Spring Blog

 

The weather this winter has been much drier than last year. Rainfall for 2024 was 866mm compared to 1055mm for 2023. The decent weather has allowed us to complete lots of tasks. The course is in good shape heading into the season. All that is needed now is some consistent growth but its still very early for grass growth, especially coming out of winter. Even though conditions might be improving, soil temperatures are still low, which slows down growth and recovery. The nighttime frosts really hold the growth back at this time of year.   

  

The 13^th bunker was fully rebuilt. The overhang on the old bunker was very severe and becoming a playability problem and a health and safety concern. The turf has now started to establish, and the main green will be reinstated soon.

 

                                                                Fig 1: 13th Bunker 

Three Huxley winter tee mats were installed on the 3rd, 4th and 16th holes. They provide a stable and level hitting area, reducing the impact on wet or frozen ground. They also prevent wear on natural grass tees, which helps maintain course conditions for the main season. We will look to install these mats on the remaining holes over the next few years.  

                                                    Fig 2: Huxley winter tee mat on the 16th 

     

The recent greens maintenance went to plan. The greens were vertidrained, verticut and sanded. Golfers often ask why we have to punch holes in greens and unsettle them. This work is a key part of maintaining healthy, high-quality putting surfaces. The greens are played on year-round, which means consistent aeration and maintenance are even more important. With 12-month play, greens can suffer from compaction especially in winter when the recovery is slower.  With conditions now slowly improving the greens will start to wake up. Mowing and rolling frequency will increase as we progress more into spring.  

A big thank you to members who have followed the winter control measures. Fairway protection mats are a great way to preserve turf quality, especially during winter months on high-traffic areas. With the course been played on year-round, these measures are crucial in preventing divot damage, compaction, and mud buildup. The post and ropes do a great job of preventing excessive wear near greens and help protect the approaches.  As winter comes to an end, the removal of the winter measures over the next few weeks will help the course transition smoothly into the growing season, while keeping the turf strong.

     

This week we had a demo of a robotic mower from Husqvarna. This cut part of the 18^th fairway and it did a great job, even at this time of year. The introduction of a robotic mower to the fleet could be a great way to improve efficiency, consistency, and turf health. The golf industry is moving towards robotics and automation, and it's only going to grow.   

 

                                                  Fig 3: Robotic mower cutting 18th fairway 

Trees are an iconic feature of many golf courses, adding beauty, challenge, and strategy. However, there are times when the presence of certain trees can negatively impact the health of the greens and overall course playability. While we love the aesthetic value trees provide, our priority is always to ensure a course and particularly greens that are in good condition for most of the year. Sometimes, this means strategically removing trees to improve the health of the turf and enhance the playing experience. As a greens committee the decision was made to remove all the Norwegian Spruce at the back of the 9th green over a two-year period. This started in 2023 and was completed over this winter period. In the Northeast of England, managing shade around golf greens is particularly important due to the region’s cool and damp climate. Frequent cloud cover, lower sunlight intensity, and high humidity can make shade-related issues a big problem on golf greens.

Impact of Removing Norwegian Spruce Around the 9th Green

• Improved Turf Health.
• Norwegian Spruce casts heavy shade year-round, limiting sunlight exposure.
• Their dense canopy blocks airflow, leading to damp, disease-prone greens.
• Removal will allow more sunlight and air circulation, helping the turf dry faster and reducing fungal disease risks.
• Better Drainage & Soil Conditions.
• Spruce trees have shallow, spreading roots that compete for moisture and nutrients.
• Their needles acidify the soil, making it harder for certain grasses to thrive.
• Without them, the green’s root zone can recover, improving grass health and drainage.
• Grass needs 4–6 hours of direct sunlight daily to maintain strong root growth.
• Shade weakens the turf, making it more vulnerable to wear and stress.
• More organic matter (thatch) is created.   
• Weaker playing surfaces.
• Shaded greens tend to have thinner turf and weaker root systems, leading to softer surfaces and inconsistent ball roll.
• Wet greens struggle to be played on for 12 months of the year.

