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.