success and continue to enhance the year round performance of the course. Improving the quality of rough vegetation in an effort to optimise the heathland character of the course remains essential and should be an on-going objective over the next decade. Removal of conifer plantations especially where they compromise the agronomic performance of main playing surfaces and fantastic views of the surrounding countryside remains essential. Greater investment into staff and resources (taking the complement to 23 for the main season) has already facilitated more frequent maintenance work and is a significant component in the heightened standards of routine presentation achieved so far this season. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 3

4 Key Observations Greens The greens have improved rapidly in response to the more intensive maintenance over the past 2 3 years. The rate of progress is a great success story and is a great credit to the enthusiasm, commitment and accuracy of maintenance implemented by the green staff combined with excellent investment into additional machinery and resources. The intensive work involving pipe drainage, organic matter reduction, top dressing and regular aeration has delivered firmer, drier and freer draining greens, which cope better with rainfall events and deliver more consistent performance between wet and dry weather. This has already had an impact on additional revenue generation and will continue to do so as well as restoring the superb heathland character of the Kings Course. Heathland golf, in particular the James Braid design of the Kings Course, centres on having firm surfaces that provide the desirable interaction (impact, release, spin and roll out) between ball and turf. Since the last visit in September, pipe drainage has been done to eight greens (1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13 & 14). This work was completed by Edinburgh Landscaping with great success and the turf over the drainage trenches has knitted and established very well. Seven greens remain to be completed this coming winter. Two solid tine operations using 19mm tines followed by kiln dried sand top dressing have been completed and the ten greens that did not receive pipe drainage were scarified with the Graden. A further two 6mm hollow tine operations have been implemented through the spring coupled with sand top dressing. During 2013 a total of 184 tonnes per hectare of sand was applied in 13 dressings. So far this season 120 tonnes per hectare of sand have been applied. The volumes of material applied have been excellent and greatly aided with the use of the Dalhousie sand. It is hoped the source of this product continues, but the alternative material from the Ryflat Quarry would be an appropriate alternative. The combination of intensive organic matter reduction and pipe drainage is the main reason for improved drainage performance and underfoot firmness to the greens. However, the Symbio biological programme does seem to be playing a part in this process by accelerating organic matter reduction and increasing the availability of nutrients to the turf. The 18 th green on the Kings & Queens have received more intensive maintenance in an effort to match surface firmness and ball roll qualities to the PGA Greens in anticipation for chipping and putting practice for the Ryder Cup. Both greens have improved significantly in response to the work and the 18 th on the Kings in particular was providing an excellent surface in comparison to the other greens on the course. It was similarly firm to the sand based 10 th on the Kings and ball roll qualities were far superior illustrating the positive effects of this intensive maintenance programme. Over the next couple of weeks, sward refinement will increase involving grooming, verticutting and Primo-Maxx growth regulator and this will be sufficient to provide excellent ball roll qualities for main season play. The Revolution wetting agent programme should continue and this should help to optimise the consistency of moisture within the sward profile and help release excess moisture from the upper soil profile during wet periods of weather. Overall we were delighted with the condition and performance of the greens. Major improvements have been made and the objective measurement results taken during the visit and shown later in the report provide all the evidence of improving performance. It is great to report on a success story, but on-going investment and sustaining the current impetus of maintenance is required to deliver further improvements. As the greens improve, increased focus to optimise consistency Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 4

5 between each surface and through each individual green should become the emphasis. What is more, now the foundation of improved drainage and firmness has been laid, greater emphasis regarding manipulating sward species composition to the ideal blend of browntop bent surfaces with underlying populations of fine fescue should be made. Much of the hard work has now been done but let us keep pushing forward to create a set of consistent and authentic heathland greens that characterise the wonderful character of the courses at Gleneagles. Green Aprons & Surrounds The presentation of the surfaces are excellent in response to the thoughtful mowing patterns adopted. However, performance continues to be compromised due to excessive accumulations of organic matter and insufficient top dressing over previous decades. The result is underfoot softness and inconsistent ball release characteristics in comparison to the greens. The objective measurement results taken during the visit confirm the disparity in firmness between the green apron and putting surfaces themselves. Now such progress has been made to the greens, we should now extend maintenance into the green aprons involving solid tining and intensive sand top dressing. This is becoming an increasing priority for future maintenance over the next couple of years. Fairways The presentation of the fairways was excellent and the surfaces support finely textured swards dominated by browntop bent and fine fescue. To improve general performance further in terms of surface drainage, crispness of lie and ball release characteristics should involve a sand top dressing programme over the next few years. Localised pipe drainage improvement has been implemented with great success and this operation continues to deliver improved performance in response to wet weather patterns. Teeing Platforms The tees were superbly presented and were looking sharp and crisp during the visit. Regular mowing combined with sand top dressing (four times a year) will continue to improve the performance of the tees and further improvements should be sought via an annual overseeding programme using a fescue and dwarf perennial ryegrass mix such as Bar Platinum. This will give greater density and durability to the platforms. Rough The general condition and presentation of the rough does continue to be rather disappointing in terms of rank grassland, excessive populations of broom, degenerate heather and inappropriate conifer plantations. Although improving the rough vegetation will not generate additional revenue, it will provide a more attractive and authentic golfing experience for the members and visitors and therefore should remain on the agenda for the next decade. A detailed course management plan with management prescriptions from a qualified golf ecologist (Bob Taylor of STRI) is necessary due to the extent and variation of the renovation work required. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 5

