A fresh start for 2024

 

Hi All,

 

Happy New Year to you! 

 

I wanted to do a quick blog on the various works that are being undertaken since the beginning of the year but before we do let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects… the weather! 

 

The Weather

The New Year started with a bang with one of the biggest flash floods we have experienced in Southampton with 34mm of rain coming down in a “violent” level rain rate (which if over 50+mm per hour) recorded on the 5th courtesy of the back end of Storm Henk. This combined with the already saturated ground and high tide caused areas to flash flood with cars left floating including Stoneham Lane. 

 

This created some challenges with 55mm of rain in the first five days of the year, on top of the wet year before. It’s worth remembering one good week isn’t enough to reduce the water table back to far and all eyes on the long distance forecasts to give us a glimmer of hope but it’s only going to take a small amount of rain to set us back again. 

 

For now this winter charm is embracing Stoneham with a mix of crisp mornings and mild afternoons thanks to an Omega Blocking Event. We are experiencing an El Nino (The boy) year. This can have a major effect on the worlds weather and is caused by rising temperatures in the central and pacific oceans. All the weather bloggers I follow are saying we are in for a very hot summer! For more information on El Nino’s see the link here:- What are El Niño and La Niña?

 

Looking ahead, the forecast predicts a week of intermittent sunshine, some clouds, and a chance of rain at the weekend but still very cold so make sure you wrap up warm. 

It’s made all the difference seeing the sunshine again though! 

I think we can all agree this weather is so much better than last few months of 2023’s rain. Our record breaking wettest year since records began with 2023 finishing at 1115mm of rain. 

Enough of the weather let’s have a look at the ongoing enhancements on the course.

 

Greens

We have managed to get the greens cut while holding back when too wet and delaying the cuts when the course is frozen but they are still in good condition for the time of year.

Our disease management strategies will continue as a priority until the good growth kicks in. For now the growth will be very limited and will come in waves between now and May. Having the right feeding program to take advantage of those waves will be as important as it is every year.

This week we started to slit tine greens. The knife type action will help move water and air down the profile without opening the surface to more rain. This will aid natures own aeration with the frosts! As the moisture in the soil expands and retracts between the frost and thaw this will help get air into the soil and this should link nicely with the slit tine.

You may have noticed we have added our second (frost holes as we call them) on the greens. This will allow us to move the flags between the different holes and to spread the wear during these frozen periods. This is all part of that disease management strategy. Weak and worn plants are more at risk of disease and giving areas a rest can make all the difference especially as we play on main greens all year round.

 

Wooden Nets Construction

Following the damaged sustained to our old nets making them unsafe we have been working with Steve White from Driveways a local landscape gardener on the construction of new nets made of wood. This is a popular golf club trend, using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. We have used the same mats used on the driving range bays to give a consistent surface for you the members to practice on. We hope to open these as soon as possible.

Brush Cutting and Clearing Areas:

The team have been busy doing some extensive brush cutting and clearing activities during the frost. These efforts aim to enhance the visual appeal of the course, tidying up some of those out of reach areas but also saving others for ecology purposes. 

After

 

Debris Removal from High Winds

The aftermath of high winds has been addressed, with the club's team working tirelessly to collect and remove the debris. It always amazes me how many man hours we spend on this type of work following high winds.

 

Bunker Renovations at 2^nd, 5th and 9^th Holes

Bunker renovations continue at the 2nd and 5th holes. New revet turfs are being meticulously installed by the team as we look towards the 2024 season in good condition. The plan is to finish the 9^th fairway bunker in the coming days when our next turf deliveries arrive. Please don’t play from or against the newly laid turfs. All of these are GUR.

 

Bunkers

The team have been very busy working on the bunkers. Firstly, to repair the damage sustained following the flooding, pushing up the washdowns and then turning the sand over to help bulk this back up. Secondly, we have started edging these with edging irons to improve the aesthetics going into the new year.

We are aware that the sand levels in a few bunkers need to be addressed. We spent a lot of time last year looking at compatible sands as our current quarry had run out. Something we will be seeing more of as industry and something that will need to be addressed in the future by all golf clubs. Its more complicated than “just sand” and a whole different blog when we can look at particle size distribution, gradation testing, drainage and stability but we have found a new source and we will be topping up the bunkers when the course is dry enough for high volumes of weight to be driven around the course… watch this space.

 

Reservoir Project Commencement

A significant milestone for Stoneham Golf Club is the commencement of the Reservoir Project on January 22^nd with the ecologists and greenstaff starting to work in this area. The clearing company will mobilise on the following week, marking the beginning of a six-week period during which the top-end car park behind the clubhouse will be temporarily closed from the January 29^{th .}

Area of car park to be closed above

This project has taken years to pull together from an idea to having the amphibian digger clearing the rhododendrons for surveys to take place in 2019 and the bon fire crews help in removing them to all the planning and ecology work, the hydrology teams, Natural England and the Council.

I would like to thank TJ Transport for all their support and Mr Trant for aiding the club in making a water resource for the club’s future a viable objective.

Further updates will be made as further works progress.

 

Conclusion:

As we start the New Year the club continues its improvement works on and off the course. The mix of nature, sport, and sustainability makes it an exciting time for members. I am proud of what we are achieving and I am looking forward to a great 2024.

 

See you all soon.

 

Matt