Spring Blog

As I write this blog we have had a week of warm weather. This winter has been a test for the golf course as we have experienced some harsh weather conditions. The course was under heavy snow for eight days after the beast from the east, followed by lots of frosts, then heavy rain which saturated the course on more than a few occasions. The experts in the sports turf industry say we are a month behind this year compared to last year in terms of growth and soil temperatures.

We were asked to, and delivered improved winter greens this year and the feedback to this has been very positive. Like the majority of golfers I don’t enjoy playing on winter greens but having them allows the course to stay open when conditions are at their worst.

The aim now, with the cold weather hopefully behind us, is to improve the course aesthetically. A full cut of the course was carried out last week. The majority of tees were put back onto main tee boxes. New flags and hole cups and all golf course furniture was put out. Unfortunately the majority of ropes and hoops will be staying out for the time being as the course needs some protection and the traffic still needs to be managed around walkways and slopes.    

Greens maintenance

We took advantage of a break in the weather, which allowed us to get our maintenance done to the greens. A double verticut was carried out in March. This removes any thatch that has built up over the winter months and smooths the surfaces out long term.

                         

A week later the greens were vertidrained, solid tined and 30 ton of topdressing was applied. An application of sulphate of ammonia and ferrosol (liquid iron) was applied as doing this mechanical work can put added stress on the grass plant. A granular fertiliser was applied two weeks ago and got watered in nicely as the forecast was right, it never stopped raining. The height of cut on the greens is now 4.5 mm and I will be bringing that down as cutting frequency increases.  

                                             

The benefits from the ecology work carried out recently can clearly be seen around the course. Lots of colour is now visible on banksides which were previously thick of scrub. A big thank you to all members who donated bird boxes as part of the national nest box week. They have been put up in various locations around the course and many are already in use.    

                             

We were pleased to welcome Paul Walton, who joined our team a few weeks ago and he has settled in well. Paul is a greenkeeper/mechanic and is a great addition to the team. He has already fixed some machines which would have been done in the past by an outside mechanic. Paul is also very keen on the turf side of things. We are now up to a full-strength team of five, ready for the season.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their support and patience over recent months and wish all our members a great golfing season.

David Thompson

Head Greenkeeper             

Winter work

Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members who have supported me over the last few months. It is a great honour to be appointed as Head Greenkeeper of Hexham Golf Club and I look forward to working with the team to provide an enjoyable golf course for members and visitors.

I will look to bring a more contemporary approach to greenkeeping that compliments the practices we have used previously and will also try to keep members fully informed of the work that is carried out such as nutrient inputs, water management, aeration procedures and other practices that go into managing a golf course.

We have recently started taking the soil temperature of the greens daily and as you will know it’s quite cold at the moment. This procedure is important as in the Spring it allows us to see when the greens are emerging from winter hibernation and which processes can be best applied.  

On the course we have been busy with leaf clearing over the last few months. We use a collector as well as a tractor mounted blower to keep the course clean. Areas of scrub and long rough has been managed, helping aid pace of play and making these areas look tidier. The photographs below show the work that has been carried out but the real aim is for a longer term benefit to both the playability of the course and ecology. 

                                 

Left side of the 9th before and after

Right side of the 9th before and after  

 

Left side of the 15th before and after    

Other areas that have been targeted are the brambles on the left side of the 1st and the bank at the back of the 9th tee. The scrub on this bank was removed as this bank has the potential to be the most botanically diverse area on the course but was being seriously affected by the growth of the scrub. Coupled with some management of the rough we should see some wildflower benefiting from this work in the summer.  

The height of cut on the winter greens has been lowered from 9mm to 7.5mm and they have received a treatment of iron sulphate. This will help make the surfaces smoother. The height of cut on the main greens is up to 5.5 mm for the winter. They have been slit tined three times and weather permitting, we will look to get three more passes in over the winter. To help prepare the greens for different weather conditions and disease pressure two applications of a tough turf package (iron, phosphate & potassium) have been applied.

We are trialing a change to the winter policy over the coming months. During the week temporary greens will be used if there is a frost until the frost lifts when main greens may be brought back in play. At the weekend we will leave the greens on when frosty and check what effect this has. This is a hot topic in greenkeeping every year. Please understand that there are lots of different frosts and variants so despite best efforts we will not always be able to offer the main greens for play.

Finally, in my first blog as Head Greenkeeper, I would like to thank all the staff at Hexham Golf Club, especially my team of Ashley, Tom and Jamie who have given me great support over the last few months. I think this has showed out on the course. 

Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone. 

David Thompson