The false spring?

Hi All,

Wow, what amazing weather we are experiencing at the moment compared with last February/March when the “Beast from the East” arrived. Do I think that’s it and we are getting into spring now? I don’t hold my breath because GDD wise March and April have been colder than January/ February, four out of five years.

Rain does still concern me as our rainfall has never recovered from the the summer. We are still in a slight deficit rainfall v evaporation wise. So we are not at field capacity... normally by this time of year the rivers and wells are over flowing which is great going into the summer. My worry about water isn’t alone as a lot of concern within Horticulture and Agriculture is being talked about. Not enough rainfall so far and more housing going on using either boreholes or connecting on to already struggling demands could lead to an early hose pipe ban... and Golf courses would be within such a ban. 

I am losing sleep over this yet? Not yet I am just enjoying this amazing weather and like they say making hay while the sunshine’s. Mother Nature has a funny way of evening things out! 

I know we lost four days due to snow again this year (so far) but generally the cold dry winter has meant we can play more golf and the greens have held on well. 

Greens 

Course maintenance last week went very well. Firstly we topdressed the greens then we got all greens solid tined using just 12mm times to 225mm followed by 10mm to 100mm. We then applied an organic fertiliser and topdressed and brushed in again. This should take about a week to break down and start to show us some growth, especially with the highs of 14/15’s this weekend. 

Due to the amount of work we have put into the greens in the last three years to get the OM levels down and finally hitting target last year has meant we can be less aggressive this spring. 

This should mean we see the greens recover quicker than before. 

We will keep monitoring it from now on and make changes following our soil analysis. We won’t want the levels to go up but be maintained.

 

Aprons 

The aprons also got a deep aeration (12mm x 200mm) and micro hollow core to remove thatch (OM). This was then verti cut to collect the cores and cleared. We will be adding sand to these in the coming weeks and a liquid feed. We are coring these again in March as we try to firm up the aprons to get them to play firmer. This like the greens will be a slow process but it essential to get the course playing firm and fast. 

Tees 

The tees also got a solid tine and these like the aprons will be getting hollow cored in March and sand topdressed/fertilised and over seeded before we get into the season. 

2nd Hole 

The 2nd hole has been out of action as mentioned in my previous blog but we have also completed a full drainage system in the apron and off the front of the approach. This has taken 10 days to complete due to how wet the area was. 

Part of this has been caused by the levels dropping after top soiling and also that the soils under the area haven’t resettled. If you remember we had the same issue in year one of the Bunker project to the right of the 4th or at the ditch at the 11th. These have since settled and are preforming much better now. I believe that given the extra drainage and once it’s dry enough for us to aerate the area it will restructure and settle just fine. The best way to describe it, is that we have stirred a pint of Guinness and now we need it to settle again. 

The hole is now back open and the new turfed area is GUR. We will keep monitoring it as soon as possible we will start to work the site to refine it for the summer. 

Turfing 

Re turfed bunker at 6th

So far we have had to re-turf around 20 bunkers on the course following the drought damage. This is obviously labour intensive as we have to strip everything not flat by hand, Shape and re turf. I think it’s something that we had no choice in doing but will be worth it in the end. 

The hollows on 13th we were re turfed using Dwarf Rye. Like I have said before this is still one area we wish to improve but our levels have been determined by the tree roots of the big Oakes next to it and the Irrigation system running under the hollows. 

Please do not play from or walk on any of the newly laid turf areas until we open them up. This could cause serious damage. 

Woodland management 

You will have noticed lots of woodland management around the course going on as we look to improve air flow and light while maintaining the woodlands for future generations to enjoy. 

We had a visit from the head tree officer from the council in December who was very complimentary about the work being carried out, especially since his last visit prior to the woodland project but reminded me of the damage Rhododendrons could cause our woodlands and to keep committed as we don’t want them falling back now the Club have done so much work. 

We have lots of dying trees that are to big for us that need reducing or felling due to there dangerous nature. We have roped these areas off so please do not walk inside these areas until these have been worked on. The Tree surgeons are booked in. This is for your safety. 

Part of me wonders if last years summer paid the price for these trees. I have never seen so many dead at the same time before. 

Fairways 

Please be aware a lot of work is planned for the fairways in the coming weeks as we try to continue getting them back for the season. We are planning to granular fertilise, spray the moss off (we have left this for now because if we had ripped this out before the grass starts to grow the only thing that would replace it would be weeds).

Scarifying fairways, over seeding and hollow coring the worst areas, top dressing with compost and fertilising again. Then we will pray for more rain...

 You will have noticed they have been Verti drained as they needed to have some aeration holes to move the water down from the top surface which had become slippery in the wet and for the roots of the new seedlings. These need channels to move down to establish. Some areas unfortunately ripped up but we have to think about the bigger picture and these can be repaired by divot mix. The words no pain no gain come to mind.

Bird Pecking damage

Chafer Grub on 14th

You will have also noticed the bird damage across certain areas of the fairways. These are being dug up by the birds as they look for Leather jackets and Chafer Grubs that live in the soil at this time of year. Since the EU banned the chemical to be used for these grubs we have nothing in our armoury to beat them and this is going to happen across Europe. Last year two horse racing days were cancelled due to the damage and I know clubs that are spending thousands of pounds trying to re turf huge areas. 

No after Brexit it won’t change. We are following the same model for at least 10 years. We are looking at more traditional methods like cultural practices (aeration), encouraging starlings and bird scarers (please apply if you wish to be a scare crow :-) 

BTME & Training  

The Greenkeepers conference in Harrogate was attended by four us within the team. It was fantastic with a brand new bigger layout and hundreds of hours of education. There was a real buzz with lots of debates about the industry with the new legislation restrictions, sand, staff and grass species being the big things being talked about. I was lucky enough to be asked to present again but I am managed to attend a lot of seminars, starting at 8am and finishing at 6pm. Came back head blown but inspired for the season ahead. Graham and Levi attended conferences and seminars and James Ferris attend his first one. We came back with lots of ideas and discussions for the club. 

David Lambie also delivered a New rules off golf training session for the team and how it will effect them. It was great to get some clarity on the new rules and for the team to ask questions. Thank you David.

Staff 

Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to Mike Ray this week. He’s moving on to Rowlands Castle to ply his trade in the PO postcode. Mike came to us as an apprentice who had never been on a golf course before. He’s gained his qualifications and learnt how to use all the machinery. He’s worked hard and been great to have around and leaves us as fully qualified Greenkeeper. Good luck Mike! 

That’s enough from me I think, busy week ahead with a big spring clean of the course and start fertilising the fairways... that’s a lot of steps!

See you soon 

Matt