Greens
A busy time with the greens this month, they have been fed with granular fertilizer, liquid feed of seaweed, wetting agent, and root booster applied to reduce stress and increase root depth through the tining that was carried out at the end of March.
The greens have also had a light spiking to a depth of approx. 3" this month to aid root growth, surface drainage, and gaseous exchange. Finally, the groomers on the greens mower are performing well, this helps to control the lateral growth, and we are using them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays each week.
Collars & Fairway
The collars have been reduced in height by 2mm, this will tighten the surface and allow for a truer roll if putting is your method of choice.
The fairways have also been reduced in height by 2mm and they are now becoming tighter with less grain which will result in a more consistent strike and better spin control.
We have also been working on changing the cutting patterns to diamond on some collars & fairways to add some extra definition and a create a visual impact as you can see in the photos below:
Bunkers
When the time has allowed this month, a few more bunkers have been renovated and this will continue throughout the season. We have also added new sand to bunkers on the 1st, 2nd, and 17th, and within the next couple of weeks, the 16th will be renewed.
Rough
The rough is now being cut at 1.5" every week, this creates a clear visual impact from the tee now that the heights of the fairways have been also reduced.
Continuing from last year, we are currently experimenting with the introduction of a few more offline natural rough areas to improve the definition between holes and give the course a more natural look.
Wild Flowers
We are now experimenting with the seeding of wildflowers to add some colour to the course and we are trialing this on the 9th Tee Bank. This area has been stripped of turf, turned over, raked, firmed, seeded with a wildflower mix by Dave & Neil. The guys have done a great job and we hope to see some colourful results by the end of the summer.
Course Furniture
Finally, all of the 150-yard markers were brought in, sanded down, and repainted, good work from Bradley and Simon!
We hope you are enjoying the course and thank you to the team for their hard work.
Matt Lock
Senior Greenkeeper