Since Christmas, we have gone through a period of bad weather, more frost and snow in one month than we received over the whole of the previous winter. We are now looking a more settled period of weather and hope to return to patching areas of the course, in the next week we have turf arriving for finishing the patches that are all ready opened, as well as turfing over where the shelter on the 11th was. The committee is looking at areas to site a replacement shelter.
The Greens since Christmas have been barrelled tined but nothing else done to them due to the weather but we are looking to give them a light feed and a topdress in the following month, to help them recover over this cold snap.
The Tees have had a similar treatment to the greens and will also be fed in the next month, followed a couple of weeks later by coring and overseeding.
The Aprons will receive similar treatment to the Tees and topdressed.
The Fairways have been barrel tined twice and will receive a further tine over the next week or so and have had a covering of soluble iron, to reduce the moss and will have another spray in the next couple of weeks. This will help them recover quicker going into warmer weather.
During the third week in February we will be starting to strip the area to the left-hand side of the 12th (opposite the 13th tee) leading towards the 12th green. This area will be raised and banked to bring more definition to the hole itself and to improve the playing surface with stones coming through the turf at this time. We have marked an area that allows a crossing to the 13th tee. This will not be banked.
You may have noticed some gorse clearance going on around the course, we are trying to hit the worst areas and take the bushes down to the bottom growing buds to help re-establish the plants, this will help to allow the plant to put its energy in growing thicker and not leggy. In time we will cover all the course, but it is not possible or practical to do everywhere at once, or you end up with stumps everywhere all at the same height needing worked on in the future all at the same time, also having some mature areas around the course still provides habitats and wildlife corridors from predators and does not give the course a heavy maintenance feel to it.
Mark Campbell
Head Greenkeeper