Introduction: As you all know Andy Ball chair of greens emails you regularly with what goes on regarding the course, this will remain the case but we wanted to let the members know what goes on preparing the course all year round.
We would like to add a little bit more information about our greenkeepers, the work they do, struggles they find and give the members maybe a little more insight to gain a better knowledge.
We hope you will find this informative and are always open to your suggestions.
Kind regards
As part of the report I think it is nice to know that we have 8 greenkeepers including myself looking after 27 holes of golf. The national average is 3 greenkeepers per 9 holes, however, most of the time we can cope apart from spring being very busy and also during autumn when the leaves fall from the trees.
In our subsequent newsletters I will be able to tell you more about all of our greenkeepers.
Report
The winter months brought the opportunity to maximise aeration throughout the course, mainly with the verti-drain and this included greens, tees, fairways and paths/tracks.
The tees have also been hollow cored, overseeded and have received an application of Zeolite to aid with the Cation- exchange. (Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is the total capacity of a soil to hold exchangeable cations. CEC is an inherent soil characteristic and is difficult to alter significantly. It influences the soil’s ability to hold onto essential nutrients and provides a buffer against soil acidification)
An application of Lawn sand was applied to the greens in late March along with scarification as a treatment to discourage Moss. The fairways received an application of a slow release fertilizer in mid-March to encourage recovery after the Dormant winter period, and the warm spell that followed the `beast from the east` certainly kicked it into action meaning the fairways where cut three times a week through April.
A growth regulator has now been applied to the fairways to slow the top growth and aid root development. The Bird and Mammal activity feeding on grubs in the soil has curtailed for the present moment and in some areas germination sheets have been installed temporarily after overseeding. It is a fact that this type of damage is becoming a problem for turf managers as Pesticide to control the grubs have all gone due to various legislations and licencing rules, Fungicides and herbicides are also being lost or their active ingredients are being reduced making them much less affective.
Stump grinding has taken place on the remains of the felled trees at the back of the 6th green and a Hazell hedge has been planted along the boundary fence line.
On a last note we find many unrepaired pitch marks, it would be nice if we all could look at repairing our pitch marks, keeping our greens in superb condition!
Steve Millard