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More golfers in Aalst
Since corona, membership increased from 700 to 1,000 at the De Kluizen golf course in Aalst. People started not only walking en masse but also playing golf. Head greenkeeper Joost De Backer enthusiastically gives us a glimpse into his world.
Head greenskeeper Joost De Backer has already had his first morning scouting. “In summer, we start at 5:30 a.m. to get ahead of the golfers. Around 3 or 4 p.m. our day job is over.”
The job as greenkeeper is right up Joost's alley - an avid morning and outdoorsman. He started as a job student at the golf club during his secondary studies in biotechnology. He then followed the agro and biotechnology option agriculture. What followed was written in the stars. When the former head greenkeeper resigned, the owner looked toward Joost. “That's how I started right here after graduation. Meanwhile, we are seven years on,” says
De Backer.
“The maintenance of the nine-hole golf course is quite intensive. The total area is sixteen acres, eight of which are used for golf. Meanwhile, we have 1,000 members. The first golfers are already on the tee at 6 am. In winter that is with the rising of the sun and in summer tournaments take place every Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday. During the week, leagues are reserved for club members themselves. Thus, it can be very busy. Monday is greenkeepers” day and no tournaments take place," De Backer recalled.
Joost and his team ensure that the turf looks almost perfect all year round. In summer, the greens are mowed every day to a height of 4 mm and regularly pruned and sanded. A spreading machine is used to spread a fine layer of sand over the greens in order to make the ground more sandy and even. Small pits are filled in to re-create a flat green on which the ball can roll better and faster. “In the spring, we take soil samples to determine the fertilization plan and the amounts of nitrogen.”
De Backer continues, “Because the greens are kept very short, we have no problems with weeds. For the white fungal disease Fusarium that affects the grass, we do have to be careful. The use of pesticides is very limited. We spray only with ferrous sulfate: once a month in summer and every two weeks in winter. Because of the wet summer last year, we were able to do less sanding. So you get a thicker felt layer in the greens which means we feel greater disease pressure compared to other years. Responding to dry periods is not so easy. We work with a sprinkler system on the greens, not on the fairways. Sand injection with a top charger involving vertical drainage trenches is a fairly new application.”
“The short-cut fairway (2 cm) is a large flat area of grass, between the tee - the place to tee off - and the green. Around the fairway is the rough, an area where the grass is cut 5 cm high. The aim is to reach the flag on the green in as few strokes as possible from the tee,” explains De Backer.
“When in the summer the golf course looks immaculate and members give compliments, I realize again what a fun job this is.”
