The role of the Sports Metals extracut-brush® at Royal Liverpool

At Royal Liverpool Golf Club, the pursuit of consistent, high-performance putting surfaces is at the heart of our maintenance philosophy.

Working with bent-fescue greens, we’re always looking for subtle interventions that improve playability, enhance turf health, and extend the long-term performance of the surfaces.

Any marginal gains that we can obtain through affordable and sustainable solutions are worth serious consideration. One such intervention has been the use of Sports Metals brushes mounted on our electric Toro greens mowers. While brushing is not a new concept in greenkeeping, our recent shift in brush configuration has had a surprisingly profound effect on clipping yield, surface refinement, green speed, and the growth habit of our turf.

Our journey began with a brush system inherited from a brush system that Richard Japes, (owner of Sports Metals) designed for us during my time at Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club. We were looking for a medium-flex black bristle Sports Metals brush interspersed with a stiff yellow strip. Initially intended for use on tees to achieve a defined stripe and improved surface uniformity, we noticed that the brush had another important effect: it pulled up decaying organic matter that was beginning to migrate toward the thatch layer.

This low-level organic removal helped us stay ahead of thatch accumulation, acting as a preventative measure. So, when I moved to Royal Liverpool, we trialled the same brush setup on the greens. While the performance was solid, we had concerns about the longer-term effects of daily use. The yellow strip’s additional stiffness made it slightly more aggressive, and I felt that over time, this could contribute to abrasion or plant stress, particularly given the finer nature of bent-fescue.

As a result, we moved to the full black bristle option, softer, lighter and far better suited to regular use on greens. The difference was immediate and striking, and with daily clip volume readings we could see the data right before our eyes.

Our clipping volume data, which we use to guide nutrition and growth management, showed a near doubling of yield after brushing was introduced. Prior to brushing, average daily removal was around 7ml/m²; with brushing, this increased significantly, almost doubling! Importantly, this wasn’t due to excessive growth, but rather the brush lifting the sward into a more upright position, allowing for a cleaner and more effective cut.

What was equally encouraging was that, even with daily brushing, there was no visible stress on the plant. On the contrary, we observed a gradual improvement in sward density and uniformity, with the turf developing a noticeably more upright growth habit—ideal for fine turf surfaces.

Green speed is something we aim to manage carefully at Royal Liverpool, typically targeting around 9 feet on the stimpmeter with enough ‘wiggle room’ to be able to push them to achieve a maximum speed of 10’6” at the drop of a hat. Initially, brushing had a slight slowing effect on the day of use, likely due to increased friction on the surface, but what stood out was the improvement in speed after brushing was paused. And rollers lay the sward down again.

We now consistently recorded faster speeds than before, without lowering the height of cut or double cutting. In fact, we’ve been able to maintain 9-foot speeds at a 4mm height of cut with no additional rolling, which has helped reduce mechanical stress during peak summer months.

Some may think after watching PGA Tour that 9ft is slow however you will find that for the average golfer 9ft is a very playable speed. All of this suggests that brushing is acting as a form of surface refinement, delivering tighter, cleaner turf with less lateral growth and a more consistent ball roll.

In recent weeks, we’ve also started to incorporate the USGA GS3 ball into our monitoring programme, this has added a completely new dimension to how we evaluate our greens. Alongside traditional stimpmeter readings, the GS3 allows us to measure smoothness and trueness, key performance indicators that are otherwise difficult to quantify, in the past we have used a trusty putter while changing holes!

Interestingly, as we’ve made soft brushing a more regular part of our routine, we’ve seen GS3 numbers begin to drop, which, in the context of this technology, indicates an improvement in surface quality. Lower numbers reflect less deviation in the ball’s roll, essentially, a smoother and truer green.

We’re incredibly fortunate to have access to these tools at Royal Liverpool. They provide valuable, real-time feedback that supports our agronomic decisions and helps us make changes with confidence. Beyond the science, it’s also just great fun to use, bringing an extra layer of interest and enthusiasm to daily course set-up and surface management. The team can see the data, recognise and learn the benefits to all of the methods we use and are therefore more invested and interested in their job.

Clipping volume plays a central role in our fertiliser strategy. At the time of writing (mid-July), we have applied 27kg of nitrogen per hectare, a low figure by most standards. The increased clip yield observed after brushing indicates that we’re getting more from the nitrogen applied, likely because the brush enables a greater area of the plant to the mower. When clip volumes fall below our target range, we use that as an indication that a nutritional input may be needed.

With the introduction of daily brushing, our data has become more reliable and consistent, allowing us to make more informed decisions around fertiliser timing and rate. Brushing is introduced around days where the tee sheet is more relaxed and if we feel we need to brush then the roller is introduced after to ensure the drop off in green speed isn’t too great.

One of the strengths of the Sports Metals brushes is their simplicity. Each brush takes less than a minute to fit, and we’ve had no operational issues running them on our electric Toro triples. They’re light, robust and unobtrusive, an important consideration when using them as part of the daily set-up.

Crucially, we’ve not seen any of the drawbacks sometimes associated with grooming units or verticutters, which can be harsher on the sward and more labour-intensive. The brush provides just enough interaction with the surface to lift and clean the sward, without compromising playability or turf condition. I am still a massive fan of verticutting and grooming however it is important to rotate all of these techniques to achieve your goals.

All in all, the introduction of daily brushing using the softer Sports Metals configuration has brought significant agronomic and performance benefits. From improved clipping yield and nutrient efficiency to enhanced surface speed and presentation, it’s proven to be a small yet powerful adjustment in our maintenance regime.

At Royal Liverpool, we now view brushing not just as a cosmetic finish or tournament prep tool, but as an integral part of our daily routine, supporting both short-term playability and long-term turf health.