Golf Course Maintenance Update October 2013

Following a busy few months I thought it was time to send out a maintenance update.

I have been pleased with how the greens have responded to all the scarifying and regular sanding we did throughout the summer. The emphasis was on producing a firmer and truer putting surface.

Our Autumn maintenance started during the first week of September. We carried out hollow coring and sand topdressing to the greens. Once again this went very well. Recovery was a little slow initially, this was mainly due to lack of rain fall. The irrigation was used but nothing beats a good shower of rain. The putting surface did settle down after a couple of weeks with the help of some light rolling. You may have noticed a few of the hollow core holes staying open. This was due to the Crane Fly larvae (leather jackets) living in the holes and coming to the surface to graze on the grass. The greens have now been sprayed to control these.

 

Now we are heading in to November the greens are in excellent condition to take us through the winter. There have been a couple of days of heavy rain. The greens have remained reasonable firm and disease free.

During 2012 you will remember that it seemed as if it was never going to stop raining. This continued into the start of 2013. The golf course continued to play reasonably well but I had notice the fairways getting wetter and wetter.  I suggested to the directors of the golf course that it would be a good idea to get a contractor in to carry out some verti-draining which they agreed.  

This was arranged to coincide with the hollow coring during the 1^st week of October. Unfortunately after completing 6 fairways the machine developed a fault. It was decided that the best course of action was for the contractor to come back a few weeks later once the machine had been fixed. Upon his return everything went very smoothly, the rest of the fairways were completed in three days. The fairways recovered quickly; so far the results have been positive. It will be interesting to see if there is less standing water this winter!

Work has been carried out on a few ditches. I will try and get some more done next year when the ground conditions are suitable for heavy machinery.

 

Once again I will be keeping you informed of the work we are doing throughout the winter. We are looking at investing in some new machinery. Top of the list is a new bunker bike. I think that this will help us present the bunkers in a better condition, especially when they are wet.

I hope everyone visiting the clubhouse have spotted the hard work of one of the greenkeepers who is improving the appearance of the front entrance. Good work Mick!

Mark Smith

Head Greenkeeper

Cleaning out the ditches

We've been working on the cross ditches on the 6th 7th and 8th fairways. it's possible to see the early morning mist in a few pictures. We had a couple of early starts so we could complete the work before play started.

The 18th fairway update

This week we received some much needed rain. This has helped green up the fairways and banks. The newly seeded area on the 18th has germinated. (see pictures) 

Please be aware I have found a lot of wasp nests around the course especially on the banks near lakes and streams.

The 18th fairway, putting back the top soil.

The fairway levelling is almost complete. Just the topsoil to go on, then seed to finish. 

Adjusting the levels on the 18th fairway.

This week the 18th fairway is being re-levelled. This is to help reduce the flooding in this area. The work is going well and should be completed by Friday. 

7th hole drainage work

Work has started on the installation of a new storm drain. Progress updates to follow. 

The new practice bunker and green

The grass is starting to grow on the new practice area. Today the bunker was excavated ready to be filled with sand. The Spring has not been good for getting seed to germinate and establish but we are heading towards better weather now.

It's been a while since I updated my blog. The golf course has moved on leaps and bounds with only one or two hiccups along the way. The most noticeable was the grass seed-heads on the greens. These appeared over one weekend, slowing the pace of the greens. On the following Monday the greens were groomed, thus lifting the seed-heads  allowing for a cleaner cut. A growth retardant was also applied which reduces the seed-head population. The putting surface is settling down nicely - extra rolling and cutting will take place prior to the championship weekend!

Good luck to all who take part. 

Golf Course Preparation

This week the main focus has been on preparing the course for the charity day Friday. The hedge across the 6th fairway has been cut to reduce the height, (picture 1) this will allow a better view down the fairway. The green staff have been working their way around the course removing spiral guards that protect some of the trees (less free drops). The golf course is looking good.

Have a great game. 

Sanding the Greens

The greens have been  top dressed with sand, then brushed and rolled. Irrigation will be turned on tonight to help wash the sand into the surface. 

Update on the work to the practice green.

Work has continued on the practice green with the Installation of the irrigation pipe The playing surface has been levelled ready for seeding.

