Greens Rollers
Equipment
Greens Rollers
Greens rollers are what superintendents use to get their greens looking immaculate with uniform strips and a luscious green top surface. Without a good greens roller, you’re not going to achieve a similar result.
Greens rollers are simple machines, yet play a very important role in the maintenance and quality of a green. Basically, they use cylinders to “roll” across the turf. The benefits of this practice are immense and immeasurable!
What Are Greens Rollers?
If you want your putting surface or turf to be as perfect as possible, you’ll need to use a combination of mowing and rolling.
Mowing a green on a regular basis has the following benefits:
- Helps you achieve a level cut
- Promotes higher shoot density
- Helps the grass spread out laterally
- Creates less friction between grass and the golf ball (which is exactly what all golfers desire)
In combination with mowing, frequently rolling a green has the following benefits:
- Increases the speed at which the golf ball travels
- Creates a much smoother putting surface
- Corrects areas that are damaged due to freezing, disease, scalping, and so on
- Enables the superintendent to raise the mowing height
Benefits of Using a Greens Roller
Here’s a closer look at the benefits of using a greens roller on a regular basis:
Improves Health and Durability of the Green
Looks aren’t everything, in fact, the health of the putting surface is undoubtedly more important. There’s no ignoring the fact that both quality and appearance of a green go hand-in-hand though.
If you’re running a business, first impressions are very important. Rolling often will give your turf a greener, smoother, and sharper looking appearance.
Improved Top Dressing
Top dressing is important throughout the year to improve the look and the health of your putting surface and or lawn.
If you roll your green after top dressing and before mowing, you’ll pick up less sand. Meaning more sand remains on the surface to improve the quality and playability.
Less Localized Dry Spots
Dry spots are a huge problem at certain times of the year. They can also take a long time to resolve and spread if not properly treated.
Plots that are rolled often, typically 3-4 times a week, are less prone to dry spots. This is because rolling helps the soil retain moisture content.
Helps With Seed Bed Preparation
If you’re seeding an area, rolling will help by compressing the root zone and reducing the amount of soil settling down during establishment.
Seed-to-soil contact is vital to the success of seeding. Rolling the area is the best way you can achieve this contact.
Reduces Algae, Moss, and Weeds
Weeds, moss, and algae and three nuisances that can be very persistent and cause serious damage to a green.
Rolling on a regular basis is known to reduce the appearance and growth of these plants. This is mainly due to rolling increasing the density of the turfgrass.
Time and Cost Savings
This comes under the main benefits associated with using most mechanical devices. They carry out more work or perform tasks that cannot be performed as well without them.
Most rollers have multiple rollers in a line. This allows you to roll a green multiple times for each time you physically travel over it.
Types of Rollers
There are various models and types of rollers. Each bringing their own unique features and uses.
However, from an operational standpoint, it really comes down to two main types of rollers; basic rollers and vibratory rollers. Here’s how the two types differ:
Basic Rollers
Basic rollers typically consist of a drum and a set weight. The drum is then rolled across the green with the pressure from its weight to even out the turf.
This type of roller has evolved over the years, and now you typically see a number of rollers in a line. This means fewer repetitions are required as more rollers are rolling the turf.
Most models are difficult to maneuver at first and require some specific operator training.
Vibratory Rollers
Vibratory rollers have rotating shafts with a number of weights on that create vibration as it moves.
The frequency of the vibration depends on the speed of the rotation. The faster the shaft is set to vibrate, the more impact there is on the turf being rolled over.
It’s universally accepted that vibrating rollers are better for greens with top dressing. The vibrating effect helps bed the dressing in, meaning more top dressing will survive when mowed.
If you’re looking to maintain your greens with various pieces of golf equipment, we can help!
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