Right, lets concentrate on the greens!!

As promised in my earlier post, we have some very good news on the greens! After being advised by the STRI (see the report here) The committee have rightly decided that we need to address the greens drainage problems. As you are well aware, last year was a wet one, which has showed that these greens will not perform very well under wet conditions for very long. Which is why, from Monday 18th February we will be having ALL of the greens 'Gravel Banded'

What is Gravel Banding?
Shelton gravel band drainage is a trenchless system of bands of gravel or Lytag (pulverised fuel ash) 25mm wide, usually 250mm deep and spaced 500mm apart. The gravel banding machine is carried on the 3-point linkage of a 35-40 hp tractor fitted with wide low-ground-pressure grassland tyres. A vibrating stainless steel tine opens a channel into which the gravel or Lytag is fed in immediately - hence it is a one-pass operation. It is best undertaken in moist or wet soils; in autumn, winter or early spring.

This is what the gravel bander looks like. For the longer term members we have done this to the greens before around 12 years ago. The life expectancy of such systems is around 7years. After this the bands begin to break down and the drain obviously performs poorer as time goes by. 

This is what a typical green is likely to look like straight after the work has been complete. It looks a mess, and very drastic I know, but please be ensured that we will be trying our utmost to level this work off as soon as physically possible. Please remember 'Short term pain, for long term gain!'

This is a little video showing you the machine working.













How long will the work take to complete?
This is a tough one to answer exactly, because of the weather that has been predicted over the next couple of weeks. Given that there are no HEAVY frosts and no snow cover it will take around 1 day per green. However this is taken over the average size of a green which is 500m2. At TPGC the size of our greens vary considerably from 800m2 to 350m2 .

Why are you doing it at this time of year?
The timing of the work is just right in my opinion. With spring just around the corner, this will help with the recovery time considerably!

Why have you put holes into the greens before hand?
This is a new one on me, and was actually recommended by our agronomist. The theory behind it is to allow more airspace for the gravel bands to go into, which should then minimise any heave given by the gravel bands. In essence smoother greens and less bobble on your putts!

How are you dealing with the thatch problem?
Over the years, the gravel banding will allow water to be moved quickly away from the surface which in turn will help us to lower the levels of organic build up. After the gravel banding procedure, ( in the work window) we are intending to use our sand injection Graden Scarifier which will place around 30tonnes of kiln dried sand into the greens.

What will you being doing to the greens throughout the year?
After the work is completed we intend to fertilise thoroughly to further aid recovery. Then regular light topdressings throughout the year with pure sand (you wont even notice they have been dressed!!)

I hope this goes a little way to set minds at ease, I have tried to explain the processes as simple as I can. However if you are unsure about anything please do not hesitate to ask your questions in the reply box below.
Regards
Leigh