6 Performance Data The full suite of STRI Programme measurements were taken during the visit and are shown in the table and graphs below. The data is compared against previous results to allow historical comparison. On the morning of the visit, the greens received 3mm of irrigation with 10mm of rain during the seven days before the visit. In addition, a single hand cut and turf iron roll was completed. Green No. Speed (distance) Smoothness (mm/m) Performance Measurement Results Trueness (mm/m) Firmness Mean (gravities) Firmness SEM (±) Moisture Content (%) Moisture Content SEM (±) 4 8 ft 11 in ft 8 in ft 8 in ft 4 in ft 5 in ft 10 in Soil Moisture Content The average soil moisture values were 35% and these were the driest since testing began despite some rainfall and irrigation recently. There is a trend of reducing moisture content in the upper soil profile in response to the organic matter reduction programme. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 6

7 There was good consistency between the greens with the 4 th being the most moisture retentive and the 18 th being the driest due to the greater intensity of organic matter reduction. It was interesting to see the 16 th has now fallen into the pack with the other greens in response to the pipe drainage and more intensive organic matter reduction and sand top dressing in recent years. The general consistency of moisture through each individual green was very good with no particular wet areas present. It was felt the Revolution wetting agent programme was working well in this regard. The general consistency of moisture to all the greens measured during the visit was good with lowest values of 32% (15 th green) and highest values 39% (17 th Apron). Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 7

8 Surface Firmness/Hardness The average firmness values to the greens was 94 gravities which is the firmest since testing began in earnest in May The previous highest value was 86 gravities in September When testing began in May 2012, average firmness was 70 gravities. Firmness values during May last year at a relatively consistent soil moisture content (39% in comparison to 35%) was 80 gravities in comparison to 94 gravities this year. This is illustrative of excellent progress. The significant trend regarding improving firmness is responsible to the pipe drainage, intensive organic matter reduction and sand top dressing programme. Firmness values around the mid 90 s was the initial target but did seem a relatively long way off a couple of years ago. The 18 th green to the Kings has made the greatest level of progress. In May 2012, this green supported firmness values of 67 gravities. Values are now 30 gravities firmer at 98 which is an excellent level of improvement. This surface has improved the most rapidly as it has received the most intensive work regarding sand top dressing inputs. Sustaining the current impetus of sand top dressing and completing the pipe drainage to remaining greens will deliver further improvements over the next couple of years. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 8

9 The consistency of firmness to all the greens measured to the three courses during the visit were good with the 18 th on Queens and 18 th on Kings being broadly consistent with the 1 st on the PGA. Further intensive sand top dressing to the aforementioned greens this season will further close the gap particularly to the softer sections of these greens. The 16 th green to the Kings remains a little softer than the others mainly due to the lower values to the front right and back right of this surface which should receive more intensive top dressing and aeration. As we continue to make progress, increasing the specific inputs to individual greens and parts of greens will be required to make further progress regarding consistency of performance. Organic matter analysis to all 18 greens and perhaps spatially within each surface will help inform increasingly accurate maintenance programme in the future. The bar chart above shows how soft the green aprons are (75 gravities) in comparison to the greens (94 gravities) illustrating the need to extent more intensive maintenance into these areas. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 9

10 Smoothness & Trueness Smoothness and trueness values were superior in comparison to previous measurements during May 2013 and May The improved growing conditions this spring combined with the relaxed aeration and improved surface firmness are responsible for these superior ball roll qualities. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 10

11 As we make further progress regarding firmness, it is likely aeration operations can be relaxed during the winter meaning superior ball roll qualities will be obtained in the spring. It is therefore likely this trend seen this year will continue in the future. The 18 th green supported the best ball roll qualities during the visit in response to the more intensive aeration and top dressing delivering firmer surfaces with superior sward texture. Again this is illustrating what will be achieved with on-going intensive maintenance to the greens. As we have made such good progress regarding the drainage performance and underlying soil conditions beneath the greens, efforts over the next few years should be focused on manipulating sward species composition. On-going data analysis with the Trueness Meter does show that surfaces dominated by the finer grasses support superior and more consistent ball roll qualities in comparison to surfaces dominated by annual meadow grass. This should provide the impetus to manipulate sward species composition towards a dominance of fine grasses within the green surfaces. Green Speed Green speed values were generally consistent between greens and all within the 8 ft 6 in to 9 ft 6 in mark. It was interesting to see the 18 th green on the Kings was the faster surface due to its superior smoothness and trueness in response to the more intensive maintenance. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 11

