Fall weather can provide some of the best conditions for playing the last few rounds of the season. However, leaves and other tree debris on putting greens can be a nuisance and have a negative impact on the golf experience.
Maintenance teams dedicate a significant amount of time each day to leaf cleanup in the fall. However, since leaves continue dropping throughout the day golfers will inevitably reach a putting green where enough debris has fallen to make putting difficult. On a windy day, greens can get completely covered in leaves again just minutes after being blown off!
A simple solution observed on a Course Consulting Service visit is to invest in a few battery-powered blowers and position them at greens where leaf debris is the worst. Golfers then have the option to clear their line of any debris before they putt. Battery-powered blowers are easy to operate, eliminate the risk of a gas spill and are quiet enough that other golfers will not be disrupted while they’re in use.
It will not be long until the snow begins to fly in the northern part of the Central Region. Golfers who have the opportunity to play a few more times before the end of the year should not be discouraged by leaves or other tree debris. After all, this is just one way the weather influences the game of golf.
Central Region Agronomists:
Paul Jacobs, agronomist – pjacobs@usga.org
Zach Nicoludis, agronomist – znicoludis@usga.org