Managing firmness (surface hardness) of turfgrass surfaces

2023-05-10 2 min read

Richard Forsyth dropped by ATC Office Hours to discuss managing surface hardness at Royal Melbourne GC.

Here are three items that cover the topic of surface hardness, or the firmness of turfgrass surfaces, from all kinds of angles.

Richard Forsyth is the director of courses at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. He joined me on ATC Office Hours to discuss the greens complexes at Royal Melbourne, how they are managed, and to what he attributes their renowned firmness. You can watch this episode to listen to our discussion while also seeing photos of the unique management practices for organic material removal. And you can also listen to this episode on the ATC Office Hours podcast.
Doug Soldat and Chris Tritabaugh spoke about putting green firmness on the ct_turf podcast. Their conversation ties in well with what Forsyth and I discussed.
Wendy Gelernter and Larry Stowell’s Getting a grip on greens firmness is a classic in the PACE Insights series. This four page document covers measurements, soil water content, aeration, short term fixes, long term solutions, and the balancing act between turf health and putting green firmness.

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