Golf Greens Brushing and Switching

Brushing and switching are important regular, but simple, tasks which are used to keep the surface free of dew and also for knocking over any worm casts which might be present.

A drag brush is also helpful in keeping the grass blades upright and to help maintain suitable air flow around the blades during the time of year when mowing is reduced to a minimum. A drag brush will often be mounted onto a utility vehicle, via a three-point link with the top link hydraulically operated to enable rapid lowering and raising on a green.

All 18-greens on a standard golf course would then be able to be brushed in about 1.5 to 2-hours.

Switching a green is also a quick activity and should be carried out prior to mowing, even on dry greens. The main reasons for this are that small stones or dislodged golf spikes can be flicked off a green by the motion of the switch on the green and also the sound of something hard, even if it is very small, should bring this to the attention of the greenkeeper with the purpose of them locating and safely disposing of the undesirable item. Ignoring this can result in potentially serious damage to a bottom blade or cylinder, requiring regrinding and resharpening.