Barenbrug Golf Green Trials

Treatment % Poa 02/11/11 BAR ALL BENT browntop bent 9.7 100% BarKing browntop bent 7.0 100% Bengal creeping bent 17.7 BAR DUO 50:50 browntop:creeping 16.3 100% AS 0803 creeping bent 10.7 50:50 Bengal:AS 0803 creeping bent 12.7 50:50 Penn A4;Penn G6 14.7 Table 3: Poa annua ingression of 100% bent plots at Druids Glen trial Table 3 shows the proportion of Poa annua ingression in relevant plots when the final botanical composition analysis took place (2 November 2011). Again, browntop bent offered a surface that was less susceptible to ingression than creeping bent over time, despite the fact this trial was not under wear simulation. The tentative conclusion arising from these results is that creeping bent is not a suitable stand-alone grass species for golf greens in the UK, particularly if the golf course is subject to year-round play and wear. The fast and apparently inevitable ingressionof Poa annua (predominantly during colder periods of the year) is likely to result in a dramatic reduction in aesthetics andperformance of the surfaces in the medium to long-term, which will be time- consuming and costly to rectify. This conclusion is supported by the independent assessments of visual merit undertaken on the Druids trial. Figure 2 shows visual merit scores of “BAR ALL BENT” browntop and creeping bent plots during August 2010 and November 2011. The combined effects of creeping bent winter dormancy and Poa annua ingression are very clear to see, from the measurements conducted in November 2011. In contrast, good quality browntop bent achieved a visually consistent result over this time-frame, pointing to its suitability for year- round golf in Ireland. At Bingley, botanical composition of the plots was recorded throughout the trial. Figure 3 shows the final readings taken in October 2010 of 80:20 fescue:browntop and 80:20 fescue:highland bent plots under standard and low input maintenance. The graph clearly highlights the benefit that high quality browntop bent bestows on a greens surface under standard maintenance. The Poa annua composition of the 80:20 browntop plots at the end of the trial was only 7%; in comparison the 80% fescue/20% highland ingression was 31%. Another interesting point this graph illustrates is how botanical composition can potentially be controlled by maintenance techniques. For example, the fescue component of the 80:20 mixtures was under more intense pressure and competition when maintained with standard inputs compared with the low input regime. At the conclusion of the trial, the proportion of fescue in the 80:20 plots was approximately 10% higher under wear simulation. Figure 3: Botanical composition of 80:20 fesuce:bent plots after over four years trialling under standard and low input maintenance regime. OBSERVATION A traditional 80% fescue : 20% bent mixture featuring BarKing browntop bent outperforms a blend with Highland bent. Figure 5: Fescue composition of 100% fescue plots after over 4 years trialling under standard and low input maintenance regimes at Bingley. 5 Golf Greens