Course Update

The greens have now finally started to grow and are looking a lot better. I appreciate the fact that they are slow and woolly but until we have got the greens smoother and truer what is the point in speed.

The worse thing we can do is have fast bobbly greens. They will be top dressed this week and will be heavily dressed in the bad areas to promote a truer surface as we encourage the disease scars to heal. Unfortunately there isn't any magic in a box but all the aeration work should see an improvement in the playability.

The fact that we do have healthier greens which are now draining better it will allow us to maintain speeds once we drop the cut. This along with verticutting and rolling can speed greens up to suit the occasion

The 16th has now been turfed and the other surrounding areas will be tidied as soon as possible.

Other areas will be tidied as time permits

Can all golfers continue to keep trolleys and buggies away from the greens. It is quite evident that white lines do not work as I continue to see trolley wheel tracks in the dew going across the greens.

Would it also be possible for members to repair their pitch marks. It has been suggested that people with the surname beginning with A to look after the first green and B for the second and so on to help combat the problem. There were 20 pitch marks in the front 3rd of the second green on Thursday.

Thanks

James

Course Update

I'd like to start off by dispelling any rumors that work that has been done on the greens has had a negative impact.

I for one can't wait for the greens to be running well and true to see the results of a lot of time and money invested in improving them. This time last year we had unhealthy bobbly greens which is a fact and now we have a lot healthier bobbly greens. The processes that we go through and the cultural practices will continue and we will try our best to do this with as little disruption as possible. This work is absolutely essential to the future of the golf club as we strive to improve all aspects of the golf club to help make a good golf course great.

We have in the past week seen an improvement in the appearance of the greens due to a chemical application and have verticut and pencil tined this week to help the greens improve. A granular fertilizer has been spread on the greens and this along with the warmer weather which has finally started to come should see our season kick forward. I don't like and won't hide behind excuses but grass especially the greens due to the make up and hammer that they take are always the last to grow and until temperatures average at least 10 degrees we will see minimal growth.

We are continuing to try and present the course to a high standard with the cross cutting of fairways and the second cut complementing them. We will also be hoping to see an improvement in the tee boxes after more work being implemented into there maintenance program.

Other areas which we feel look a bit scruffy will be addressed and now that temperatures are on the increase can now seed and dress bare areas.

Divot bags are on the 1st and 10th if people could kindly help.

The mound on 16th has now been graded and we have obtained a quote for a company to come in and turf it. We shall seed the other areas.

If people could keep all trolleys and buggies away from the greens it would be great. If people want the aprons to look like greens then they should treat them the same way

The bunkers are an on going issue which I will always agree with to a certain extent. I feel that unless we start a complete refurbishment of the bunkers the issue will never be solved so the committee have agreed to start the improvement program this winter.

A big thank you to the majority of golfers who have supported me and the team through the 1st year.

Thanks.

James

Course Update

April has brought us some mixed weather so far with heavy rain to start and now dry periods with cold starts.

The greens are not yet growing at a consistent rate and therefore not recovering from the winter months as quickly as hoped.

 The greens have shown an improvement but these bobbly patches will remain until the weather really kicks in and the disease scars recover and the pitch marks start to be repaired. See pictures 1 and 2.

The greens have been verti cut and tined this week and been sprayed with seaweed and wetting agent which will all help the greens become healthier for the future weeks ahead.

Top dressing has been ordered and will be spread next week and brushed in with our new brush which the company has purchased after a successful demonstration and trial period.

The rest of the course is growing well and I feel the course is looking well despite having some technical issues.

 There are however some little areas which are letting the course down which we will address as soon as possible.

The white lines are back so please observe these it will benefit you all in the long run. It is disappointing to see members not paying attention and not looking after their course. See picture 3.

The bin on the 11th will be repaired after it was vandalised one Sunday.

 On the same day somebody took divots out of the new tee on the 1st. I know it is a minority causing the problem however it is still frustrating for us all.

Work is underway on the practice ground to install a 3 bay practice range and a new net is on order for the practice nets. There is a plan in place to make the most of our practice facilities.

The 16th hole is a very sore subject for most including myself as the foreman is constantly breaking deadlines and making false promises.

The developer has been on holiday and Ian has contacted him wanting results and fast.

I hope he is true to his word and we can start enjoying the 16th again.

Hopefully you're happy with the progress made and like me looking forward to playing on good greens in the sun.

James

Course Update

All the greens have now been hollow cored, tined, Top dressed and brushed.

This maintenance took 4 days and I must thank all the staff for their efforts and the majority of the members for their patience and understanding.

All the greens have since been "ironed" and are running as true as expected.

We have changed the top dressing from a 80/20 sand soil mix to straight dm35 sand which will improve drainage and the firmness of the greens.

 A micro granule fertiliser will be applied next week to help aid recovery and give us a kick start for the new season.

The cores have been placed in areas where we can use them and are all ground under repair.

 The new irrigation pipe work has been installed on the 10th and 15th tees and has been tested.

This design of irrigation is a project we will continue to install over a number of winters due to the time and cost of the job.

Work on the tees will commence shortly and now that the grass is starting to grow we will be able to present the golf course at a higher standard.

GOOD LUCK TO THE CAPTAINS FOR THEIR COMING YEAR

James and the Greenstaff

Course Update

We have started to Hollow Core the Greens this Morning as Planned we aim to finish this by the end of next week this will be the main focus of our work for the coming weeks we will be using 40 tons of Sand on them we are trialing a new Machine called sweep and fill this should enable us to get the sand in Quicker and more consistently

please bear with us while we are working on the Greens it will benefit you in the long run 

James

Course Update

The main focus over the past weeks has been the greens with them continuing to be aerated every week to try and reduce the thatch levels and get rid of the black layer.

 This has also helped us to stay mostly on main greens with increased drainage capability. Greens will only be placed onto temporary greens if there is any potential damage to the green or surrounding areas.

The car park area has been tidied when weather has stopped us from working on the course and area around the practice nets has been cleared.

We will continue to spread washed sand in the wet areas which hopefully will make these problem spots more hard wearing over time.

This week we are spiking and coring the tees and aprons in preparation for the season. This will be followed by a light dressing with a mixture of chemicals already being sprayed.

We have also made a prototype bin which has been put on the 2nd tee and with some slight adjustments in design more will be made when time permits.

Thanks

James

We are in the process of completing the paths