Hi All,
What a couple of weeks this has been! The recent weather
has presented an unprecedented challenge. The deluge of rain over the past
couple of months has left the course battling a relentless assault of water.
With a staggering 297mm of rain in just 36 days, including
32 days of rain, meaning no drying time and it now only taking a couple of
millimetres to push the water table up and over the top making the course
unplayable. The club faces one of the wettest periods on record, not the start
to the winter any of us wanted but I must thank you all for your patience and
understanding during this period as the team have been working to combat this
but sometimes we just can’t beat Mother Nature.
Storms
That’s already three storms with two very high winded (Ciaran
at night and Babet slowly moving over) and one that came through very quickly (Debi).
The sad news on the horizon is that Decembers have always
been a month when the course doesn’t actually get any drier. The last five
years have shown the ET rate for these months doesn’t get above 20mm lost and
rainfall in all those years including after last year’s big freeze are dramatically
higher than 20mm. Shorter days and less light are to blame.
Interestingly the data is showing us that Decembers are
getting consistently warmer with 1990’s having only three days a month above 10
degrees, the 2000’s 6 days above 10 degrees and now the 2020’s are averaging 19
days above ten degrees. So the odds of the white Christmas are getting lower
year on year (watch now I’ve said that it will happen).
Anyway back to the course, this new weather is having an effect
on the course and the industry. With warmer, wet days comes disease pressure
and the team need to be doing lots of work to reduce this pressure, especially
with the withdrawal of some of the chemistries. We are also seeing bigger
rainfall figures and rainfall rates (the speed that rain falls from the sky and
hits the ground) we collect that data too.
The Greens
The greens have taken the rainfall extremely well to date
considering the difference from just three years ago. Nearly 300mm of rain
would have seen these being unplayable for days after the high levels of rain
but the investment made in the rope and pipe drainage has meant in just a few
dry hours the greens are becoming playable and even cut-able (I think I’ve made
that word up) after eight hours of dry conditions.
The greens are also being treated with a bio stimulant blend
of liquid oxygen and with penetrant wetting agent technology. This treatment
not only oxygenates the greens but also facilitates the movement of water
through the profile along with the team running the Air2g2 machine which blow
compressed air into the soil profile to break up the compaction in the soil to
aid the water movement to the drain within the green and also gives the soils
some much needed air when its being pushing out of it with the relentless
rainfall.
Verti draining fairways
Safety and damage
The team have implemented different strategies to aid the
turf and to help maintain the course through these periods.
You will hopefully have noticed we have placed black mats
in areas. These mats act as shields, safeguarding the turf from the players,
reducing the chances of slipping and preventing potential damage.
You will have also noticed we have been leaving drainage
repairs open (bottom of 3rd and 15th for example),
allowing for continuous inspections. There is a long-term plan in place to
install new drain lines into these areas, using the open areas as inspection
chambers. This can only be done when the area around the opening has dried out
enough for us to get machinery into it, as we look to improve our water
management for the future.
We have also started to verti drain the surfaces to move
water off the surface, aid drainage and allow air to the roots of the fairways
in attempt to make these areas more playable too.
To ensure the safety of golfers and further protect the
course the team increased the roped-off areas around the course. This placement
not only prevents potential accidents but also reduces damage caused by
continued foot traffic during these challenging weather conditions.
I’ve been asked why are team still out on machines but with
the level of leaves falling and for us to be able to present the course and
just do the basics to keep it open we do need machinery, however this is always
the last resort and if we can walk around doing tasks we will. When machinery
is out most of this is kept to the greenkeeping track around the course and not
following the same walkways that golfers take. Greenkeeping machinery around
the tracks isn’t the same as 140 golfer walking the same pinch points over and
over again, day after day and we stay away from the play areas as best we can.
We have also placed out the winter mats on all the Par’3
and some of the tees that are struggling in the dark wet environments 4th,
5th and 17th.
The winter rules state- “Where present tee mats comprise
the teeing area, when starting a hole from a tee mat the player must stand and
play a ball from the mat. Penalty breach for the local rule: Match play- loss
of hole, Stroke play -two strokes”
We have left the white tee markers out like we have done
for the last few years as we try to make it to December. This is mainly due to ‘Yellow’
teeing areas being so small that they cannot cope with the level of play in the
winter months, so by spreading the wear around now until December means these
are likely to be in a fit state when we get into the depths of winter but it
also gives the white tees the opportunity to recover for the new season ahead.
Just make sure you check what tees the competitions are being played from
before you go out!
.
Rainfall Records:
The statistics speak volumes about the severity of this
year's rainfall. October saw 169mm of rain, followed by another 128mm in
November up until the 14th. Year-to-date, Stoneham Golf Club has endured a
staggering 970mm of rainfall, significantly surpassing the previous year's
846mm. What's alarming is the consistent rise in the yearly average, now
standing at 889mm, showcasing a clear trend of increasing precipitation over
the years with the data prior to 2017 averaging at 709mm.
I hope this blog has given you an insight to what’s been
going on around the course to try and get us through this current wave of
weather. We have so much work we would like to get done but for now our
attention is on getting the course open, battling leaves and re building the
bunkers daily after another deluge. It just feels like we are treading water…literally!
See you soon
Matt
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