8 strategies for healthy golf courses

By the time autumn arrives, it’s time to update your golf course maintenance plan. With cooler temperatures, turf undergoes significant changes, requiring course managers to adjust their approach to ensure flawless greens, fairways and roughs.

Effective autumn turfcare not only helps the course recover from the stress of summer but also prepares it for the challenges of the upcoming winter. So, what’s the secret to promoting healthy grass growth and turf resilience?

This autumn turfcare guide will examine the key strategies golf clubs should implement to maintain healthy, resilient courses during the colder months ahead.

1. Assess turf health and repair summer damage

After a busy playing season, early autumn is the perfect time to assess the conditions of your turf and address any damage caused by summer stress, foot traffic and dry weather.

Inspect the golf course thoroughly to identify thinning turf, compacted areas, potential disease outbreaks or irrigation inefficiencies. If any areas show signs of damage, overseeding with cool-season grass varieties can help repair these sections and improve overall turf density.

You can evaluate soil health by testing for nutrient imbalances and pH irregularities. By continuously monitoring course conditions, golf clubs can make quick, targeted improvements that will prepare the turf for winter in the best possible way.

2. Optimise irrigation management

The irrigation requirements of a golf course can vary significantly between the dry summer months and the wet autumn season, so the ability to track turf moisture in real-time and promptly adjust watering is essential.

Toro’s Lynx Central Control system, in combination with Turf Guard wireless sensors, enables you to do exactly that by:

• Quickly revealing moisture anomalies across the course
• Displaying irrigation performance through daily summaries
• Irrigating with sub-inch precision whenever you need
• Optimising resources to avoid under- or over-watering

Switching to Toro irrigation, West Herts Golf Club experienced these benefits first-hand, minimising turf damage caused by the summer season and beginning autumn maintenance in a much better position.

“The new irrigation system has been operational for just a few months and we’ve already seen a big improvement,” explained General Manager Jonathan Kaltner. “Using Lynx Central Control allows you to turn on one sprinkler at a time and pinpoint your irrigation to where you need it. Plus, the application in millimetres can be set and left overnight, with the weather station able to pick up if it’s rained and automatically change the application in response to that, so you don’t waste water.”

“With Toro irrigation, you get incredibly accurate and uniform application, which means there is far more consistency of growth,” he continues. “Because of that, we’ve been able to reduce cutting heights in some areas and get more definition. It’s phenomenal what it’s been able to do visually.”

3. Adjust the height of cut

Even maintaining a small surface such as autumn lawn care can involve significant adjustments. But on a golf course, where the height of cut varies significantly across different playing areas, the challenges multiply.

For instance, when lower temperatures cause grass growth to slow, mowing frequency should be reduced accordingly to minimise turf stress. Greenkeepers can also raise the height of cut slightly to encourage deeper root growth and offer better resilience against cold.

Lastly, keeping mower blades sharp with routine checks and maintenance is critical, as a clean cut reduces turf damage and the likelihood of disease or pest infestation.

A machine for any mowing need

When it comes to a precision cut for greens and fairways, it’s hard to beat the impeccable finish obtained with Toro’s innovative range of cylinder mowers.

For all other mowing purposes, however, autumn can be a demanding season, with higher levels of turf moisture making grass cutting more challenging. Effortless operations require more power: for instance, a machine like the Toro Groundsmaster 4100-D, with an impressive 55hp engine and 169 Nm torque at 2000 rpm, delivers the power needed to tackle thick, wet grass evenly and with ease.

In addition to unmatched cutting performance, the Groundsmaster 4100-D’s shallow deck design accelerates clipping dispersal, allowing for continuous mowing through your course’s rough without clogging or delays.

Are convenience and time savings top priorities for your club? Then, the Toro ProLine H800 might be the perfect addition to your team. Its two-in-one function, rotary mower and debris collector, enables you to optimise operations by mowing course areas that don’t require the precision of a cylinder blade and cleaning them from cut grass at the same time.

The machine’s large 810 litre capacity hopper can also be an invaluable ally to help with leaf collection, as discovered by John Quinn, Course Manager at The Mere Golf Resort.

“We have a tree lined course here, and as such we get a lot of leaves that need collecting,” he explained. “Particularly in winter when it’s wet, it can be a lot of work to clear up everything by hand. We gave the ProLine the toughest test it will have here and organised the demo to take place in winter to see how it would cope in difficult conditions, and it really impressed us all.”

“I’ve used a cut and collect machine before,” John added, “but not one with enough capacity and power to pick up large piles of leaves, which was no issue for the ProLine. Plus, it will serve us well for core collecting after aerating and is agile enough to easily manoeuvre while cutting in and around the trees.”

4. Collect leaves and other debris

The accumulation of falling leaves on the playing surface is one of the biggest challenges golf courses face in autumn. If left unmanaged, piles of leaves and debris can smother healthy turf, block sunlight and excessively increase moisture, creating the perfect environment for fungal diseases.

Regularly removing debris and dead grass with powerful leaf blowers or collectors is essential to keep your course in top condition and enhance playability while also supporting overall turf health. But how do you get started?

