Rolling putting greens produces faster and smoother putting surfaces without the need to lower mowing heights.

Preparing Your Greens For ThatAlI-Important TournamentPlan ahead by thinking backwards.byST~LEYJ.ZONTEK

NOT EVERY GOLF COURSEhosts the U.S. Open Cham-pionship each year. However,

almost every golf course does holdsome type of important golf tourna-ment. The list of events can be long: aregional or sectional qualifying event; atournament for charity; a state amateur,junior, or professional event; or thatvery special member-guest tournamentthat the golf course prides itself in.

There are a number of practices a golfcourse superintendent can use to pre-pare the golf course for that specialtournament. It may not be the U.S.Open, but it is just as important to have

the course, and particularly the greens,look and play their best. Play away!

Green SpeedRight or wrong, having the greens

putt faster for a special golf event isalmost always required. Seldom is theregular daily green speed consideredadequate. If by chance it is, then skipthis section. If it is not, read on.

The challenge for the turf manageris to provide faster green speeds for thetournament without threatening thehealth of the turf. It is an agronomicover-simplification to think that simplylowering the mowing height will

achieve faster greens. Without properpreparation, lowering the height canscalp the turf. Following are some ofthe practices that are used to accom-modate the desire for faster greens. Inselecting and scheduling these pro-grams, much depends upon how fastyou want the greens to putt, and thetime, machinery, and labor available to .do this work.

Light Topdressing. A light topdress-ing program is important in preparingthe greens for the tournament. This iswhere your planning ahead by think-ing backwards begins. Our experiencehas shown that a light topdressing

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should be scheduled 11-12 days beforethe tournament. This allows enoughtime for the topdressing material tosettle into the turf and for debris andother loose impediments to be pickedup by the greens mower. This timingbefore the event also allows time for themowers to be re-Iapped or sharpenedbefore the event. Thus, work back-wards in scheduling topdressing so thegreens will peak the days of the event.

How much topdressing should beapplied? The key here is to use justenough so that when the material dries,it vanishes into the grass following alight brushing and/or light irrigation.Depending upon a number of factors,such as the type of topdressing andthe length of the grass on the greens,rates can range from V2to % cubicyard of topdressing material per 5,000square feet. NOTE: Dry topdressingmaterial works best.

After the topdressing has beenworked into the grass, lowering themowing heights can be done moresafely. Besides smoothing and firming

the putting surface, the topdressingprotects the crown, or growing point, ofthe grass plant so that scalping injuryis minimized.

How many topdressings will yourgreens need? It depends, but if thegreens are soft and spongy, severaltopdressings may be needed. Again,work backwards on your calendar. Ifyou know you should schedule a top-dressing application 11-12 days beforethe event, schedule one or more addi-tionallight topdressings on that sameschedule.

Double CuttingExperience has shown that double

cutting greens should begin about fourdays prior to the beginning of thepractice rounds (if any). In this way,the greens should putt at the samepace for every day of the event, in-eluding the practice rounds.

The question is often asked, "Can Icut the greens once in the morningand once in the evening to achieve thesame results?" The answer is, yes, with

some explanation. It generally is best todouble cut greens in the morning.However, if time, weather, equipment,or the labor situation demands thatyou divide your mowing schedulesbetween the morning and the evening,then yes, this operation can be split.This is better than not double cuttingat all. The gain in green speed by doublecutting usually is at least six inches, asmeasured by the Stimpmeter.

Rolling GreensThere are several types of dedicated

machines designed to roll puttinggreens. Rolling greens produces fasterand smoother putting surfaces, evenwithout lowering mowing heights.The key is to roll the greens withoutdamaging the grass or compacting thesoil.

Space does not allow for a thoroughdiscussion of all aspects of rollinggreens. Suffice it to say, rolling greensis one of the techniques to achievefaster putting green speeds on a tem-porary basis.

Using soft-bristled brooms to groom the putting surface is one technique used to gently lift runners prior to cutting. The technique islabor intensive, but it's non-abrasive to the grass.

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Brushing lifts runners so they can be trimmed easily.

How frequently can greens berolled? Research and field experiencehave shown that greens can be rolledregularly a maximum ofthree times perweek. For special events, greens can berolled regularly daily. If this is done,however, some type of surface aerationshould be scheduled on the greensimmediately following the event. Greenspeed gains can be impressive wheregreens are rolled, and speed increasesof 12 to 18 inches are common.

