Every time a golfer takes out a divot, it creates an opening for
unsightly Ryegrass to spring up. Even essential aeration operations
can produce sufficient soil exposure for aggressive grasses to
germinate. It's a constant battle for Duncan Kelso, Director of
Golf at Kings Hill Golf Course.
The former hop gardens and fruit fields in the rich Kent
agricultural land were always going to be an ongoing reservoir of
Ryegrass to infest the Fescue-sown fairways on the 90-hectare
course, built 16 years ago. "You can't help that, it's the nature
of things," accepts Duncan. "It wasn't long after establishment
that Ryegrass clumps were spoiling the even, Fescue appearance and
the playability of the fairways.
"I'm a dedicated Fescue greenkeeper, a traditionalist if you
like," says Duncan, who began life in the golf industry as a
trainee greenkeeper, went onto golf course architecture and
construction, before returning to course management. "When
you seed a whole new course with Fescue it thrives beautifully and,
on the day you open, it looks immaculate - alien free.
"For 10 years or so at Kings Hill it was irksome to see Ryegrass
getting in on the act, gradually disfiguring what we had created.
There was nothing we could do about it, short of physically getting
on our hands and knees and digging it out. Then Rescue
came along and we had a real means of tackling it."
Kings Hill Director of Golf, Duncan
Kelso
Duncan was one of the first pioneers to try out the new
selective herbicide option, initially during its development phase,
and then undertaking a series of trials with Simon Barnaby and John
Noyce of Everris Limited (formerly named
Scotts) to evaluate options and identify the best recommendations
for other greenkeepers. Now, Rescue is an integral part of his
spring and autumn management plans, to keep the David Williams
designed course in top condition.
After successive years of targeted treatment on different areas,
Duncan believes he is now on top of the issue, but Ryegrass remains
a persistent scourge. "We want to maintain Fescue fairways
and tees, so that's where we've been spraying it since 2009, and it
works," says Duncan. "We reckon that if we aim to cover six or
seven hectares of fairway each year, it won't be long before the
whole course is under control. Worst first is our application
priority."
Most fairways at Kings Hill has virtually no
Ryegrass after three or four applications. The semi-rough area
(pictured, left) was sprayed for the first time in early September.
After 14 days ryegrass clumps have gone yellow, but the fescue is
unaffected.
He highlights that one of the worst characteristics of
Ryegrass is that in dry conditions it stalks and seeds, not simply
upwards but laterally, so it gains competitive dominance over other
species. It suppresses fine grasses by shading them out and
becoming an ugly nuisance. "We've managed to pretty much drive it
off the fairways. Some have no visible infestation whatsoever," he
reports, "though there's still work to be done. We are now simply
trying to stop its progress, so it doesn't develop into a major
problem and really get noticed by players. I think we're keeping
ahead of the game.
"Putting my golfer's hat on, and I always try to view it as a
golfer when making decisions, I would notice a horrible clump of
stalky Ryegrass if my ball landed up against it. Players now expect
better on a fairway."
Duncan acknowledges that accurate application is important to
get the correct rate applied. He uses a Gambetti sprayer with a 5.5
metre shrouded boom that avoids any risk of drift and minimise
disruption to golf. He says he can spray a fairway in about 10
minutes.
"We've learnt here that Rescue is at its most effective if you
apply when there is good soil moisture, active growth in the
Ryegrass and the possibility of
rain in the following days; so autumn and spring are the best
times."
As part of this year's programme, Duncan is treating
a couple of green surrounds to get a consistent appearance around
the collar. This is the 15th. He knows that the Fescue
will re-establish in treated areas and over sowing will not be
necessary. He is already pleased with what's been achieved,
with a follow-up application planned for the spring.
Where there is sizeable 'dinner plate' patches he believes
it's best to go for spring first. "It won't remove 100%, but we've
found it does open it up and give Fescues a competitive advantage
in re-establishing," advises Duncan. "Spraying again in autumn
eliminates any surviving Ryegrass. It has to be a program of
action, ideally over a three-year period. It's a matter of
developing an ongoing strategy and finding what works best for your
course."
Duncan believes that on long established courses - those more
than 20 years old, for example - there's likely to be a wider
variety of grass species in the sward, so it may take more
effort to get rid of any Ryegrass. On newer courses where they've
seeded with one particular species and find invasion from Ryegrass
occurring, he says Rescue will readily help to get on top of it.
Also, on links or heathland courses where Fescue is predominant,
Rescue will actively keep it so.
"Ultimately, it is the golfers who benefit by playing on a more
consistent surface throughout the year. After all, it is satisfied
members that keep us all in business."
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