Finally

Yes at last it finally looks like we are making some progress with the weather and the course. The last couple of weeks have been hectic, the rainfall has decreased, not to say we haven't had any but the quantities have been manageable. The course has therefore dried considerably since the snow we had a couple of weeks ago. The team have been out doing all possible to catch up on lost time.
Firstly we were able to get onto the greens with the John  Deere triple mower. This was the first time we have been able to go on them with a triple since November last year. The greens have been cut when possible with the hand mower but it was nice to get onto the greens to groom out long growth. The bent grasses in the greens are growing well but they do need grooming every now again, we managed two passes with the groomers to tidy any lateral shoots.

We followed with a light dressing of sand, we would have liked to done some micro tine aeration however its still a little soft to take the tractor onto the greens, hopefully we will be able to get on in the next couple of weeks.

We have also cut and topdressed the surrounds and approaches, groomers have been used on the green surrounds to try and improve these areas this year. The approaches are also getting more fertiliser, aeration and sand this year in an attempt to increase the playability of the course during the wetter months.

The tees have all been cut, we have reshaped some to make maintenance easier and to realign to the playing direction. Worm casts are a real issue, some tees are suffering more than others, to help reduce casts we have put an application of lawn sand on to the tees. This is very acidic due to the sulphate content of the product, this will help deter worm activity over time and reduce moss.

The first practice net was damaged during the last storm, this is being repaired.

The last of the debris has been once again tidied and collected. This has been a non stop task this winter and one that is very time consuming.

The rain and snow melt caused issues on hole 21-24 as this is in the flood area for the River Derwent. The land around the 21st and 24th green was under water for around 3 weeks, now the waters have receded the land has dried considerably, however the two greens are still not playable enough and therefore are on winter cups for the time being.

Work has been completed on the 8th pond, removing the unsafe front structure to reveal the structural wall behind. This is not as neat as the facia wall as it was never intended to be in view, however we feel it is a good temporary measure until we can review what we would like to do to the pond long term

Next week we would like to get the fairways, bunker faces, teesides and some areas of semi rough cut if the weather is dry enough. Some areas are quite long but conditions simply haven't been suitable to cut this week.

All fairways on the 1-18 course have been sprayed with iron and a penetrant wetter. This will add colour and improve the consistency of growth as we head into the growing season. Greens and surrounds have also been sprayed with a penetrant wetter. The greens surrounds, approaches and worn areas have had some low nitrogen/ high iron fertiliser applied to aid recovery.

All gorse and shrubs have been trimmed and tidied, Keeping on top of the shrubs and gorse is time consuming and something that often gets overlooked when we are busy cutting the course. Tree work has also continued on the few frosty mornings we have had the past few weeks.

Beast from the East- Part 2

It could well be a story from a far fetched film, but the weather is still dominating the headlines. After Storm Emma had been and gone we were optimistic that spring was on its way and work could start on the course, there are many tasks that have been delayed due to ground conditions, some even cancelled until next winter. It has been the most frustrating year for all, the relenting weather has took its toll on the course and the people involved at Malton and Norton Golf Club. The fact is we are now reliant on a good, dry spring to get the course back into good condition, without one, the saturated conditions will effect maintenance for some time yet.

Only a week after Storm Emma the cold weather returned bringing rain and snow back across the country, we have not had the volumes we did before but a couple of inches of snow has closed the course once again.

Just before the cold snap we had a deluge of rain, this has saturated the course causing localised flooding, however its increased the height of the River Derwent, flooding holes 21-24. This is a common occurrence and something we have to accept as those holes are effectively built on a flood area. The Environment Agency did install a flood defence system that protects Malton and Norton from potential flood damage, however if the river water remains excessively high for a period of time the water comes up through the soil, albeit a slow rate, but does cause flood issues on the course still. The benefits of having the flood defences are the water doesn't rise as quickly as it used to, it doesn't get as high and the water that floods the land is cleaner, so once it recedes it leaves very little silt damage.

I like to look on the positives of all situations, we have taken great steps forward in, hopefully, achieving a more playable course, assessing how Malton and Norton golf Club holds up to the poorest of weather, we have put in place a new policy that will hopefully improve winter golf going forward, taking steps to improve winter cup areas, plans in place to improve winter teeing areas, drainage plans, tree work to help strengthen weak areas of turf caused by shade and rooting and more intense aeration work to create healthier and stronger turf to combat wear. This all has to accounted for when budgets are set, but without targets to improve the course we will always suffer during these difficult times.

