Totsuka Country Club (Yokohama City) 

The Totsuka Country Club in Yokohama is renowned as a prestigious course with a long history. It has 36 holes lying from east to west, and the west course has been the venue for numerous tournaments. The 38^th Japan Women’s Open Championship, at which Ai Miyazato became the youngest player to win a major, was played on this course. We spoke with Mr. Kumamoto, who manages the staff of 37. 

One of the biggest challenges we faced in managing the turf was the problem of root mat. For example, the root mat was so firmly tangled around the roots, like a sponge, that we couldn’t even clean the roots using a soil sampler. We tried using topdressing soil, but even decomposing the thatch didn’t help. We really needed a way to develop healthy roots. 

Turf resilience is supported by healthy roots, so we determined that the first step should be improving the soil in order to get healthy roots. We gradually switched from the products we had been using to Bio-genic products and started to build healthy soil. The first one we used, Bio-genics Product D, was recommended by the groundkeeper of another famous golf course. Then we introduced more bio-genic products, such as Bio-genics Product A to accelerate thatch decomposition, and Bio-genics Product L. 

After continuing to apply Bio-genics Product D and others for a while, algae growth gradually came under control. And when we apply Bio-genics Product A in spring and autumn, we can speed up thatch decomposition even when the temperature is low and microbial activity isn’t very high. Further, in addition to improving the soil by using other bio-genic products, we can limit the amount of agrochemicals used. As a result of careful turf management, applying amino acids and organic acids according to the weather and the turf condition, and watering by hand where hand watering is needed, the root mat was dissolved completely and we’re able to maintain good quality green conditions. 

Interview

The key to creating good turf conditions is knowing how to cultivate healthy turf. And in order to cultivate healthy turf, naturally you need healthy soil. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that now 80% of our turf maintenance is spent on improving soil quality. And that’s where careful turf management and bio-genic products come in.

We try to use as few agrochemicals as possible, and with as low toxicity as possible. Ideally we would care for the turf without using agrochemicals or herbicides at all, but we haven’t achieved that yet. But we want to aim for that ideal.