A little update on what has been going on of late.
Holes 5 to 8 – disruption
Installation of rock armour was completed at the start of the month (March) down at the 6th tee. A new path was created left of the 5th green by GF Job to allow access. This area will be seeded with a wildflower seed mixture.
Cable was laid by SSE and the projected date of pole removal is the end of April. As you will have been able to see, there is quite a lot of disruption where the ground was dug up. This area will be left GUR for the foreseeable future while we try to get growth back. A straight fescue seed mix will be used to help recover the area.
In addition, there are still a few other areas around the Links that will remain as ground under repair for a while, so please be aware of these.
Course Maintenance
Growth has been slow so far at this stage in the season and all mowing will be done when required. When the season is in full swing, we will be mowing greens every day. Tees and approaches will be done twice a week; fairways and rough weekly. This season we will be rolling the greens on a more regular basis.
This season can all players please leave bunker rakes in the middle of bunkers after use. Greens staff will continue to flat rake bunker faces to allow the ball to roll away from the face.
This season we will also be doing a lot more aeration work on the greens with the use of pencil tines. By doing this it will improve the playing surface and allow water and oxygen into the root system a lot easier, which will improve root growth and a stronger plant structure. This will be weather dependent, and also be determined by how busy the course gets. The task takes roughly one full day and a morning to complete.
New Equipment
The club purchased a moisture metre which will allow us to monitor the moisture on the greens, to help prevent any over watering and help firm the greens up. Ideally, we are aiming to keep the moisture level between 18-25% in the soil. This will help us reduce the amount of water the club uses in the future.
We will also shortly purchase a disc-seeder which will allow us to get seed into the ground without any disruption to the playing surface. It will be a massive asset to the club for over seeding in the future.
Finally, I encourage all golfers to repair divots and pitch marks when they are out playing the links. It makes a huge difference to the condition of our course if all players can be vigilant about this.
I wish everyone an enjoyable season ahead.
Thank you
David Munro – Head Greenkeeper