 

 

                                                           Fig 4: 9th green in shade 

 

Fig 5: 9th green in full sun after tree removal

The bank will be grassed over with a fescue mix, helping blend the area back into the landscape. Overseeding with fescue will help create a natural, wispy rough. The bank will be left uncut which will create a more natural look and reduce maintenance. This will encourage wildlife & ecology and increase biodiversity, attracting birds and pollinators.

 

As always, we appreciate your support and patience as we continue to enhance the course. I wish all our members a great golfing season—enjoy your time on the course.

 

David and the Greenkeeping Team.

 

 

                                     Autumn Blog

 

 

The course has been in excellent condition all season. The feedback from members and visitors has been very positive. The wet warm spring really kicked the growth off with an early season flush in May. This allowed quick recovery on the areas that received high levels of play during the winter. I have never seen the course so green in July when normally its brown and burnt off.              

 

The recent greens aeration went well. The processes that were carried out were as follows-

 

• ·      Double scarification (10mm) depth
• ·      19mm solid tine (75mm) depth
• ·      35 tons of sand applied
• ·      Sand brushed and worked into the surface         
• ·      Greens overseeded with a browntop bent mix

Scarification removes lots of material in the top layer and the greens really benefit from this work.    

The recovery has been very good. 

                                Fig 1: 13th green 16 days after renovations 

The greens have been very consistent over the season and performance has been good. This is down to a number of things.

• ·      Good turf health
• ·      Consistent maintenance practices  
• ·      Correct mowing
• ·      Correct Irrigation
• ·      Correct fertilization

 

In early September some of the greens suffered from a big attack of fusarium. This disease thrives in damp, humid conditions. The weather at this time was perfect for the disease to strike. The worst affected greens were the 7^th and 15^th. 

A fungicide was sprayed at the first opportunity and all the affected bits of turf were seeded, speeding up the recovery. Acidifying products are now used at this time of year. This discourages the development of the disease and hardens the grass plant off. As you can see from the photo the recovery from the fusarium has been excellent. The aim now is to keep the greens nice and healthy as we go into the off season. Cutting and rolling will take place when conditions allow. 

       

                           Fig 2: Recovery of the 7th green.   

 

Planned Winter Work

 

• ·      Three fixed winter mats will be installed on the 3^rd, 4^th and 16^th holes. These will be the same design as the one which was installed on the 1^st hole, last winter. The old-style mats become very slippery during the winter and are a health and safety concern. Over the next few years, all of the old ones will be replaced.        
• ·      The 13^th right hand bunker will be remodelled. This work removes the big overhang and will be a much-needed course improvement.
• ·      The 13^th astroturf path will be grassed over.
• ·      Irrigation valves that are leaking to be replaced.
• ·      Tree survey to be performed (late October) and recommended work to be undertaken.         
• ·      Regeneration on areas of scrubland to be cleared. 
• ·      All long roughs to be cut and collected.  
• ·      All machinery to be serviced and units sharpened in house.
• ·      Various turf repairs on damaged areas.
• ·      Leaf clearing.
• ·      As we head into the autumn, controlled measures will be introduced. Post and ropes will be put out protecting the approaches to greens. Fairway protection mats will be introduced. Winter tee positions and mats will be put into play. All of these measures help the course over the winter, which then allows the transition into spring that bit easier.         

Wildlife

 

Lots of deer have been seen on the course this year, including a number of young ones.

                                          Fig 3: Deer on the course 

 

 

More bird boxes will be put up this winter in various locations of woodland. 

Volunteers

 

A big thanks to David Fletcher who volunteered to divot the fairways. This was a great bit of work done, helping the fairways recover after a long season.

A big thanks to David Watson for painting the brown tee markers, ready for the winter.

A big thanks to Avril Rowbotham who has done an amazing job transforming the 15^th garden. Avril has put lots of time and effort into this. We have had lots of great comments from members of the public who walk past and admire the garden. Well done to all the volunteers who help out with jobs, the work is very much appreciated.   

             

                 Fig 4: Before and after photo of the 15th garden

 

Let’s hope for a drier winter than last year.

