Establishing consistent growth in spring has always been a challenge but the unpredictable nature and extremes of the UK weather in recent years, together with the ever rising expectations of golfers, has made the transition from winter putting surfaces to summer competition surfaces even more challenging.The weather experienced across the UK this winter is a prime example of the difficulties facing many clubs, depending on their location. Mild, wet conditions in late autumn 2015 resulted in a higher and more prolonged period of disease pressure than usual, leaving greens vulnerable to scarring. Mild conditions persisted through to the end of the year, with November and December being the mildest on record, and with more grass growth than the previous March/April. Coupled with mild temperatures, higher levels of rainfall than usual resulted in flooding to extensive areas of the UK, especially across the north of Englandand into Scotland. Ground conditions quickly became saturated leading to higher levels of wear, making it difficult to access and maintain playing surfaces that continued to grow. This growth at least allowed some recovery to take place but the quality of growth tended to be soft and elongated due to poor light levels and, as such, the turf wasn't as resilient as during the normal growing season. This growth will also have resulted in a depletion of carbohydrate reserves within the grass plants making the development of spring growth potentially more problematic.
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