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All about greenkeeping - Q&A with Andre Gerber from Knysna Golf Club.
When did you realise that turf management was the industry you want to take further?
I started playing golf from a tender age of 9 years old and always loved dragging my dad out for 9 holes at George GC. I always wanted to be outside getting my hands dirty, and I guess that planted the seed.
My first job was coincidentally at George GC in 1995 where they wanted to employ two young guys to train and show the ropes – I was hooked!
What is the best and worst part of being a golf course superintendent?
It is an industry with many ups and downs. Through the years I have had the privilege to have some great young assistants and staff as part of my team and if I look back now at how successful they have become in their own managerial roles it gives me a great feeling knowing that I could have been part of their achievements.
Winter in the Western Cape can be a daunting couple of months with cold and wet weather persisting – It must be my worst feeling during the year when you see all the hard work you have put in during the year get set back by Mother Nature.
You are at Knysna GC, which is a fairly flat course and very close to the water level of the lagoon, what are your biggest challenges with the incoming and outgoing tides?
My biggest challenge like most coastal courses is managing the salinity on the course and especially the greens
Knysna must be one of the flattest courses in the world, but being said; our lowest point on the course is 1.7m still above sea level. We decided to let the waterways be part of the natural estuary and the old “sluice” system was taken out. This allows water movement throughout the course and you won’t see any cleaner and more natural wetlands anywhere.
The whole course is part of the bigger Knysna Estuary which is the biggest protected water mass in South Africa and we try not to disturb nor disrupt this natural and aesthetically pleasing feature.
My biggest challenge like most coastal courses is managing the salinity on the course and especially the greens. During summer months Knysna do get up to the late 30-degree mark and carefully planned agronomy programs must be followed.
Does one need different machinery on course for different types of grasses around the country?
Absolutely! It is not always just about the turf species that you have on your course, but also the design layout. My course being very flat does not need any machines with a 4x4 function compared to some courses that have big undulations. Ideally one would have your lightest possible mowers on and around your greens and approaches to try and somehow keep wear and compaction to the minimum.
Different bladed reels are very important, for example – your greens will have a unit with an 11 bladed reel as the turf is much finer than a fairway with thick kikuyu on. Here you will get away with 9 or even 7 bladed reels.
How big a difference does climate and location play in golf course maintenance?
I would say it sure does make a difference. 25 years ago we used to mow it, water it and fertilize it once a year and the rest was up to Mother Nature and a sharp eye on Attention to Detail. Working in the North of SA is completely different than working down the south between Cape Town to East London.
Diseases are more active during the warmer seasons and winters are cold and wet. We do not have much rain during the summer months, whereas the courses up in the north enjoy some decent thunderstorms which take the pressure off the continued irrigation cycles.
Do you think it should be mandatory for each golf course to close one day per week for maintenance?
For most courses this is just not feasible anymore. As a superintendent we have to start thinking outside the box and make time for our cultural practices when it will not interrupt with any possible income generating opportunities. There is nothing wrong with planning a little verti-cut, sand dusting or light solid tining or slicing behind the field of play on any given day.
One might also consider to have a one tee start on a Monday with tee times from only 09h00 for instance to allow the maintenance crew to have 9 holes done before golfers start playing. The important thing for me is that when the course schedule course closures once or twice per year, that the opportunity is grabbed with both hands and do a proper spring treatment – this is the only time of the year where we can get away with slow, sandy and bumpy greens for two to three weeks.
How important is it for golfers to repair their divots and pitch marks immediately vs only a couple of days or week later?
More important to me is that golfers know how to repair a pitch mark
On busy courses it is very important. Par 3’s always have the most pitch marks and it is a continued discussion throughout all clubs. More important to me is that golfers know how to repair a pitch mark and whether the course prefers divots to be replaced or rather to be filled with sand/topsoil depending on the turf types. In a nutshell – the sooner is is repaired or filled to quicker the recovery period.
People always complain about inconsistent bunkers, how difficult is it to maintain consistent bunkers?
It must be understood that a bunker is a hazard which was put in place to penalize a bad shot and one cannot expect to have a perfect lie every time you hit a bad shot that is why we have beautiful fairways.
Maintaining consistent bunkers have become more difficult, not only because of seasonal factors, but also due to budget constraints. Hands on monitoring of bunkers are the most effective and that is why I have always encouraged Superintendents to play golf and walk your course at least once a week. You can pick up on an inconsistent bunker immediately; whether there are too much sand in it or too little.