Work is always ongoing no matter what mother nature brings us, recently we have started work on the bunkers. All bunkers are to be edged, checked, repaired where necessary and topped up with sand. We have managed to complete 8 holes so far, with choosing the best conditions to lead sand out to bunkers we could get to. Some of the bunkers we are going to go back to when conditions improve to change some of the front lips. Its a common piece of feedback I hear and something I would like to address. Due to the design of some of the bunkers on the course ( designed for ease of maintenance ) the lips can get very steep, causing issues with balls settling under them. The grass faces we have are always going to create this issue, however I would like to see if we can improve the worst of them. If not then a redesign of some of the bunkers will be required in the future.

Tree work has continued, removing low limbs to allow access of the big machinery that is required to maintain the course. over the years the machinery has increased dramatically in size creating dangerous working conditions, putting staff and machinery at risk.

Work has started on the 8th pond , just to recap, the front wall has been damaged from a couple of years ago from a flood event, the soil and stone behind the wall has collapsed creating pressure and excess rot on the front supporting bars holding the facia sleepers. The issue we are faced with, is golfers come very close to the front edge of the wall to retrieve balls from the water. If the front facia was to give way then could cause possible injury to staff or golfers. The front part of the wall is non structural, so there is little risk of total collapse, however there is still a risk for all. To solve this we have looked a several options. The simplest is to remove the facia wall exposing the structural; element, should it be in good condition still. The other options involve removing the wall completely and reshaping the bank and/or the pond to create a long less acute slope for golfers and machinery to travel on. These two options cost money and something that hasn't been budgeted this spring. Until a final decision is made work has stopped, so please take care around the pond and DO NOT enter the restricted zone in front of the pond.

We are trying to get all greens cut, however this is proving difficult when fighting against the conditions, we have managed to cut half and have sprayed them with a preventative fungicide application
Fertiliser applications to tees, surrounds, approaches, fairways, greens and selected areas of semi rough will take place this week, weather depending!!!

Storm Emma

Now that storm Emma has just about passed through the country its time to look at how it has effected us at Malton and Norton Golf Club. There's no doubt the whole country has been effected in some way, the coldest start to March we have seen for some time, and certainly the highest snow accumulations for a number of years.

The 'Beast from the East' started on Monday night with light snow cover, initially around 20mm, however through Tuesday and Wednesday the snow fell thick and fast. Accumulating up to 150mm in places. This obviously has closed the course and with temperatures remaining low, the prospect of opening in the following days was not looking good. Along with the bitterly cold temperatures, due to air originating from Siberia, came very strong easterly winds. Gusting up to 40 mph, and averaging around 20-25 mph for a duration of more than 48 hours, this hasn't caused any real damage, but has drifted the snow fall into irregular depths, for example the entrance lane was covered in up to 400mm in places.

The team worked wonders on Thursday to clear and salt most of the car park and entrance lane to make the clubhouse and shop accessible, where they have hosted a few fun events to give golfers there daily fix of coffee and golf. On the course work is obviously limited, however this doesn't stop the staff getting on with machinery servicing, repairs and painting/staining course furniture. A lot of unseen work that keeps the course going takes time and weather like this is ideal moment to get on with it.

So what does this week have in prospect for us? It looks like the temperatures are going to rise and the winds ease, which will start to melt the snow. Unfortunately with the volume we have had that snow will turn to water and I would think we will have localised flooding and a very wet course. There will also be a high likelihood the River Derwent will rise quickly when the melt starts. This may well effect the holes (21-24) in the low lying area. There will also be a lot of debris blown from trees that will need clearing, this will all take time, so I don't expect the course to be instantly playable once we can see the turf once more. As usual the course information line will be updated daily, so please ring before making your journey, the information line will be updated at 7 at the latest from 1st March.

So lets rewind to before storm Emma arrived. Work on the course was continuing nicely, we managed to turf the areas at 13th tee and 7th tee where the hedges were removed, unfortunately we ran out of time to finish the 7th area so we will continue with that once we can access the tee once more.

