An ongoing programme of overseeding has proved key to revitalising the greens at Vicars Cross Golf Club near Chester in England.
Originally constructed on heavy blue Cheshire clay, a renovation scheme on the parkland course has seen all of the greens gradually rebuilt to USGA standards with 70 per cent sand.
However, as course manager Michael Gilligan explains, getting the turf up to scratch has been another matter. “When the greens were rebuilt, the original turf was simply replaced and it was 100 per cent poa,” he said. “I explained to the committee that we would need to overseed the greens to introduce bents, but there is a perception that this is a one-off task. It was important to make it clear that overseeding would be an ongoing process, part of our routine maintenance regime.”
He began overseeding in the autumn, but in discussion with Steve Oultram from the nearby Wilmslow Golf Club, decided to extend the operation to the spring as well. “Steve said I should take every opportunity to increase the percentage of bent in the greens, so I use all suitable windows for overseeding. In spring it can be more tricky to get the right temperatures for germination, but if you can get the seed in it will come through when it is ready, which can take two or three weeks or even longer if it is cold.”
In order to ensure the best possible germination Gilligan uses a Huxley scarifier to prepare the greens for seeding in the autumn, top dressing before overseeding and then applying a further top dressing. “Because bents are so fine, I like to fill the grooves made by the scarifier to stop the seed going too deep,” he explains. Spring treatment is equally specific, with seed applied after a pass with the sorrel roller and before topdressing.
Gilligan chose AberRoyal browntop bent, supplied by British Seed Houses, after reading favourable reviews, but said the variety’s characteristics appealed to him anyway: “I liked the idea of a British-bred grass for British greens, and while I also looked at velvets, I felt that AberRoyal would be more suitable for our conditions. Its ability to outcompete poa and resistance to disease were very attractive.”
He says the overseeding is already proving its worth, producing greens that retain their quality and perform well all year round: “There is more pressure to provide good surfaces for winter play now and under these conditions, 100 per cent poa greens suffer as they hold water and are susceptible to disease. We are even able to play winter leagues – if the weather is bad, we can manage the traffic around wet heavy fairways, but we can still produce the quality greens that golfers expect.”
Another benefit is that Gilligan has been able to reduce the amount of water and fertiliser used on the greens, and as AberRoyal is more resistant to disease, he has not had to spray with fungicides for 14 months. “So AberRoyal has enabled me to make cost savings while creating better playing surfaces,” he said. “I would highly recommend overseeding in both spring and autumn to increase the percentage of bents in the greens – it’s like having two bites of the cherry!”