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GROUNDSMEN have completed over-seeding work at the Royal’s Golf Club’s main Montgomerie championship course and hope to reap what they’ve sown in the best possible sense.
They are calling on members and visitors to show patience as they wait for full germination to take place.
Jordan Fairweather, the club’s director of agronomy, said: “This year we have had higher winds during over-seed so keeping the seed wet so it swells and germinates is paramount.
“Having temporary greens for a short time this year has allowed us to open the course but protect the juvenile greens seed until it has fully germinated and started to mature. We appreciate the players’ patience while the main greens are closed.”
He also explained the need to over-seed. “Our summer grass and base grass of Paspalum will start to slow growth and maybe even go dormant so will not be able to photosynthesis and thus produce carbohydrates (plant energy).
“With the severe undulations on our course and the high winds a dormant grass would not hold a golf ball, not recover from winter cart and foot traffic along with not being aesthetically pleasing.
“The paspalum is always there, we do not reseed in the spring but will allow the winter grass of rye grass to burn out in the May heat and allow light back into the paspalum.
“In the UAE they do not suffer from high winds and generally have 5 degree Celsius warmer climate. For this reason they do not have a need to over-seed greens but generally over-seed roughs and fairways for aesthetics and playability for European Tour events.”
In October members of his team continued the sand exchange with the left of 10 green and right 16 aprons being completed. During November they plan to complete sand exchange on the bunker back right of 16, both small bunkers left 13 green and the bunkers left 6 green.
“We have also started planting up the desert edge to the bunker behind 15 green to stop contamination of the sand and will work on planting up the desert to the right of 18 lake for aesthetics during November,” added Fairweather. “We have also been working on trimming and cleaning of all the landscape pennisetum grasses.”
For further details visit the ‘The Royal Golf Club – Agronomy’ Facebook page or on twitter @rgcagronomy.
