I hope all followers had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. We start another year and hopefully a drier one than last. Over the Christmas period the weather continued to be poor and the course is really suffering because of it. It has been a few weeks now since the course was fully playable, there has been a mixture of holes closed and winter cups being used to keep the course open as much as it can be. However we are not alone, nearly every golf course that is comparable to Malton and Norton is in the same position and greenkepers around the country are toiling away doing there upmost to keep courses playable through what seems never ending poor weather.
It is at this point we have to be thankful that last year was the driest winter we have had for a long time and it coincided with the irrigation installation. I would not like to imagine the mess and chaos that would have been inflicted to the course if they were trying to install the irrigation this winter.
I'm fairly confident if we are patient and do not play on the course when conditions are not suitable we will be able to deliver a course in good condition come spring. I have witnessed many times at other courses and sometimes here when play is allowed during unsuitable conditions to see the long term damage come spring and summer. An example here at Malton is the 2nd green. A green with poor drainage due to the shape, position and soil used in construction, leading to saturated surfaces most of the winter. Last winter we tried to keep the green in play as much as possible leading to root and leaf tissue damage which was slow to recover in spring and not the surface we would like throughout the playing season. With no resolution to improve the drainage in the near future we have to take a more cautious approach this winter. Less damage when the grass plants cant recover should lead to a lot stronger plants come spring and summer when the greens need to be good. We have some work planned for the poorer greens but this will not address the bigger issue of subsurface drainage.
Drainage is still one of the biggest investments any golf course will need to make to battle against the weather in this country. Its an area which has no limits, at Malton and Norton we are aiming to continually improve all aspects of drainage and plans are in place to look at the most problematic areas to ensure we can remain playable in the worst of conditions. However there is a balance of what is affordable within the current budgets. The top championship clubs that aren't fortunate to be built on free draining land spend millions installing drainage and importing sandy soil which they construct the course out of, unfortunately we don't have that expenditure and therefore we need to be realistic about what is achievable on our site.
Looking back at the total rainfall last year we finished on 655mm, which is above average, but no where near the accumulations of 2012 when we nearly had 1000mm. As I mentioned last time it has been the timing of the rainfall that has been the issue this year. Around 75% of the annual rainfall has come in the Summer/ Autumn when the ground should be dry. Considering the wet conditions the course has only been fully closed 15 days. With 5 of those days due to snow. That shows the work we have done over the past 5 years on drainage and aeration has had some effect, as in 2012 we were closed 55 days.
Looking forward to this year we have very few big projects on the go, however we have a number of small but important tasks we need to schedule in to the next couple of months. Aeration is one of the key areas we will be focusing on, the greens will be micro tined, deep aerated using the air2G2 and slit tined to encourage new rooting. A number of small restoration projects will start including levelling out and removal of the old winter tees, these are becoming dangerous and are unnecessary. We will also attempt a couple of drainage improvements around the 14th and 16th. We will be continuing the tree work, pruning and thinning where needed, along with the hedge changes that have been approved, to the 7th and 13th tee areas.
Machine maintenance is high on the agenda at the moment, and is something that is good to concentrate on given the poor conditions on the course. all cutting units need striping down, cleaning and sharpening before the units are set ready for the start of the season.
Cleaning, staining and painting all bins, benches and posts has also begun, its a job that can be done inside when the weather is bad, however is also one that can be left when we are needed to get on with other course related maintenance.
All ditches, leaves and debris are continually being checked, its important to keep ditches running freely as any blockages will stop the natural drainage on the course. Most of the leaf litter is now collected from the course. Some areas are still too wet to access with vehicles and these are being done by hand. The clubhouse borders have been finished, most of the older shrubs have been cut back, to encourage new growth.
