The Rough Stuff! : Links Rough Management.

Over the next month or so, the links team will be carrying out rough management practices in many areas of the golf course. Good links roughs provide excellent habitat for flora and fauna such as wild flowers, small mammals and encourages valuable nesting sites for certain birds.

Apart from the above factors, more open and thinner links rough have positive impacts from a playing perspective. Thick and tangled rough areas require constant maintenance, generally in the form of cutting, usually to please the golfer, who frequents these areas with wayward shots. Well managed open grassland roughs, from a playing point of view, enables better playability and easier location of stray golf balls. This ultimately results in faster play and less frustration, on that front.

Visually, well managed true links rough provides improved overall aesthetics, better definition and fantastic colour changes, throughout the seasons.

Continuing from the work carried out last autumn and this spring, the method of rough management this year will be cutting and collecting. This will lower the nutritional content in any of the more lush areas. Treatment with the graminicide Rescue, which will selectively kill any coarser grasses such as Perennial Ryegrass (Lollium sp.) and Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus). After the treatment takes effect, the roughs will be pin harrowed or scarified to open up the grassland, thin it out and allow for natural regeneration of native grasses and wildflowers. If certain areas do become sparse and lack re growth is apparent, localised overseeding and topdressing will take place.

For the 2015 season, it has been agreed with the clubs ecological advisor that we create a 2 to 3 meter strip of fringing rough outside the semi rough cut line. In the past, these areas have been maintained as 4 inch rough, that required regular cutting with a semi rough type machine. In creating such, this band of rough will look tough to play out of, provide a challenge as the fescue grass will wrap around the club hozzle, but ball location will be relatively easy. It will also require less cutting, saving on man hours, machinery and fuel costs..... the best of both worlds really, that will hopefully lead to a lot less of the below, when growth is strong.

Enjoy the Links.