The Downs Course

First and foremost Happy New Year to you all. I’d like to say a thank you to everyone who has been repairing pitch marks over the last few months, there has been a significant decrease in pitch marks we have had to repair in the mornings. This will have significant benefits for the greens moving forward. For more information surrounding repairing pitch marks, please click here.

Since my previous blog we have experienced some very bizarre weather patterns. Starting with a covering of snow which shut the course, followed by temperatures rising up to 13 degrees Celsius and heavy dews, meaning very high disease pressure before Christmas. We have had a bit of disease come in to some of the greens with minimal airflow and light issues. We have sprayed a few products on the greens since to try and stop the spread of these scars and added some extra health to the plant to aid in recovery whilst we still have these warm temperatures. We also had 100mm of rain in December, which is taking its toll on some areas of the course, mainly the pinch points on walk offs.

With this is mind I feel it is important that I mention traffic management. I know this sometimes can be frustrating, but it is there to protect areas so that there is minimal damage for the upcoming season, meaning that these areas will be better to play off. Please be mindful of this and take a few more seconds to walk around the ropes, instead of under them. If the rope needs to be moved to play your shot, please replace when leaving the area. You will then be able to reap the benefits of this when they come in. For more information surrounding traffic management, please see this month’s care for our course video.

We had a visit this month from the representatives of the RSPB and the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association’s Head of Ecology. They looked at our sustainable approach and good practices we do over both courses. It is nice to showcase what we have achieved last year and future improvements.

The greens complexes, which includes Aprons, bunkers and run-offs have had a foliar feed applied to promote growth and improve plant health. We will focus more on these areas this year to improve consistency around the greens, with the aim to provide a quality ball lie around the greens.

We have now all but completed the bunker renovations on the course, with just a couple left to do on 16a. This has been completed earlier than scheduled due to us completing three more holes in the early lockdown of 2021. We will also be topping up the bunkers with sand throughout the winter. Some of the bunker edges which have collapsed will be repaired in the upcoming months.

The 5th tee has had a new mat installed and the left bank vegetation has started to be removed to improve air movement. Also 60% of the trees on the right bank of the tee will be removed this winter to improve air movement and increase light availability to the tee. We will also level and turf the two worn tees. Extra trees will be planted around the course, to replace the ones removed.

Please remember to repair all pitch marks on the greens and replace any divots taken.

See you on the course!

Rob Dyer, Head Greenkeeper, The Downs Course

The Park Course

The Course

We start the year once again fighting against the elements. Unfortunately December’s rainfall of 120mm, bringing the year total to over 900mm, has forced our hand in what we can achieve.

Greens

The greens cutting heights have been raised to 4.5 and we are only cutting them once a week. They are in good health. We have aerated the greens using a 10mm tine across the green going to the depth of 100mm to help break up thatch and compaction in the top layer and promote root and plant health. The most pleasing thing is that even due to higher-than-normal temperatures and very moist conditions, the greens are disease free! This is due to regular aeration and thatch reduction work and our disease preventative programme.

Tees

The tees have also received extensive aeration work with a 10mm tine across the surface. They have all been devoted with a soil and seed mix on any imperfections. The tees also have been fertilised with a granular to help with recovery, enhance sward density and promote growth and root development.

Woodland Work

When the weather hasn’t allowed us to be on the course our attention has been to continue with our woodland maintenance. As part of our ecology programme, we have thinning out some of the wooded areas on the course. Raising canopies, removing ivy and clearing all brambles. This has made a real difference and has created quite a feature. With more light getting to the woodland floor, we hope to see the bluebells flourish. As part of our ecology plan, we will continue to plant more trees around the course in rough areas. The species consist of beech, oak, hazel and maple.

Pathways

We have continued with our stone pathway programme. Putting down pathways for easier access around the course and to allow buggies to be used more in the winter months. The new pathway from the 15th green to the 16th Tee is another step in the right direction.

See you on the course!

Simon Berry, Head Greenkeeper, The Park Course