Tinning and dressing greens

[Deleted member 18588]

We are in North Yorks and are having ours done next week. Thing is experience tells all the members that the greens never recover to what they were before hand, I know they have to be done especially in a clay area like ours but it seems a shame most members reckon that we should leave them another month or so and enjoy them as they are and just put up with crap greens through the rest of the winter because doing them now they wont be much better anyway.

Perhaps the problem is that you are rather late addressing this.

 

[patricks148]

Nairn Dunbar does theres the week after the 5 day open at the start of Aug. the first year there was a lot of descent, but they recover by the end of the month. I wish when Nairn Did ours it was earlier. We have a Graden Machine and that makes no difference to how that putt providing its dry. However they still have to be hollow tined every 3 years and doing it in Oct, just means it takes 4 months to recover.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Wasn't this topic a very recent thread? As folk have said, this is best time of year - good growing & recovery conditions.

Ours were done Monday to Wednesday 2 weeks ago - the following conversation took place on the Saturday immediately

PP "When they going to do the greens? I thought they were going to do them this past week?"
Me "They did."
PP "You sure?"
Me "Yep. That's why they're just a bit slow"
PP "You really sure?"
Me "Yep" (says me pointing at faint traces of aeration" holes)
PP "Well blow me.." (or words to that effect which I can't print)

Absolute perfect time to have done it.

Had the same conversation with another member on Sunday - ours were done week ago - tinned and top dressed. He'd played and not noticed as he's been away for a couple of weeks and didn't play in the club champs when they were pristine

 

[louise_a]

Yup, ours have been done this week too, I expect that they will be fine next week.

 

[ManinBlack]

Our greens recover much more quickly since the club invested in a turf iron. Once the top dressing is applied the turf iron is run over the greens & this compresses the dressing into the turf, with no loose dressing lying on top. After one cut the greens are smooth & true again.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

I agree, it is good to know. Would have thought head greenkeeper would have some communication with members about it though! It's just a usual case that everyone moans thinking they know better, when really, they have no idea.

Wasn't having a pop at you...just sometimes, greenstaff need a break!

All of our members now get a weekly e mail report from the green keeper explaining what has been done, why it's been done and what is about to happen, if members are kept fully informed it makes them less inclined to complain, additionally we all have the opportunity to improve our basic understanding of what is being done.

We micro tine our greens now, you barely notice they have been done.

 

[Crazyface]

After last years winter who cares when the greens are done? Our place was half shut or totally shut from November through to end of April.

I hate winter golf anyway. If golf was meant to be played in the winter why don't we see the pros all wrapped up like eskimos and trying to get round some swamp of a course?

 

[Farmergeddon]

Wabinez, you seem to be in the know, does the Autumn hollow tinning have to be done at a specific time or is just to try and let the greens recover for the players during the winter??? If for instance it was put off until November, when we spend a lot of time on winter greens anyway, would it affect next seasons condition given there will be another session in the spring???

 

[DCB]

We are in North Yorks and are having ours done next week. Thing is experience tells all the members that the greens never recover to what they were before hand, I know they have to be done especially in a clay area like ours but it seems a shame most members reckon that we should leave them another month or so and enjoy them as they are and just put up with crap greens through the rest of the winter because doing them now they wont be much better anyway.

If the greens aren't recovering it's down to either 1) timing, do it earlier or 2) the greenkeeper isn't using the correct dressing for your soil characteristics. There has to be an underlying reason why the greens can't recover after autumn work.

 

[Doh]

A couple of years ago they did them to late and due to the weather they did not recover until the spring, this was due partly to pressure from some members to leave them. It coursed all sorts of issues with the greens which lead to some very unhappy people. Thank god they are fine now, let the greens staff do their job and all will be good.

 

[Robobum]

Here's ours, perfect timing

https://twitter.com/cirengolfgreen/status/773462697409142784

 

[duncan mackie]

Wabinez, you seem to be in the know, does the Autumn hollow tinning have to be done at a specific time or is just to try and let the greens recover for the players during the winter??? If for instance it was put off until November, when we spend a lot of time on winter greens anyway, would it affect next seasons condition given there will be another session in the spring???

They wouldn't recover until late into spring (whatever that is in your area) or even early summer.

Given normal conditions the optimum time for invasive treatments (hollow tining, drill and fill, graden sand injection etc) is mid August - given water availability and normal temperatures, especially at night, the grass will grow out very quickly indeed. You also set them up for root growth later in the season.
If you are doing both in a season you would normally do the grades in the spring and hollow tining in summer; then a light scarifying cutter monthly with a top dressing....

 

[Sheffieldhacker]

They wouldn't recover until late into spring (whatever that is in your area) or even early summer.

Given normal conditions the optimum time for invasive treatments (hollow tining, drill and fill, graden sand injection etc) is mid August - given water availability and normal temperatures, especially at night, the grass will grow out very quickly indeed. You also set them up for root growth later in the season.
If you are doing both in a season you would normally do the grades in the spring and hollow tining in summer; then a light scarifying cutter monthly with a top dressing....

Great brief explanation for golfers

 

[Khamelion]

Ours were done Monday and Tuesday this week, they have been deep scarified and then had the graden sand injection, with a little bit of rain that is due today and over night Friday into Saturday, they should be decent enough for the last boarded comp of the year.