Ensuring the grass is greener with a top golf-course expert

We discover the secrets of keeping the region’s golf courses in tip-top condition in the harshest of climates.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Andrew Henderson / The National

The grass, as the fabled cliché proffers, is always greener on the other side of the fence. But what if that fence runs through what used to be desert? Keeping the grass alive at two of the world’s most admired golf courses, let alone ensuring the putting surfaces are like billiard tables, surely takes something, or someone, special?

Fortunately, if there’s a man who knows a thing or three about growing grass in extreme climates, it’s Andrew Whittaker. The group head of agronomy at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club even has an award to prove it, having been anointed Superintendent of the Year at Troon Golf’s recent global leadership conference in ­Arizona.

It’s some accolade when you consider the Troon network incorporates more than 250 top-end resorts and courses around the globe, very few of which face anything like the daily challenges that confront Whittaker and his teams, and soars in direct correlation with the rising mercury. How many greenkeeping teams, for example, clock on at 3.30am during the height of summer, simply to beat the heat?

Throw in the added pressure of presenting Abu Dhabi Golf Club in pristine European Tour condition for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship each January – and Whittaker has his work cut out.

“Nothing prepares you for the harsh environment that the Middle East summer can bring,” says Whittaker, who hails from Clitheroe, near Preston in ­England.

“The main agronomy practices are similar with scheduled renovations and daily maintenance. But with nature and the extremes of weather, you have to be proactive and reactive each day to combat the challenges and continually provide a golf course that meets the expectations of guests.”

Whittaker is clearly exceeding those expectations. In addition to the global Troon gong, the team the Englishman heads at Abu Dhabi Golf Club was named Golf Course Maintenance Team of the Year at February’s Middle East Golf Awards, the region’s golfing answer to the Academy Awards.

While Whittaker was an amateur golfer with a single-figure handicap, it became evident early on that a career in the game wasn’t going to be via the paid-to-play ranks. Instead, he found his calling around the greens to be more green-fingered than ­wedge-tastic.

Now 36 and the father of two young sons, Whittaker studied at Myerscough College, a renowned horticulture and sports turf training facility in his native Lancashire, before heading to the United States, where his knowledge was expanded during a 24-month intern programme at Ohio State ­University.

From there, he gained invaluable dry-climate experience at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Florida, between 1998 and 2000. Back in the United Kingdom, he then enjoyed four-year stints at two of the British Isles’ most prestigious clubs, Ireland’s K Club and The Grove in London.

Whittaker joined Troon at The Grove, and after establishing himself with the global golf management company, was coaxed to Abu Dhabi Golf Club in 2008. He was promoted to head honcho at both of Troon’s Abu Dhabi properties in 2012, when he also took charge of the Gary Player-designed ­Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

“Working in Florida was a fantastic experience and gave the opportunity to learn and understand warm-season grasses in comparison to the cool-season grasses I had grown up with,” Whittaker says.

So, which is the tougher environment to work in? The extreme heat and humidity of the UAE, or the colder and perennially wet climes of the UK?

“Both climates have their good aspects and bad, but I don’t think anything can compare to the harsh environment that the Middle East summertime brings. With air temperatures reaching the late 40s, it is essential that all aspects from an agronomy perspective are in working order otherwise there can be serious repercussions to the health and vitality of the grasses on the golf course.”

With that, it’s time to get technical to help mum and dad gardeners ensure the smaller patches of green that dot the backyards of villas across the UAE remain healthy year round.

For starters, let’s talk grasses able to tolerate the UAE’s extreme climate and high salt levels ­because of water quality and location – in the desert, in the case of Abu Dhabi Golf Club, and fronting the ocean at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

At Saadiyat, you’ll find 419 Bermuda grass on the fairways and MiniVerde on the tees and greens.

Take the 30-minute drive east to Abu Dhabi Golf Club and it’s Paspalum stretching from tee to green, where Tifdwarf Bermuda grass then takes over to provide some of the best putting surfaces seen on the professional circuit all year.

The one significant difference at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is the winter time over-seeding of the tees and rough in perennial ryegrass. While that aesthetically driven process ensures Abu Dhabi Golf Club is presented as golf course eye candy for millions of fans watching on TV around the world each January, the procurement of seed, water and fertiliser makes it less essential (and viable) for villa dwellers.

What all these different types of grasses do need is water, food and sunlight. Given there’s little issue with the last of that trio in the UAE, the focus shifts to the application of water and fertilisers. Combined with regular horticultural practices such as verticutting and hollow coring (see below for further explanation), these two vital ingredients allow for even better surfaces and the long-term safeguarding of the grasses.

“Each day, we carefully monitor our on-course weather stations to determine ET [evapotranspiration]. Once we know this figure, we can programme our irrigation system to apply the same quantity of water that has been lost during the day,” Whittaker explains.

“This system allows us to efficiently water all grassed areas without overwatering and wasting this valuable resource in the UAE.”

Your irrigation system at home might not be as cutting edge as it is at the golf club, but you can benefit from one pro tip when it comes to watering – it’s best done after dark. This is because it maximises output without loss because of heat, and it’s also the opportune time for the plant to accept a drink, because the grass is likely to be under stress during the day. And fertiliser?

“Along with water, grass plants also require food to maintain a healthy look and vigour,” Whittaker says. “On the golf course, I personally like to apply small amounts of fertilisers but in high frequency. There are many products available these days, but for the household garden, I would recommend an organic-based granular fertiliser containing both macro and minor nutrients to give a broad-spectrum ­application.”

Which moves the focus swiftly on to maintenance. Now we have a vibrant, healthy head of green hair, how often should we enlist the local grass barber or fire up the lawnmower?

“Mowing on the golf course is carried out daily or on alternate days to ensure the condition of the grass is optimum for the golfers. This practice is standard throughout the year and doesn’t vary from month to month. For the average household, the grass should be maintained [cut] twice per week during the summer and once during winter for the best appearance.”

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