... and mean what you say. In today's age of instant media and clickbait headlines, it is easy to throw around industry-specific buzz words, like "firm and fast", with little follow through. That is certainly not the case on this property. If you have followed this blog for any length of time, then you have read numerous posts about our efforts to create firm and fast conditions.
We have worked hard to tailor our maintenance practices towards this primary goal. Whether it is our fertility program, irrigation regiment, or cultural practices, they all work together to try and create the most consistent playing surfaces possible on any given day.
Fairway firmness and playability over the last four years have undoubtedly improved. We continue to make gains year after year as our cultural practices are honed and perfected. The Wiedenmann Super 600, a fairway verticutter which we purchased in 2020, has been a game changer. It has allowed us to efficiently remove the thatch that causes soft fairways. Thatch is the layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the turf and soil surface. Excessive thatch accumulation can be a problem because it acts as a barrier and prohibits water from properly moving through the soil profile. By removing thatch, irrigation or rainfall is allowed to move through the soil profile more effectively, resulting in firmer fairways.
This spring, we removed 162 cubic yards (27 Wiedenmann loads) of organic matter from fairways.
