COURSE REPORT

JUNE

One of the driest months on record with just 4mm recorded on the first of the month has seen the course drying out and we are now prioritising the irrigation to greens, tees and approaches, with a programme running late at night, as well as green staff irrigating the ‘hot spots’ in these areas first thing in the morning with hose pipes. 

The dry and hot weather is set to continue for the foreseeable, so we are managing stress levels (the grass plants that is!) as best we can, by raising heights of cut and, as the plant shuts down, reducing the frequency of cut.  Wetting agents and bio stimulants have been applied to help retain moisture in the soil profile, increase stress resilience and water stress tolerance.  Our monthly cultural work continued on greens, which were aerated, verti cut and had a light top dressing applied.

Some GUR repair work was done where we aerated, some rootzone added and seeded. This work will continue when we get some moisture in the ground as a lot of these areas will require turfing.  We started some path work and this will continue into July.

JULY

Greens:  Our monthly cultural programme will be carried out again at a convenient time, so we do not disturb any upcoming competitions.  Whilst the hot weather continues, our feeding programme will be adjusted slightly to keep nutrient levels sensible so as to not push too much growth. This would require the grass plant to take up more water to support the increase in shoot growth, which is precisely what we do not want at the moment.  With the club championships at the weekend, we will provide stimpmeter readings on the days of the competition.

Tees/Approaches: These areas will continue to be irrigated during this hot and dry spell, to keep the plant ticking over.  An application of wetting agent and bio stimulant will also be applied.  Aeration will be carried out when we get some rain and a bit more moisture in the ground.

Fairways:  The height of cut has been raised and during this dry and hot spell, we will only cut when necessary. 

Semi rough/rough:  We will continue to cut any areas that require cutting and tidying up. All ditches and areas around lakes have been strimmed.

Bunkers:  All bunkers are regularly flymo’d and we will be checking sand depths ahead of the weekend.

Other:  Path work will continue and is ongoing throughout the month. Repairing GUR areas will be ongoing and will continue when the weather breaks.

IMPORTANT NOTE

If you are smoking on the course, please check that cigarettes are properly extinguished before discarding.

Mark Ogden

Course Manager