Golf Course Standards for Rough Areas 
There will be more variability as to what might be decided to be included within initial performance measures, but the following can act as suitable guides: grass height; surface evenness to address holes and irregularities such as rabbit scrapes, which can be a foot / trip hazard; vegetative cover, which might also include wild flowers as well as heather; percentage of scrub encroachment, especially in a rough, which could be included to aid monitoring any increasing trend which would indicate that action would need to be taken to limit any further encroachment.
A semi-rough would typical
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Golf Course Summary of Total Hours
Greens: 2,349,5 - 3,0325.
Tees: 929 - 1,169.
Fairways: 1,520 - 2,616.
Semi-rough: 160 - 230.
Bunkers: 1,004 - 1,652.
Total: 5,962.5 - 8,699.5
The number of greenkeepers required to manage a golf course in line with the above requirements (excluding other areas where figures haven’t been indicated, e.g. deep rough, etc.) will, using the following assumptions, be in the region of 5 to 7, excluding the Course Manager; the amount of time available for this person to assist with greenkeeping tasks will vary depending upon exact job responsibilities. Courses with elite expec
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Golf Course: Managing Performance Standards
A fundamental requirement in the use of performance standards is to manage a golf surface holistically.
It is important to understand the impact and influence changes to maintenance practices can have on the individual standards and how these might also influence, negatively or positively, the parameters of other standards. Cherry picking standards to measure and assess to arrive at an overall quality rating much higher than is representative on the ground is just cheating yourself and others and does not lead to the effective management of a golf course and builds-up prob
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Golf Fairways Aeration and Decompaction
Aeration work might be carried out on a monthly basis under suitable ground conditions, with annual, or more frequent, decompaction work, such as verti-draining being fairly common.
Hollow-tining would be considered where thatch is a problem, whilst slit or chisel tining can be routinely carried out from late summer to early winter, with a frequency of fortnightly not being uncommon, before soil conditions might become unsuitable for routine tractor operated equipment.
Some parts of a fairway may need to be aerated or decompacted more frequently than other areas, especially the initial
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Golf Fairways Control of Weeds, Pests and Diseases
Any encroachment of mole runs onto fairways or rabbit scrapings should be dealt with as a matter of urgency as these can severely affect not just playability, but also present a minor and sometimes significant hazard to players and greenkeepers. Physical control might be needed, but even if damage is minor then adequate attention would need to be given to repairing and making safe any affected areas.
Earthworm casting can be a problem on some fairways during cool, moist conditions. These can lead to an unsightly and muddy appearance in areas and will need additional attention to help allevi
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Golf Fairways Dew Removal
The removal of dew from fairways may, or may not, be carried out. This does very much depend on available resources, expectations of members and whether this is really necessary in most cases. For most courses this would not be carried out, however, allowance might be made for this on the morning of a tournament, again so long as this had been forward planned and adequate resources made available.
Dew removal can be carried out quite rapidly on fairways with the use of a long hose attached to two utility vehicles which move in parallel down a fairway, with the hose dispersing most of the d
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Golf Fairways Divoting
Divoting of fairways, particularly where second and third shots are played from should be carried out on a regular basis, with fortnightly to monthly divoting for popular zones, to maybe two or three time per year for unpopular areas which are more the result of wayward shots.
Frequent and often divoting will maintain a more consistent surface without the need for additional larger renovation activities needing to be undertaken in spring and autumn.
Golfers should also be encouraged to replace their divots, including firming them back in place, as this will aid and increase the chance of the recovery of divots.
Golf Fairways Drainage
Drainage, or lack of it, can often be an issue on many fairways, especially where a course has been built on previous farmland or parkland with heavier soils.
Surface run-off can often aid drainage where fairways have adequate slopes, however, continued aeration and decompaction, along with mole ploughing where suitable conditions permit, will be needed to maintain fairways in a desirable condition. However, bursts of heavy rainfall or continuous rainfall will still pose a problem, and this will lead to a soft and puddled fairway.
Where mechanical aeration works do not prove satisfacto
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Golf Fairways Fertiliser Application
The application of fertiliser to a fairway can be quite contentious as with clippings being returned there shouldn’t really be much need for a fertiliser application, except on particularly worn areas which have been renovated.
There is no need to have a flush of growth on a fairway, as this would just mean additional mowing and removal of excess clippings in many cases. Inland parkland courses may have predominantly perennial ryegrass fairways, which is a hungry grass, but even in these situations any applied fertiliser should be carried out judiciously so as just to maintain a suitable s
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Golf Fairways Irrigation
Irrigation should be applied sparingly, if at all, although some courses have automatic irrigation installed and will be utilising this to create a green fairway during the drier months.
It is arguable whether fairway irrigation is needed in many situations and is an unnecessary luxury whose resources could have been better spent, or save, elsewhere.
Considerable quantities of water can be consumed by watering fairways and whether many fairways should be regularly irrigated during dry spells is a decision to be made by the course manager, in accordance with any course policy document a
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