Green Keeping Matters

Latest News from our Head Green Keeper – Nigel Thompson
4th JUNE 2025

Greens Maintenance

  • Hollow coring and Top Dressing
  • Verti Cut
  • Scarifying
  • Solid Tine
  • Summer cut height

Hello Golfer,

Next week we’ll be commencing some early summer greens maintenance on our Manor Course as we 

continue to improve the playing performance, and improve the soil conditions of the greens on a regular schedule. This is vital work, as lack of greens maintenance would lead to poor surfaces, and reduced drainage so when the weather conditions are poor, you would get very wet and soft conditions.

Our greens maintenance program starting this year 

includes both maintenance, and nutritional programs.

Since starting in February we’ve hollow cored, and top dressed the greens with straight sand followed by a greens fertiliser. We’ve also started to verti cut the greens on a monthly intervals – a fantastic way to 

remove organic matter and to clear out the indifferent grass growth on the greens!

This work will continue Friday 6th June with the help of Stan ( A young hard worker who’s learning all the tricks of the trade) 

From next week we’ll be scarifying the greens at a depth of -15mm into the greens which will remove massive amounts of thatch and complete a solid tine to aerate the greens! Greens will then be top dressed, and brushed with sand followed by a summer fertiliser to speed recovery over the next few weeks, and we’ll then be well on the road to improved greens.

The summer height of cut on the greens will be 3.5mm and with a continuous wetting agent program we’re confident that the performance of the greens a Sherdons Golf Centre will continue to improve on a yearly basis for you all to enjoy. 

On a personal note, I trust you understand that this work is vital, and I have the backing of Richard and Donna who have been amazing and hard working, massively sharing my ambition at Sherdons, and totally committed to investing in the right products, and equipment to improve Sherdons Golf Centre.

My next post will cover possible future work on the course, and I will keep you all updated on trying to improve the tees and the front section of the 4th green due to the very dry weather, and very heavily thatch in the greens!!

Onwards and upwards, 

Regards

Nigel

Head Green Keeper