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.
