Why do we scarify?

We scarify to remove organic matter (thatch) which is the accumulation of dead grass plants just under the grass. Some of the organic matter is broken down by microbes within the soil profile and one of the main foods these microbes need is air and is why we need to spike so often.

Our greens consist of mainly Poa annua (annual meadow grass) this is a species of grass that is shallow rooting, high thatch producer, not drought tolerant and very susceptible to disease. This grass produces the thatch quicker than the microbes can generally decompose it, so we therefore have to mechanically remove some thatch.

This thatch holds water like a sponge and can dry out very hard and crusty. We need a small amount of thatch to hold the turf together from the impact of golf balls hitting the turf. If thatch levels become too high the greens will become soft and we will see foot printing and severe pitchmarks and it would be very difficult to produce any pace in the putting surfaces.

We control thatch in a number of ways. Spiking to allow air to feed the microbes which decompose the thatch. Regular topdressing which aids the dilution of the thatch. Mechanical removal of thatch by hollow coring or scarifying.

Hollow coring only gets approximately 4.9% of the surface area and is very disruptive to play. Scarifying gets 15% of the surface area and is less disruptive to play and is the main reason we scarify rather than hollow core. Our thatch levels have been on the decrease since the STRI report of 2013 which reported high levels of organic matter in the upper reaches of the soil profile. This has been due to scarifying twice per season and the increase in our topdressing program. This has made the greens drier and firmer with a significant increase in drainage rates which was highlighted in what has been the wettest winter on record. As the thatch levels decrease we will introduce bent grass to the greens to try and improve the grass species within our greens. I hope this sheds some light onto why we scarify the greens and just a tiny portion of some of the science behind it.

Members' Notice

On Wednesday, 27 April the golf course condition meant we could revert back to lift, clean and place on closely mown areas, meaning we can now have Handicap Qualifying competitions. To be clear this means you can take a preferred lie if your ball lies on any area cut to fairway length or below e.g. all fairways, tee boxes, surrounds and any cut pathways. It will be nice to start the qualifying events again.

 

Junior Competition

Last weekend's junior competition saw Katie Poots dominate with 45 points and Matthew Gibson (41 points) finished second. On Sunday, 24 April the GUI held a winter series tournament at Knock with Ben Graham (73) and Ross Latimer (74) performing very well on the day. Congratulations to the boys.

Micheal Rooney Trophy

The Micheal Rooney Trophy was up for grabs last weekend. The overall winner was the bang in-form Trevor Gilliland with 40 points, the best gross with a fantastic 64 (-6) went to Colin Fairweather and Micheal Crooks collected the Anno Domini prize with 36 points on the better back nine from Harry McKee. The division prizes are as follows:

Division One - First place - Chris Brannigan (39 points) and in second place - Johnny Montgomery (38 points).
Division Two - First place - Tom Anderson (37 points) and in second place - Gary Kirtlan (36 points).
Division Three - First place - Simon Black (36 points) and in second place - Graeme Gilmour (35 points).
Division Four - First place - Drew Blavkburne (36 points, bb9) and in second place - James Ross (36 points, bb9). 

The twos club paid out £16.80 per two and all monies have been added to your pro shop accounts.

Sunday Sweep

Andrew Lawson shot 45 points to win the Sunday Sweep although only on the better back nine from Stephen Hughes second also with 45 points. Third place went to Katie Poots with 39 points. The twos paid out £12 each and all monies have been added to your pro shop accounts. A special mention goes to Andy Lawson who was fitted for a set of PING G irons last week, and also had a short game lesson. This was his first competitive round with his new irons (45 points). Instant success I would say!

Wednesday Sweep

The Wednesday Sweep is designed to give the members another handicap qualifying competition during the week and is played over 18 holes off the yellow tees. This week Matthew Welsh won with 37 points on the better back nine from Andrew Gibson second. Third place went to Des McCausland with 35 points. Congratulations to all of the winners.

 

Lady President's Day

Lady President's Day, the final competition of the North Down Alliance was held last month at Donaghadee Golf Club. There were two notable Knock successes. Susan Craig came second and Alison Sinnamon won the best gross. Congratulations to both ladies.

Curtis Cup Qualifier

The ladies played for the Curtis Cup Qualifier on Tuesday, the big winner with 38 points was young Katie Poots. Joanne Greggan (35 points) took second place and Rosanne Fulton was third with 33 points. It's good to see handicap qualifying starting. Brian Graham will be delighted that Katie has started to get her handicap cut before he runs out of money and or credibility! There where no twos but five players were drawn for twos and £11 have been added to your pro shop accounts.

 

Classic Golf Day in Aid of the MS Society (endorsed by Graeme McDowell)

We have a Classic Golf Day to be held at Knock on Thursday, 2 June from 2pm shotgun start. Fourball teams any format. Team and individual prizes and a ballot. The cost is £200 per four ball (£50 per person) and members (£35 per person) to include a two course meal. Hole sponsorship is available at £100. For further information/booking telephone - 07710 804807 or email ericmcminnis3155@hotmail.co.uk.

All proceeds in aid of the MS Society.

 

Titleist and Scotty Cameron Fitting Day

On Monday I arranged for Titleist and Scotty Cameron to have a fitting day at Knock. The eight members who were fitted enjoyed the day and came away with a lot more knowledge of what set up was best for them.

The pictures show the latest product on show at our club fitting day. If anybody would like to be fitted for any clubs, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me here.

   

 

Shoe Trade-in

The end of this month sees the end of the fantastic FootJoy shoe trade-in offer we've been running. We've had great success with this campaign, with plenty of happy customers leaving with brand new shoes for the summer ahead.

It is a great opportunity to upgrade your golf shoes and get off on the right foot this season, so get in quick if you are thinking of buying a new pair. Pop into the pro shop now to see our FootJoy display.