January Golf Diary 2008
Happy new year to you all. I hope this year you can continue to improve the performance and quality of your playing surfaces. January is a tough and busy time for Greenkeepers, not only having to ensure the course is playable, they are busy completing winter work programmes.
There are many jobs you can undertake during January. Firstly, it is important to ensure you are carrying out your daily brushing to keep the surface clean and at the same time removing any early morning dews. Keeping the playing surface clean and dry helps prevent disease and contamination. There are a number of ways you can achieve this, using brushes and dragmats. Also, brushing of the green will help the sward stand upright allowing good air movement around the grass plant.
The Christmas break often sees an increase in golf traffic on the course, which can result in additional wear and tear. It is important to keep a check on pin placements as wear around the holes can increase during wet weather periods.
The use of golf trolleys can also increase wear on areas of the course, particularly along the pathways from greens to tees. Restricting the use of trolleys or providing designated trolley paths can minimise damage.
The use of artificial winter tee mats can also help control wear and damage on tees. Many golf courses try and maintain play on their greens all year round, however, this is not always possible. The opportunity to have a temporary green or enlarged apron area can often be taken to accommodate play during inclement weather. 
Diseases can still occur in January, particularly after snow cover.
There is still a lot of leaf debris around on most courses, high winds can often blow this debris onto the greens. Daily brushing will help keep the greens free of debris.
High winds in January can often cause structure and tree damage. It is imperative to inspect, record and make the site safe. Any structure or tree debris that has fallen down and can be considered a hazard must be fenced off or removed in the interests of public safety.
Any tree works must be undertaken by qualified trained personnel. If your staff are not suitably qualified in tree surgery and operating chainsaw machinery, you must employ specialist contractors to carry out these works.
Some clubs will have started their winter construction/repair works. This is often associated with drainage improvements around the course or may include refurbishment, new build or extensions to bunkers, tees and greens. January is also a good time to carry out repairs and maintenance to fence lines, seating and other structures around the course. You may get some favourable weather for painting and repairing these structures.
January is a also good time, whilst it is quiet, to plan and get yourself organised. What are your targets for this year? What do you want to achieve? Have you organised your spring renovation works? Have you ordered materials and machinery for the forthcoming season?
Course Inspection: Frequency - daily Inspect greens, tees, flags and hole positions for damage or vandalism. Vandalism often increases during the winter months.
Aeration: Frequency - when conditions allow. Greens. Aeration of greens will continue throughout the winter when weather conditions allow. A wide range of solid or slit aerators are put to use on the greens. It is essential to keep the greens aerated to maintain air and gas exchange in the soil profile, thus improving the drainage capabilities.
Tees. Aeration of tees will continue throughout the winter when weather conditions allow.
Fairways. When the ground conditions are favourable, aerate with solid tines to increase air and gas exchanges in soil profile. Encouraging deeper rooting of fairway grasses is important. Deeper rooted grasses are more likely to overcome stresses.
Brushing and switching: Frequency - daily or as required. Greens and Tees. Prior to mowing, the surface should be thoroughly brushed or switched. Continue to brush/switch greens and tees daily to remove moisture from the grass surface, stopping the spread of disease and facilitating an improved quality of cut on the dry grass.
Bunkers: Frequency - daily Inspect, weed and rake bunkers. Repair any damage from rabbits or other animals, maintain sand up the face of the bunkers to prevent erosion and sand loss. Some golf courses experience flash floods during heavy rain, leaving many bunkers in a poor state (washing out sand from bunker faces). Repair works may be necessary. Continue or undertake bunker construction works, subject to ground conditions allowing for transport of materials.
Disease Control - inspect daily Greens, Tees and Fairways. Keep an eye on fungal disease attack. Cool, moist and even mild conditions can still be experienced in January, favourable conditions for an outbreak of disease. Use approved fungicides to treat infected areas.
Divotting: Frequency - as required Greens, Tees and Fairways. Repair any divots and scars. Mix grass seed with a soil /sand rootzone and backfill the divots and scars with a soil /seed mix. The seed will still germinate in favourable weather conditions
Drainage: Frequency - weekly Inspect drainage outfalls, channels and ditches. Ensure that they are working. It is during the winter months that most golf course managers/greenkeepers can evaluate the condition and performance of their drainage systems.
