We have had the fence to the rear of the 2nd green replaced as the old fence was rotten.
Although we have had a cold spell, which has effected growth generally however we are still seeing enough on everything other than greens to warrant a tidy up cut every few days. The last 2 days have brought frosty mornings which has put a stop to any cutting, so it was quite a relief that we could get out with the mowers.
We now have irrigation connected to the greens, this is only manually controlled until the decoders are all up and running. Its pleasing to see the water finally back on the course, it was also pleasing to see the new system working at its full potential. When testing the greens and tees we can see what the new system can do. The old system could manage one green at a time and the pressure was poor. The new system can run 5 greens at a time maintaining optimal pressure. This will reduce the run time of 30 greens by 5 hours. The fill pump well is yet to be finished so we are using the old pump to fill the tanks.
It now means we can get some spraying done, this week we have sprayed fertiliser and iron onto the greens to help regain some colour and density. This has been washed in so it can be taken up by the roots of the plants. The poa in the greens is suffering more than the bent grasses. The poa plants are always first to stress when there is unseasonal cold and dry/wet weather. They are shallow rooted and as they are annuals rely on warmer seasonal weather to promote dense growth. Until the poa is 'happy' we are limiting grooming and intense work as it would create more stress and result in a lot of seeding. The fertiliser applications will help and hopefully the weather will improve soon. Overall the course is looking good
The work on the 16th ditch is coming to an end, the team have done a fantastic job of installing drainage and now leveling out the crossing point to the 16th green. The turf is due next week to complete the 16th and the 22nd tee.