The course is continuing to improve with regular mowing taking place. Sand topdressing applied to the greens last week has helped firmed the putting surface.

Hollow coring 6th, 7th & 8th greens.

With milder weather moving in this week it is an ideal time to carry out hollow coring to the 6th, 7th & 8th greens. These three greens have been laying wetter than all the other greens. You can see from the photos the amount of cores removed. Once these were cleared away,scarifying, over seeding and top dressing with sand were carried out. This work will help to dry and firm the surface. Depending on how the greens react to this process will determine if this needs to repeated later this summer.

Greens aeration this week

We have started to spike the greens. This will allow much needed air into the root zone encouraging root development through the Spring. We will follow this up with a light roll to smooth the surface. Once we get some good grass growth we will look to apply a sand topdressing.

Practice chipping green.

This week we have continued construction of the practice green and bunker. It's still soft from the winter rain so progress will be slow!

Maintenance Update April 2013

It’s turning out to be a difficult Spring. I recorded -6 degrees on the 31^st March and the cold spell looks to continue this week with minus temperature each morning. The photo below is of the course just over a week ago then a comparison picture taken today.

As I stated in my last report I will be carrying out scarifying and topdressing to the greens. I have held off doing too much to the greens for the last couple of weeks as the cold weather is putting them under stress. If I did press on with the Spring maintenance I feel the putting surface would take a long time to recover. At present, the surface is good albeit a little bumpy due to high foot fall over Easter. I have checked the long-range forecast and it does look like there could be some improvement in the weather next week (but we will have to wait and see).

The course has dried out well and I have now lifted the trolley restrictions and ride on golf buggies can now be used. The fairways have good grass cover, they just look brown from the frost and wind damage (see second photo). This will mow off once we get the Spring growth. Winter rules will remain for the time being but please check with the Pro shop before playing.

AGM 2013

Drayton Park Golf Club
AGM 2013
Maintenance Report


As you are aware, 2012 has seen an unprecedented amount of rainfall. This has put a lot of strain on the greenkeeping staff when trying to carry out their duties. On occasion it was necessary to close the 6th, 7th and 8th holes. We subsequently dug out a small ditch along the side of the 8th tee, which intercepted the flood water ensuring that we could keep these three holes open. During times of heavy rain the 7th hole was played from a shortened, temporary tee. Most of the flooding in this area is caused by the high level of the river. We have already excavated a new ditch at the back of the 8th tee to intercept the water coming through the bank. I have more work planned for the 7th hole to stop the water coming through the bank. We will also install a storm drain on the 7th fairway in the coming months.
The course has maintained good grass cover throughout the year with only a few areas becoming muddy. It was inevitable that the bunkers would be a major problem. At times it was not possible to maintain them properly so it was necessary to mark them as Ground Under Repair. We have topped up all the bunkers with new sand, as a lot of silt had been washed into them from the surrounding ground thus contaminating the sand.
The greens have remained in good condition albeit a little softer than I would like and ball pitch marking has been more of a problem than usual. The incidence of disease has been low so any scarring is minimal. I will be working to firm the putting surface throughout the Spring by carrying out regular scarifying and topdressing. I will also carry out extra deep tine aeration on the 6th, 7th and 8th greens as these have remained wetter throughout the winter.
Moss levels have increased on some tees and banks. I will be treating this and removing it by scarifying where possible.
Investment in the course and its machinery has continued with the purchase of a new banks mower, new rollers for the greens and an irrigation pump. We have completed the construction of a new green on the Pitch and Putt course and have now started work on the practice pitching green at the side of the Pro Shop. This will be completed in the summer.
Many Thanks

Mark Smith
Head Greenkeeper

Thanks to all the members for their continued support.

Ditch on the 1st fairway & trees on the 12th fairway.

This week we have cut back the brambles growing in the ditch on the 1st. ( see pictures for before and after). The trees on the left of the 12th fairway have had their lower branches removed, this will allow a better view of the green from the corner. (See 3rd picture).

Scarifying the greens.

I started scarifying the greens this morning, Followed this up with the groomers to clean the surface then a final cut with the mower. I hope to carry out scarifying again next week followed by topdressing with sand.