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.