 

David and the team.

      

 

Summer Blog 2024

 

An update about what's been going on this year. 

This past winter was one for the books, with the wettest record. Despite these harsh conditions the course emerged resilient and stayed open when lots of other clubs around us were shut for long periods. The greens came through the relentless rainfall healthy and ready for the spring. They were played on for the majority of the year, which is testament to the aeration work that has been carried out on the greens.  

The control measures that were in place made a huge difference as we headed into the season. The grass coverage on the fairways was excellent from the use of mats. The post and ropes protected the approaches to greens from high levels of footfall. This ensured that these areas remained healthy and playable and the transition into the golf season was so much easier. As things finally began to dry out in  April the course was quickly turned around and was made presentable. A big thank you to members who followed these measures and looked after our course.    

In March there was a decent spell of weather providing the perfect opportunity to do some maintenance on the greens. The greens were scarified using the graden. This is a specialized bit of equipment that cuts precise grooves in the turf, removing organic matter to a depth of -20mm. This was followed up by a sand dressing. This work helps keep organic matter levels in check and maintains greens firmness. 

 

                                                                                          

                                                               Images of the graden work

The height of cut on the greens is currently at 4mm and cutting frequency increased when the temperatures picked up. Regular sarel rolling is carried out with light topdressings when conditions allow. Sarel rolling is a small spike in the turfs surface, allowing better air, water and nutrient penetration, without causing significant disruption to the playing surface. Nutrition is applied through regular spoon feeding which involves the frequent application of small amounts of liquid fertiliser. This method provides a steady supply of nutrients, promoting consistent growth and preventing growth flushes.  

The outfield areas of the course are really growing hard at the moment. The moisture and heat have created an early growth flush. The team are flat out on the machines keeping on top of things. The biggest challenge is the rough as the machine deposits grass which looks unsightly. To disperse grass the course is blown with the tractor mounted blower, this helps tidy things up.  

All the trees on the course were sprayed with a herbicide. This kills the grass around the base but does not harm the trees. This will last for the 5 months, saving on labour and allowing the team to focus on more important tasks.

  

  

                                                                  Tree based killed off

Golf greens are maintained to a high standard, but acts of vandalism can undo the hard work of greenkeepers. Vandalism can be very demoralizing for the team who work hard to keep the greens in great condition.  Recently a number of greens have experienced damage from a club strike, creating large unsightly divots. The greens require repair work in the form of plugging and seeding.           

                                                                Divot from 16th green

Thanks to all the members that give myself and the team positive feedback over the year, it's very much appreciated. 

Have a great golfing season. 

David and the lads.     

   

 

                               Winter Blog 2023

 

This year and particularly this autumn have been a real challenge with the very high levels of rainfall (985mm to date). This is the highest annual rainfall I have recorded and the wettest year I have experienced as a greenkeeper. The rainfall average on the course over the last 6 years is 715mm. The highest recorded rainfall prior to this year was in 2019 with 889mm. The course however is a very good drainer and has taken the high levels of rainfall well. With wet weather brings more course closures and this year has been the worst since I started tracking this data.      

                                                                         

With the wet weather the leaf clearing has been a little slower this year. The big machinery struggled to travel on the course and areas had to be hand collected which takes more time. Some strong winds a few weeks ago helped bring most of the leaves down. Protection measures (posts and ropes) were put out early. This has helped spread the wear on the approaches and around greens. The introduction of fairway protection mats has also been positive, less divots are now visible. Both these measures will make a difference in the spring, when the course transition occurs for the golf season.  A big thank you to all the members who are following these restrictions.  

Members might have seen some stakes in the ground around the course. These are to identify cable pots and hose points from the irrigation installation, which was done earlier on in the year. These will be trimmed and kept visible at all times.

The new winter 1^st tee was installed in October and is a big improvement from the old raised mat that was in play. When the digger was on hire a catchment drain was installed at the back of the 9th collar. This catches rainwater runoff from the bank and will help keep water away from the green. 

