When the Open Golf Championship tees off at Royal St George’s in Kent on 10th July millions of us will be transfixed both by the quality of the golf and the greens and fairways.

How do they get them looking so brilliant? Lawnmower producers John Deere know the answer. They have asked the head greenkeeper at the club, Graham Royden, for his top tips on helping to keep your grass looking as good as his.

Graham and his team are working around the clock to ensure that the famous course is ready for open day and right through to the presentation of the world famous Claret Jug on 17th July. John Deere is the preferred supplier of its grass cutting machinery and equipment to the course and Graham has an array of more than 20 lawnmowers, tractors, scarifiers and other equipment, all supplied by their local dealer, Godfreys Limited of Sevenoaks.

“The big difference between the course here at Royal St George’s and garden lawns is that we use a different type of grass seed and spent literally hundreds of hours tending the turf. But, that said, a few simple tips can help any gardener achieve near perfect results,” explained Graham.

“The thing not to do is attempt to keep the grass as short as we do here on the course. John Deere is actively supporting the concept among domestic gardeners of keeping an area of grass either uncut during the season or at least left longer for the benefit of wildlife and I fully support this. It is part of John Deere’s National Gardens Park programme.”

Graham says there are five key elements to ensuring a brilliant lawn
1. Cutting, 2.Watering, 3. Feeding, 4. Aeration and 5. Scarifying

His advice on cutting is little and often. Never take off more than 1/3rd of the grass blade length as this will damage the plant. In dry weather reduce the frequency of cut, raise the mower height and consider leaving the cuttings on the lawn to help feed and shade the grass.

Watering domestic lawns is a far more contentious issue and depends on local water availability and any restriction notices that may be in force. Graham says that keeping moisture in the soil profile on a golf course is vitally important.

The grass at Royal St George’s is largely fed by an entirely natural product and Graham is a keen advocate of environmentally safe feeding. He recommends three feeds a year: spring (March to April), summer and autumn (September to October). It is important to ensure that, if using proprietary feeds, you use them according to the season as the balance of nutrients for a spring feed is entirely different to that needed in the summer or autumn.

Graham says that aeration is vitally important because it allows light, moisture and air to reach to growing roots of the grass. A normal garden fork dug into the lawn to a depth of about 4 inches and about 6 inches apart it ideal although hollowed tined forks can also be used. He suggests that the best time for this is in March and again in October.

He describes scarifying as ‘combing the grass to remove dead plants and thatch’. This should be done twice a year: April or May and again in September or October.
It encourages new grass growth and can be achieved either by hand with a spring rake of using a powered machine. John Deere makes a range of electric and petrol scarifiers. It is important to remove the thatch and Graham adds “Don’t be surprised as the massive quantity of rubbish you will remove.”

So, if you want your lawn to look as good as Graham’s greens and fairways at Royal St George’s Gold Club, just follow his tips.

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