NGC greens reopen, and they are a sight to behold

By Rahul Banerji

Doing some research on coring, I came across this gem on the USGA website. “Core aerating putting greens is a lot like going to the dentist. We know it is necessary a few times each year, but we hope the experience is as quick and painless as possible.”

Couldn’t have put it better.

With greens at the Noida Golf Course reopening after a three-week break for maintenance and aeration, there was an understandable amount of grumbling at the disruption of routines.

No matter how well temporary greens are prepared, there’s always a feeling of being shortchanged, about the surface, and the loss of distance. To its credit, the club management quickly lengthened the holes particularly off the white and blue tees to try and make up, but the loss matters as long as the process lasts.

Having said that, and having endured the three weeks, it has to be said the reopened greens are looking a picture. They will take time to settle, of course, and the green speed to improve, but visually they are already a treat.

This is something I cannot vouch for personally, but a number of caddies who are on the bag for the professionals say the big boys prefer coming to the NGC for the quality of the greens, which they say cannot be found easily elsewhere in Delhi NCR.

Certainly, there are occasions in the off-season, which by the way has just begun on the PGTI, the number of pro golfers in action is substantially more than those who ply their trade at the NGC on a regular basis.

What is coring?

In essence, it is making hundreds of tiny holes using specialized machinery that allows the roots of the turf a chance to grow stronger and provide for better and more even growth. It prevents compaction of the soil as well as allowing fresh doses of nutrients to be put down along with each layer of sand that is used to fill up the plugs in stages.

Coring also helps reduce thatch levels, increase soil oxygen and stimulate strong and healthy new growth, which is critical given the traffic the NGC sees week on week.

The aeration process begins by using machine-mounted tines, much like on the forks on our tables. These are of two types, hollow or solid and used depending on soil type, climate, etc.

Deciding when to core greens is often critical and best done in warm conditions when the turf is healthy and growing, to help the greens recover as quickly as possible.

In that sense, the off-season rains that have hit Delhi NCR could not have been better timed.

So with re-done, aired-up greens, it is back to business. The putting surface may be a little bumpy and slow to begin with, but watch out as they come up to speed.

Happy putting!

Also read: KGA ropes in Troon International to oversee course improvements