Nursery Rhymes
Damage to greens can be quickly repaired with putting green nursery sod.
by DARIN S. BEVARD
The hydraulic oil killed our green in streaks. older properties must pick an area that
The damage could be visible for many weeks! is out of the way of play.
The mem~ers want the green fixed fast, Irrigation also should be installed at
That puttIng green nursery will save my ... green! the time of construction to provide
adequate overhead and hand-watering
capability.
VEN YEARS AGO, David Oatis the largest green on the golf course. In
director of the Green Section'~ this way, a reliable sod source is avail- Matching the Existing Grasses
~ ortheast Region, wrote a Green able for repairs in the event of a catas-
One of the biggest benefits of a
Section Record opinion article regard- trophe or to address numerous small
nursery green is the ability to establish
ing the need for golf courses to have a problems that may arise.
a sod that matches the turf on the
high-quality turfgrass nursery as an existing greens of the golf course. On
insurance policy (Sept./Oct. 1994). older courses, replacing damaged areas
Construction
Evidently, some things are worth that contain a mix of older creeping
repeating. Most golf courses still do not Construction of a nursery green does
bentgrasses and Poa annua with new
have a putting green nursery, and many not need to be elaborate, but it should
creeping bentgrass sod will cause the
that do still manage the nursery as an be done in such a manner that high-
repaired areas to be very visible for
aside rather than as an important part quality grass can be maintained. Good
several years. Shredded aeration plugs
of putting green management. drainage is very important. Several
from the existing greens can be used in
A putting green nursery can be criti- inches of a soil mix can be spread over
conjunction with a low rate of creeping
cal for maintaining the quality and play- the area where the green is to be
bentgrass seed at the time of establish-
ability of putting greens in the face of established. It is not necessary to use
ment for a cool-season nursery. This
unseen adversity. A sod source that a soil mix that exactly matches the
nursery turf should provide an
matches a course's existing greens in the existing greens; however, a compatible
acceptable turf match with the existing
event of something as simple as a mix must be used. The particle size of
greens. For new greens, simply use the
scalped cup or as major as an act of the mix must not provide the chance for
turfgrass variety established on the
vandalism can be a good safety net. surface sealing or other drainage and
greens. Aeration cores or sprigs from
Some very basic guidelines for estab- water movement problems when the
the existing greens should provide the
lishment and maintenance of a putting nursery sod is used for repairs on the
desired result for bermudagrass greens.
green nursery must be considered. golf course greens. An accredited
physical soil testing laboratory can Maintenance
Size compare samples of the soil mix from
Maintenance of a nursery green is
The bigger a nursery green is, the the existing greens with potential con-
simple. Use the same management
better - within reason. While it is not struction mixes to ensure compatibility.
practices on the sod nursery that are
always possible, the nursery green On new projects, a nursery green can
used on the golf course greens. Aeration
should be at least close to the size of be included in the initial plans, while
and topdressing practices should be the
same. Thatchy sod does not perform
well! Mowing heights also should be
the same. With the same maintenance
practices in place on the nursery green,
the sod will be ready for immediate use
when it is needed.
A nursery green provides a great
backup plan in the event that unfortu-
nate damage does occur to a putting
green or greens. Also, new employees
can be trained and new maintenance
techniques can be used experimentally
on the nursery green prior to use on
the golf course greens. With a good
putting green nursery in place, potential
uses are many.
Since 1996, DARIN BEVARD has been
an agronomist in the Mid-Atlantic Region
West Chester, Pa., office. He visits golf
During. t~mes of unforeseen adversity, a putting green nursery can courses in Pennsylvania, Maryland,
be a crztzcal sad source that matches a golf course's existing green. Delaware, and Virginia.
22 USGA GREEN SECTION RECORD