The Downs Course

I'd like to start by thanking all the members who participated in the Greenkeepers Revenge. It is always a fun event to set up for and we like to mix things up with some new ideas every year. Looking back I think the 17th hole was the best yet, being a 30 yard par 3 over water, a very daunting tee shot.

During this month we have carried out greens maintenance using the dryject machine, which injects sand into the upper profile through our problematic thatch layer. It creates a sand tube which allows water to flow through the soil profile quicker and creates firmer greens. This especially helps during the winter months. We put in about 30 tonnes of sand and did this over a 12 hour period on the 20 October. This was a massive task completed in very extreme weather, having downpours throughout the day. I can't praise my team enough working in these conditions, being soaked through by 8am and still getting the job complete. Moving 30 tonnes of sand in only buckets is no mean feat. I am a very proud Head Greenkeeper to be a part of such a positive maintenance.

The aprons have now been overseeded using our overseeder and we will add additional seed to the worn areas which are still present. We will then feed the aprons using a granular fertiliser. A lot of areas will be GUR (ground under repair), so please avoid walking through these areas as it will damage new seedlings.

Fairways are recovering nicely and thank you for your patience with not driving buggies on them, I feel this has made a significant difference in aiding recovery. We will look to liquid feed the fairways in the upcoming weeks to help speed up recovery.

We will also be putting out post and rope as part of traffic control and trying to keep some areas from wear and tear, mainly around the greens and tees.

Woodland work is ongoing between holes 1,17 and 18. The estate has had a tree survey completed and this has highlighted dangerous or damaged trees on the course and a priority of works which needs to be completed to make areas safe. The wood will be taken away and used for the estates biomass boiler, which provides electric and hot water for the estate in a sustainable way.

We have also pulled out and removed some reeds from the first pond on the 17th. These were left on the edge of the pond for a week, so any insects or pond life can find its way back in. This is to allow you to see more of the pond from the tee and create more of a feature from the water hazard. We will continue this work on the second pond, in front of the green in due course.

Next month we will aim to cut and collect the long natural rough areas with us doing this in house for the very first time.

We look forward to seeing you on the course!

Rob Dyer, Head Greenkeeper, The Downs Course

The Park Course

Greens

Aeration works this time of year is key, especially with the damp mornings and of course with disease always threatening. We have been pencil tinning the greens twice a month with the aim to aerate at the depth of 4/5” to help dry out the greens and to aid drainage. We continue with our spraying programme that consisted of foliar feeding and soil feeding. The foliar will concentrate more on working on a thick healthy sward and to strengthen the plant from disease and other stress elements while keeping a consistent growth rate. The soil feed is more organic based with natural products such as seaweed to help with root strength and to build a more sustainable soil for which the bent with thrive. For our granular feeding programme, we use a slow-release fertiliser called sustane, this is an organic granular product that has a long-lasting soil and plant nutrition, strengthens the plant tolerance against disease and keeps the green in good health and colour.

Fairway/surrounds

Carrying on from the maintenance last month we are now overseeding fairways and aprons.

Rough

As part of our ongoing conservation/habitat management plan all the long natural rough areas around the course have been cut and collected. Although the course does look a little bare at the moment, the benefits of carrying out this task are:

• Thins out and removes unwanted weeds and course grasses
• Allows the natural fescue grasses a chance to grow by not being over powered by courser species
• Gives the course definition whilst still maintaining its playability
• Carried out this time of year it doesn’t affect nesting birds or wildlife.

Please remember to repair your pitch marks!

We look forward to seeing you on the course!

Simon Berry, Head Greenkeeper, The Park Course