Greens Update 14.5.26
Greens Update
Dear Members
We have all been thinking of the song “4 Seasons In One Day” ...especially on Wednesday and Thursday...Despite the weather we have been very busy as slowly but surely, our grass begins to grow as the ground temperature rises.
We have adapted some mowing lines this week, with the 1st and 6th fairways extended slightly.
We are glad you like the new tee markers too.
Some of you have asked about the absence of stroke indexes on the markers. This is because, quite rightly, we have a range of indexes for men and women across the courses.
We may have to alter them should the scores on a particular hole for a season suggest a change is necessary, and if you need to change one...it will impact somewhere else. And of course when we look to open the new 5th tee, that might prompt a change too.
As it is much easier to change a scorecard than a marker, we removed the indexes from the markers.
Do remember to take a card with you at all times when you play.
We will soon have more detailed tee signage for the all-weather mats to complete the upgrading of our tees’ signage.
We will also have more directional signs as despite a lovely path to the 5th tee from the 4th hole, posts and ropes, the presence of staff and a greens director... golfers have been seen taking their trolleys between the green and the left-hand bunker by the green!
Maybe we have not stressed enough the golden rule about not taking your trolley anywhere near the green, it’s so very important not to do so, as the weight of you and your trolley damages the grass and the walls of the bunkers.
The other “must not” area for trolleys and buggies is into our heather areas. Please park up, and locate your ball on foot.
The other housekeeping we must all do as golfers is replace our divots and our pitch marks. The downpours will have softened our surfaces a little, so please be extra vigilant, and if you see either, do your best to fix them.
We have a new smaller no play zone on the 16th green. This to give the area total respite as we grow new grasses under the germination sheet. Drop zones will be in play either side of the area and you must go to the nearest zone to take relief.
Our practice area continues to take shape, it’s still very much under development and whilst you may have “a look” at how it is improving, you must not use it until it is completed.
The area to the right of the 9th is really coming to life now, and to sustain it, our 19th group have purchased hosepipes so that we may water it selectively in the coming weeks until it is fully established. It remains a no play zone for now. Thank you to this group and all of our volunteers who do so much for us.
Next week
We have a better forecast for next week when we have a good deal of work to do in terms of ongoing maintenance and our course development programme.
Maintenance work.
The Greens
The verti-draining draining and top dressing will start on Monday morning, and should be finished on Tuesday afternoon.
If you are playing during this process, you cannot play to the green which the staff are working on. You must simply walk to the next tee.
There will be a new temporary local rule to mitigate the impact of the work on the putting surfaces.
The Bunkers
Following on from the restoration of the centre bunker on our 15th hole, we are progressing with remodelling the 2 greenside bunkers on the 18th, and the fairway bunker on the 3rd.
Our course architect, Stephen Ridgeway from the STRI, has designed the bunkers, and will be on site to oversee the schemes. The 18th hole will be closed while the construction work is underway, but will be open by next Friday morning.
The fairway bunker on the 3rd hole is also being remodelled and this work will start later in the week. We will advise on the day this works starts, and move the tee forward so you may still play to the green.
We have invested in a new portable sprinkler system to ensure sufficient moisture gets to the new turf around all three new bunkers.
There is no club competition next week, but if you wish to put in a general play card later in the day when the verti-draining work has finished, you must as always, check with the professionals, who will advise you how this may be done.
Our fairways and teeing grounds.
We have booked a specialist company to undertake the annual spraying of weed-killer on our fairways and tees on Monday.
The same contractor will advise us on how we should deal with the Himalayan Balsam which is on its way now.
Our tees have been fertilised and will be over-seeded again at the end of this month.
Our rough
We have mown our “mowable rough” to a height of 50mm which should ensure that if you stray just off the fairway, you should find your ball.
We can still hear the sound of golfers telling us the course was too easy last summer...simply because we had no growth, this year, we will keep the mowers as high as they are now, and regularly review the playability of the course for members and visitors alike.
And finally
We had a terrific report from the STRI as regards our management of our course, and our greens in particular. We will post the executive summary on our Club News soon.
Well done to our staff for all their hard work.
