The Battles of Winter

The meteorological calendar says that winter begins on the1st December. I know this is true, especially this year as it only seems like yesterday we were playing golf in polo shirts and basking in the sun, well that's not far off the truth because November started off so mild (see graphs below). One thing for sure is the battles of winter have officially started! 

One of our main battles is leaves! 

Now as a golfer there is nothing more annoying than hitting a good shot, getting your line and walking up to that area to lose the ball under the leaves.

But as greenkeepers on courses with plenty of trees will tell you there is nothing more annoying than leaves!!

With the mild autumn slowly cooling down and our first few frost days appearing we are carrying on our daily battles with the leaves. 

Some of you may have noticed our presents in the mornings as the greenstaff try to clear the greens and as much of the course as we can in front of play. 

The fact that shorter day light hours, with sunrise around 7.30am, means we start on the course a lot later than in the summer even with lighting rigs. We then try to work in hole order to keep a head of the golfers off the 1st tee. 

Please bare in mind that we are also trying to get all the normal works done along with the leaf clearing during this period and we maybe seen more at this time and may require you to wait for a minute before playing your shot but this doesn't last to long. 

The winter solstice is only days away and then we will start to get more day light hours (slowly). I am definitely looking on the positive here :-) 

So what battles are we facing at the moment?

For a start finding greens covered in leaves every morning!

We then hand blow the greens off. We do this by hand to reduce the amount of compaction to the greens that the other blowing machines would cause especially over the winter. 

Once the greens are clear we then blow the green surrounds and aprons. 

Getting it far enough away for us to get the bigger blower around it to blow it into lines. 

We then use the bigger blowers to move the leaves into lines along the fairways 

These are then sucked up using our brush vacuum or Trilo. The Trilo is another new addition to our fleet and is basically a huge Dyson.  

This sucks the leaves up and shreds them as it fills the back container. It takes longer than you think to pick up all the leaves on the course and the new Trilo is amazing and will speed up

on the old process. 

This should take us between seven to ten weeks to get them all up depending on the Oaks. I believe we are over half way already. 

These are then taken to areas for us to compost them (up to 10 loads a day). This area was recently tidied up using 13 ton digger and driver to give us more space (thank you Mr Trant). 

We also use the hose attachment on the Trilo to clear the ditches. This is a two man job and can take all day. So it's about trying to find the balance and keep on top of the key playing areas. 

(Normally by this point the wind starts to blow, just like this four day weather warning and we start the whole process again) 

I hope this gives you a little insight to what we are doing to clear leaves. I have heard people say the greenkeepers just blow them and they come back. Well as you can see there is a method in our madness but sometimes we need to get round first to allow play then fall back to do the clearing up. 

Rest assured we are clearing them and a lot of man hours are going into this. With each oak tree having around 300,000 leaves falling from it, imagine how many leaves we are picking up!! 

In a few weeks they will all be down and tidied away and we can start thinking about next season. 

I will blog again soon in another prequel of the Battles of Winter but I hope this helps you to understand one of our challenges at this time of year. 

Happy golfing

Matt 

Breaking eggs to move forward!

Some of you will know the saying 'You can't make an omelette with out cracking some eggs'. 

Well this week we have been cracking eggs so to speak. Sometimes what can been seen to be taking a step back is really important to move forward. 

For example this week the aprons, fairways and semi roughs were all verti drained. This is a deep tine aeration using big 1 inch tines width going 10 inches plus depth.  

This is done to improve drainage, get air to the root system, improve root mass, increase grass coverage and to aid some of our spraying techniques. 

The downside is it can mark up in some of the wetter places following the last few very wet months. It can leave wheel marks. These are superficial and will be gone once the course is cut next.  

This work is essential to help us get through the winter months and have improved fairways in the new year. 

As you can see above the tines do get worn down as the are used so these are changed during the weeks work. 

I mentioned above the fact the verti drain helps aid our spraying techniques. By this I mean at this time of year the course is sprayed for worms (and worms are a problem at Stoneham) to help us tame the beast. This is a chemical that doesn't actually kill the worms but suppresses them down and stops them casting on the surface. This inturn reduces turf diseases, weeds and muddy areas (and annoying mud stuck on your golf ball).

As mentioned in other blogs the thatch levels on these areas is something we are  tackling but are higher than I want. So by following the verti drain we can get more of the chemical we need down past the thatch layer to our target area in the soil. 

Spraying the course is a big job but made harder by leaves and the amazing growth rates going on at present (it's growing as fast as Spring but wetter). For this we used contract sprayers who came in sprayed the entire course by 10.30am meaning the were out of the way from golfers but they also competed it in this rather than our two days in house! See above the two operators. 

Again you may see some wheel marks in places but this will wash out with the next rainfall but it is essential we try to reduce the worm casting through the winter as this has a huge impact on the playing surfaced going into next year. I apologise if this weekend you do land in a wheel mark but you can claim relief and I wouldn't do the work unless it was completely necessary.

