Greens Report

Gareth has actually been away since Friday with his family to Scotland and this report he gave to me last Thursday, so it does not include all the rain we had over the weekend. There was also a slight leak on the 1st cut rough cutter around 7, 8 and 9 but hardly any damage has been caused.

As we are all aware we could do with some rainfall. Conditions are very dry and we have recorded only 15mm of rain in the last 8 weeks. Consequently, we have been relying on the irrigation over the last 2 months. Hot summers can highlight the effectiveness of the irrigation system and put greenkeepers and clubs under considerable financial pressure. We have had our own issues this year with a pipe burst, pump and electrical fault (many thanks to Ray Clarkson for his assistance) to name but a few. These are testing times, so please bear with us.

This week and for the second time this month we have micro tined the greens as they are showing signs of stress. Aeration will breakdown the surface tension and allow access for water into the soil profile.

Also as a curative/preventative measure the greens have been sprayed with a fungicide for Anthracnose. It is a common disease of annual meadow grass (poa annua) brought about by the high heat.

However, during this dry spell we are able to catch up on other tasks as the outfield does not require as much maintenance:

Hummocks – strimmed and cleared clippings on 3 hummocks (10 man hours to complete).

Gorse plantation – 7th tee, weeded gorse area to improve growth and reduce competition.

Irrigation shed – reroof shed with spare tin replacing damaged felt. Possibly repaint shed in process.

Ponds – it is the intention while water levels are low to remove as much weed as possible. This is a physical and time consuming task. Also to complete the clearing out of the ditch across holes 6 to 14.

Hand watering – like many other clubs hand watering with wetting agent pellets to rehydrate localised dry spots.

Paths – spot spray paths for weeds.

Rainfall 7.5mm.

Gareth Williams, Course Director

Unfortunately, the nets near the clubhouse are currently out of action due to both the nets having holes in them. With the nets facing the chipping area and 18th hole we cannot risk anyone using them and after a visit from our health and safety representative they confirmed we had to close them. We are looking for some sort of netting that will last longer as the last ones have only lasted 6 months and cost £500 each. Please bear with us until we solve this problem.