Heading into the Holidays: Balancing Rest and Responsibility

 

Hi All,

 

As the Course Manager here at Stoneham I've seen first-hand the trials and triumphs nature throws our way. This year has been an exceptional year and now officially a record breaking year. We are currently at 1090mm of rain this year with some big numbers still forecast to come but more on that in a minute.

That level of rainfall makes 2023 our wettest year on record. I don’t think this will be a big shock to people but the data backs this up.

In 2020 we received 1067mm our first time we had gone into the thousands and in 2012 we had one of the wettest winters but only ended up 922mm.Looking back at the records since 1973 our wettest ever years looked like this:

 

·         1982 – 999mm

·         1993 – 957mm

·         1994 – 972mm

·         2012 -  922mm

·         2014 – 924mm

·         2020 - 1066mm

·         2023- 1090mm so far…

 

So another wet year but the regularity of the rainfall since October has been the thing I’ve not witnessed before. The lack of drying time and persistent rain has left an impact of a really high water table. Even the slightest rainfall triggers course flooding, compounded by a lack of evaporation. It's a delicate balance trying to keep play going, reducing damage and the most important, keeping people safe.

Working in the dark and cutting when we can 

The team and the members have all been doing all they can to help aid this situation.

The team as discussed in the last blog have used all the cultural practices and chemistries available to aid water flow through the profiles. The investment in drainage, blinder in the bunkers and the pathways have meant we have been playable quicker than in previous years meaning more golf getting played, even though it doesn’t feel like that at the moment. In 2016 (not even on the chart above for rainfall) we ended up only playing to the 10^th and up the 18^th for weeks due to flooding on the greens on 11, 13 and 14 along with unplayable fairways on 15 and 17.  

You the members have had to carry your bags with smaller sets of clubs, using mats on tees that get damaged every winter and just by following the roping off of areas are all helping to protect your course ready for the new season and for this I thank you!

 

 

 

Bunker Renovations and Leaf Clearing

 

Hopefully you would have seen the bunker renovations still taking place with the 9^th greenside, 4^th Right hand side and now all the bunkers on the 8^th complete and looking sharp.

 

The fairway bunker on the 9^th is still under construction. More work is being planned on this so please don’t think it’s finished like the turfs have been laid in attempt to stop the soil and revet turf from eroding over the Christmas period.

In January we will be continuing with works taking place on the 2^nd, 7^th and 5^th to complete this winter’s renovations.

 

Our team have also been diligently clearing leaves, ensuring our course maintains its playability. This is no mean feat and we will be attacking more areas within the woodlands in the New Year but the good news the leaves are down and the team are on top of the main areas. The huge piles of leaves in our composting areas are the proof of the work load.  

Leaf Clearing on the 11th 

A huge thank you to the team for that, over 1200 man hours already into leaf blowing and collection just shows the size of the task.

15th 

 

Leaf clearing the wet isn't always fun!

Heading into the Holidays

 

As we approach the Christmas period, our hardworking team prepares for a well-deserved break. However, our focus remains on combating the prime disease pressure—particularly combating threats like fusarium disease. Managing dew becomes paramount during this point of the year, the crucial element in safeguarding the health of our greens.

During the Christmas period the team are aware this is the priority. Damage from disease at this time of year can take months to recover. The team will be doing all they can daily to keep the course in good condition but areas like bunkers cannot get the same amount of attention as they would normally. Please help us to help you by repairing pitchmarks and raking bunkers after your shots.

If the forecast is correct we could be in for a tough Christmas period with heavy rain and high winds. The course will be inspected daily as normal but its import we prioritise the course and member safety at all times.

If the course is unplayable, it’s simply is unplayable. We cannot risk huge damage or an accident just because of the time of year. We have the two coldest months of the year to come, meaning we won’t get any recovery and with the already high water table, it won’t take much to push us over. Please bare that in mind, we have started the winter on our back foot. 

Hopefully the forecast will change yet but I thought it was worth reminding everyone where we are.

Considering all the rain we have had, I must say I think the course is holding up really well and the condition is the best I’ve seen it at the end of December. This is proving our strategy is right. 

I would like to thank you all for your kind comments and gifts for the greenstaff. I would also like to thank you for bearing with us during this awful period of weather. The days start to get lighter from now and spring will be here before we know it. Roll on 2024, I am ready for the spring/summer now!

 

The dream team 

 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you soon

 

Matt

Matt Plested

 

The long nights of winter

 

Hi All,

 

As I sit here writing this blog in the darkness, you can really tell we are heading into the winter equinox. The good news is, within two weeks the darkest day would have passed and we will slowly move back towards spring, although this is still a long way off and feels it at the moment.

Last week saw a little rest bite from the relentless rain with days of frosts and sunshine in the afternoon. It was bitterly cold, especially compared with the predicted highs of the coming days. From -2 to 13c is a significant swing in temperatures that are playing havoc with Mother Nature. That short interlude was over to quickly and we’ve gone back to the relentless rain this week with another 54mm of rain in the last 6 days, that’s after 153mm in November and 169mm in October (all falling in the last two weeks of that month).