Best tools for debris management

As explained in our guide to debris clearance, the easiest way to deal with excess leaves is to blow them away. The AgriMetal B50 blower is perfect for the job, generating a remarkable air speed of 320km/h for maximum productivity. Moreover, its large roller base ensures smooth operation in tough conditions while preventing turf marking or compaction when turning.

Managing a tree-rich parkland course, Steven Borthwick, Head Greenkeeper at Peebles Golf Club, was quite impressed by the performance of the AgriMetal B50 blower, especially the way the machine was able to streamline leaf clearance operations during the autumn season.

However, the air blower’s remarkable power wasn’t the only thing that impressed Steven. “It’s a low decibel machine as well!” Steven continued: “It’s important that we keep on top of maintenance to ensure the best course appearance and that process is made that much easier with AgriMetal in our artillery. We’re getting a lot of compliments about the condition of the course.”

But if a leaf collector is a better match for your operations, look no further than the AgriMetal Tuff Vac 4000 for effective and effortless debris collection. With a hydraulic counter rotating brush ensuring superior performance on hard-to-pick-up materials and an exhaust area 50 percent wider than most competitor models, the Tuff Vac maximises vacuum power while minimising the likelihood of clogging.

5. Manage autumn pests and turf diseases

The cooler temperatures and increased moisture levels in autumn create ideal conditions for turf diseases such as fusarium patch and red thread.

To prevent outbreaks, we recommend increasing the frequency of your aeration schedule to promote the circulation of water within the soil and avoid waterlogged turf. Adjusting irrigation practices can also make a significant difference – for instance, watering early in the morning allows surfaces to dry throughout the day and reduces the risk of grass disease.

Pest activity should also be monitored closely, as some insect populations can become more active in autumn, leading to significant turf damage if left unmanaged. For further guidance, check out our in-depth guide to dealing with leatherjackets.

6. Mitigate turf compaction

Over the summer, the hot weather and heavy foot traffic can cause the soil to become dry and compacted, which reduces the circulation of water, oxygen and other essential nutrients.

A well-structured aeration programme is key to revitalising turf health and maintaining optimal playability. Hollow-tine aeration, which removes small soil cores, is particularly effective in relieving compaction, breaking down thatch, and enhancing water absorption. However, this practice can cause significant stress to the turf and should be used in moderation.

For more frequent maintenance, solid-tine aeration offers a less invasive alternative. By creating narrow holes in the soil, it improves permeability and supports root development, making it an excellent complement to more intensive aeration treatments.

Effortless aeration excellence

Aeration is key to promoting turf health after the damage caused by the summer season, but combining Toro’s ProCore machines and Toro tines takes these benefits one step further – enabling course managers to aerate more surface in less time while obtaining superior results.

Precise aeration holes ensure excellent turf quality, and the RotaLink system on the ProCore 648s keeps tines perfectly vertical throughout the process, providing exceptional hole accuracy. At the same time, the TrueCore ground-following system automatically adapts tine depth to match surface contours, delivering consistent coring depth across the entire course.

Additionally, with the Nordic Plow Core Solution‘s lightweight blade attachment, which fits perfectly to the Toro ProCore 648s, you can aerate the turf and remove cores in one pass, significantly simplifying your operations.

And with an extensive selection of Toro tines available, aeration can be customised to suit any specific turfcare requirements. For instance, precision tines are ideal for delicate areas like greens and tees, while robust fairway tines are built to endure impact from subsurface obstructions and feature a larger flared ejection window for efficient core removal.

7. Topdress strategically

Topdressing in autumn helps settle the soil, improve drainage and create a smooth surface that enhances the overall playing experience for golfers. This process involves spreading a thin layer of sand, compost or a soil blend over the turf, which fills aeration holes and promotes nutrient exchange.

Topdressing also works in conjunction with overseeding, ensuring that new seedlings receive optimal conditions for growth.

Unmatched topdressing quality

And when it comes to topdressing, the Toro ProPass 200 series broadcast-style topdressers offer unmatched precision and versatility for any application.

With intuitive, colour-coded adjustment settings, these models guarantee highly accurate spread patterns, delivering consistent results every time. And what’s best, the ProPass’s four-wheel, walking-beam suspension ensures a light footprint, making it ideal to operate even when the turf is particularly wet or damaged.

8. Prepare for winter

The work done in autumn plays a crucial role in determining the condition of the course throughout winter and into spring. For instance, using protective covers on greens whenever the temperature drops below zero can minimise frost damage and preserve turf quality.

Additionally, planning winter maintenance schedules in advance allows course managers to allocate resources efficiently, ensuring aeration, fertilisation and equipment servicing are carried out at the right times.

Check out our full guide to winter maintenance for more tips on how to optimise your turf management strategy and promote resilience throughout the cold season.

Choose the best equipment for optimal results

When it comes to turf maintenance, Toro sets the standard for excellence. Whether you’re looking to achieve a healthy lawn or streamline your golf course maintenance strategy, Toro’s advanced machinery and irrigation systems deliver unmatched efficiency, reliability and innovation – continuously evolving to meet the demands of the industry.

And if you need expert guidance in selecting the right turfcare equipment, Reesink, as Toro’s sole distributor in the UK, is here to help. Call 01480 226800, email info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk, or visit reesinkturfcare.co.uk today for more information.