Golf Course Update - in order to keep members fully updated of developments on the golf course, we will be distributing a course update following every Committee Meeting.
Course Update - OCTOBER 2024
A brief summary to cover the period since the last report in mid-August with most maintenance practices remaining the same. With things moving onto the winter project list the next update will be a bit different.
As always, a summary of rainfall figures to start. The weather turned for the worse in August with a total of 121mm for the month then settled back down for September with 47mm of rain. October has been poor so far with 80mm up until the 21st of the month. We managed to get to the end of the summer season with not too many closures but with the weather worsening and ground conditions deteriorating we have recently lost a few days.
| Month | Rainfall | Monthly Average | ||
| August | 121mm | 89mm | ||
| September | 47mm | 66mm | ||
| October | 80mm | 119mm |
Greens
- Daily mowing @ 3.25mm with triple mower
- Rolling/double rolling with tru-turf roller as and when required
- Spraying with seaweed, liquid fertiliser, plant growth regulator, wetting agents and some bio stimulants according to plan
- Fungicide sprayed as and when required
- Aerated once with the PlanetAir machine
- Verticutting every 3-4 weeks @ -1/-2mm
- Regular light dressings of sand after each verticut (approx. 7 tonnes each time)
- Regularly dew removal to reduce disease pressure
- Regular green speed checks stimping consistently above 10 for general play right up until the last medal
- Heights raised gradually as conditions dictate. Height currently @ 4mm and will go up again and mowing regularity will drop
- Greens will receive a solid tine in the coming weeks to allow air into the profile and aid drainage
- Topdressing will also be applied when conditions allow
- We will move from mowing with triple mower to walk mowing to reduce wheel marking in softer conditions
Winter Greens
- Marked out early October to reduce divots
- Spiked with 19mm tines to help aid drainage
- Topdressing applied and light application will be added if conditions allow
- Mowed @ 8mm weekly. Winter greens on approaches 4 & 8 mowed @ 6mm
- Sprayed with ferrous sulphate and liquid fertiliser
- 11th winter green has also received a granular fertiliser as we moved onto it early to allow works on the main green rebuild
Tees & Approaches
- Regular mowing @ 8mm with triple mower
- Tees aerated with 19mm solid tines
- Tees fertilised with 10-4-21 fertiliser to strengthen over the winter period
- Approaches sprayed late August with nitrogen, iron, and liquid fertiliser
- Tees also sprayed with nitrogen, iron, seaweed, liquid fertiliser
- Topdressing applications on both areas
- Tees divoted daily to aid recovery
- Lower height of cut has remained on green collars with pedestrian mower producing great results with finer more consistent turf
- Mowing regularity reduced as growth slows for winter period
Fairways, Intermediate & Semi-rough
- Fairways mowed 2-3 times weekly @ 11mm
- Intermediate mowed twice weekly @ 19mm
- Semi-rough mowed once per week @ 2inch height of cut
- Fairways/intermediate due one more spray to help keep moss content down over winter
- Several wetter areas spiked with 19mm tines @ 8inch depth
- Contractor will be in early November to spike all fairways with larger tines at deeper depth
- Grass and debris blown as required with tractor mounted blower
- As with all areas mowing regularity recently reduced and will be done as and when conditions require and allow
Bunkers & Paths
- Bunkers raked daily with various different rakes according to conditions
- Flymo and strimming work carried out regularly to maintain appearance
- Washouts repaired as required
- Some of the busier bunkers recently had more sand added to increase levels
- Paths have been weeded regularly and blaize added recently to 7, 8 & 12 to fill low areas and potholes. Weeding ongoing
- Winter bunker rule now in-play. With our time on setup restricted with winter works bunkers will no longer be raked daily but this rule allows players to rake before playing their shot
Miscellaneous
Work on the 11th green has started this week which will take up the majority of our time over the next few weeks.
Other winter projects will start once the bulk of the work @11 has been carried out.
With the leaves coming down daily we will keep on top of it the best we can and carry out a daily set up. Greens remain in good general condition and play will continue on the main greens for as long as possible if the weather is in our favour.
As stated at the start, the next report will cover more of our winter project work in a bit more depth with some pictures of the work as we progress.
(pics included of 4th green taken October 7th)
Shaun McNaughton
