Greens - February 2019 At the start of February, we experienced a severe drop in temperature with many frosts to contend with. It did however enable us to complete many projects ready for the main season. Greens aeration was finished in two halves this month following on from a wet New Year period. A two-week gap was given to allow the aeration holes time to heal before the second half were aerated. Unfortunately, with the temperature drop, snow, ice and the hard frosts prevented a prompt finish. As you will have noticed recently work has been around the repair of path edging. The old boards on the 15th path have been replacing with 5m long hardwood rafters we acquired some years ago, along with the continuation of the telegraph poles adjacent to the hedge line. The remainder of our stock of red shale was used to finish the transformation. Following on from that the green staff moved onto the 16th path which was the only path without a defined edge. The area was marked out and excavated (thanks again to Jim Jeffries) and boarded. The path was lined with a geotextile membrane to reduce weed ingress and based with hardcore. Many thanks to Andy Reed for the supply of 20 ton of hardcore free of charge. The path will be topped off with red shale. Next month will see the tees aerated and fertilised with a granular controlled release product called Polyon. The analysis is 24:5:8 + MgO + Ca which has a 6-7-month longevity through spring and summer. Polyon feeds the rootzone slowly as the soil temperature warms up. Designed to reduce wear it is an ideal product for high traffic areas such as tees. Early March will see the first of two liquid spray applications of Iron, Seaweed and Phosphites. This will enhance turf colour and health. Also, next month, maintenance week is scheduled for the 18th. Please bear this in mind as there will be some disruption to the course and temporary greens may be used on occasion. However, we have recently taken soil samples to give an indication of the greens profile. Organic matter will be tested to see if a more aggressive operation is necessary. We await the results. The area around the Professional Shop/Driving Range is close to completion and ready for the eagerly awaited driving range facility. An irrigation sprinkler has been added to the practice tee to improve grass coverage and presentation. In recent years, the tee has been extended twice to accommodate the intensive use from lessons, members and visitors alike. Finally, and more recently, the mild and dry conditions have allowed early cutting of the course. Tees have been cut and surrounds and approaches have been handing mown. Fairways have had their first cut of the year at a winter H.O.C. of 17mm. Semi rough has also been attended to as has the pond banks with a new red lateral hazard line around the 5th pond. Bunker tops have been flymo and edged to give great definition especially for the end of February. February 2019 22.5mm Gareth Williams, Course Director
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