AerationOne of the most asked questions is,

"Can or should greens be aerated priorto an important golf tournament?"This is where a distinction between atelevised or major tournament andyour course event can be made. Forthose very special and rare champion-ships or tournaments, traditional aera-tion prior to the event normally is notperformed unless there is a very goodreason to do so. For most regular golfevents, do not compromise; as the golfcourse superintendent, do what youbelieve the greens need prior to theevent to keep the grass on the greensalive for the remainder of the season.Obviously, do not aerate the greenswith %-inch hollow tines the weekprior to the event. Just make sure youschedule whatever aeration the greensneed well in advance of the event sothe aeration holes have time to heal.

Today our industry enjoys moretypes of aeration equipment than hasever been available before. You canaerate greens with 14- to %-inch (orlarger) hollow tines; solid tines; waterinjection; small, surface, multi-tinedaerators; deep-tine aerators; drillaerators; and others. The superinten-dent can literally choose the techniquethat fits the needs of the grass and soilon the greens.

When in doubt, do not defer anaeration program solely because of thetournament. Perhaps you can use atechnique that produces the least dis-ruption to the putting surface, but dowhat is best for the grass, the soil, andthe long-term performance of thegreens. Aeration can be a good practiceboth to prepare the grass for the eventand then, following the tournament,to relieve compaction and rebuild theturf's root system.

FertilityGrass that is lush, fast growing, and

wide leafed is more difficult to preparefor a tournament than slower-growing,finer leafed, hungrier grass. But there

are both extremes - grass that is overfertilized and grass that is under fer-tilized. Yes, you can under fertilizegrass, especially when trying to achievefaster green speeds! With grass that isunder fertilized, there is a tendencyto lose density. Ball marks becomeagonizingly slow to heal, and greenslack density and tend to spike markmore than greens with better turfdensity.

How can you achieve this balancebetween lush, dense grass and thin,under-fertilized grass, especially whenpreparing greens for a tournament?The answer could be by fertilizing thegreens, especially in the weeks leadingup to the tournament, with a light,spoonteeding putting green fertilityprogram. Typically, this involves the

application of a minimum of Ylothtoa maximum of 14pound of actual nitro-gen per 1,000 square feet, normallyusing a complete N-P-K fertilizer blendthat is sometimes enhanced with ironand other micronutrients. These liquidapplications of fertilizer, using thegreens sprayer, can be made to thegreens on a 7- to la-day interval begin-ning at least a month prior to thetournament. Essentially, this replacesgranular fertilizers, with their inherentpeaks-and-valleys responses, withmultiple, light applications of sprayablefertilizers. It allows the superintendentto have better control of the growth ofthe grass prior to and even after atournament. You do not want to havea granular fertilizer release during the

event. Not too much growth, and nottoo little. Some trial and error may beinvolved in terms of timing, rates, andindividual fertilizer products. Nonethe-less, by spraying soluble fertilizers onthe grass, you can always add morematerial if it is needed. With granularfertilizers, once the material is down, itis down. You cannot remove an excess.A spoonfeeding program is anothertool, another option, to utilize in pre-parinR your greens for that specialtournament.

Surface PreparationYears ago, another title for this sec-

tion could have been controlling grain.The fact is, the effect of grain on theroll of a ball is overstated today. Whenputting greens were cut at 14 inch,

especially on bermudagrass greens, theeffect of grain was real. With today'sgreens commonly maintained at %2ndsof an inch or less, grain simply does nothave a chance to develop. Today, whentelevision announcers mention grain,the effect is more likely due to theslope and the contour of the green,not the way the grass plant grows.

Nonetheless, surface preparation isstill important. The smoother the ballrolls without bouncing and the truerthe ball tracks, the better the puttingsurface will be for that member-guesttournament or for the u.S. OpenChampionship.

Some surface preparation techniqueshave already been mentioned. The actof working light rates of topdressing

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material into the grass lifts runnersand prostrate leaf blades, which arethen cut off. Topdressing also fills smalldepressions, resulting in a smootherputting surface with less bouncing ofthe ball as it rolls. Topdressing helpsfirm a putting surface, which reducesthe effects of footprints or other traffic.

Double cutting and rolling are otherforms of surface preparation, as arelight grooming or vertical mowings.The need for these last two operationsis up to the golf course superintendent.If the putting surface is thick andmatted prior to the tournament, verticalmowing of the grass, along with lighttopdressing, will help thin it out.

Mechanical groomers, if not set toodeeply, help to groom the putting sur-face by lifting and cutting the horizontalleaves and stems. Care should be takennot to schedule these operations tooclose to the event, since the grass needstime to heal. These are abrasive tech-niques, and they can shock the grass.In my opinion, little should happenmechanically to the grass on the greensthe week prior to the event exceptdouble cuttings, rollings, etc.