12 Organic Matter Content Samples were submitted to our laboratory for organic matter analysis at 10mm increments through the top 40mm of the soil profile. The results are shown below along with interpretation where necessary. Organic Matter Content Loss on Ignition (%) Green 4 Green 6 Green 12 Green 16 Green 17 Green mm mm mm mm Graphs for values at 0-10 mm, mm, mm and mm are shown below. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 12

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14 Organic matter values within the top 20mm continue to fall in response to the excellent sand top dressing and scarification work. All values at 0-10 mm are now within the desired target illustrating and excellent response to the work implemented. Since organic matter testing began in May 2012 values at 0-10 mm have fallen by 47% from (7.6% to 4.1%) and by 30% at mm (7.1% to 5.0%). Values at mm and mm have remained relatively static. Organic matter values at 20-30mm and 30-40mm remain a little high and should be the focus of on-going aeration and top dressing. It was felt solid tining using 16 or 19mm tines combined with kiln dried sand top dressing and brushing down the holes should be the desired method to dilute organic matter accumulations at this depth within the profile. To ensure the remaining greens are consistent with the indicator greens, organic matter analysis should be taken from all 18 greens next May. It may also be beneficial to take samples spatially within certain greens to illustrate whether softer sections of greens support higher organic matter values. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 14

15 Soil Chemical Analysis Samples were submitted to our laboratory for routine chemical analysis of soil ph, phosphate (P 2O 5) and potassium (K 2O). The results are shown in the table below along with interpretation where necessary. Soil Chemical Analysis ph P 20 5 (mg/l) K 2O (mg/l) Soil ph remains in the desired target at meaning no rectification measures are required. Phosphate levels remain satisfactory and all above the minimum threshold level of 5 mg/l meaning no inputs of this nutrient are required. Potassium levels are high. For this reason, it may be pertinent to reduce inputs by restricting applications to the autumn only. Key Recommendations Greens Intensive sand top dressing should remain priority to further build up accumulations of sand within the upper soil profile thereby optimising drainage and creating the foundation for fine grass development. If on-going problems with the Dalhousie medium coarse material continue, changing to the Ryeflat sand would be appropriate given its consistent analysis with the Dalhousie sand. Greater applications of sand should continue to be made to the 18 th on the Kings and Queens to further optimise firmness with the PGA greens in anticipation for the Ryder Cup. Increased sand volumes should also be made to the known softer sections of greens such as the front right of 16 and rear right of 18. If time and golf allow us, some localised solid tining and kiln dried sand brushing down holes would be beneficial to known soft sections of specific greens through the season. Refinement operations should intensify over the next couple of weeks in combination with Primo-Maxx growth regulator at 0.4l/ha every days. Pipe drainage should be completed to the remaining seven greens during the remaining winter months. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 15

16 It would be beneficial to use the Transition turf colourant product in an effort to accelerate spring pick up of growth next season. Green Aprons Intensive solid tining using 19mm tines and regular heavy sand top dressing should be implemented into the green aprons in an effort to improve surface firmness and ball release characteristics. Some verticutting and routine scarification would be beneficial to reduce sward density to these areas and develop more consistent sward characteristics as per the greens and indeed fairways. Fairways A sand top dressing programme to the fairways would be very beneficial to improve surface firmness, crispness of lie and ball roll characteristics. Tees To improve the presentation, durability and density of the tees further a programme of overseeding using fescue and fine leaved ryegrass mix such as Barenburg Bar Platinum would be very beneficial. Rough Renovation of the rough vegetation to create more consistent vegetation characteristics as per the heathland character of the course is required over the next decade. Signed Richard Windows Agronomy Service Manager Official Agronomist to the R&A Championship Committee Richard.windows@stri.co.uk Mobile: STRI is completely independent and has no alliances to commercial products, services or contractors. This ensures that our design, project management and advisory services provide the best solutions for each individual client. The STRI Programme provides golf courses with measurements and data that help to monitor and assess golf course performance. The R&A has recently developed CourseTracker ( a free, online business management tool for golf courses, to record, review and analyse golf club performance across many areas of your business, including the golf course. STRI believes The R&A CourseTracker combined with the STRI Programme provides the tools you need to objectively monitor and assess your golf course performance. Gleneagles Hotel & Golf Courses 16