Golf courses put a lot of effort into maintaining the playing fields and keeping them green and healthy year-round, no matter the weather. During different weathers, the golf course is at risk of being exposed to snow to being soaked to facing drought, which damages the grass, leaving the fairway dry and dull. Since golf is known as the rich people’s sport, taking care of the grass’s health is very necessary for the golf courses.
If the grass looks dead and frozen, it won’t offer a good golf playing experience, and hence the golf course can lose its value and even go out of business. Therefore, golf courses are one of those businesses that spend a lot on their irrigation systems to keep their fairways nice and clean. New and modern techniques are also applied to the grass to keep it green and healthy.
Things That Golf Courses Do To Keep Their Fairways Green
1. Proper Maintenance
Golf courses use aerators to make small holes in their fairways so water, air, and other nutrients can reach down to the grass’s roots. This helps the grass in growing deeper roots, and it also makes an opening to help it break the topsoil. A deeper-rooted grass usually goes dormant during the cold weather, which causes it to turn brown. These deep roots help the grass in staying healthy, lush, and green.
2. Using a Good Fertilizer
Golf courses make sure that the grass gets sufficient nutrients, so they fertilize it adequately. Fertilizers usually contain a balance of potassium and nitrogen, which helps the grass stay healthy and in shape, even when exposed to extreme temperatures.
3. Providing Adequate Water Supply
The golf courses use several techniques to ensure that the grass gets an adequate water supply. They mostly use specific sprinkler heads to spread water across different areas of the fields.
Space is usually given between the nozzles and the sprinkler heads so that the water goes everywhere and no spot is left unwatered and dry. Watering is done during the daytime and the nighttime to prevent loss of evaporation and moisture that the sunlight causes.
4. Using High Tech Temperature Control Methods
Most golf courses nowadays have high-tech temperature control systems with sophisticated sensors. These sensors record data of the external weather conditions, such as the wind, rainfall, humidity, and temperatures.
They can automatically adjust the water cycles to optimize the water levels on the fairways and playing areas. Hence depending on the outside temperature, the grass is tended to as needed.
5. Using Bio-Engineered Forms of Grass
Whenever there are drought-like dry conditions in places like Florida, the grass often suffers badly. That is why many golf courses use modified strands of grasses. These types of grasses are resistant to withering away easily in extreme climates.
The United States Golf Association is making continuous efforts by offering university grants to develop grass resistant to drought and pests. For example, the University of Georgia has grown a type of salt-resistant grass that you can water with ocean water.
6. Using the Right Kind of Pesticide
One of the main things that golf course owners are careful about is choosing the right kind of pesticide. Due to fear of pest infestation, overly spraying the grass with pesticides can also damage the grass and cause it to wither.
Hence, using the right kind of pesticide and using only the required pesticide amount is the optimum solution for keeping pests away and having a healthy fairway.
7. Maintaining the Health of the Soil
Another most important thing to look out for is the soil’s health and how fertile it is. Golf courses usually take that into account and hence see to the proper maintenance of the ground. Due to heavy rainfall, the chemicals used along with the water can sometimes seep into the soil. This can damage the soil and the grass as well, which is why golf courses make sure to keep the soil healthy and fertile.
8. Choosing the Right Type of Grass
First of all, it is essential to know what kind of grass you will use as the grass needs plenty of sunlight with good soil and a healthy water supply. Secondly, you have to consider the type of grass suitable according to the climate and location.
Using the wrong kind of grass will ultimately end up with patchy grass spots that look very unpleasant. Golf courses analyze all of that on priority to determine what type of grass would be suitable for the fairways.
9. Mowing the Grass on Time
One of the best ways to maintain the grass and keep it healthy is by mowing it regularly. After everything else is taken care of, all that’s left is to trim the fairways on time. Doing this regulates the grass growth and keeps it healthy.
10. Taking Care of The Irrigation System and its Maintenance
The golf courses always take care of their irrigation systems and keep them well maintained. That means taking care of the water sprinklers, checking the temperature sensors, and making sure to diagnose any faults in the systems that need fixing.
11. Removing Ice Coverage in the Winter
In the winter, when it gets cold, the grass gets covered by ice. The ice damages the grass badly and can cause it to break down and die. Therefore, it is imperative to remove the ice covering from the grass in the cold, to ensure healthy-looking grass. That is one of the primary practices of golf courses to keep their fairways healthy in the winters.
12. Taking Care of the Fallen Leaves During Autumn
In the fall, the cold winds start blowing, and during this time, leaves start falling out from the trees. The grass needs to be cleared out of fallen leaves to ensure a smooth fairway for playing golf. Hence, the golf courses take care of cleaning the fields every day to ensure the grass is healthy and clean, and free from anything that can harm it.
13. Taking Extra Care of Irrigation Lines
One other thing that needs to be taken extra care of is the irrigation line. The cold winds can sometimes freeze the irrigation lines and obstruct water. Hence they need to be checked regularly to avoid freezing and preventing a healthy fairway from becoming damaged and dull.
Green Fairways – It’s All About Proper Care and Maintenance
The grass is a great gift by God that helps make any place more pleasant and green. The key to keeping the grass green and healthy throughout the year is proper maintenance and irrigation. The golf courses utilize this and put that into effect on a large scale. They invest money in substantial irrigation methods and adequate precautions to ensure the grass stays green throughout the year.