Turf Matters

I just came back from visiting two golf courses that admitted to me they have never fertilized their fairways for years. Needless to say, the colour, health and uniformity of their fairways leaves a lot to be desired.
I agree that in Malaysia, the measure of quality of a golf course is by the quality of the green. So most of the money used in golf course maintenance will be spent on greens. In other words, the most expensive real estate – per square foot – on a golf course is the green.
But what causes the real estate surrounding the golf course to increase in price? For a non-golfer – the speed and quality of a green means little. Even for a golfing house-owner, his house price will not increase with the quality or speed of a 500sq meter patch at the end of the fairway. It is the visual of the golf course that will impress his guests or potential buyer. And most of this will come from the fairway.
The colour, the contrast with the sand in the bunker, the stripings, the uniformity, thats what going to make the guests go green with envy.
And these particular golf courses have property surrounding them for sale/rent. Would it surprise you that they have a lot of property left unsold? I don’t think its the location; they wouldn’t have build the golf course/property there in the first place.
My belief is that, no golf course should neglect the appearance of their fairways. Cut costs by reducing the size and even not have fairways on par3s but make what is left beautiful.
Use quick release fertilizer or foliar fertilizer and apply them during the dry months. Do spot topdressing with excess sand. Slice the fairways regularly. Have discipline when mowing them.
Golfers will judge the quality of a golf course on the greens. Non-golfers (and even golfers who are house-owners) will judge them from what they see most – the fairways.