Thank you
The Greens Team
We have all been thinking of the song “4 Seasons In One Day” ...especially on Wednesday and Thursday...Despite the weather we have been very busy as slowly but surely, our grass begins to grow as the ground temperature rises.
We have adapted some mowing lines this week, with the 1st and 6th fairways extended slightly.
We are glad you like the new tee markers too.
Some of you have asked about the absence of stroke indexes on the markers. This is because, quite rightly, we have a range of indexes for men and women across the courses.
We may have to alter them should the scores on a particular hole for a season suggest a change is necessary, and if you need to change one...it will impact somewhere else. And of course when we look to open the new 5th tee, that might prompt a change too.
As it is much easier to change a scorecard than a marker, we removed the indexes from the markers.
Do remember to take a card with you at all times when you play.
We will soon have more detailed tee signage for the all-weather mats to complete the upgrading of our tees’ signage.
We will also have more directional signs as despite a lovely path to the 5th tee from the 4th hole, posts and ropes, the presence of staff and a greens director... golfers have been seen taking their trolleys between the green and the left-hand bunker by the green!
Maybe we have not stressed enough the golden rule about not taking your trolley anywhere near the green, it’s so very important not to do so, as the weight of you and your trolley damages the grass and the walls of the bunkers.
The other “must not” area for trolleys and buggies is into our heather areas. Please park up, and locate your ball on foot.
The other housekeeping we must all do as golfers is replace our divots and our pitch marks. The downpours will have softened our surfaces a little, so please be extra vigilant, and if you see either, do your best to fix them.
We have a new smaller no play zone on the 16th green. This to give the area total respite as we grow new grasses under the germination sheet. Drop zones will be in play either side of the area and you must go to the nearest zone to take relief.
Our practice area continues to take shape, it’s still very much under development and whilst you may have “a look” at how it is improving, you must not use it until it is completed.
The area to the right of the 9th is really coming to life now, and to sustain it, our 19th group have purchased hosepipes so that we may water it selectively in the coming weeks until it is fully established. It remains a no play zone for now. Thank you to this group and all of our volunteers who do so much for us.
Next week
We have a better forecast for next week when we have a good deal of work to do in terms of ongoing maintenance and our course development programme.
Maintenance work.
The Greens
The verti-draining draining and top dressing will start on Monday morning, and should be finished on Tuesday afternoon.
If you are playing during this process, you cannot play to the green which the staff are working on. You must simply walk to the next tee.
There will be a new temporary local rule to mitigate the impact of the work on the putting surfaces.
The Bunkers
Following on from the restoration of the centre bunker on our 15th hole, we are progressing with remodelling the 2 greenside bunkers on the 18th, and the fairway bunker on the 3rd.
Our course architect, Stephen Ridgeway from the STRI, has designed the bunkers, and will be on site to oversee the schemes. The 18th hole will be closed while the construction work is underway, but will be open by next Friday morning.
The fairway bunker on the 3rd hole is also being remodelled and this work will start later in the week. We will advise on the day this works starts, and move the tee forward so you may still play to the green.
We have invested in a new portable sprinkler system to ensure sufficient moisture gets to the new turf around all three new bunkers.
There is no club competition next week, but if you wish to put in a general play card later in the day when the verti-draining work has finished, you must as always, check with the professionals, who will advise you how this may be done.
Our fairways and teeing grounds.
We have booked a specialist company to undertake the annual spraying of weed-killer on our fairways and tees on Monday.
The same contractor will advise us on how we should deal with the Himalayan Balsam which is on its way now.
Our tees have been fertilised and will be over-seeded again at the end of this month.
Our rough
We have mown our “mowable rough” to a height of 50mm which should ensure that if you stray just off the fairway, you should find your ball.
We can still hear the sound of golfers telling us the course was too easy last summer...simply because we had no growth, this year, we will keep the mowers as high as they are now, and regularly review the playability of the course for members and visitors alike.
And finally
We had a terrific report from the STRI as regards our management of our course, and our greens in particular. We will post the executive summary on our Club News soon.
Well done to our staff for all their hard work.
Thank you
The Greens Team