Bowling Green Grass Species and Sward Composition

For a fine surface, with lower fertiliser and irrigation inputs then a traditional red fescue and browntop bentgrass surface is desirable. In practice, a gradual increase in annual meadow grass is routinely seen. This is the result of a range of interactions, especially:
• incorrect irrigation practices.
• over application of fertilisers.
• incorrect nutrient inputs from fertilisers, especially over application of phosphate.
• fertiliser applications being undertaken at times of the year which encourage excessive leaf growth to the detriment of root growth and also encourage susceptibility to disease, especially fusarium patch disease.
• incorrect mowing practices, including mowing too short – routinely below 5mm, and infrequent mowing intervals where greater than 1/3rd of leaf height is removed during a cut.
• inadequate and/or ineffective scarification to keep a surface with minimal thatch content.
• inadequate aeration practices.

Some fine leaved cultivars of perennial ryegrass have been bred which are sold as being suitable for use on bowling greens, and photographs of the fine turf areas certainly look impressive and persuasive. The main issues of their use revolve round the species having different growth patterns to red fescue and browntop bents, different nutritional and irrigation requirements, less acidic soil conditions (which makes the situation more suitable for annual meadow grass invasion, earthworm activity – especially surface casting), increased mowing requirements (and cleanness of cut rarely being as consistently fine as compared with a fescue / bent sward), and the need to routinely provide a clean sharp cut, especially during moist weather.
It is important to weigh up the impacts of introducing perennial ryegrass cultivars within such fine turf situations to determine the perceived benefits versus the perceived limitations and disadvantages. If sustainability (which includes a focus on reducing resource inputs) is an important requirement for a bowling green / club, then the use of perennial ryegrass, at the current time, is actually highly questionable, however, where greens are maintained to a basic quality level then this may not be such an issue.

In these situations, it might be found that differential seeding and mowing is carried out, with perennial ryegrass being sown at the ends, to say up to 2m, or thereabouts, into the green whilst the main body of the green is over sown with the traditional grass species and with the height of cut being a few millimetres higher than the body of the green. Getting objective data on sward and playing performance, as well as maintenance inputs over several years would be helpful in being able to make better informed decisions on the use of these fine leaved dwarf perennial ryegrasses.

Overseeding in the spring might be carried out with 1 or 2 bags (20-40kg) of seed (14 – 27g/m²), whilst for the end of season renovation this would be 2 or 3 bags (40-60kg) of seed (27 - 41g/m²). The exact quantity will depend upon surface conditions and the type of aeration work undertaken for the renovation.

In the early to mid-20th Century the use of sea-washed turf, such as ‘Cumberland’ turf, for the laying of bowling greens was popular, “… and to the bowler a green laid with turf from coastal sea-washed marshes is regarded as the aristocrat. It will be observed, however, that deterioration normally follows the laying of sea-washed turf until the sward bears no resemblance to that originally laid.” (Reed, F.J. (1950) ‘Lawns and Playing Fields’, p.53)
The change of environment and maintenance practices would alter the composition of the turf fairly rapidly and this type of turf is rarely, if ever, used for modern bowling greens.