It’s safe to say, it’s wet in places but I am really pleased with how the greens are coping with all this rainfall following the installation of the drainage combined with the aeration and topdressing program.

 

Could be a record breaking year!

 

This year we look likely to break our wettest year record. Not a record we want to break with 1048mm so far YTD and 1069mm being our wettest year. Let’s see what the next three weeks brings!   

Hand mowing all main surfaces due to the wet conditions

Why are you closing the putting green?   

Here is a question I’ve been asked recently and thought I should remind everyone why we are doing this as mentioned in previous blogs.

 

At the start of 2021 we saw significant damage to the putting green that didn’t recover until the following June. The damage sustained over that winter from too much play (not only the normal pre warm up play, which would be the same as the course) but significant amounts of practicing from the same spot. 

This lead to thinning on the green and eventually grass coverage was lost in areas. The putting green is just too small to cope with that level of play and following a visit from the clubs Agronomist, his suggestion in his report was to spread the wear throughout the winter between the two practice greens we now have. This will allow one to recover for a week while other takes the damage. 

We trailed this in 2022 and the damage was significantly less and we went into the new season in a much better state. Long term we will need to look at increasing the size of the putting green to cope with the modern demands of a golf green along with the climate we are experiencing now. It’s worth remembering this green was built in 1908, designed for the golf being played at that time, on a clay base as they had no irrigation systems with lower levels of play. It would always struggle throughout winter.

The answer now is, we simply need to switch between the greens weekly to spread the wear. This will only happen through the low growth months and then we will be back to normal with both greens always open.

What can you do to help us keep these greens open more?

 

1.      Move- Simply when practicing drills on the putting green move after two or three putts.

2.      Don’t use strings in the winter- this encourages play from the same spot. This has a huge impact on the green.

3.      Don’t put towels down - towels don’t protect the surfaces. If I rubbed a towel on your skin for hours it would leave a mark. Same on greens…

4.      Divots – Try to refrain from taking divots around edges of the greens, especially at this time of year. They simply won’t recover and it’s ruining the facility for others.

5.      Repair any pitchmarks made from chipping on to the greens

6.      Enjoy your game!

 

 

Leaf Clearing:

 

With the Trilo now fixed (we had another hydraulic issue) and our dedicated team wielding backpack blowers, we've taken on the challenge of clearing leaves. In the last week the amount of drop from the trees has been persistent, with the team arriving daily to find these scattered across all surfaces, normally we have strong winds that mean we have bad areas but this last week the wind has been down meaning the drop has been wide spread.

In dry areas the use of the Pro force blower and tractor blower have aided this operation but for the most part this has been done by hand with back pack blowers.  

 

I think we are now 90% down, meaning that we are nearly there. The end is in sight and the team will be fully occupied on collecting until the majority is gone by Christmas.  

 

Bunker Renovations:

Our focus hasn't been solely on weather and the leaves. We're proud that our bunker renovations are in full swing with Jack Wills leading the team on this.

You may have noticed work taking place on the 4th, 8th, and 9th holes. These bunkers are undergoing re-revetting and turfing, ensuring not just aesthetics but also maintaining the integrity of the course's challenges. It's a labour-intensive process, but one that enhances our golfing experience as it gives the bunkers that crisp fresh look going into the season ahead.

 

Please don’t play from or against the new revetting. We need this to root and these areas are GUR.

 

Bunkers – You will notice this weekend that three bunkers on the 8^th and one on the 9^th fairway have been dug out and are GUR. We were due a delivery on Tuesday of more revet turf but due to flooding the turf company were unable to lift any turf. This has been moved to next Wednesday. We are taking advantage and getting bunkers prepared ready for the delivery to keep us on track to complete these within our time table. Please bear with us, these bunkers will be completed once the delivery arrives.

8th after renovations

Practice Nets:

During one of the recent storms the practice nets took some sustained damage with Adam Hickling having to close the nets on the day. Following further inspections these have been deemed unsafe and un-savable at this stage and age. Play from these is prohibited. 

These will need to be taken down in the coming weeks as quotes for replacements are being sorted and  given the timing with Christmas these will need to be built in the new year. 

We are sorry for any inconvenience.

Pot Holes:

We have all noticed the pot holes getting worse on the bridge and on the corner of the clubs driveway. 

It was hoped these would be repaired as part of the reservoir project when the lorries start but due to the delay of this we will be getting quotes to repair these in the coming weeks ourselves. Updates will be made once timescales and costs have been agreed. 

   

Thank You:

None of this would be possible without our fantastic team. The collective effort poured into leaf clearing, bunker renovations, and overall maintenance is awe-inspiring despite the challenges Mother Nature keeps throwing our way.

I'm incredibly proud of the strides we've made, the challenges we've faced, and the passion that drives this team forward. If you see them on the course please do pass on your thanks if you see them, in these dark, leafy, wet days that simple act goes along way!

Let’s hope for better weather and shorter nights soon. 

Enjoy your Christmas shopping!

 

See you soon

Matt