Winter 2020/21

 

During this latest lockdown the weather has been relatively kind to us, with some decent winds drying the course up considerably. The course though does not recover this time of year as there is very little growth compared to spring/summer. This break has however helped the high traffic areas get a much-needed rest, particularly the 1^st and 9^th fairways.

The wildlife thrives having no golfers on the course, adapting very quickly to this absence. The deer have been spotted most mornings and two buzzards are often seen feeding on earthworms on the fairways. Lots of other birds are feeding on the berries around the course. The resident tawny owls are very vocal on the dark mornings. A negative of this is the badgers are very active and damage has occurred on some greens and tees. We always get this type of activity from the wildlife at this time of year as they are looking to put on weight before the winter. Hopefully this settles down, as it normally does.   

 

The leaf clearing is nearly finished for the year. The strong winds have brought most of the leaves down and only a selected few trees are hanging on. The forecasted frosts should get the remainder down. The leaves on the trees are spectacular but from a maintenance perspective they require lots of man hours and use lots of fuel. The tractor mounted blower and the collector are working every day. The leaves that are collected are dumped in the woods around the course. This leaf mould is an excellent soil conditioner and is added to all the beds around the clubhouse.

All the cutting and collecting of long roughs has been done. This yearly procedure improves these areas by removing scrub and rank grasses, which encourages wildflowers and finer grasses.  Whilst we have been closed two fungi experts came in and surveyed the course. They found over forty different species and a Northumberland first, an agaricus porphyrrhizon, which was located near the 3^rd tee. Amazing what you can find when you have a good look about. They loved the site and will be back to survey the woodlands, next year. 

 

 

 

All the fairways have been slit tined and this will be done again over the winter. This helps get air into the fairways and removes compaction from the high levels of play.

The two greenside bunkers at the 6^th have been rebuilt. The bases will be smoothed out and levelled with a digger, before new turf is put down. This work improves the course aesthetically and helps the golfer get a more consistent lie in the traps.   

 

 

Bunker repairs on the 1^st and 15^th bunkers have also been carried out and are ready for turf.

The 3rd greenside bunker has been filled in and rebuilt to the right. The aim of this work is to make the approach shot fairer without reducing the degree of difficulty the hole presents. The area front left will still provide a challenging up and down and in time will allow improvement to what is one of the weaker greens in agronomy terms. More pin positions will also be available. 

      

The 3^rd tee has been stripped and will be levelled off with new turf laid. This tee really suffers with the lack of light it receives. Other tees with worn areas on them have also been stripped and will be prepared for new turf.  

 

 The trees at the back of the 11^th green have been thinned out. This will allow more light and airflow to the back of the green. The trees that remain in this area will flourish with not having to compete in a crowded space.

 

 

Some trees have also been thinned out at the back of the 15^th green. This again will allow more light to the green. Shade issues on fine turf have a big impact on turf grass diseases. With chemical restrictions getting tougher, we will see more trees around greens having to be removed.  

The greens have been getting slit on a regular basis. Cutting has eased back with no golf being played. The greens were cut towards the end of November and will be cut again prior to play resuming on 2^nd December 2020. Disease pressure has been high this autumn with the mild weather and no golf course is immune to attacks. Fusarium is the main disease this time of year and it thrives on mild temperatures and plant leaf wetness (dews). Products that keep the dew from forming on the greens have been applied, along with acidic products which the fungus does not like. These dew removal products keep the dew off for about 5 days and if sprayed at the right time can really help with disease severity. The only problem with them is they have to be sprayed onto a dry leaf which allows the product to coat the leaf surface stopping the dew from forming. These spray windows are however few and far between at this time of year. With further chemical restrictions these products are important for turf managers, in the continual battle against disease.    

            

Another issue the turfgrass industry has is worm control. Worms are good as they aerate the soil. They like heavier, moist soils and are really helpful for the soil eco system, but the negative side of this is the worm casts. This mud forms the casting and chokes the plant causing it to die. With worm casts on the surfaces you can’t really mow certain areas because the soil gets stuck on the rollers and the blades. This raises the height of cut and dulls the blades on the mowers. This problem affects the fairways here at Hexham. With trying to mow the fairways at this time of year you are doing more damage than good. Should you notice the fairways are slightly longer, this is the reason why.        

            

Hope you have enjoyed the latest information and we look forward to welcoming golfers back and seeing everyone out on the course again soon.

 

David and the lads.