Course
Report – November 2018
We have had
a relatively mild, dry spell over the last month, mixed in with some stormy
fronts which are coming in from the Atlantic. The mild weather has meant grass
growth still continues where it is slightly longer. On shorter areas of grass
such as greens, tees and fairways growth is slowing more rapidly as ground
temperatures decrease faster due to lack of protection from the elements. There
are only a few areas that are becoming sticky, mainly around greens and tees,
where wear is concentrated more. Ropes and hoops used where needed. As the
weather turns wetter more ropes will be put out. Due to the nature of the
weather leaf litter continues to cover the course. The mild temperatures are
allowing some of the trees to hold their leaves longer making it more difficult
for the greenstaff to clear the course and ensure it remains clear. Daily leaf
clearance is a priority task on the greens and tees, with the semi and fairways
being routinely attended to. Leaf litter is collected and composted in
designated areas of the course. Some of the leaf litter from around 5 years ago
is now decomposed enough to be used as a rich soil, which can be mixed with
other materials, which is then used during some construction projects. Overall
the course is playing reasonably well, the green staff are trying to extend the
playing season as long as possible.
Lots has
been happening since the last update, firstly to get some recovery on the
fairways before winter arrives we over seeded them with dwarf rye. We hired a
disc seeder to ensure we had maximum germination rates, nearly all the fairways
were worked on, with the worst seeded. We felt that there was some benefit on
slicing the turf to encourage new growth even if seed wasn’t being planted.
This has come through well and I would hope to over seed again in 2019 if budgets
allow. It is important to keep seeding hardy species into areas such as the
fairways, approaches, walk areas and tees, these will survive such extremes as
drought and cold much better than weed grasses such as Poa and Yorkshire Fog,
giving much more consistent playing surfaces. Dwarf Rye is such a durable grass
for a parkland course, but bents and fescues could also be used.
The fairways
have been the focus over the last month, we have also hired a ‘Shockwave’
machine. This decompacts the subsurface by pulling wedge shape blades through
the soil at a depth of up to 250mm. The shape of the blade is the important aspect
of the machine as the action moves the soil structure left and right creating
many fissures in the soil which constantly link to the surface. We had the
machine for around 8 days which we concentrated on the worst areas of the
course. We also trialed it on the 2nd and 5th greens to
see if it would improve the drainage. Following that we applied some ammonium and
ferrous sulphate to the fairways to feed the seedlings and discourage worm activity.
We have now
started slit tining all fairways, again to encourage root and shoot growth for
the coming year.
The greens
have been aerated with the Air2G2 as planned, we hope to do them again before
the end of the year. When leaf collection begins to slow we plan to restart
improvement work to the worst greens. This was put on hold due to the tractor
being needed to pull the Amazone machine. Work will hopefully done to the poor
areas on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th,
12th and 16th greens. We aim to solid tine them and brush
in kiln dried sand to improve drainage and the health of the turf in these low-lying
wet areas.
An application of 2-0-10 fertiliser plus slow
release iron will be applied to tees, surrounds and approaches in the coming weeks.
An application of liquid calcium, iron and potassium has been sprayed on to the
greens and surrounds to aid strength and colour, this will be followed by one
more application before a granular feed will be put on to aid winter recovery
from foot traffic.
All bunkers on
holes 1-18 have been edged and sand redistributed, one task we would like to
complete this winter is addressing some worn and damaged areas on bunker faces,
edges and lips.
The hedge
cutting contractor is now on site and mechanical trimming of hedges will take 3
days, however there are areas of thorn which still have to be cut by hand which
will take up to a month to complete, depending on other tasks. All tractor
marks are to be treated as GUR.
Preferred
lies will continue until spring. The casual play leaf rule continues.
The summer tees will be used for as long as possible going into the
winter as this year the weather has been on our side, giving more playable
conditions. However, when conditions determine grassed areas and installed
astro turf will be used for the winter tees, usually in front of the summer
areas. We have found over the last couple of winters the members prefer to play
off grass tees where possible rather than play of the smaller winter mats. Unfortunately,
some areas of the course suffer more in wet conditions and will have to remain
mat only use, like par 3’s, due to divot removal. The grassed areas have been
specifically been cut out where the ground is driest and moves traffic away
from the summer traffic patterns. Some of these areas do shorten the course;
however every effort has been made to make winter golf more enjoyable.
Routine hole closure will commence during November
once the weather deteriorates. This involves closure of loops of nine holes
been closed on a daily basis. This allows wear to be spread evenly across the
27 holes during winter and to allow works on the course without delay. At first
loops 1-9 and 10-18 will be closed alternately to allow play on 19-27 whilst it
is playable as a 9 hole loop. When wetter conditions prevail flooding is common
on holes 21, 22 and 24 making the whole loop unplayable. When this happens
loops 1-9 and 10-18 will be used more frequently.
Now the
colder weather is approaching please could I ask that all golfers do not abuse
the traffic control measures we have in place, ie the hoops and ropes, I have
already witnessed golfers removing these to access areas with trollies and
buggies. They are in position to reduce wear around the course so in the Spring
we can promote recovery in the most worn areas during the year. Also, when
there is frost on the grass remove ice from shoes before walking on the greens
as this damages the surface of the green. I would also like to remind buggy
users to stay in the semi rough at
all times during frosty conditions, with the only exception to cross
the fairway to access the next hole. Members and greenstaff will and should
report anyone abusing club rules, they are in place, not only to maintain a
safe environment for golfers but to ensure the course is protected against long
term damage.
A reminder that a fog policy is in place, stating
golfers should not start playing if visibility is below 250yards, easily
determined if the copper beech tree (marked with a sign) is visible from the
white 10th tee plate, if it isn’t please wait until visibility
improves. Please see the pro shop if you are unsure if you can start your round
or if there are delays in place. If visibility reduces after you have started
your round then you should not continue if you can’t see where your intended
shot will finish, should that be 250yards or less. Again, anyone abusing these
rules will be reported for breaching health and safety rules, it is not just other
golfers that could be on the course but staff as well.
2017 2018
January - 23mm January
- 58mm
February - 52mm February
- 30mm
March - 41mm March
- 75mm
April - 18mm April
- 40mm
May - 41mm May
- 26mm
June - 66mm June
- 6mm
July - 112mm July
- 38mm
August - 82mm August
- 24mm
September - 68mm September
- 64mm
October - 55mm October
- 58mm
November- 52mm November
-
December- 45mm December-
2017 Rainfall - 655mm 2018
Rainfall – 419mm
Average annual rainfall- 620mm
Richard Jacques
Head
Greenkeeper
