Barenbrug Golf Green Trials

Mean Visual Merit Scores (1-9) 80:20 browntop 80:20 highland Standard Input 7.1 3.6 Low Input 6.6 3.6 Table 4: Mean visual merit scores of 80:20 fescue:bent blends throughout Bingley trial In terms of visual merit scores, the 80:20 browntop blend outperformed 80:20 highland plots by a distance. Table 4 shows the mean visual merit scores throughout the trial period. At Bingley, Clegg Hammer readings of the plots were recorded throughout the trial. Figure 4 shows the six separate readings taken for each plot under standard maintenance. The graph has been standardised; the horizontal line at 0.0 represents “average hardness” across all plots. In other words, anything below the line is softer than average and anything above the line is harder than average. The results show a clear trend – plots with a large proportion of fescue are firmer than plots with a large proportion of bent. Velvet bent stands out though in that it produces a surface far softer than any other plot, even under a regime of regular verticutting. In this trial, softness is a likely to be an indicator of thatch production. The tentative conclusion is that velvet bent is likely to produce a surface that is too soft for yearround golf unless maintained under a very high maintenance regime of thatch removal and dilution. BTB = browntop bent RF = red fescue RF/BTB 1 = 80:20 browntop PRG/RF = rye/fescue RF/HF = red fescue/hard fescue CB 1 = Bengal creeping bent CB/BTB = 50:50 browntop:creeper CHG/HF = Barkoel/hardtop RF/BTB 2 = 80:20 highland VB = velvet bent AMG = Poa annua CB 2 = Penn G6 creeping bent See Table 2 for full details Figure 4: Standardised surface hardness scores (Clegg Hammer) of all seed treatments under the standard maintenance input at Bingley. OBSERVATION Velvet bent produces the softest greens surface of all the mixtures and monocultures trialled. 6 Golf Greens