The greens are in good health heading into the winter. Regular slitting takes place when conditions allow. This form of aeration is very beneficial during prolonged wet periods. This week the greens were vertidrained with 12mm tines. This work is essential as it allows the greens to breath after the recent wet weather. The greens are the cleanest I have seen them for disease. Bringing the greens maintenance forward this year to August, allowed the greens to recover quicker and have them healthy heading into the disease pressure season. 

Tees, approaches and fairway aeration will be carried out once weather conditions improve. Slitting, solid tining and raking will be the procedures used.  

The winter servicing of machines is well underway. The grinding of the cutting units has also commenced. This a good time of year to carry out this work and to see what the machinery fleet needs ready for the new season in 2024.    

 

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Dave Donaldson who has been the greens chairman over the last three years. Dave stands down in the new year, as his nine years on the committee comes to an end. Dave has been a great support for myself and the greenkeeping team and will be missed.

 

The team and I thank members for the continued support throughout the year.

 

Merry Christmas.

 

David and the Greenkeeping Team.     

 

Summer Blog

 

Just a little blog about what has been done and is planned over the remainder of the season.

 

The very wet weather that we have been experiencing lately has certainly greened the course up and is making the grass grow. The dry spell earlier in the season burned areas off, however these have now fully recovered. The rain does have its benefits, but I would much rather have warm and dry days this time of year.      

Here is the rainfall stats for July over the last seven years. You can clearly see how wet July this year has been. This brings it challenges on course preparation as more damp cuts are carried out.

 

                  

 

 

The irrigation system was completed and was a success. We have a few areas to seed, but it was a very clean job from TIS. The 90mm mainline pipe that was installed allows the runtime of the irrigation pump to be shortened and more sprinklers can now be operated at the same time. The pressure coming out the sprinklers to the greens is greatly improved, allowing a more evenly distribution of water. The spring feed and borehole water is very good for the greens. They respond so much better to the natural sources, rather than the mains water that was previously used.                 

 

In mid-July the greens were vertidrained with an 8mm tine to a depth of 200mm. They were then verticut creating a more upright growth habit and removing any unwanted material just below the surface. This was then followed up by approximately 10 ton of topdressing. The greens were then brushed and the significant rainfall that we have been experiencing washed the sand into the profile. This work is vital as it vents the greens after lots of play and creates air space for the grass roots to develop below the surface. The greens are getting cut most days at 3.5mm and ironed when the weather allows. The iron is not used during these wet conditions as more damage can be done to the surface.            

 

 

On Tuesday 29^th August the annual greens maintenance will be carried out with  the following procedures:

• ·      Scarification to a depth of approximately 15mm.
• ·      Topdressed (10 ton) and brushed.
• ·      Solid tined (12mm tine).
• ·      Topdressed (20 ton) and brushed.  
• ·      Overseeded with bentgrass.
• ·      Fertilised.

 

Recovery will be good and the greens will benefit massively from this work. The aim is to keep the surfaces at a consistent level as we head into the Autumn/Winter. After a wet summer which we are experiencing, this maintenance is more important than ever.   

Could members please not tee off any earlier than 7.30am and from the 1st tees only. This allows the greenstaff time to prepare the course interrupted, thank you.  

      

Thanks to all the members that give myself and the team positive feedback, its very much appreciated. Hopefully the weather improves and you enjoy the rest of the season.

 

David and the Greenkeeping Team.      

 

                   

Winter Blog

 

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank our members who help protect the golf course over the winter. Following signs, walking around ropes, using mats and repairing pitchmarks, is very much appreciated. These measures that we have put in place, make the transition into the season that little bit easier.           

 

Here is a little update on the work that has been carried out on the golf course so far this winter.

The planned winter work doesn’t really start until all the leaves are cleared from the golf course, leaf clearing is very time consuming and with the weather deteriorating in December and January it delayed this operation by about three weeks. The heavier machinery couldn’t operate, as hard frosts and heavy rainfall saturated the course. Once the conditions improved the remaining leaves were collected for another year. 

