I wish it were as easy as my friend Tom makes it sound, but the truth of the matter is that it is very easy to keep things firm and fast, but extremely difficult to keep things firm and fast and ALIVE. The biggest problem I see with many courses today is the use of too much water. There are many reasons for this. #1 being Job security. The golf course superintendent’s profession is a very volatile job market. Whenever there is a problem many clubs figure it is easier to bring in a new guy rather than looking at the root of the problem. I think this causes many superintendents to apply too much water. Green is good right
? #2. Lack of skilled workers. Maintaining a firm fast course requires much more labor than an over watered course. No superintendent can do it by himself. He has to have good assistants/interns/crew members that are all trying to achieve the same goal. Even the best irrigation systems have design flaws. The only way to keep greens consistently firm and fast is monitor them and water only the areas that need it though the hose. This requires a lot of labor. #3 Laziness It is much easier to turn on the irrigation system from the comforts of an air conditioned office than to get out on the course and actually monitor actual soil conditions.
Other than water there are many other factors that influence how a course plays. Greens are the heart of any golf course so I will start with them. As stated earlier I am a firm believer in firm and fast. Before attempting to simply cut back on water there are many issues that have to be addressed first. First and foremost thatch has to be dealt with. A little thatch is beneficial, but too much is a recipe for disaster. Too much thatch will produce a soft spongy green that is prone to insect, disease, and mower damage. Think of thatch as a sponge. Thatch forms just under the playing surface. With thatch present it is impossible to properly water greens. (Deep and infrequent) Grass roots will grow to the depth of water. So under ideal conditions it is best to water greens heavily once per week and thoroughly fill the soil profile. The profile will dry from top to bottom and the plant roots will grow deeper trying to find water producing a healthier plant. With too much thatch present the water will be trapped in the first inch of the soil profile resulting in a weaker root system that will cause the plant to wilt much easier and require more frequent watering. There is no easy way to remove thatch once it is established. There are many new tools that are helpful such as the newer generation vertical mowers (Graden), but nothing replaces core aerification. In most cases it likely that greens will need to be core aerified a minimum of twice a year once in the spring and once in the fall. Deep vertical mowing should be done another 2-3 times per year if a lot of thatch is present. It may take several years to get thatch levels reduced to achieve optimum playing conditions.
Once thatch levels are in check there are many steps still required to produce smooth greens. I am a firm believer in a light frequent topdressing program. I favor biweekly topdressing of about 1/16 of an inch. This light topdressing has been made possible in recent years with the development of new spinner topdressers. I have found any heavier than a 1/16 of an inch you will run into problems with destroying bedknifes, but that is an entirely different subject I could spend hours on. Once a month before topdressing I would recommend a very light vertical mowing in two directions to trim any runners. I have found that brushing greens after topdressing also help stand up the plant producing a more consistent putting surface.
Next I would strongly recommend the mowing of greens with walking mowers. Walking is a little more time consuming, but I have found the benefits far out weigh the additional costs. Mowing greens with a triplex all the weight of the equipment and operator are distributed on the wheels of the machine and the reels float across the surface. This causes 3 minor ruts each pass across the surface. By using a walking mower all the weight of the machine is distributed across the rear roller of the machine causing a smoothing rolling effect. Most importantly triplex mowers require a wide area to turn in or they cause significant damage to the turf. Walkers were the only mowers available when all classical courses were designed and as a result many older greens extended all the way to edge of pad and in some cases extended over the edge. The only way to fully restore an older design is to go back to the walking mower.