Hollowcoring greens

Today we began this years hollow coring process on the greens, for the last 2 years we have been undergoing a severe thatch/soil removal process on all of the greens. We suffered badly with thatchy compact greens, the result being spongy surfaces for alot of the year, leading to a lot of disease pressure, bumpy greens, high fertilisers needs and poor drainage. This is the final year of this severe treatment, in the 3 years we estimate we will have aerated a third of the greens surface. In replacement of the cores removed we put back straight sand, improving surface firmness, rooting, drainage, reduced nitrogen inputs (150kgN/ha per annum in 2008 to 70kgN/ha per annum in 2011) and reduced fungicide applications from 7 in 2008 to 2 in 2012(both preventative). It is very disruptive as we hollow core with 15mm tines and do 2 passes over the green.
Today we only did the front putting green, beginning with coring, the front putting green is very narrow so some had to be cleared by hand.

This is one of our more enthusiastic members helping out clearing up the cores before the professionals stepped in! For the areas of the greens where access isn't so limited we have hired in a John Deere TC core collector from Adamsons to speed up the core removal process, a fantastic bit of kit. The green was blown off with a back pack blower and then heavily top dressed with around 4 tonne per green.

We then spread seed on to the top dress as it dried out, we then brushed the top dress into the holes, mixing it with the seed. We found that this method gives the best germination as it maximises seed/ sand contact.

Following brushing an application of 6-0-28 slow release fertiliser was added and watered in, after the fertiliser granules have dispersed the green will be matted with a drag mat and rolled with a heavy roller to settle the turf back down before the greens are cut. On Monday we are starting on holes 1-9.