The pH level of the soil is of great importance as it affects the availability of the nutrients to the grass plant. A pH of around 6.0 is thought to give the turf good access to nutrients whilst helping to control any worm problems. Monitoring and adjusting soil pH is a routine practice in golf course maintenance to optimise turf performance.

When tested in early 2024 we found that the pH of the 6 indicator greens tested across the site were low – some as low as 4.8. It was our intention to raise the pH gradually and set ourselves an initial target of 5.5.

• The maximum amount of essential nutrients are generally available between pH 6.0 – 7.0

• Most nutrients become ‘locked-up’, or less available, for plant growth at low (acidic) pH levels
• The majority of soil micro-organisms prefer a soil pH of 6.0 – 8.0
• Neutral and alkaline soils usually have higher contents of calcium within the soil and this helps towards soil particles aggregating together (i.e., flocculation), improving soil structure.

Acidic soils

These can have a detrimental effect on turfgrass growth:

• Slow or weak growth
• Inability to stand up to much wear
• A thin sward coverage
• Poor quality playing conditions
• Susceptibility to drought
• An increased build-up of thatch due to low decomposition rates (which is in turn due to reduced micro-organism activity).
• A poor response to fertiliser application

The charts below show a comparison of pH levels 2024 V 2025 and the progress being made to date.