Other works this week

While we were verti draining the course we got to use the Gwazae from Bill our Verti drain guy. This is another deep aeration tool firing compressed air into the greens. 

This was carried on the 13th and Putting Green. The reason we done this to those greens was due to the high moisture content in those greens. Our moisture readings were around 47%. Now that is very wet and shows me that we need to work on these areas in the future. Soil structures that get over 50% are in real trouble of getting hypoxia this basically means they drown and it can effect grass sward and colour. This is something we will keep an eye on. 

Using the Gwazae was to good an opportunity and the work was completed in a couple of hours. The benefits from this where - 

-	Greatly improved aerobic conditions
-	More playable days
-	Minimal surface interruption
-	Healthier turf Also our new hand mowers and trailers arrived this week giving us better machines to maintain the course during the winter months. This reduces the amount of compaction on the greens with less wear and a better quality of cut. They even come with lighting rigs.  To say I was very excited about these arriving was an understatement!!  I will blog more on the new machinery and the effects these will have on the team soon. The club are investing heavily in improving your course. The works being carried out are always essential and for the benefit of the club even if first impressions don't show it.  Anyway enough from me. Enjoy your omelette and your golf!  Matt

A Quick Guide

I just wanted to do a quick blog to talk about a couple of things you (and me) as the golfer could be doing this winter to improve the golf course...

Please DO NOT CROSS the trolley lines with Trolleys. 

These have been introduced to protect the aprons and surrounding areas.

Doing this will help to give you better grass coverage on these areas especially in the season and will inspire you to hit those stunning approach shots (or the long putter if your me :-) 

Follow the trolley lines and go around the green. Please don't try and squeeze in between the bunker and the green. 

We have started to use Rope Pins and rope in certain areas to add even more protection. Please follow these diversions as they in place to stop you getting covered in mud also. 

If you take a rope pin down to hit another perfect chip please replace it where you found it. 

I must say we have the most amazing rope pins you are likely to see. These aren't any normal bog standard rope pin. These are hand crafted and beautifully made by one of the Stoneham members (thanks John).

PLEASE make every effort to CARRY YOUR BAG if possible.

Now with the introduction of the rope pins it's a shorter walk carrying a bag. If you possibly can carry please do, you may want a smaller bag than pictured above.

It's your course let's try to protect it for as long as we can and go into the season next year in better shape. 

Please rake bunkers after you have played your shot. 

And if your out with the a trolley and it goes off 'out of control'. Please rake that after also!! :-) 

At this time of year even the slightest shot into a green can leave a pitchmark.

Please repair your Pitchmarks 

Above is a diagram of how to do it. 

Work the pitchmark in from the outside all the way around until them meet. Then flatten normally with a putter.

(Please don't lift from the bottom up as this just leaves a soil mark, this is then susceptible to disease or weed damage).  

Please be careful walking on banks, slopes and sleepers.

During the winter banks, slopes and sleepers can be slippery if wet or icy. Please take care while walking around. 

Story time 

A great professional once told me his aim was to improve the course every time he played. I remember thinking, what did he mean? So I asked him. 

He told me he always tried to repair two pitch marks per green, raked any bunkers he went in and replaced all his divots plus others. He would also pick up any debris or litter if he saw any out the course. 

That's why in my book he was a great professional and great golfer. He left it in better condition than when he played it. 

This should be all golfers mission statement! 

Matt 

Robs Turkish Delight!

Some of you will know that Rob Patrick (one of our greenkeepers) spent last week out in Turkey working as a greenkeeper on the European Tour at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal for the Turkish Airlines Open. 

(Victor Dubuisson birdied three of his final four holes to shoot 22 under and go onto win. His prize was a picture with Rob) 

Having done many tournaments myself I am a great believer in gaining experience working on both the European or US tours. The chance to set a course up for some of the best golfers and TV plus getting a chance to see how the top courses in the world set up for competitions is something every young (or old) greenkeeper should strive to do. 

Now I must say that some of you will know that Rob is a seriously good golfer playing off a plus two handicap. Some say he may have even made the European tour as a player! 

(Rob living the dream)

When the opportunity came up for the club to send staff over to Turkey to work at the Open, Rob took this opportunity with both hands. I must add that Rob even funded this himself such was his desire to experience life on the tour! Something that really impressed me. 

Below is a quick interview I carried out with Rob on his return to share his experiences with you. 

Tell us about the purpose of your trip? 

The purpose of my trip was to gain tournament experience at top level, network with other greenkeepers and see if anything is done differently overseas to the uk.

(Hand cutting greens on Tour)

Tell us about your daily routine whilst over there? 

My daily routine changed from the build up to tournament days, during the build up, so from Sunday to Tuesday we were doing 12 hour days which mainly consisted of repairing the bunkers that had collapsed due to the torrential storms the had a few days prior. 

