From Tee to Green September

The Downs Course

This month we have seen our badgers become extremely active searching for food on the course. Unfortunately, our hands are tied with what actions we can take to prevent them from doing so. The Badgers are searching for their food source of worms and chafer grubs which with our present period of wet weather are on the surface and readily available. As you can see from below, we are doing our best to clear and overseed these areas. We are exploring processes to help deter the Badgers from these areas to reduce the damage to the course.

Monthly aeration

We have just completed our aeration process on The Downs of verti draining the greens. This is a highly beneficial process with minimal disruption to the playability of the greens. Below shows a diagram of the process and its benefits to the playing surface.

Solid Tines are penetrating the soil 10 - 12 inches down. This work will be done on a regular basis throughout the autumn and winter to ensure we keep plant health at maximum.

Some of the basic reasons for Verti Draining include the break up of soil compaction from the years play. It also provides desirable conditions for healthy root growth. By breaking up the compaction, both roots and water penetrate more deeply into the soil and better absorb water and nutrients.

Benefits of verti draining are:

• Enables the absorption of water from the surface to the drainage system below (if present), preventing run-off and surface water lying in undulations
• Facilitates quick drying of turf to extend playing time
• Improves and maintains good soil structure
• Improves and maintains sward density giving a better playing surface and preventing the invasion of weeds and moss etc.
• Improves the durability of the sward and recovery from surface damage

Yardage Marker Change Over

This month we have also been out changing over our sprinkler head yardage plates which is a great addition to the course. I think you will agree that these look much more professional and uniform in their appearance. This is a great start to a number of detail changes that we aim to implement out onto the course to enhance the overall experience of playing The Downs.

Looking Forward

As winter is now fast approaching, we are now starting to focus on preparing our surfaces for this period. This includes a granular feed on the greens to help coverage and to harden the plant against disease, sorrel rolling to help air into the top surface of the profile and reduced rolling to relieve compaction. In the next month, we will be looking to carry out a cut and collect procedure on all of the bunkers. This involves strimming the bunkers including the long grass areas and removing the material generated. This helps ensure that next year we maintain the fine wispy fescue on the bunkers enhancing their visual appearance and playability.

As autumn is here a significant amount of our time will be spent clearing leaf debris from the course, this will involve not just blowing them from in play areas but collecting and removing them. This is a time-consuming procedure but one that must be carried out efficiently to prevent them collecting and breaking down in large areas.

The team continues to do their best to produce a fantastic golfing experience for you on a daily basis and your kind words and support are hugely appreciated. 

See you on the course!

Tom Brearley, Head Greenkeeper Downs Course

The Park Course

Playing Area

Greens maintenance took place at the start of the month and went without any problems. The task undertaken was as follows:

Verti-Cutting – Slicing the surface of the green with blades close together to thin the surface and remove any lateral growth and any annual meadow grass seed heads that may be present.

Over Seeding – Continuing with our overseeding programme we broadcasted 40kg of Colonial Bent seed across all the greens.

Sand Dressing – Once the seed has been broadcasted we applied a medium setting of sand, putting down a total of 10 tonnes across all the greens. The amount was enough to fill the channels and smooth out any imperfections.

Organic Granular Fertiliser - We applied a granular fertiliser to increase grass sword, aid colour and strength going into winter months.

Recovery has been pleasing with the green speed consistent between 9.6 – 10.6.

Tees

The tees have been fertilised to keep the sward thick and healthy. Regular devoting and overseeding continues weekly and considering the amount of play these receive; they are in good condition. 

Fairways

Our cutting programme continues three times a week and regular maintenance with brushing to produce carpet-like surfaces. A spot treatment of selective weed kill was carried out to eliminate small patches of clover. The bunkers have been edged back and trimmed, and sand depths regularly monitored to ensure excellent playability. In the coming weeks, we will be pushing forward with our aeration programme on greens and tees. Regular pencil tinning, sorrell rolling and slitting through the playing surface to ensure as much air gets through the profile as possible.

Staff have worked tirelessly throughout the month producing excellent playing surfaces and high attention to detail on all areas. Please continue to repair your pitch marks!

See you on the course!

Simon Berry, Head Greenkeeper Park Course