Monday 17 December 2018

The rear bunker on the 18th Lower is having a new revetted face.  Consisting of a wall of thick turf this will look great coming onto the course for the first time or from the balcony above.  In the New Year the other 2 bunkers at the rear on this hole are being revetted plus the left bunker on the 18th Upper.

Before

First layers

 The 10th Upper Tee bank has been removed and replaced with a low sleeper wall as can be seen in the below picture.  In January this Tee is being raised and levelled in order to complete rebuild of this hole.
10th Tee Upper


 The last batch of paths is now finished with extensions and top ups on the 18, 17th and 14th Lower.


17th Lower
Once we are back during our 1st full week, Tee rebuilding will occur.  Starting at the 5th Upper we have an ambitious plan for Tee levelling/rebuilding in 2019. This together with all the new bunker faces and other ongoing projects will see a big step forward in course quality in 2019.

Friday 9 November 2018


Winter is fast approaching now with recovery on surfaces much harder and any marks starting to become more visible.  Lower was solid-tined this week followed by a light topdress to further fill any imperfections.  Poor recovery on fairways after summer has left lack of grass, now slick after the rain looking unsightly and making buggy use difficult in certain areas.

A constant bug bare was the 12th bunker lower.  Wash out after even the lightest rain and in the wrong place this bunker has now been removed and will be turfed on Wednesday.  The path has been carried further down to allow buggies to stay clear of the green in the winter.  As winter progresses a new bunker will be inserted to the right of the green along with an apron.

Before

Filled awaiting level
Bunkers on the 3rd, 5th and 10th of the lower are recieving a low revetted face, toward the green.  This will balance the bunker, with a rough out of play back edge and a clean, sharp front face.  The process is slow with the base being levelled and each layer of turf compacted down before finally turfed.  3rd and 5th will be done first with the 10th later in the winter.

Based prepared for turf

 The left bunker on the 3rd has a slightly higher face for the visual impact on the approach shot with the right bunker keeping the same height face.

Left 3rd


Ooh sexy







Pathways on the course are continuing to be levelled, extended and improved.  18th lower has been shortened and relevelled.  Next week 12, 14 and 17 on the lower will have new levels of path toppings, all with extensions


Saturday 27 October 2018

What we really need now is rain.  Still dry around the course.  Tees have filled in well,  fairways are a long way away and greens every day are slowly knitting together.  All tees and fairways have been fed to aid recovery.  Tees have also recieved a Herbicide to tackle weeds.

Much better
 Winter projects are continuing at a pace with turf arriving this week to finish the 10th Upper.  Small pot bunker has now gone and both this, the new revetted face and all surrounding areas being turfed this week.  The pot bunker was an unused and unseen hazard so we have removed this and will create an apron to the side of the green.

Bunker not used or seen
The 4th fairway bunkers on the Upper have now been filled, fed and seeded these were a hang up from the short drives of the olden days.  The 5th fairway bunkers are also scheduled to go this side of Christmas.
filled in on 4th
 Like the 10th Upper the 9th has suffered problems with large dry areas under trees.  This part of the surround is so poor, sand constantly runs onto the green in the rain ruining this surface also.  The large chestnut has been trimmed and a path will be extended here once turf is down.

Roughed up ready to key in turf
 The shot below is the right side of the 12th Tee Lower.  An exciting project started with the 11th bunker complex last year and concluding with changes around the 12th green this year.  A new walkway to the right side of the 12th Tee will be opened in spring allowing a different approach to the 12th hole increasing the wow factor in this corner of the course.

Starting to take shape



Monday 1 October 2018

The 10th bunker Upper looking quite sexy already.  Re-shaping with new drainage and sand followed by a path around the right of the hole.

Rough shaping

Marking out new edge

Thursday 27 September 2018


Lots going on at the moment on the golf course.  Upper greens have been tined and dressed to further help fill in summer damage and in the main are looking and playing much better.  Lower greens are scheduled for early next week.  Greens have received their first fungicide application and are looking very healthy coming into a difficult high disease period. 

All Upper tees and poor Lower tees have been heavily dressed and fed and are beginning to fill in.  16th path is now finished with mats moved on both 16 and 17 Upper ready for winter.

Mat moved
Next on the agenda for the digger is the 10th path Upper.  This will extend from the tee all the way to the right behind the green and join up with the 11th path.

Path re-routed
Once this is finished we are beginning tee renovations with a number of rebuilds and relevelling on the cards.

