Drought conditions are long gone

Until today the last week or so hasn't brought us much rain, only around 5mm.

That amount will only sit in the very top of the soil profile and evaporate within a few days due to high temperatures and windier conditions. The ground would benefit from some water as a number of areas were showing signs of drought conditions, with irrigation limited to only greens and tees there is no means of rectifying these issues without mother nature intervening. As long as the dry spell isn't too excessive there should be no long term damage. We have noticed that in the intense heat there has been golfer and vehicle damage to some turf, on the sandier areas of the course where moisture was very low there has been scorch to the grass. I would imagine this has been caused by the damage to the plant, from crushing the exterior leaving the plant unable to recover.

The conditions have been ideal for finishing the long rough, the dry conditions make collection of the grass much easier and we were able to complete the thickest of areas. The collection of the rough as mentioned in my previous blogs is part of an ongoing plan to thin out some areas of the course and make it more playable for all standards of golfer. The Amazone machine we have bought this year is certainly making a difference, not only in time saved but the cleanliness and quality of cut is superb. The only downside we have, is the amount of grass removed has to be disposed of somewhere, making areas for the waste will be one of our priorities later in the year.

During dry spells it gives opportunity to check irrigation coverage on greens and tees. As explained the irrigation upgrade has been a fantastic investment on the course, however the sprinkler heads around greens and tees are still the same at this moment in time, a number of them are quite old. Coverage can be effected if the rotation, nozzle or height is not optimal, as seen in the picture below a clear sign something is not right.

Coverage does not appear to be even as the colour of the turf around the sprinkler head is not uniform and there is clear dry areas on the turf. Unlike the rest of the green.  When tested the sprinkler head was in fact not rotating and needs to be replaced, a number have already been replaced or altered to improve uniformity.

We have managed to put another 12 tonnes of sand on the greens, this is to ensure thatch accumulations are kept under control by diluting any organic matter from regular cutting. The sand was brushed into the surface following application.

The forecast was for a reasonable amount of rain over the next few days, and its certainly lived up to their predictions, 8mm of rain yesterday and around 25mm today has put an end to any drought conditions. The issue with that quantity of rain after such a dry spell, is it sits on the hard surfaces very easily. However 25mm of rain would stand on any type of surface. Hopefully the forecast for the next few days will be drier and allow us to catch up with cutting, as we have done very little over the last 2 days. Fortunately growth is slower at the moment due to lower temperatures.

Over the last few days I have noticed a couple of concerning issues on the course. Firstly the bunker to the right of the 3rd green seems to be showing signs or the face slipping due to regular heavy machinery passing across the top of the face, this sometimes happens when sand builds up from sand splash when golfers hit shots from the bunker. The sand on the face creates a weak structure and no stability for heavy machinery cutting the surrounding areas. To solve the issue we will limit access to this particular bunker with machinery and returf the face during winter, removing the sand build up.

The second is the sleeper wall at the front of the 8th pond, which is rotting and in some areas becoming weak and unsafe. This will have to  be looked into, either repaired or rebuilt. The last point is some of the mature ash trees on the coursed seem to be struggling this year,

this one on the 18th shows very weak growth. A clear sign that the tree has issues, is the amount of shoots the tree is sending from the main body rather than from the new growth on the limbs. The shoots are a sign it is trying to recover from decay or disease. A number of limbs are dying back, this one in particular is to be monitored for its safety. As mentioned there are others on the course with similar symptoms.