Weekend Update and Legislation news.

A difficult week, with weather conditions limiting the preparation of the greens. Its not easy dealing with wet sand.

We have managed to iron and brush the surfaces as well as putting small amounts of sand on to try and fill any remaining tine holes. The heavy rain at the start of the week certainly softened the surfaces as well as washing sand down the tine holes. We have also put on some liquid nutrient which included some elements to help ward off disease, but covering the surfaces with sand does provide the perfect breeding ground for Fusarium Patch. I think now the soil temperatures have dropped, recovery from the renovation work will be slow. This is a major problem when carrying out the work so late in the season.

I will be applying a granular feed next week to try and push the recovery forward, so fingers crossed for no frost.

The area next to the 1st Ladies tee has seen some deep drainage work carried out. This is to cure the persistent wet area and make may for some planned alterations to the Teeing grounds and paths.

We have also started some re-profiling work at the back of the 1st green, this will allow safer access for buggies in the winter months.

Good luck in the Winter League.

Mark & the Greens team.

FYI.

Last year the Environmental Agency withdrew the license for all chemicals used in the control of Leather-jackets (Crane fly larvae). No other chemicals are currently available for the eradication of these troublesome pests. Luckily, we have not had an outbreak this year, but how this will impact on the course in the future we do not know.

To add to our worries, they have announced that in August 2017 they will remove the license for Carbendazim (earth worm suppressant). Currently, they're are no alternative treatments available. These restrictions will have massive implications for Sports Turf in the future. Any new chemicals which become available will no doubt be prohibitively expensive.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this is something golfers must be made aware off.

Great article for your info.

http://www.usga.org/course-care/our-experts-explain0/frost-delays.html

Weekend Update

A really busy week for all the team carrying out the essential renovation on the greens. 

We started on Sunday night, deep tining (400mm x 20mm) to relieve the deep compaction. We followed this with 75mm x 12mm hollow tines to remove any thatch and fibrous material. We then over-seeded the greens with a mixture of bent grasses to improve the quality of the sward. The greens then received repeated pure sand dressings which were worked into the holes with a brush & dragmat. Weather conditions have to be perfect to achieve this and luckily the afternoons have been dry and bright.

We have cut new holes and ironed and brushed the surfaces prior to the weekend. All we now need is some rain to help wash the sand in.

The greens will be sprayed with a nutrient cocktail early next week and will continue to be ironed and brushed to improve the surfaces.

Thanks for your patience while this work is completed, hopefully, this work will provide drier and firmer surfaces thru the winter months.

Mark & the Greens team.

Weekend Update & future work.

Another busy week cutting and using the good weather to prolong the season.

The greens have been treated to more Air2G2 work, which has highlighted some areas of shallow rooting. This, untreated could present many problems in the future, but back to that later.

We have finally managed to scarify the rough areas treated with "Rescue". The dead grass has been ripped out, leaving the recovering fine species. This (with more treatments) should leave a finer sward, which will give a much improved playing experience.

The winter greens have been cut out and marked as G.U.R. Holes have been cut in them and top-dressing and cutting will continue over the coming months. The aim, as always is to keep their use to an absolute minimum. But as you know, this is entirely weather dependent.

Next week we will be carrying out the much needed greens renovation work. It seems as though the weather gods have smiled on us, as the forecast is for a continuing dry spell, which will improve the chances of the work being successful.

We will start on Sunday afternoon with a deep tining (400mm) of the greens. Followed by hollow-tining (12mm diameter x 75mm deep), over-seeding and a heavy sand top-dressing. The aim is to fill the hollow-tine holes with sand to provide channels through the top layer and improve surface drainage. This will be followed by ironing and a liquid feed application. 

There will be disruption to play and winter greens will be in use while this essential work is completed. Please be patient during this time.

Enjoy the course & sunshine.

Mark & the Greens team.

Weekend Update

A difficult  week on the course, with persistent rain adding to softening ground conditions. I'm surprised how sticky the course has become in the last week, with evidence of buggy & trolley traffic damage already rearing their ugly heads. Things have been tight staff wise too, as I encourage the team to take holidays at the start and end of the playing season.

We didn't manage to scarify the rough and cut out the winter greens due to the wet weather, so I took the opportunity to spray many areas of the course with a worm control chemical. This may be the last year we are afforded this luxury, as legislation is on the horizon to restrict these products use. Like the recent ban on chemicals for Leatherjacket control, this will have a huge impact on playing conditions on the course. 

The greens were also sprayed with a nutrient cocktail to ward off any disease outbreaks. This will continue thru the next few months.

Next week, should see us catch up with a few jobs prior to the proposed renovation work starting on Monday 10th October.

May I remind players to please repair their pitchmarks while the surfaces are soft and help us retain smooth surfaces into the Autumn. 

Enjoy your golf and here's hoping that we retain the Ryder Cup!

Mark & the Greens team.

Weekend Update

Another busy week of cut,cut,cut. The main areas of the course are still growing for fun with the exception of the greens due to the use of growth regulators.

The areas of rough treated with "Rescue", will be scarified next week to remove the dead material, we will then see which areas require further work to aid their recovery. 

The Air2G2 has been out on the greens again and next week should see the remaining greens aerated. The greens will be left undisturbed until the planned renovation work (week of the 10th-14th October). This work will be extensive, but will be entirely weather dependent due to its late timing . With this in mind, the winter greens will start to be cut out next week and dressed. If the weather turns against us, the renovation work may have to wait until the Spring.

Enjoy the course over the weekend.

Mark & the Greens team.

Well that was a hell of a week!
The growth shows no signs of slowing and with it, our inability to keep up. Tuesday brought a storm I'm sure you all witnessed. The greenstaff did an amazing job on Wednesday getting the course back to some sort of order, but the bunker washout will take weeks  to truly sort out. The sand becomes contaminated and cannot be cleaned and re-distibuted in 1 or 2 rakings. The greens held up superbly, but have softened slightly, so get busy with those pitchmark tools please.
Disease pressure is very high at the moment and it's something we have to keep a close eye on. The pressure from Anthracnose has passed, but Fusarium is always just around the corner. We try to control this culturally, as this allows soil biology to continue working, unlike costly chemical control.
Thursday morning saw an invasion of cattle on the 5th hole. This happens a couple of times a year, but this time it has caused some serious damage. The holes and scrapes were up to 12 inches deep. The area will recover and has been repaired.
The areas treated with "rescue" herbicide are now showing real signs of discolouration. The rye and weed grasses have died back and the fescue is unaffected. The bent grass has been knocked back, but will recover. The plan for next year is to extend this treatment to many other thick & lush areas.
Enjoy the course.


Mark & the Greens team.