Head Greenkeeper's Summer Blog

Head Greenkeeper’s Blog - Summer 2019

General

Following on from the successful hosting of the Rose Bowl at the end of April, there is always a little fine tuning to be done, but it all bodes well and the course is now set up for the Summer. We were unable to incorporate a full time apprentice into our green keeping team, however, we have been able to fill the vacant position with an experienced seasonal worker.

Works undertaken over recent weeks

·         Overall

General finishing off/tidying winter works, including soil and seeding worn areas. Hand watering was quickly stepped up to become a priority during the dry spell in May. Getting rid of Himalayan Balsam before it seeds in areas of rough, as it is one of the most invasive plants.

·         Fairways / Tees

Spot sprayed with selective herbicides (including rough) to control weeds. Swept fairways with counter rotating brush to remove lateral growth and produce a better cut. Working Party helped with filling in divots with sand & seed. One thing that has disappointed me greatly, is the increasing disregard towards using the divot boxes on the tees. It is well known that our tees on our par three holes are particularly small for the amount of play that this course gets. So it’s in everyone’s interest to do what they can to maintain these areas and speed up their recovery from the heavy play.

·         Greens

Regular feeding and wetting agent programme fully in operation. Intensified application of topdressing onto greens. The regular but light dressings have allowed the scarring from winter to quickly repair and improve ball roll without interrupting play. With this having now been achieved, focus can go to the thinning of the putting surfaces in conjunction with said dressings to improve ball roll further and increase speed.

·         Bunkers

Weeds controlled in all bunkers with all bunker edges and surrounds regularly maintained. Bunkers are raked as often as is able (2 to 3 times a week minimum) and rake holders we had in stock have been put in place (more on order) - the position of the stands is a balance between, not interfering with play and being handy for people to use.

·         Paths

Regularly monitored, weed control and strimming of edges will be done as is necessary. Still waiting for the arrival of base material to complete the 13th tee path, will be tidying it up as much as possible.

Health and Safety

New signs are being procured to remind players to be aware of play off adjacent tees. It is a timely reminder too that we should all give a clear shout of FORE whenever we hit an off-line shot. To quote our Chairman, “There’s no such thing as a poor shout”

Regards

Matt