Merry Christmas

As the year winds to a close this is my last blog of the year. Before staff numbers reduced due to holidays we managed to finish some outstanding jobs, ready to start a new year on the front foot. The remaining section of the 16th ditch was turfed leaving the walls just to do. This is looking great and the team have done a great job. 

All the leaves are now picked up and this again has been a long process but the course is looking really tidy. The recent windy weather will scatter some around the course again , however we will tidy any debris left from the storms when we return to work. 

The greens have all been tined using cross tines to a depth of 200mm. This will definately aid surface drainage, I had noticed slow water penetration during heavy rain. This could be due the use of the rollers which we have used more often instead of cutting which can help reduce stress on the plant during inclement weather. If we do get heavy rains over Christmas we will have a better chance of staying on the summer greens rather than using the winter holes. They were rolled twice following aeration to smooth the surface however I appreciate they won't be as smooth as they were before. Such as the 2nd green which was poor compared to the rest should certainly now see improvements following tining. 

Finally can I say a big thanks to my team for producing such a great course this year and for all the hard work that is put in to give Malton and Norton Golf Club members a course to be proud of. I hope all that have played here have a great Christmas and we will see you again in the new year. 

Fog

Over the last week the weather has been exceptionally mild for the time of the year, this with the combination of no wind and cool nights brings pockets of fog. The course is situated in a small valley, with rolling countryside all around us often leads to fog pockets which sits around the River Derwent and the low lying land. Sometimes only a few miles away the fog can be a lot less dense, if any at all. We currently have a fog policy which has been put in place to ensure safety of golfers and staff on the course is paramount. We cant have anyone being at an increased risk due to low visibility when playing golf here at Malton and Norton. The policy states that 'the course is deemed unplayable and golfers can't start their round if a specific point (the copper beech tree) 250yards from the men's white tee on the 10th is NOT CLEARLY VISIBLE'. If the circumstances are such that the course is playable when golfers start their round and then visibility reduces, the policy then states 'golfers can't continue their round if visibility reduces such that they cant see CLEARLY where their intended shot will finish'. I must reiterate that golfers must be able to see the tree and where they arte hitting the ball clearly, we have witnessed circumstances that we deem dangerous, once on the golf course its is the golfers responsibility to determine if they are playing safely or not, however if we feel these rules are not being followed we will report anyone that put the safety of staff or golfers at risk. Please speak to the pro shop before starting your round as they will advise the current situation regarding playability. Thank you

Elsewhere on the course we have been busy tidying the last of the leaves, with only a few piles left to collect we have just about come to the end of the leaf collection season, the team have done a fantastic job and the course is looking great for the time of year. We have vibrate rolled the greens and they are too holding up well for December, I would urge all golfers to repair as many pitch marks as possible, even if they are not your own, as any scars left by unrepaired pitch marks will remain until spring. The greens have been sprayed with a preventative fungicide to stop fusarium, which rife at the moment due to the unseasonal warm weather. This should help reduce disease activity until January.
Machine servicing is continuing, the majority of machines will be started on in the new year, as we may need them to cut the course before Christmas if growth continues.

The surrounds and approaches are being vertidrained, using 12mm x 200mm tines. The greens will also be vertidrained next week, we hope not too cause to much disruption, however I feel its vital we get some aeration to the wettest greens especially. We will use cross tines which are less disruptive to the surface, while providing good depth and decompaction. They were slit tined last week and we will hopefully do them again followed by the fairways should time allow around Christmas

Ditch work on the 16th

This week we have been turfing the 16th fairway drainage ditch. Due to the weather, frosty on Monday and Tuesday then heavy rain forecast for Thursday, we had to lay all 180 m2 of turf on Wednesday. The team have worked really well to get that section of the ditch complete. Please could I ask golfers NOT to step on the turf and to use the ball scoops provided to recover balls from the ditch until the turf has had chance to root. We now have to build the end walls using reclaimed stone from the course on this section, the other small section will be done hopefully before Christmas.

Hedge cutting has been progressing well with the leylandii being cut on holes 1-12. This will continue into the new year.

Please can I make all golfers aware that before any buggies are used on the course you must check in the pro shop as to weather restrictions for their use are being implemented for that day. For instance,when it is severely frosty, restrictions will be put in place to make users aware that they cant be taken onto fairways. This is to ensure long term damage is not done to any short cut turf on the course. Any traffic travelling over frozen turf will crush the cell walls of the plant leaving it exposed to the elements, this can be seen a couple of days after the damage has been done as blackening of the grass plants. Depending on the severity of the damage, plants can recovery if there is enough of the plant healthy enough to do so, long term damage is done when heavier traffic causes more damage and the plants are no longer able to recover. In the later instance the blackening would lead to brown, where the grass begins to die.
Here are a few examples of very poor use of buggies and the marks they leaves just 2 days later.

Not just the fact they have been driving down the fairway, they have also been taken very close to the greens edge, the general rule, not only when its frosty but at all times, is to keep a minimum distance of 5 meters from greens and tees to help prevent damage. This also applies to trollies.

We also implement restrictions in wet weather for the safety of golfers on the course, please also abide by any rules and restrictions for day to day use.
Else where leaf collection is coming to an end, with most of them collected up. We have applied a slow release iron to all the greens, tees, surrounds and approaches, this will help recovery from play during the winter months. We have now put all markers on to the winter tees, with most of the new mats in play.