March Golf Diary 2004
March Golf Diary
By Editor
Most of the tasks detailed can be undertaken within a limited budget. Local conditions and circumstances will need to be taken into account.
If any members are undertaking any specific work not detailed, please let us know by adding a comment in the section below the diary.
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March Maintenance Tasks for Golf Courses |
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Natural Grass |
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| Task | Frequency | Reason |
| Aeration | When conditions allow | Greens. Spring renovation works will start mid to late March. All greens to be aerated using mechanical vertidrain type aerators. |
| Tees. Spring renovation works will start mid to late March. All tees to be aerated using mechanical vertidrain type aerators. | ||
| Fairways. Ongoing aeration works will continue on fairways using various types of aerators (varying depths of penetration to prevent the development of a soil pan). | ||
| Amenity areas |
Weekly |
Tidy up any flower and shrub borders around the club house and entrance. Prune shrub material, remove dead and diseased wood. |
| Brushing / Sweeping | Daily / Weekly | Greens & Tees. Prior to mowing the surface should be thoroughly brushed. Continue to brush greens and tees daily to remove moisture from the grass surface stopping the spread of disease and facilitating an improved quality of cut on the dry grass. |
| Bunkers | Daily / weekly |
All winter reconstruction works should be completed before the mowing season starts.
Inspect weed and rake bunkers |
| Construction works | As required | All winter construction works, should be completed during March. |
| Course Inspection | Daily | Inspect greens, tees, Flags and hole positions for damage or vandalism. |
| Diseases including Moss & Algae | Daily / Weekly | Greens , Tees , Fairways. Keep an eye on fungal disease attack, and use approved fungicides to treat infected areas. |
| Divoting | As required | Greens, Tees and Fairways. Repair any divots and scars from play. |
| Drainage | Weekly | Inspect drainage outfalls, channels and ditches. Ensure that they are working. |
| Fertiliser programme | If grass shows signs of stress (weak growth, discoloured) | Greens , Tees and Fairways. Fertiliser treatment and turf tonic can be continued in accordance with your annual programme. If you haven't got a fertiliser programme, have your soil tested; try an independent soil analysis company for an impartial set of results. Apply a spring fertiliser when conditions allow. |
| Footpaths | As required | All major path repairs and resurfacing works should be completed in March. |
| Frost and snow | As required | Keep people and equipment off playing surfaces when covered in frost and snow. |
| Harrowing / raking | When conditions allow | Fairways. Harrowing / raking helps restore levels and keep surfaces open. |
| Inspect Course structures | As required | The Course, Clubhouse, Car parks. Check and repair fences, seating, shelters, bridges, litter bins , boot and ball cleaners, signs, and tee boxes. |
| Irrigation |
Daily and weekly |
Ensure that automatic watering systems have been serviced and repaired ready for the new season, check and monitor all sprinkler head controls / valves to see if they are working, and check the spray patterns and timing of each and every sprinkler head.
Also check any manual systems, hose pipes, sprinklers and pumps. |
| Litter / debris | Daily / Weekly | Greens , Tees and Fairways. Inspect and remove debris from playing surfaces. Litter, twigs and leaves. |
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Machinery
(Repairs & Maintenance) |
Daily / Weekly | Inspect and clean machinery after use, service and repair damaged machinery, prepare machinery ready for new mowing season. |
| Marking out | Weekly | Prepare and mark out caddie areas, out of bound site areas and range markings. |
| Materials | Monthly | Estimate and order seed, loams and fertilisers for forthcoming season. |
| Mowing | As required | Mowing heights may vary depending on local conditions, type of course, course expectations, sward type and mower type. The mowing heights are a guide, and will be subject to local weather conditions, but remember not to remove more than 1/3 of total grass height in each cut. The less stress that is placed on the grass at this vital time, the better the results further on into the season. |
| Greens. Mowing height on the greens should be lowered to around 4-8mm by the end of March. | ||
| Tees. Mowing height on the Tees should be lowered to around 10-15mm by the end of March | ||
| Fairways. Mowing height on the Fairways should be lowered to around 20-30mm by the end of March | ||
| Rough, Semi rough grass areas. Mow and tidy up these areas. | ||
| Pest control | As required |
Worm treatments can be carried out if needed, but please remember to ask yourself why do you have worms, Ph level, organic matter and your cultural practices on the square need to be assessed.
Moles and rabbit damage, repairs as required. |
| Ponds, lakes and streams | Weekly | Inspect all water features on course, cleaning out any unwanted debris and litter, General tidy up of banks and vegetation. |
| Scarification | As required | Green & Tees. March is a very busy period for scarifying. Removing horizontally growing grasses and surface organic matter, plays an important roll in the spring renovation programme. |
| Seed bare & worn areas | When conditions allow |
Greens, Tees and Fairways. Over seeding of sparse or bare areas can be continued, the rise in temperature will help germination. Use germination sheets to aid this process but remove the sheets regularly to check for diseases, remember that without good seed to soil contact the operation is useless.
Ensure you use new seed as old material may not give you the required germination rates. |
| Tee Boxes, pegs | As required | All Tee boxes, tee pegs and competition markers should have been cleaned, repaired and replaced by March. |
| Top dressing | As required | Greens & Tees. Ensure you have enough top dressing material for the spring renovation works that start in mid March. |
| Wetting agents | As required | March is a good time to apply any wetting agents onto grass areas, it's better to apply these products before the soil begins to dry out. |
| Woodland & conservation areas. | As required | Last chance to complete any major woodland and trees works around the course. |
| Artificial Tees and Mats | ||
| Artificial Grass Systems | Weekly |
Keep surface clean, regular sweeping and brushing. Remove any algae and moss from surface.
Sand filled systems require regular brushing to maintain manufacturers recommendations for sand levels and pile heights. |
| Rubber Tee Mats | As required | Keep clean, all temporary winter mats to be cleaned and stored away. |
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