Head Green Keepers blog May '21
Head Greenkeeper Report
The course is starting to come to life after a very cold and dry spring. The lack of any significant rainfall has held back any growth over the last month, with low night-time temperatures minimising the positive impact of any daytime sunshine.
The greens and tees have really struggled with growth as opposed to the outfield areas such as rough and tee banks. April started well for the greens with a couple of grooming tasks carried out followed by a light dusting of top-dressing. Unfortunately, at that point the irrigation system failed due to a large leak in the irrigation tank. We have managed to keep on top of the course cutting whilst also trying to prepare for a new liner to the tank. That has meant several hours of work removing the tank roof, the old liner and preparing the floor with new concrete around the old leak area. Matt Stone has taken the lead on this and done a great job. The new liner should be in on Tuesday 11th May.
Some of the raised profiles on the greens have dried out but they should come back soon with all the rainfall we've had recently. Having fed the greens twice, with the assistance of the recent rainfall, I expect to see some growth starting very soon. Looking at various courses around the country we are all probably around 3 weeks behind in growth terms than at this stage last year.
The plan now is to carry out further grooming and verti-cutting tasks, as well as more dustings of dressings to refine the greens and improve smoothness and trueness. This will also help to increase pace. I have inherited lots of different kinds of stock for the greens, such as wetting agents, foliar nutrition, seaweed and these items will be used up on various surfaces, allied with some new organic root-based products which I have used before. These products will help to bring on the surfaces and improve their composition in the long run.
The tees have been divotted regularly since my arrival and we must keep on top of this as the amount of daily play is very high. Regular movement of tee markers, divotting and appropriate dressing will help us to maintain decent levels on the tees. They will also receive a long-term fertiliser application that will see season long growth.
The approaches have been widened in certain areas to allow better approach shots to be played to the greens. Beforehand a decent shot could have been tied up yards short of the green, whereas now that ball will run onto the green as intended. These surfaces will also be worked on, using scarification, aeration, dressing and nutrition to improve presentation levels.
These tasks will also take place on fairways as they need a lot of work. A plan for regular aeration is being set up, as well as scarifying them as soon as growth is stronger. There is great potential in these areas to improve playability and we will endeavour to take the necessary steps as much as possible, while always being conscious of the busy golfing calendar.
One of the main areas that seems to be under constant discussion, at all clubs, are the bunkers. Over time, the sand consolidates with the clay and silts in the ground and playability is compromised. What once was a very functional sand becomes a mixture, which when very wet becomes very compacted. We will look more closely at the bunkers over the next month or so and draw up a plan of action for the future. There is a constant battle to weed the bunkers and they will be sprayed with a total weedkiller this week which will last for a long time.
Overall the staff are very keen to work hard and I have no doubts that the course will continue to improve as we proceed through the season. We have just recruited a summer casual and he will free up some of my time on the course, enabling me to plan better and organise tasks for the future.
Finally, thanks very much for the great welcome I’ve had at the club, it has been very much appreciated.
Steve Hemsley, Head Greenkeeper