All the long roughs were cut using the flail mower and the clippings removed. Some areas of scrub on banksides were also cut and cleared. The broom and gorse that has regenerated over the years was removed on the bankside behind the 9^th tee. This will  allow the wildflower to thrive again. 

 

All machinery servicing and grinding has been completed in house. Various turf repairs have been done on bunkers and tees.  All course furniture has been painted ready for the season ahead. New flags, pins and metal hole cups have been purchased and will be out for the start of the season.

 

A Health and Safety Tree Audit was carried out by an Arboricultural Consultant. This survey assessed the safety level of trees on the site. The purpose was to identify specific trees within the site boundary with regards to their risk level to public health and safety. 12 trees and 3 groups of trees were identified as moderate priority, with a view to works being complete within 6 months, prior to anticipated winter storms and as part of an on-going management plan. A local tree surgeon was contracted in to do the work. A chipper was hired in to help with the cleaning up. There is one more tree to deadwood on the drive then the work is complete.            

Fig 1: Pollarding of an oak tree on the 12th hole, allowing wildlife to still use the tree     

The greenkeeping staff are often asked by members, why are so many trees being removed and are trees replaced on the site? I hope the above paragraph answers why trees are removed. Trees are replanted in specific areas where needed.

With the lack of fungicides now available to treat turfgrass diseases, shade issues from trees are a major problem for the greenkeeping industry. Around the greens, airflow and shade are one of the major contributing factors for fusarium. The leaf of the plant sits wetter for longer compared to an open green, making it an ideal environment for the pathogen to strike. Increasing light around greens will allow the finer grasses to flourish and reduce disease attacks significantly.

 

Recently all the greens have been vertidrained using a 12mm diameter tine to a depth of 300mm. The greens really needed this aeration after the cold/wet cycles of December and January. This work allows the greens to vent and breath, improving root development below the surface when there is no top growth. Another aeration procedure is planned for March, this time using an 8mm tine to a depth of 200mm. The smaller tine size will allow a much quicker recovery. Topdressing will be added with this work and will be brushed in. The current height of cut on the greens is 6mm, this will be lowered when the conditions improve and the season nears. Very little growth comes off the greens this time of year, once the soils warm up the cutting frequency increases. The greens are rolled weekly if the conditions allow. The greens iron has been a great addition, but more aeration is required to let the surfaces breath.   

The new practice nets have just been completed. Here is a before and after photo.

                                  Fig 2: Practice nets 

Members will be aware that a borehole will be getting installed near the pump house on the 14^th hole. A temporary green will be cut near the fairway bunker and all traffic will be directed down the left hand side of the hole, avoiding the drilling rig. Communication will be sent out when the work starts.

             

 2022 annual data.

 

                               Fig:3 Rainfall comparison graph  

 

                                 Fig 4: Growth potential 2022

You can see from (fig 3) that the rainfall for 2022 was lower than average. Looking at (fig 4) you can see strong consistent growth didn’t commence until May. October is a better growing month than April, as the soil temperature is warmer. In the Autumn months reduced daylight slows growth.

 

The focus as always heading into the spring, will be tidying the course and improving presentation for the season. Bunkers will be edged and new sand added. Paths will be edged and new grey dust added. Fairways will be raked using the Terra Rake, which removes thatch and moss. Cutting of tees, fairways and rough improves definition on the course. It can be a slow process coming out of the winter, however seeing the welcomed change is very rewarding for myself and the team.

 

We had an unusual guest a woodcock appear on our wildlife camera in the woods, left of the 3^rd hole. I have been told that these birds are very hard to spot. Kestrels have nested the last few years behind the 5^th green and tawny owls are often heard around the clubhouse, an owl box an kestrel box will be installed in the near future.  

 

                                     Fig 5: Woodcock video 

Keeping up to date with any changes to working practices is very important. We encourage Continual Professional Development, the greenkeeping team attended a manual handling/noise course and a first aid training course. I am also a big believer in the wellbeing of staff and making the working environment a positive place, as this increases productivity.

 

I hope you have enjoyed the update and all the best for the golfing season.

 

David and the greenkeeping team.