Golf Greens Hole Changing 
Hole changing frequency will vary depending on the time of year, the amount of usage taking place, the size of the greens and the available pin locations, but a typical frequency might be daily during major tournaments, 3 or 4 occasions per week during the summer and 2 or 3 occasions during the winter, taking an average of 10 minutes per green as a guide. Changing golf holes regularly and positioning the pin in appropriate locations to both spread wear and vary the degree of challenge for golfers is an important maintenance activity.
When the weather is poor and throughout much of the wint
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Golf Greens Irrigation
Irrigation can be easily overapplied and is a major contributory factor in the gradual deterioration of golf greens, creating ‘target golf’, which does not provide the challenge which can be gained from well managed golf greens. The finer desirable grasses will manage well on low amounts of water, but this must be supported by a good depth of root growth and other correct maintenance practices, including not mowing too short, otherwise the sward will suffer.
Irrigation management is a much-underused resource (primarily because it is over applied) in the drive to maintain dry and firm, good
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Golf Greens Leaf Removal
Leaf removal during the autumn fall will be required on many courses.
Even if trees are not in the immediate vicinity of a green, leaves can readily be blown onto the green.
Regular, daily sweeping, especially during October, November and the early part of December, will typically be required where this is a problem on some greens.
Removed leaves can be put to good use by including them within a compost heap.
Golf Greens Moss
Moss is can also be a troublesome weed on some golf greens, especially as autumn arrives, and will usually be present to some degree.
The aim is to create conditions which are less desirable for its development and to increase the competitiveness of the desirable grass species to reduce its potential for encroachment.
Periodic applications of sulphate of iron during autumn to late winter or early spring, for example, in October, November/December and February, combined with good working practices throughout the year of not cutting the green too short, keeping the surface well aerated,
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Golf Greens Mowing Clippings
Clippings will invariably be boxed off, especially at times of annual meadow grass seed head production, producing a cleaner surface on which to putt – few golfers would want small clippings of grass leaves attaching to the golf ball influencing the roll and planned destination, i.e. into the cup. However, during prolonged dry periods letting clippings occasionally fly can help to produce the grass crown and to reduce moisture loss during those heat stressed times.
The quantity of grass removed per cut per green should not be excessive otherwise the weight of the grass in the collection box
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Golf Greens Mowing Consistency of Performance
Does every green on a course have to be of the same speed? Variability, within reasonable parameters, adds interest, enjoyment and challenge for a golfer. The greens on a course will typically have varying environmental conditions in which they grow, their own micro-climate, with some being in more shade than others, some will be in wind exposed situations, whilst others will be in cold or frost pockets.
Amended maintenance practices to best meet the needs of the grasses in these situations will help to reduce plant stress and encourage the development of a healthy sward. A good example is
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Golf Greens Mowing Direction
A uniform, correctly green creates a well finished product, assuming all other factors such as sward density, colour (although this element is quite subjective), blemishes, grass species content, surface evenness and more are also up to standard.
Greens might be mown in bands using triple mowers to narrower stripes using pedestrian mowers. Double cutting a green at 90° will also produce a hashed or chess board effect. A double cut can present a visual feast for some, but it also improves sward quality and playing performance, assuming the correct height of cut is chosen for the time of
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Golf Greens Mowing Frequency
The frequency of mowing will vary according to the desired standards being produced as well as the time of year. During the main growing periods, mowing on four occasions per week would typically be considered a minimum, whilst mowing daily is also a common practice. Trying to leave one or two days during a week as non-mowing days will help to reduce the stress placed on grass plants, however, there is clearly a trade-off to be made between ensuring suitable putting surfaces are produced without leaving the grass to grow to an unacceptable length before being cut.
Whilst the main growth pe
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Golf Greens Mowing Height of Cut
Greens are typically mown at a height from 4mm – 7mm during the main growing season and between 5mm – 9mm outside of the main growing season. A typical height of cut during the main growing season for the majority of clubs will be 4.5mm-5mm (which is the traditional 3/16", actually 4.76mm), whilst outside it can be up to 8mm, although some courses will continue to maintain it at 5mm over the winter period. Low heights of cut, especially during slowing growth periods into the autumn, limits the grass plants ability to build food reserves (carbohydrates) over that period for use during the winte
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Golf Greens Mowing The 1/3rd rule and Clip Rate
An important consideration in the mowing of any turfgrass surface is that of the ‘1/3rd rule’, which is really more of a useful guide than a strict figure to be adhered to throughout. However, for most turfgrasses removing no more than 33-40% of leaf at any one time helps to reduce harm and stress to the turfgrass plant. Removing less than this will be more beneficial, but there are trade-offs to be made with how often a surface can be mown with available resources, and how cost-effective increased mowing would be.
By harm and stress in this context it means reducing the
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