The Downs Course

June has been a varied month with 73mm of rainfall so far (40mm of that came in one day) and with temperatures rising, we have had some ideal growing conditions. The greens are now being sand dusted weekly and are now performing more consistently which is pleasing to see.

We did have an attack of Brown Ring Patch (Waitwa Patch), which can get aggressive in high thatch greens. An application of fungicide was applied to deal with the disease. With our new thatch removal programme, this disease will decrease in coming years. The poa seed heads are now becoming less. This is mainly due to our brushing and growth regulator programme, which has minimised the amount of unwanted heads, which cause the greens to become slower and less true due to their large surface area. We have also aerated the greens using an 8mm solid tine to a depth of 75mm using our new pedestrian aerator. This causes minimal disturbance to the putting surface as it has a much lower footprint on the green due to its weight.

The fairways have had their first liquid feed of the year to add some colour and encourage growth. We are also now changing the cut direction monthly to minimise the lateral growth and create a truer surface.

The natural rough areas have really grown well in the last month as you would have probably found out whilst playing. Some areas around tees have been grown up to improve the character of the golf course and to maximise framing the hole. This does add a vast amount of bio-diversity to the golf course with butterflies, birds, insects, Hares and an array of creatures now using these areas to live and feed in. We spotted our first Hare of the year on the 15th hole this month. We have also added some bat and bird boxes to the outer woodland to encourage wildlife activity. We also had the Sussex Botanical Recording Society do a plant survey on The Downs, which was of great interest.

Look forward to seeing you on the course!

Rob Dyer, Head Greenkeeper, The Downs Course

The Park Course

This month, we have slightly changed The Park course presentation. We have changed from the half and half block cut to a more parkland style of stripping the fairways which will help increase definition and presentation.

We have continued with our aeration programme on the greens with a 10mm tine to reduce compaction and create channels for the roots to develop and grow. The cutting heights have been reduced to 3.5mm and with a weekly light sand top dressing, we are managing to keep speeds and trueness up with ensuring we have a healthy plant.

We kept up with our organic granular fertiliser programme on the greens. No doubt if you were playing at the time, you would have smelt it! This increases the nutrient and water holding capacity of the soil, strengthens the plants tolerance against disease and dry conditions. It will also promote greater root development while giving the greens a consistent growth with good colour.

We have continued with fertilising fairways with a nice cocktail to ensure the sward is thick, healthy and weed free with a consistent growth.

Please repair your pitch marks!

Look forward to seeing you on the course,

Simon Berry, Head Greenkeeper, The Park Course