Author: John

Master Greenkeeper John Quinn is the author of Performance Bowling Greens, and several other titles on Greenkeeping, Club and Business Management.

January 29, 2026

Opening Day Preparation: Getting the mower ready.

Getting the mower ready is often seen as someone else's responsibility during the close season, but great care should be taken to make sure you are not falling foul of tradition again. Relief grinding and back lapping have become an unfortunate norm in cylinder mower set up, but can be more damaging to the turf and the mower than you might expect. John Quinn explains the theory and suggests a solution that will ensure your mower gives you trouble free service and impressive results all season long.

January 28, 2026

Winter Greenkeeping Strategies

Winter Greenkeeping Strategies have to a large extent been based on preventative fungicide, putting the green to bed and hoping for the best. This overlooks the huge opportunity greenkeepers have to make a real difference through applying some sound Winter Greenkeeping Strategies right through the closed months.

January 27, 2026

Grass Seed Mixes; 80/20, 60/40, 40/60? What’s the Difference and Why does it Matter?

I am frequently asked about the difference between our 80/20, 60/40 and 40/60 Premium Fescue/Bent Grass Seed Mixes. On the surface, it might just look like a simple percentage change, but there’s quite a lot going on behind those numbers that can affect both the long-term performance of your green and the cost of the mix.

January 25, 2026

Fungi, the Bogeymen?

The highly sandy nature of many bowling greens and the historical routine use of fungicides of course means that the fungal community is at best compromised. However, we can encourage they're development by providing bio-stimulants. These are typically long-chain sugars such as—kelp, humic acid, and molasses derived bio-stimulant materials. In fact, trials have shown that spraying Trichoderma fungi (a natural Fusarium suppressor) with 20 litres of a biostimulant such as Molturf per hectare extended its protective activity for over five weeks. Even at lower rates, molasses is a highly effective and underutilised biostimulant.

January 24, 2026

The thatch dilution delusion

The thatch dilution delusion...discuss. Can thatch be diluted? If so, is there any benefit in doing so? As with many aspects of modern greenkeeping that have been accepted as fact without evidence, the claims for top-dressing's ability to dilute thatch fly in the face of the science.