5th green / 6th tee hedge cut back and ditch cleaned out.

Removal of the overgrown hedge at the 1st Tee & Putting Green

AGM Course Maintenance Report 2014

We have had one of the wettest winters in the history of Drayton Park! The course has stood up to this extremely well, having only had to close for one weekend due to severe flooding. The greens have continued to play well albeit at times being a little soft. Last summer work was carried out on the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th to try and improve the drainage. It does appear this has been partly successful as following heavy downpours the greens surfaces were playable more quickly. More work will be required this year to continue this improvement. The introduction of a storm drain on the 7^th hole has reduced the flooding in this area; standing water was only seen for a very short time. The verti-draining carried out to all the fairways in September was the biggest contributing factor in keeping the course playable. There were only a few isolated areas which became muddy but generally the grass cover remained good. For this reason I will be planning to get this work completed again this year.

At the end of July the 18^th fairway was re levelled. The main construction work was completed within four days, once the grass re-established, the area was brought back in play.

The area did become muddy towards the end of February so was put as GUR for a short time.

The next area that will require levelling is the 17^th fairway. This area has sunk and is now causing a drainage problem. The work will be carried out when conditions allow, again the work will be completed as quick as possible to minimise the disruption to play.

This winter we have continued the policy of thinning out the conifer trees and removing the lower branches of the pine and deciduous trees. The two poplar trees by the clubhouse have also been removed; this will stop the roots causing problems to the surrounding paths and wall and also give a better view of the course from the clubhouse balcony. Three poplar trees have also been removed from the Pitch and Putt course. These where already causing a problem to the 6^th green from the ingress of their roots.

The greens are in good shape with excellent grass cover and have already firmed up. The spring maintenance program has been started (scarifying and grooming) to remove the build up of thatch. The first application of sand will soon be applied which will help to level and smooth out the surface.

Mark Smith

Head Greenkeeper

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.