Costs “Extensive Management of Turf
The cost of golf course maintenance has always been a major problem that plagues golf course owners, and the cost of golf course maintenance has also been discussed in the industry. Taking an 18-hole standard golf course as an example, it can cost as little as 2-3 million, or as much as 8-10 million. Of course, this is related to the construction quality of the course’s operation objectives. However, under the same turf quality conditions, reducing the maintenance cost of the stadium is the result that any golf club hopes for.
The author has been in the golf lawn maintenance industry for 11 years. He has worked in 4 golf clubs and has experienced golf course construction and maintenance work (warm season grass) in many golf courses. At any golf club, he will encounter the problem of maintenance costs. , as everyone knows, the maintenance cost of the golf course determines the maintenance cost of the golf course during the construction period. However, from my experience in golf lawn work for many years, the cost of golf course maintenance can also be reduced from the maintenance skills of the lawn director (manager). In terms of maintenance costs, I refer to this maintenance plan as: “extensive management” of lawns.
1. Lawn water management
Lawn plants need water, but lawns don’t need water uncontrollably. Frequent watering of the golf course will increase the frequency of use of the sprinkler irrigation system, increase the maintenance cost of the sprinkler irrigation system, and increase the expenditure on water and electricity (especially in some water-scarce cities). Frequent watering will also make lawn maintenance difficult and increase maintenance costs. Some people may ask: Water, air, soil, and sunlight are the four elements for plant growth. Should I water the lawn when it is dry? When the temperature is too high at noon, I water the lawn to cool it down. If there is dew in the morning that affects the lawn mowing, I also need to water to remove the dew. It can only be said that this is an unscientific sprinkler irrigation operation. The lawn needs water, but we need to master the way of watering, “see dry and wet, water thoroughly”. When I was responsible for court maintenance, I always mastered the 1/3 principle of watering, which is to first check the root depth of the lawn. If the main root layer of the ridge lawn is 9 centimeters, the water content of the sandy soil at the depth of 3 centimeters on the flat bed is insufficient. Carry out watering operations (not recommended when the lawn density is low and is subject to various diseases, high and low temperatures, and mechanical damage) and check the root growth status of the lawn every week, adjust the amount of watering at any time, and water thoroughly. (This method is suitable for healthy lawns with healthy and strong lawn plants, high density, and root systems higher than 10 cm)
Because the root system of any plant has a hydrotropism: that is, the root system of the plant likes to grow in areas with sufficient water. My method is to use the water requirement of the plant to guide the lawn plants to penetrate deeper into the soil, and gradually extend according to the root growth of the lawn. The frequency of watering is what we lawn workers often call “grass training.” When the hot summer comes, it is easier to survive the high temperature season. It also reduces the cost of lawn sprinkler irrigation, reduces the frequency of watering, and increases the service life of the sprinkler head. The cost savings in terms of water and electricity are considerable.
2. Graded management of lawns
I grade the maintenance levels of the golf lawn according to its functional areas.
A key conservation area (green area)
B Important Conservation Area (Teeing Ground)
C General maintenance area (fairway, rough area)
D Extensive maintenance area (edge area, garden lawn area)
(1) The key maintenance area (green) is the standard for evaluating the quality of a golf course’s turf. Take a golfer hitting the ball on a par 4 hole as an example. There is one tee, one fairway, two putters, and one ball. It takes two or more strokes to put your hands on the green, which means that more than half of the golfers’ strokes are completed on the green. The green is also the area where golfers stay the longest while playing. The green is also the place where the lawn has the lowest mowing height. It is required to be uniform in color, flat, and moderate in density. Therefore, I divided the work items in the green area into 9 tasks including mowing, fertilizing, combing, sanding, applying pesticides, removing impurities, watering, rolling, cutting roots, and drilling holes. Lawn maintenance and management workers should patrol the golf course greens every day.
(2) Important maintenance area (tee box) This is the area where golfers tee off. Since the mowing height is higher than that of the green, its maintenance requirements are lower than those of the green. Generally, I perform 8 operations on the tee box: mowing, fertilizing, spraying pesticides, removing impurities, watering, drilling, combing grass, and spreading sand. The corresponding operating frequency should be lower than that in key maintenance areas.
(3) In general maintenance areas (fairways, rough areas), the mowing height of fairways and rough areas is correspondingly higher than that of other areas. Only four operations are performed: mowing, fertilizing, spraying, and watering, and the frequency is much higher. lower than the above two areas.
(4) In the extensive maintenance area (edge area, garden lawn area), only grass cutting is required for this area.
Carry out graded maintenance according to the above method, which will make a clear contrast in the quality of the lawn. Some people have always asked: This is a good way to make greens, and the rough grass and grass in other areas are not ugly. We must know that the service object of the golf course is the golfers, and the golfers’ requirements for the lawn are the standards for our maintenance work. The rough and other areas are equivalent to the role of the golf course’s bunkers and ponds, which are punishments for inaccurate shots. , improve the fun and challenge of golfers’ playing. Everyone has seen the courses that host European Tour and PGA Tour events. Friends, do you think there is any rough grass in these high-level courses? But everyone will remember the beautiful greens on the course, but who can deny the charm of these courses.
Post time: Mar-08-2024