Issue
The putting greens at Montclair Golf Club were built in the 1920s, and while a few were rebuilt over the years, most were the original soil-based greens. These drained very poorly and had become increasingly unreliable and difficult to manage. It was impossible to mow or roll greens following prolonged rain events, and ball marks were deep, plentiful and difficult to repair. Moss became increasingly prevalent, and outbreaks of summer patch and anthracnose were common as well.
Action
Starting in approximately 2008, a more aggressive soil modification program was implemented. This included hollow core aeration twice annually, with large hollow tines on close spacing. The cores were removed and the greens were topdressed heavily enough to fill the holes with sand. Routine topdressing was also increased, making light applications on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Improvements in the putting surfaces were observed within a year as the surfaces became firmer and ball marks became less problematic.
However, after several years of increased aeration and topdressing, prolonged rain still softened the greens unacceptably. The next step was to install internal drainage systems in the three wettest greens, and this resulted in a major improvement in drainage. The greens still were soft and wet following a rain event, but they were quicker to dry and playability improved much faster after the drains were installed. The three wettest greens became the best draining of the soil-based greens. Based on the positive experience, internal drainage systems were installed in the remaining soil-based greens.
Once the drainage was installed, a deep-soil modification program was initiated. The greens were double drilled and filled once with three-quarter inch drill bits and single drilled and filled annually thereafter.
