Beating Poa annua with ForeFront Greens at Alnmouth GC
Alnmouth Golf Club, Foxton Hall, was established in 1869 and is recognised as the fourth-oldest golf club in England. Well-known golf course architect Harry Colt designed Alnmouth.
Despite its coastal location, the course features parkland turf and is renowned for its exceptional greens, a testament to its superior quality.
Germinal expert Stuart Tait visited Jim Storey, head greenkeeper of Alnmouth Golf Club, to discuss his summer overseeding strategy and the benefits it has brought to the greens.
Switching to greenkeeping
Jim revealed to Stuart that he spent 13 years working in the mining industry before starting his greenkeeping career.
Seeking a career change, he transitioned to greenkeeping at Alnwick Golf Club, where he worked as an assistant greenkeeper for two years. Jim has now been with Alnmouth for 26 years, with 22 of them as the club's head greenkeeper.
Combatting Poa annua
Speaking to Stuart, Jim explained why they overseed at Alnmouth GC: "I overseed to promote finer grass species in the greens and to outcompete the invasive Poa annua.
"We try to keep our chemical inputs quite low, so we believe that overseeding is the most effective way to combat Poa in the short and long term."
Stuart soon learned that the club has recently invested in upgrading its irrigation system so the team can regulate moisture levels throughout summer.
"I am also using lower nitrogen inputs, more organic feeds and trace elements, along with more aeration and sand topdressing,” Jim added. “I feel this will aid seed establishment when we overseed." 
Maximising overseeding success
Discussing his process, Jim explained why they implement a summer overseeding strategy: "We overseed in summer mostly because the temperatures are higher.
"Since we only overseed once a year and the springs here are cool with easterly winds, we prefer to wait until we can get the best germination.
"We have always overseeded once a year and try to maximise our chance to do so. We go at a higher rate and do it at the best time of year for us to get the most out of it."
Preferred overseeding technique
The team's preferred method of overseeding involves using a dimple seeder to drill seed into the greens.
"As we use different species from time to time, we can adjust our seeder to suit," Jim explains.
Combining industry-leading grass varieties
"We currently use the ForeFront Greens mixture from Germinal,” Jim reveals. “I have used fescue and bent mixtures before and the browntop bentgrass on its own.
“But I currently feel that the 007 DSB Creeping Bent incorporated in ForeFront Greens gives me the best chance to compete with the invasive Poa and fill in any pitch marks or blemishes on the green surfaces."
Visit our guide here to find out how proactive seeding can help your golf course.
Contact our golf grass experts if you have any questions about summer overseeding or any other aspects of proactive seeding.