When
previous attempts to get a practice putting green back into play at Vicars
Cross Golf Club in Cheshire had failed, in stepped new Golf Course Manager
Richie Stephens, armed with the J All Bent mixture from Johnsons Sports Seed.
A
few short months from seeding, and with some favourable assistance from mother
nature, the USGA spec green was in business – with the programme then
implemented on the construction of a new chipping green that enjoyed similar
success!
Upon joining Vicars Cross just
over 12 months ago, Richie was tasked with the completion of the putting
surface which had been out of action for close to two years. Keen to unlock the
solution, he spoke to DLF’s Stuart Yarwood. “I’ve known Stuart for years and
his greenkeeping background means he gives not only technical advice, but the
right advice for our situation as he understands the challenge having been in
our shoes” Richie says. “We opted to overseed with a 100% bent mix in the form
of Johnsons J All Bent.”
The blend of three top-rated
browntop bent cultivars in J All Bent delivers a hard-wearing,
visually-striking sward, equipped to cope with close cutting and a range of
environmental stresses. Its reduced reliance on chemical inputs makes it a
popular choice for clubs pursuing a fast but sustainable greens strategy.
“We got it in the ground in May,
we were fortunate with the weather and it came through really well. In August
we then built a chipping green which overran the original schedule and meant we
didn’t get seed until mid-November. Despite this, we still saw fantastic strike
before Christmas, even coverage and strong visual impact. The speeds we’re
achieving on the putting green is now comparable to what we’re achieving on our
regular greens.”
The other 18 greens are
overseeded annually during summer renovations with J All Bent, a programme
introduced by Richie to try and promote an increase in the bent populations
across the site. Elsewhere, it’s PM45 Tee and Fairway Plus from DLF’s Masterline
range. “We use this on areas off the greens which has proven very successful.”
“The club, the players and my
team have all noticed how far the surfaces have come on since we introduced the
DLF mixtures and we’re definitely coming out of winter in a stronger, better
position than we have before.”
