Why apply nutrients the plant won't need?
What we discussed: an informal seminar with Korean golf course superintendents

Of trees, turf, and tropical tournament golf

The Asian Tour is at the East Course of Wack Wack Golf and Country Club this week for the Philippine Open. This photo from pro Yoshinobu Tsukada is the par 3 8th, one of the classic short holes in Asia. One notices a lot of trees, with just a narrow corridor for play.

In a tropical climate, trees and shade can be a desirable feature on the golf course. Shade is certainly welcome, at least from the players' point of view.

Bangsai_umbrellas
Caddies and golfers at Bangsai CC north of Bangkok use umbrellas to provide shade on a sunny summer day

Not all grasses can handle the shade from clouds, combined with the shade from trees. At Wack Wack's East Course, there is manilagrass on the greens, and tropical carpetgrass on fairways and rough. These grasses, tropical carpetgrass (Axonopus compressus) and manilagrass (Zoysia matrella), are the two species that can tolerate low mowing (less than 5 mm) under appreciable tree shade in a tropical climate.

If one wants to have grass, and have trees, then these are the grasses that work. And they require minimal inputs, can be mown as short as one likes, and they can be maintained to the highest level for international tournaments.

These species also work on the local courses that want to have good playing conditions, but may not have an irrigation system, or a big budget. 

Khet_udom_sak
The 1st at Khet Udom Sak GC in Chumporn, Thailand: manilagrass greens, carpetgrass through the green, no fairway irrigation

 And when it rains, these species can handle the tropical rains just fine. But most importantly, they are the species that tolerate low mowing in tree shade in a tropical environment. For more info, see the links immediately below this post.

Pakasai
The 7th at Pakasai CC in Krabi, Thailand: manilagrass greens (3.5 mm), carpetgrass through the green (8 mm on surrounds)

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