We have been aerating the greens again using the air2G2 machine, this has been a vital piece of equipment to keep the greens aerated this winter. We would not be able to go onto the greens with the tractor regularly due the conditions. The Air2G2 is a lightweight machine that we can get onto the greens, and creates very little disturbance. We managed to get over half of the greens done before the snow came. We still have the machine so we are hopeful to complete the greens this week.

We started spraying the fairways with a penetrant wetter and iron, again only 7 fairways were completed. All greens were sprayed with a penetrant wetter, iron, calcium and potassium to help strengthen them for the upcoming bad weather.

Tree work has continued, pruning of low branches to ensure we can maintain the course during the summer. Tree work has been minimal over the last few years as we have had other projects to work on. That has given real problems for the staff trying to maintain areas around trees, the machinery we use is big and getting bigger, once the branches are loaded with leaves they get very low, making it dangerous for access. Woodland management is all part of maintaining a parkland course, without maintenance there would be a lot of issues, not only with safety of staff, but turf quality, efficiency and playability. More detail of the overall woodland management plan is in the course strategic plan available online for members. I would just like clarify some of the comments that have been mentioned to me during this winter regarding trees.
Trees and drainage/flooding - many members are concerned that some of the trees we have lost/removed have resulted in the course being flooded more. This is simply not the case, trees do use moisture in the soil, however most of the moisture they require is during summer, or when the leaves are on the tree and the temperatures are warmer. During winter they do require minimal water to stay healthy, however the issue with the amount of water on the course has very little to do with tree work that has been carried out. As mentioned in other posts its simply due to the amount of rain that has fallen over the past 6 months and the fact that the climate is changing, something that is out of our control. Some trees will use more water than others, for example willow, poplar and leylandii are very thirsty trees, unfortunately this aggressive water hunting nature is bad news for golf course drainage systems and the need to manage fine turf. Any trees, especially the ones mentioned, will block drains and create root systems on nearby greens and tees where irrigation is applied. So we have to take a balanced and objective approach when considering tree management.

Very wet times

Some areas of the course are suffering more than others, I have documented that we have had the worst winter for some time but the issue at this time of the year is the grass isnt growing to recover from any damage. The greens are a real point of contention at the moment, understandably so as golfers are keen to play golf and take advantage of the lengthening days. Play on the greens has and is heavily restricted at the moment due to the incredible amount of wet weather we have had. There are several points to consider when deeming the greens fit for play and the factors which effect the condition of them during wet weather.

Drainage- Drainage is one of the most important areas for consideration when trying to maintain and present good playing surfaces, good drainage gives firm and dry surfaces which are easier to maintain but also satisfy golfers demands and expectations. The greens at Malton and Norton have no drainage installed, are built of the natural soil and are irregularly shaped leading to collection points. When the course was built, the demand for a 12 month golfing season was less, there would have been less demand for quality playing surfaces during winter and therefore the maintenance needed was less. Unfortunately the current weather patterns, coupled with the demand for golf at this time of year is not a great combination for over used, wet soils. To improve the general use of the summer greens during poor conditions we could install a comprehensive drainage system to each and every green on the course, unfortunately this would be very expensive, and something that is simply not affordable at the current time. Some greens are blessed with more free draining soils from the site, such as the 26th, however some like the 16th and 17th are constructed of very heavy soils which will not drain at all well. These greens are only 40 yards apart, however their characteristics are very different.

Shape-Shape has less significance than drainage however can be a factor which leads to detrimental wear if the wrong conditions prevail. Such as the 10th green, it is shaped poorly, leading to collection points where water tends to sit. Excess water and high frequency of 'wetness' will deteriorate the turf, if wear from maintenance or foot traffic was added to the equation the turf would be damaged permanently Other factors, such as access to and from the green/ tee has to be monitored, traffic management aids are used help us spread wear and increase safety.

Weather patterns- The weather obviously is what makes or breaks the condition of the course, the staff plan and implement the maintenance as best practice on an annual basis, however we often have to adapt our strategies to suit the weather. The weather will do what the weather will, annually we monitor the condition of all aspects of the course and focus on the areas which need priority. The greens are of highest priority and have the most money and time spent on them. If the weather is wet we need to protect them from long term damage. The soil needs to have a balance of moisture and air for the grass to grow healthily. Too much moisture during winter the soil reaches saturation point ( where there are no air air spaces and physically cant hold any more water), leading to surface puddling. Foot traffic on the turf at this point would create instability and damage to the root structure. This is why we use the winter greens. If that moisture in the soil then freezes, there is a high chance of permanent root and/or tissue damage, caused by root shear or crushing of leaf tissue during play.

