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In 2020 we promised to increase the intensity of our greens treatments in order to encourage better root growth for a healthier and more consistent putting surface, and we are now starting to see some results.

After three days of no irrigation (since the rain we had on the weekend) we used our new moisture meter to measure an 18 per cent moisture content in the profile of our greens and are delighted with the results. This is up from around five per cent two months ago when we were irrigating every night!

What’s important about this is that the moisture is staying deep in the profile rather than in the top layer and a lack of moisture below.

Because our USGA greens are made up of 80 per cent sand, localised dry patch can be a very common problem for us. What dry patch does is create a waxy coating around each particle of soil and sand which resists the natural water retention, and therefore water flows straight through the profile of the green instead of sitting in it like it would in a sponge. Wetting agent is a treatment applied which strips this waxy coating to allow water to stay within the rootzone again, which then helps roots grow deeper into the profile, promoting healthier turf.