I would start at 6am go out with my Turkish partner Ali and double handcut 6 greens, two other pairs were out doing the same too, then we would go onto bunker repairing, edging out all the collapses, reshaping the banks and turfing them. We'd finish around 6pm and get the bus back to the staff lodge, shower change and head to the hotel for dinner then bed as I am terrible at trying to stay up late! 

(Rob and Ali) 

Tournament days and the pro am day however were a lot easier, I came in to work at 6am and double hand cut 5 greens (we borrowed 2 mowers from a neighbouring course so had 8 mowers for the tournament) again with Ali, our greens were the putting green, 11, 14, 16, and the final championship hole 18 which I was happy about :) then we would have the day to ourselves to enjoy the weather and had to be back at 4 for a single cut of the greens and divotting then off home to enjoy the evening. 

How was the weather? 

(View from top of clubhouse)

The weather was beautiful! We were in jumpers arriving to work but were soon taking them off when it got to about 7.30am when the sun was coming out, it was very nice to get some heat as I hear you had rain while I was away whilst I was enjoying temps pushing 30 degrees! 

How many greenkeepers were working?

There were a total of 40 greenkeepers made up with 27 Turkish and 13 from the uk. 

We also had about 15 ladies who would rake and weed the bunkers and pick up litter in the mornings and divot in the evenings.

(The team)

Where were the uk greenkeepers  from? 

We had 3 from Devon, 2 from Scotland from the Ryder Cup course at Gleneagles, Roehampton, St George's Hill, Worpleston, Wentworth, Ferndown and one close by from Hockley. So a wide variety of courses and we all gelled very well! 

 

(UK greenkeepers plus their partners) 

Tell us about the course and its conditions? 

The course was in very good condition although not as good as the previous year and this was down to just timing! 

The course had been overseeded wall to wall with rye grass and because of the heat it just didn't take so the Bermuda was the dominant grass which then as the temperatures were cooling leading up to the tournament starting dying off. So they were caught between the transition of the Bermuda dying off and the rye starting to shoot through which left the course looking very patchy, hence why we had preferred lies on the fairways, also the tournament had been brought forward 2 weeks which is a shame because the difference 2 more weeks of the rye grass coming through would of made a world of difference! You'd be looking at a green plush course. 

Anything of interest and not normal for the uk? 

The main difference out there from the uk was the health and safety! 

I think at one point I saw 15 people on a buggy, I wish I took a photo, that along with the fact most machines were started with knives, spoons or anything with a flat edge! 

Other than that most things are done very similar to over here, they work very hard and do a great job seeing as most are unqualified and only basically educated in horticulture so hats off to them!

Tell us about the hotel complex and how you were taken care of?

The hotel complex...wow where do I start, I have never been in such an amazing place! Although we were staying in a staff lodgement which is no better than a bed in a room, we got full use of the maxx royal hotel which, had EVERYTHING and I mean everything! 

It had a cinema, arcade, 3 restaurants, shops, a beach club, entertainment. It had everything you could want and more! A very nice place to spend our time off to try and relax, so we were very, very well looked after. 

What did you learn from the trip that you can bring back to Stoneham? 

I learnt a good trick out the there while hole changing, they had a piece of pipe that was rolled over the old hole cup which knitted the grass into the edges of the hole cup very nicely with no ugly foot marks or turned in edges to try and knit it in, I think everyone there was saying they were going to use that one back home. 

Also the hole changer they used which was the hio (hole in one) changer was very different to what we use and was very, very good, a single round blade rather than two blades that go into the green and it left a very clean sharp cut. 

Did you meet any of the golfing elite/ Heroes? 

Yes, finally after 12 years of playing the game and growing up loving Darren Clarke I finally met him on the Pro Am day and got a photo with him, he was a very nice guy so this did make me very happy. 

We were also eating dinner in the same company as pretty much all the pros as they were staying in the hotel we were allowed to use which was also great! 

Did you meet up with Mr Stoneham (our European Tour version) Richard Bland? 

I did meet up with Richard Bland, I saw him at dinner and had a chat with him about the course which he said is good but not as pure as last year (as I said due to the grass changes, amazing what 2 weeks can do) he compared the Bermuda fairways to playing in Asia.

 

I followed him round on the last day too, was very good to watch especially playing with Lee Westwood too.

I heard you even got a round of golf with a difference? 

Yes after the tournament we got to play a floodlit course with brand new taylormades as hire clubs, all complimentary at Carya GC where the next Turkish Open is. I thought nightgolf was amazing! 

What are your feelings about this trip? 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time out there, made some new greenkeeping friends from other courses which we all exchanged numbers to keep in touch. I would definitely recommend doing tournament work to other greenkeepers it's a fantastic experience, this is going to be my first of many that's for sure :)

Thanks Rob. I am glad you enjoyed it. I am hoping that as a club we can keep this sort of thing up. A team inspired and learning new things from tour courses can only be a good thing for Stoneham! 

Rob and Matt