Another busy month with the greens, we have now lowered the heights down to 3 mm for the rest of the summer which should increase the speeds after the recent boost in growth.
We continue to use the groomers three days a week to help reduce any lateral growth and a monthly spiking was also carried out to increase airflow, water movement, and root development. Finally, a granular feed was applied with good results, as well as an application of seaweed and wetting agent to aid the greens with moisture retention and reduce plant stress.
Collars, Tees, Fairway & Rough
The collars continue to be cut every Tuesday and Friday at the height of 11mm which remain at this height for the rest of the playing season to give a true smooth finish to the front and surround of every green.
The tees continue to be cut at 11mm on Mondays & Thursdays to keep on top of the growth.
We are carrying on widening some of the fairways in certain areas to reward a good tee shot and enhance the overall look of the fairways. This is now being done on the 6th, 8th, 9th & 18th, this however does take time as we have been reducing the heights by 2-3mm per week from 38mm to 13mm to not stress the plant.
To give the areas from Tees to fairways and wider areas around the greens a cleaner finish and a more consistent height, we are now using a cylinder mower which will help to reduce patches that a rough mower may miss.
Bunkers
The 16th bunker sand has now been replaced with a less coarse particle, this will reduce damage to the greens mower as it is adjacent to the putting surface and should provide nicer sand to play out of.
We had hoped to have time to fill in the 11th fairway bunker but we have been short-staffed over the last few weeks due to illness and we will now complete this later in the year. The bunker will be brought back into play next week.
Rough
Mowing of the secondary cut (rough) is carried out weekly at the height of 1-1/2 inches. This makes it easier to find balls but still requires a clean strike to get the desired result!
The natural rough areas are starting to mature and give the course a beautiful looking environment that is very pleasing to the eye and we have had reports of wildlife returning to the course which haven’t been seen in many years, including red kites.
Thank you to Vince, David, Neil, and Brad who have worked tirelessly to keep improving our course and another thank you to Simon Woolnough for volunteering hours of his time every week which makes such a difference. Great work team and you are all assets to the club!
Matt Lock
Senior Greenkeeper