I appreciate this means very little when when golfers simply want to get out on to the course to play and enjoy Malton and Norton. However the decision whether to play on the greens or not is not taken lightly, we more than anyone want the course to be at its best. The decisions are based on the long term playability, and plans are in place to improve the drainage characteristics of certain areas. In the meantime we are going to continue to use the winter cups when necessary. As these are being more common we are putting more work into improving the areas where they are placed. This is going to come at a cost. Time and materials will have to be used, as we do on the greens and surrounding areas. Aeration, sanding and fertilisation will be needed to ensure the turf can withstand the winter wear that they will face. This will not change them dramatically this winter however we hope over the next few winters they will show some improvements. I will stress and reiterate previous comments I have made on this blog, the winter cups are only a means to keep the course open.

There are some areas on the course which are really deteriorating due to the poor conditions, fortunately these are well out of normal play areas, generally between tree lines and at the outer edges of tees and green complexes. The time and money that would be needed to improve these areas isn't an effective use of the resources we have, when the areas I have previously spoken about, need work first. Below are a few examples of areas we are struggling with the most.

Hopefully the weather is heading in the right direction for an improving golf course.

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13th hedge replacement

Since the last update we have made great progress on course work, especially the hedge changes, the weather update is sounding like a broken record, more rain, wind with the occasional dry spell in between.

We had to pick our moment to start the 13th hedge removal, as the area around the 13th tee and the 10th green is saturated and working during poor conditions would only deteriorate the ground further.

Finally we had our chance, the forecast was frosty and dry for two days, this could of been our only chance for a while so we took it. 

Access to the area was limited as we were only taking out one side of the double row. This was to allow the new hedge row to establish before removing the second side, the hedge in this particular area of the course serves a purpose, visually protecting the 13th tee from the 10th green which is very close, it also directs traffic from the 12th green to the 13th tee.

We protected the grass by laying boards which were old drainage boards that were due to be burnt anyhow. The amount of work that would have been done in the area would have soon have damaged the turf once the frost started to come out of the ground. Once set we removed the tee side leylandii.

Once removed the stump grinder we had on hire removed the stumps from the area and then we brought in soil to fill in the remaining holes. The excess dead limbs were trimmed and we lowered the remaining section to allow the new hedge to grow as healthily as possible.

29 new leylandii plants were purchased and have been planted and staked. The new plants will be watered using the sprinkler system on the 13th tee during dry conditions. Leylandii aren't the most suitable of choice for a golf course but they do serve a purpose in this instance. They are quick growing, evergreen and will make a reasonable hedge. If time of establishment and cost wasn't such a factor then ewe, box or laurel would be more subtle options.

Other work has also continued on the 7th tee area where the leylandii was completely removed. The leylandii was removed a couple of weeks ago, so all was to do was remove the stumps and tidy with soil. Trying to get soil up to the 7th tee has been an issue due to the wet ground however we have had a couple of hard frosts which has allowed us to travel with a couple of loads of top soil. We have also started planting 2 pine trees and 2 laurels near the 7th tee just to fill in a couple of areas where we felt it would benefit from more separation from the 6th hole, without compromising the line of sight issue we previously had. The remaining area will be turfed, as will the soil area at the 13th.

Elsewhere the team have been busy with the stump grinder, we have done a lot of tee work over the last 2 months, which have left a number of stumps. We hired in a stump grinder from Beaver Plant Hire and ground down all the stumps, these will then need some soil and the in play areas will be turfed. The other areas will be seeded.

One large tree that needed removing due to poor health was the large ash tree to the left of the 18th hole. The tree showed signs of dieback in summer and we were monitoring the health of the tree for the rest of the year. Unfortunately the tree showed no signs of recovery and was becoming dangerous. It was agreed to remove the tree, once we cut it down it was obvious that the tree had issues for some time, with a large amount of rot inside the main trunk, a lot like the ash near the 15th ladies tee that had to be removed. Once down the tree was cleared, with the hole left to tidy and turf

We have also put out the first application of sand to approaches, worn areas and some surrounds, this is in an attempt to improve the presentation and quality of the approaches where the winter cups sit. Topdressing, fertiliser and aeration is needed regularly to get them in better condition. The winter cup areas then will be able to be made more playable.

