From Tee to Green ‑ March

The Downs Course

It has been a tough month with the weather being so inconsistent. With the course being closed seven days for snow with soil temperatures being at 5c, then rising to 10c in the following week. Then back to 5c in the middle of the month when more snow settled. This effects the grass plant with its growth rates.

We have had over 100mm of rain this month and our soil moisture levels are currently at 45%. What is promising is the 1^st, 17^th and 18^th greens, which are holding about 10% less moisture due to the work carried out on them in the winter months. It is very pleasing to see significant results on these problematic greens.  

Our aeration programme continues with the aim to keep the surfaces as dry as possible. This month we have sorrel rolled three times to keep the surface open and have also completed a deep aeration using the Air 2G2 Machine which injects 12 inches of air into the soil profile with minimum disruption to the playing surface.  

Greens have had a foliar feed sprayed on them to aid in plant health and density. The tees have also been fertilised and some have been overseeded in preparation for the spring.

Currently, we are spending a lot of hours moving sand in bunkers to the correct place. As the sand dries out it becomes unstable and moves around the bunker with a lot of traffic. We currently smooth rake on a Monday to get the levels back to where they should be.

Our woodland work for the winter is now complete. We have removed several trees from around the course to aid in airflow and light to certain. Also, we have thinned out some of the hawthorns on holes 11 and 12 as these areas were becoming overgrown. As part of our woodland plan, we will be planting 80 Beech tree whips this month.

On the ecology front, there has been a significant increase in wildlife. So far we have spotted new Hares and Deers on the course. We have seen our first butterfly which we are hoping will bring on the spring.

Looking forward to April we aim to feed the greens to kick-start the grass plant into spring and apply a light topdressing to improve surface smoothness and green speed. .Also, we will be completing our turfing projects on walk-offs and path edges. Therefore please follow any traffic management signs. 

The Park Course

The Course

The course has come through a tricky month. The beast from the east one and two had given us a snow covering but it wasn’t around long. Rainfall in March has given us over 100mm and we have been closed for seven days.

Despite the poor weather conditions, we have managed to spray a foliar feed on the greens to aid strength and sward density. We have also applied a 4-0-4 + 9% granular fertiliser to strengthen the grass while also offering pre-stress conditioning and colour without a growth boost.

The tees have been given a granular feed to help boost recovery and strength.

Between the rain and the snow, the team have been able to put some definition and character in the course through our various cutting schemes. 

Projects

Using tines to the depth of 12” the Air2G2 releases compressed air into the soil which breaks up soil compaction. This will create more air flow through the soil profile, this task will encourage better drainage and deeper/stronger root growth. This will result in the playing surface having a stronger, healthier turf and in turn a more consistent, faster, firmer putting surface.

Sorrel rolling the greens weekly helps improve aeration, by putting one-inch spikes into the surface to help with airflow in the top layer. We are also pencil tinning greens twice a month with the aim to aerate a little deeper to help dry out the greens and to aid drainage.

See you on the course!

Simon Berry, Head Greenkeeper of The Park course