Is Spring here?

This week is forecast to be extremely mild for the time of year, so we have finished off some of the winter renovation jobs:

                                                       The front of the 5th green has now been finished off with turf.

And the 6th tee side has been shaped ready for turfing or seeding

The irrigation system is being opened up this week, before the system is pressurised several valve sets are being replaced, Adam and Alistair are digging out the valve boxes so they can be replaced.

As the weather has been so good the fairways are getting there first cut of the year, here is the 10th looking back towards the clubhouse.

Making the most of the good weather

Today has felt like spring has finally sprung, with ground conditions ideal we made a start taking out the steep incline leading up to the 5th green.

Firstly all the turf was stripped off.

Then soil was excavated from the side of the 6th tee to infill the front of the green

Then the soil was shaped using the excavator, tracked in then hand raked to ensure levels were correct. Where the bunker face was extended it was stripped back, reshaped and re turfed.

A final layer of root zone was added to help smooth the surface ready for the turf to be laid next week.

End of the day, a great job done by all!

On top of all this work we managed to squeeze in turfing of the ladies 7th tee

Will also made a great start to the 19th tee hedge.

Will, Scott, Al, Rob and Adam spent all of today planting trees on the 7th, 9th, 10th and 26th. 16 pines and 1 oak were planted, some to replace dead ones which did not survive last years dry Spring and Summer. Others to add to the definition to holes.

The greens had their first cut of the year with the triple mower, up to now we have cut them with the hand mower to reduce damage to the turf.

The 1st green

We also just about have the ladies 7th tee ready for turfing, just have to finish the tee surround.

Back in business

On Thursday the course was back open again although with the 5th green on a temporary due to the conditions and the damage it could cause. So with ground conditions improving we took the opportunity to get some turfing jobs finished off. We finished off all turfing on the 21st tee

We also had a little turf to lay on the 13th bunker face. It just needs trimming when it starts to knit

And we finished the ladies 3rd tee.

New turf was laid on the tee top to ensure it was laid as flat as possible, turf taken from the tee before it was levelled was relaid on the tee sides. All turfing work will be rolled once it has had chance to root.

Other essential work carried out in the last couple of days was hole moving, staining of wooden bins, mole catching, spraying the greens with a iron and seaweed mix, collection of ditch material and pruning debris and servicing of machines.

Snow's melting but still closed

It has been a tough 10 days, snow has closed the course and I can sense golfers are itching to get back. Although yesterday and today has seen all the snow melt away due the milder temperatures, it has left the surface sticky at best, in many places . With breezier conditions over the next couple of days we hope to get some holes open before the weekend.

As you can see the 4th green side bunker is waterlogged, the green's surround and approach is also unplayable.
We have been able to continue with smaller projects which are on drier areas of the course:

We did the final levels on the ladies 3rd tee and began turfing the tee surround with turf lifted of the tee. Turf is arriving Thursday afternoon to finish the tee top, the rest of the 21st tee and to finish the 13th bunker which was started a couple of weeks ago

Alistair removed the soil from around some old tree stumps on the 10th and 15th holes ready for the stump grinder arriving at the start of March.

14th tree work

The before tee shot from the whites

Gary the tree surgeon begins limb removal

And after

18th tee tree pruning

A few limbs from the ash and thorn tree near the 18th tee had to be removed to allow better vision and playability from the white tee

Car Park snow clearance

Snow has to be cleared using the loader from the car park, immediately followed by an application of salt.

Tree work continued

 25th tee shot after tree removal

Gary Liversedge the tree surgeon came today to carry out essential tree maintenance. This oak near the 19th green had extensive wind damage from a couple of months ago. Removal of torn, damaged and dead wood will ensure the tree remains healthy.

 He also removed lower branches from the oak to the rear of the 21st tee. This will help the playability of the tee and allow more light for increased turf quality.

Finally he removed a broken section from the top of a silver birch on the 14th, again caused by the strong winds we had a couple of months ago.

25th Tree work

 Before work begins

 Work begins removing three limbs from the clump of sycamore trees on the slope to the left hand side of the fairway, on the 25th hole. This work is needed to improve line of sight to the fairway from the tee, improving the playability of the hole for all handicaps. Once the season begins the changes will be reviewed, as to weather more of the tree is removed or bunkers are needed to protect the green from longer tee shots.

The lads hard at work!

Winter work

 Even when the course is under snow, work never stops for us.

 Its a great time to get on top of some more winter servicing, taking care of the course furniture and ensure access is clear to the rest of the buildings.

Snow hits us hard

After approximately 5 inches of snow over the weekend, obviously the course is closed. This has brought our mild winter to a sudden halt, along with all our construction work. To keep access to the pro shop, club house and to our sheds Will, Alistair and Scott spent all day clearing snow in the car park and salting to stop ice forming. Rob, Adam and myself have continued with servicing of machines. Hopefully later in the week the snow will start to thaw on the course to allow us to continue with the ladies 3rd tee levelling. Last week we did manage to finish levelling the 21st tee, lay 80% of the turf on the tee and finish turfing the surround to the tee. Given the forecast for the week I would not expect the course to be open for some time. When the weather improves all areas which are to be finished with turf will be done asap to allow time for recovery before spring. All previous construction work to bunker surrounds has to start to knit together before we can bring the bunker back into play. If we brought the bunkers back into play immediately then there is a high risk the new turf could be damaged by golfers or by sand splash.