Continuous rain, cold soil and prolonged leaf moistness can make winter particularly challenging in the northeast England golf course.
For Chester Le Street Golf Club in County Durham, course manager Jack Hetherington turned to ICL’s Flowsmart to overcome these conditions – the result changed the winter playability of the course.
“Improving the movement of water through the surface is crucial to maximizing the windows where we can run to produce the best surface,” Jack explained.
Built in a course of hybrid construction types, including clay push-ups with gutters, it is crucial to keep the water flowing.
“It is crucial that we pour water into the drain as soon as possible to maintain turf health and ensure playability. We also have problems with access points and bottlenecks becoming unsafe after rain. Applying Flowsmart in these areas keeps the course open.”
Jack uses H2Pro Flowsmart monthly in tank mix as part of its ITM program.
“This combination helps playability and helps us master disease management,” he said.
The results will be said soon: in the fall and winter, firmer clay push-ups, faster penetration, and easier to manage disease stress.
“The moment when it really stands out is after a rain event – the next day you can walk to the green without dew, feel stronger and perform better than the previous day. It changes how vegetables perform throughout the fall/winter.”
Mixing with iron also brings additional benefits, improving turf color, vitality and elasticity during high-pressure disease periods.
Jack, with support from the product, said the decision was simple.
“ICL is synonymous with data-driven products, and the support wrapped around them can be simply decided.”
For Jack, Flowsmart has become a reliable part of his plan.
“What we apply in the spray window is getting more and more important, which is why I always recommend data and research-supported products. Flowsmart is one of many products that ICL offers.”
For more information, please call ICL on 01473 237100 or visit ICL-sf.co.uk (UK) or www.icl-sf.ie (Ireland).