A less-abrasive technique to groomand prepare the putting green surface isto literally broom them. Long-handledbrooms with soft bristles can be used togently lift runners prior to cutting andenhance putting green quality beforeand even during an event. The tech-nique is labor intensive, but it is per-haps the best surface preparationtechnique the superintendent can useimmediately before and during thetournament. A benefit of this techniqueversus mechanical grooming is thatweak areas in the outer edges of thegreens, or on high or low spots, aremuch easier to avoid with broomsthan is possible with machines.

Chemical ApplicationsThis is another area where the

superintendent needs to plan back-wards. The superintendent shouldavoid having a sprayer out on thecourse to control disease or insectsduring the event. Grass that is whitewith a chemical spray or has a strangeodor does not reassure golfers, and itis bad public relations.

Most superintendents have a favoritechemical spray that lasts a long timeand controls a broad range of diseasesthat could occur during the tourna-ment. This spray should be applied,preventatively, a few days before theevent so the residual, or length of con-trol, lasts through the days of the

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tournament. The same rationale existsfor insecticide applications. Experi-ence, planning, and common sense arecritical in planning pesticide applica-tions so that the turf is disease- andinsect-free for the tournament.

IrrigationWet greens are soft greens. Wet

greens are slow greens. Wet greensfootprint. Wet greens have more diseaseproblems. Wet greens are problemgreens. Sometimes the golf coursesuperintendent cannot control theamount of water the course receives.Additionally, the golf course superin-tendent might not be allowed to cutdown trees, prune limbs, removeunderbrush, or even install a fan inorder to improve the grass-growingenvironment over and around a green.Sunlight and improved air circulationhelp a green dry out and help the turfto thrive. Suffice it to say, when prepar-ing greens for tournament play, a goodgreen is a dry, firm green.

When possible, hand water greensprior to and through the event. Nor-mally, it is not a good idea to soakgreens prior to the tournament or onthe days of the practice rounds. Worseyet is to water greens simply to softenthem up (usually requested by onesegment of golfers). Never intentionallywater the approaches or fronts ofgreens to make the golf course playharder.

Keep perimeter irrigation to a mini-mum. After all, perimeter irrigationsystems that use full-circle sprinklerheads tend to concentrate water in themiddle of the greens, where most of theheads overlap. Thus, use the perimeterirrigation system only when necessary,and supplement all irrigation by handwatering the greens, including thecollars, mounds, or other hot spots.

One final point. Hand watering istoo important an operation to delegateto anyone other than your bestemployees. As with spoonfeedinggreens, you can always go back andadd more water to an area, but oncethe soil becomes too wet, it's hard toremove the excess. The goal should bea light, frequent watering program tomaintain firm greens without com-promising the health of the grass.

Manicuring/Detailingthe Golf Course

Space does not allow for all of thedetails of course manicuring and pre-sentation that can be so important inpreparing your golf course for an

important tournament. A quick list ofitems includes: new tee towels, newor freshly painted tee markers, freshsoap and clean water in ball washers,new flags and flagsticks, new holeliners, properly functioning rakes inthe bunkers, edged and hand-rakedbunkers. Take some extra time justprior to the event to fix non-repairedor poorly repaired ball marks on greensand divot marks on tees and fairways.Also, re-mark water hazards, provide aclean and neat practice tee, blow leavesfrom greens, tees, and fairways, andmake sure your course is well trimmed.

Also consider saving the best holelocations and reserving areas on tees,especially on par-3 holes, so the golferswho play the course will have the bestgrass on your greens and tees. Youshould work with the golf professionaland/or tournament chairman to savethe best putting green and tee locations.Basically, the goal is to present a neatand manicured golf course. This atten-tion to details is so very important.These things golfers see when theyplay your course.

Finally, how about addressing theissue of going spikeless, or using alter-native spikes for the event? It isamazing to see the difference in puttingquality between using the traditionalmetal spike with the raised metalshoulder and the spikeless or alter-native spiked golf shoes. Some tractionmay be sacrificed on some surfaces andin some situations, just as with metalspikes, but there is no denying that thegreens and the quality of the puttingsurfaces are improved. This is some-thing to consider. Also, it is a verytangible way that golfers can influence,in a positive sense, how the greens ontheir golf course look and play.

In summary, the reputation of everygolf course is either enhanced or hurtby the condition of the golf courseduring an important golf tournament.Consider the items discussed in thisarticle. Some may be appropriate foryour golf course; some may not.

Finally, today's golf course superin-ten dent is an essential member of theteam that prepares and presents a golfcourse to the players and their guests.Be part of this team. Long hours gointo the preparation of the golf coursefor a tournament. And, when invited,enjoy the social aspects of a golf tour-nament. After all, you deserve it!

STAN ZONTEK is director of the USGAGreen Section Mid-Atlantic Region.