Fertiliser programme: Frequency - when and If grass shows signs of stress, weak growth or discoloured. Fertiliser programmes are not generally carried out at this time due to the change in air and soil temperatures. Most turf grasses are dormant, slower growing. However, some greenkeepers may apply some liquid iron to keep the turf healthy and strong. USGA greens often do require some top up feeding during the winter to maintain nutrient status of the green.
Footpaths: Frequency - daily Keep all footpaths clean and free from debris, check any step details and hand rails (Health & Safety).
 "golf green")
Hole Changing: Frequency - as required Changing of holes should be carried out regularly, however frequency will be dependent on a number of factors, such as green size, green construction, tournaments, amount of play and condition of the green. During wet periods it is likely the hole will wear more quickly, resulting in a crowning affect and surface wear.
This wear is more apparent if the green has thatch problems. The hole will tend to wear quickly and form a depression caused by the placement of the golfers' feet. You may be looking to change the hole positions more than three times per week during wet periods.
Inspect Course structures: Frequency - as required The course, clubhouse and car parks. Check and repair fences, seating, shelters, bridges, litter bins, shoe and ball cleaners, signs, and tee boxes. Winter months are generally a good time for general repairs and maintenance of course structures and features, summer furniture (wooden seating / benches) can be collected in from the course, and repaired, stained or painted.
 "golf machinery")
Irrigation: Frequency - daily Although the winter wet weather has set in, there may be the need to utilise the sprinkler system during January if using wetting agents. Remember to check and monitor all sprinkler head controls/valves to see that they are working, and check the spray patterns and timing of each and every sprinkler head. Also check any manual systems, hose pipes, sprinklers and pumps.
Ensure the whole irrigation system is inspected and serviced prior to the summer season starting, do not leave it too late to arrange your service requirements.
Leaf/debris collection: Frequency - daily The recent strong winds should have helped blow the leaves off the course or into the woods well away from playing surfaces, however these strong winds will have battered the trees about, breaking off branches and twig debris that may fall on to greens and tees. It will be necessary to clean up this debris, by sweeping or caning the playing surfaces. Daily inspections should be made to check on tree debris during stormy weather.
Most golf courses have a range of sweepers and blowers that can be used for leaf and debris collection. Empty litter bins/tee boxes.
Machinery (Repairs & Maintenance): Frequency - daily or after use Inspect and clean machinery after use, service and repair damaged machinery.
 "golf mowing")
Greens. Mowing height should be maintained at around 6-8mm.
Tees. Mowing height should be maintained at around 10-15mm.
Banks. Mowing height should be maintained at 22-30mm.
Fairways. Mowing height should be maintained at around 15-25mm.
Rough, Semi rough grass areas. Mow and tidy up these areas. Reduce build up of clippings by cutting little and often with a rotary or flail. Mowing height will depend on type of course and the standard of play required. Mowing height of cut during the winter between 50-100mm.
Pest and weed control: Frequency - as required The opportunity to control weed growth by using chemicals products is now not viable due to the lower light levels and fluctuations of air and soil temperatures in January. The efficiency of using systemic products will be greatly reduced and, in most cases, will not work effectively when the plants metabolism has slowed down. Other cultural practices can be undertaken, usually in the form of hand weeding and hoeing (bunker weeds).
Pests scrounging for food can cause a lot of damage on turf surfaces. Foxes have been known to regularly dig up old hole placements, night after night. Moles and rabbits are still very active in January. Birds feeding on grubs and larvae of insects can cause severe surface damage. Reducing or stopping their food source is a viable control method to reduce pest damage.
Ponds, lakes and streams Frequency / Weekly  "golf water feature")
Tee boxes, pegs: Frequency - as required All tee boxes, tee pegs and competition markers should be inspected daily, cleaned and moved to new positions as required.
Topdressing: Frequency - as required Greens & Tees. Ensure you have enough topdressing material for any renovation or repair works carried out.
Artificial Grass Systems: Frequency - weekly Some golf clubs will be using winter tee mats. It is important to keep them clean and free of debris. Regular sweeping and brushing. Remove any algae and moss from surface. Sand filled systems require regular brushing to maintain manufacturer's recommendations for sand levels and pile heights.