Rolling greens has become a staple of most golf course maintenance programs around the country. Smoother surfaces, improved turf quality, and reduced disease incidence are some of the well-documented benefits of rolling (Green et al., 2019). During USGA Course Consulting Service visits over the past couple of years, I have encountered quite a few superintendents that are expanding their rolling programs to include approaches and fairways. This has become easier as larger rollers are more readily available. Consequently, superintendents are seeing the same benefits in surface quality, turf health and disease control that they saw from rolling greens being realized over larger acreages (Nikolai, 2018).
One inherent challenge in rolling approaches and fairways is that they typically have more contours and slope than greens. If the machine you are using only has one powered roller, traction on steeper slopes can be problematic. Using a machine that has multiple powered rollers is a game changer when it comes to climbing steep slopes. Some companies offer wider rollers, and each separate rolling unit is powered. Another option is to use a roller towed by a utility vehicle or tractor.
Spring can be a great time to incorporate fairway and/or approach rolling into your program. Surface imperfections that happened because of frost heaving or winter wet spots can be smoothed out while there is still ample soil moisture. Surface firmness can be increased and I have even seen a dramatic reduction in worm castings on rolled approaches. If you are interested in improved turf health, better playing conditions and reduced disease pressure on more of your golf course, maybe 2024 is the year to expand your rolling program.
References
Green, T. O., Rogers, J. N., III, Crum, J. R., Vargas, J. M., Jr., & Nikolai, T. A. (2019). Effects of rolling and sand topdressing on dollar spot severity in fairway turfgrass. HortTechnology, 29(4), 394-401. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04272-19
Nikolai, T. A. (2018). Golf Course Management, 86(1), 104.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, regional director – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, senior consulting agronomist – cisom@usga.org