Course Update 20 June 2017

Muddy…

As you have noticed we have had a few more fine weather days of late but unfortunately the course still remains really wet. We have recorded 960.5mm of rain for the year so far which is about twice as much as the historic average for the same period!

Although the fine days have helped us, the cooler calmer weather means that there is very little evaporation and the course does not dry as quickly. To counteract this, we have recently verti-drained all the Greens and Tees which helps to move water away from the surface and down to the drains. We have been applying chemical water penetrants which help to get water to percolate through the soil faster and away from the surface. All these practices help to get more air into the soil to promote growth and a firmer playing surface.

Verti-Draining greens

Another challenge that is faced in winter is that grass root mass becomes less in the cold of winter. If you combine this with excessive rainfall it means that the grass has slower growth and diminished ability to absorb nutrients, nutrients are also being leached from the soil faster with all the rain. To mitigate this, we have been fertilizing a little more frequently to help the grass get through this difficult period.

Earthworms have also become a bit of a challenge. Due to the heavy rains in Autumn, the earthworm population has exploded which is a sign that we have a very healthy soil environment. Normally earthworms would be seen as a great thing to have as they contribute to healthy soil by converting nutrients and their tunnelling brings oxygen to the roots. However, when the populations get so large the amount of casts they produce on the surface can actually smother grass and kill it. Not to mention the loss of playability with the extra mud. This week we have treated all the fairways and some of the older tees with an organic fertilizer containing Tea Seed Oil. The Tea Seed Oil irritates the membranes of earthworms and they crawl out of the soil in an attempt to get away from it. Most earthworms cannot survive this will die on the surface, so if you see masses of earthworms on the fairways over the coming week or two please do not worry, it is expected. Being an organic product it is good for the soil and will cause no harm to any birds that eat the worms, in fact they will thrive on the extra food in winter.

On a final note, we have again experience vandalism and theft on the golf course at night over the last 2 weeks and on two separate occasions. Apart from digging holes in greens, damaging and stealing flag poles they have also damaged firefighting equipment at the green keepers shed and caused mischief around the clubhouse. We are taking all possible steps to stop this and the police are investigating. Should you live close to the golf course, please keep an eye open for any suspicious activity on the golf course after dark. Should you see or hear anything please do not hesitate to call matrix security or myself after hours.

Damage to 5^th green

Kind Regards

Spencer and course team.