Lastly I bring disappointing news, our Deputy Head Greenkeeper Adam Newell is leaving the club after 15 years service. Adam will be a great loss to the club and also to the team, as he has been passionate about his job, dedicated, a great friend and will be difficult to replace. He says 'its been the hardest decision of his life but is now looking forward to a fresh start'. Adam will be leaving on the 9th of March.

STRI info on course closures

Below is some information provided by the STRI which can help understand the challenges turf professionals face and why each course is different.

by @striturf_paulw

For part three of our series of “Golfers’ Grumbles”, I will be looking at the practical issues surrounding course closures and inspections. A significant headache year-on-year, however particularly relevant during the autumn and winter.

Once again if you’ve got a comment about course closures and inspections, feel free to drop me a Tweet or post on STRI’s Facebook page. I want to hear your opinion.

If you missed part one of Golfer’s Grumbles, where I discussed top dressing following aeration, it’s still available if you click the link. You can also access part two on bunkers. For now let’s get on with part three.

“The course up the road is open so why aren’t we?”

Managing a golf course throughout the last few years has been a challenge to say the least. Periods of extended closure due to prolonged snow coverage often tests golfers’ patience to the limit, let alone the frustrations and annual debate of whether to use the main greens during frost.

Perhaps the only thing we can conclude from climate change is that the extreme weather patterns witnessed in recent years will become more of a regular occurrence, including unpredictable, localised weather and flash flooding.

Assessing whether the course is fit for play is most commonly in the hands of the course manager or trusted senior staff. They will have a whole range of factors to consider. Most importantly the course should be safe to play. It is rare that a course will be closed for safety reasons other than in poor visibility, lightening or extreme high winds, but conditions should be inspected throughout the course and no judgement calls made from the comforting view of the club house window!

Perhaps the worst scenario for the greenkeeper is when the course has been subjected to heavy rainfall just before dawn and the sun is shining brightly when the golfers pull up at the car park. Yet again the view from the club house presents a wonderful vista, but on-course conditions require a period of closure while surface water drains and greenstaff repair key areas.

Frustrations run high when snow covers the course and as soon as a thaw sets in golfers expect to be out. Remember snow is water and all of that water needs time to drain away. Sub-surface freezing may very well restrict drainage and extend the closure period.

Managing frost conditions is however the most difficult one. Clubs come under increasing pressure when a neighbouring course decides on a policy of playing on main greens during frost. The winter of 2016/17 has seen numerous frosts and several before Christmas, which has been against the norm in recent years. Frost policies have subsequently become a hot topic in Clubhouse and Committee room discussion.

Many Clubs have boxed themselves in to policies using the main greens for longer periods, solely on the basis that this is what the course up the road does. And the course up the road does so because their neighbour does. These policies are driven by business models and financial requirements. It does not necessarily make them correct.

The most common policy seems to be to allow play on greens when frozen solid but to restrict play at times of white frost and when thawing is taking place. The latter situation is when most damage is likely to occur as roots can be sheared under the pressure of feet on a soft surface with frozen soils just below. The trouble is that not all greens will thaw at the same point so returning greens to play is a difficult policy to implement.

Periods of extended frost have caused some concern at courses of late. Especially when the hole cup cannot be moved because the ground is too frozen. Concentrated doughnuts of wear around the hole cup has damaged sward and soils. This will recover but the green could be weaker heading into the spring.

A clear policy needs to be written by the Club and communicated to the members in an understanding manner. The policy also needs to be practical. Just because one green starts to thaw it doesn’t mean that all will. The depth of thaw is also critically important as most damage occurs if play resumes too early and only the surface has thawed.

The course should not be wrapped in cotton wool for the winter. Clubs need to maintain play whenever possible because essential income is generated, but sensible decisions must be taken. The following points therefore need to be considered when formulating a plan for winter play:

• Courses cannot be compared against each other – issues such as construction, and topography will be different

• Understand your ‘economic threshold’ of expected damage (short and long term) when considering opening your course or greens

• Inspections should not be carried out in the dark even with the aid of a torch

• A thorough inspection may take at least 45 mins to an hour to complete

• Consult the weather forecast for the rest of the day

• Policies are there for a reason – communicate them effectively