Fescue of your dreams
Posted in Greenkeeping
A recent article on the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) website will be of interest to Fine golfers. Some extracts are below and a link to the full article.
“How would you describe the perfect natural rough?
For many golfers, the romanticized version would be a sparse stand of golden brown fescue, about knee-high, crowned by slender seedheads that yield and ripple like ocean waves against the gentle breeze. Furthermore, when an errant shot finds this ideal rough, you find your ball without too much difficulty and with a little luck, have a decent chance of advancing the ball toward the green. Worst-case scenario is simply a wedge back to the short grass. Never lost, never in jail and never – well, hardly ever – is the ball unplayable….
Why is this not always the case?
The primary culprit is water, and to a lesser extent, fertilizer. Granted, ample moisture and nutrients are essential during establishment, but once the grass matures, the best way to maintain a relatively pure stand of sparse turf is to limit inputs of water and nutrients as much as possible. In contrast, the quickest way to transform thin fescue into an unplayable weed patch is to apply plenty of irrigation and nitrogen.
Bob Vavrek of the USGA greens section suggests greenkeepers…
Make every effort to keep the roughs dry. Keep carts off the turf. Control weeds with a well-timed herbicide application when necessary. Prevent the accumulation of excess plant debris in natural roughs with an annual mowing operation, but be sure to remove the plant debris to prevent clumps of dead grass from smothering the turf. Follow these suggestions and you just might achieve the wispy fescue of your dreams.”