UK golf courses risk “critical” condition in worrying drought

The wish of every greenkeeper across the United Kingdom right now?

Rain. Please, just rain.

The UK is set for its driest spring since the Second World War – and while that is welcome for many after the deluge of last winter – it is proving a major problem for those maintaining our golf courses.

Indeed, the lack of rainfall amidst these incredibly dry conditions are raising concerns that some venues could reach a “critical” stage.

And on current forecasts, their prayers are not going to be immediately answered.

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“We’re experiencing extreme weather patterns now,” Richard Johnstone, course manager at Royal Aberdeen, told the British and International Golf Greenkeeper Association.

“There’s no longer a balance. Instead, we’re seeing one extreme or the other – either constant pouring rain or complete drought.

“There doesn’t seem to be much consistency anymore, and that presents some big challenges.”

Johnstone’s rainfall figures show that 55mm of rainfall came in January, which is about average.

In April, that number fell to 9mm.

This of course, makes turf recovery from the wet winter more challenging and the perfect preservation of greens and tees almost impossible without advanced irrigation systems.

“We’re essentially no better off than we were at the peak of winter, despite it being drier,” said David Byron, the Head Greenkeeper at Essex’s Thorndon Park.

“Obviously, areas with fairway irrigation are faring better. We can control areas like greens, aprons, surrounds, and tees with irrigation, which are doing well. But we’re burning through water quickly to maintain them, and we’re going through our water allowance much earlier in the year.”

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The difficulty, of course, is explaining to frustrated members why their course is isn’t in prime condition.

Just because we’re in May, Byron says, it doesn’t mean the greens can automatically be pristine.

“Members understand there’s no rain and it’s dry, but they can’t connect why the golf course isn’t improving,” he said.

“They’ll say, ‘it’s May, so everything should be fine’, but they don’t grasp that the lack of rain is precisely why nothing is recovering. Some members do understand, but we have to constantly communicate and explain the situation to help the penny drop.”

The biggest concern, of course, is if this drought continues into the summer months.

“We’re focusing on areas that look stressed by applying wetting agents and irrigating,” Royal Aberdeen’s Johnstone added. “Since we have an irrigation system, we can help retain moisture. The goal is to prevent the surfaces from becoming hydrophobic, where the soil starts repelling water. If that happens, you can start losing turf.

“We’re trying to stop the surfaces from reaching that critical stage.”

Ben Parsons is the Senior Writer at bunkered and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.