Friday 7 September 2018

Greens are still recovering after intense dry spell.  This week we have scarified and seeded bare parts on poor greens.  Verti-cut and double cut all greens followed by dressing and a concoction of fertilzers.  They have responded well in the last few weeks and in the main are filling in.



 Construction work is beginning around the course as the dry weather continues.  The path on 16th and 17th is being rebuilt leveled and extended.  Next on the list will be an extension to the 10th path on the Upper and a completely new path around the 12 tee Lower.


Next week Tees and Aprons are being fed with cutting going on around the course as greens are left alone this week to recover.


Tuesday 21 August 2018


A poor few weeks on the course.  Tining went well on both courses with the weather allowing Upper tees and aprons to be tined.
Yet more holes

Recovery from drought stress and the poor irrigation system has meant patchy growth, with some parts of the green responding well to feeds and tining and other parts lagging far behind.  

This has meant uneven, slow, bumpy surfaces compounded by greens mowers leaving a poor finish.

More sand

Improvements are coming quickly with the lower receiving 10 ton of extra sand this week and seeded areas on greens are beginning to fill in.

Seed starting to pop
Also this week a flail collector.  This machine cuts and collects long rough  allowing us to thin out grass.  This will be an ongoing process helping to create finer, fairer rough.














Wednesday 8 August 2018


Lots of maintenance on the course over the next few weeks.
Hollow-tine down to 65mm with 10mm inner tines across Lower greens.  Greens have been brushed, seeded, brushed, cut and finally rolled.  The following day fertilised and heavily watered.

Tined

Over Seeded

Brush, cut and rolled

Areas on greens are now beginning to die due to extended dry spell.  These patches have struggled due to high humidity and as greens recover from tining we will get a better idea of the scale of these patches.  To help with this recovery more Nitrogen has been applied and greens have been raised to 5mm.  If sward recovery is good, we may lower height back down after a few weeks.
Dead or just dormant?
we will have a better idea in a week
probably a bit of both on this one






Thursday 12 July 2018


Greens are now improving after some fierce heat and the next week sees a chance of rain which will help.  Currently we are 44 days without rain as of today, although the wet winter has definitely helped maintain grass on tees and fairways.
A light solid tine this week just to get air and water through the profile.  Course has really browned of now, giving us time to further tackle irrigation problems.  At the back of the week greens are being brushed to improve surfaces and this practice will continue now right through August as we look to get greens back to acceptable condition.

Hollow-tining will begin the week commencing August the 6th on the Lower.  Lower course will be closed for 1 and a half days.  The Upper will follow the exact pattern a week later.  If the weather breaks and we get significant rain the plan is to hollow-tine aprons and tees during those weeks.



Lots of holes

 We are hopeful that an irrigation pipe extension behind 7th Upper will improve flow to around 6 greens on the course and are planning to add a further extension in the autumn. The pipe is currently on the surface and will be dug in once ground allow. 

Pipe extension
Poor pressure 6th Upper
 Some shots around the course show the contrast between the brown and green.

1st Lower

13th Lower

1st Lower

Sunday 1 July 2018


Obviously it's all about irrigation at the moment.  Our limited capacity to hold water means we have to choose between Greens and Tees every night not both.  As the temperature hits 25+ our irrigation system is not good enough so we concentrate on keeping the Greens alive, not worrying to much about the colour.  

We are moving some sprinkler heads nearer to the green thereby improving coverage on the green.  As we can see below.
15th Green Upper

As we are using the system so any weaknesses are bound to be exposed.  This break is the second in 7 days just making it more fun and interesting.

16th Lower

A few more tweaks to the rough just to allow room for an errant shot on 7,14 and 15th Lower.

14th Lower


Sunday 17 June 2018

Lots of dry weather on the course beginning to shape areas nicely.  A good deal of rough areas on the course are being further shaped, increasing in play areas and reducing lost ball problems.


5th Lower

Rough shaping is being increased around some bunkers.  This gives the course a lovely feel and frames the hole.  As we rebuild and reshape bunkers in the coming years we will create a clean sharp edge, blending into a wild rugged side around bunkers.

8th Lower
The section between 1 and 18 lower has been cut down, trees cleared and tidied.  The right of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the lower has had extra rough put in place to protect the new housing so pushing the golfer right on the 1st has meant clearing this section of rough on the 1st.  Once we get into winter we are also planning to clear scrub and trees to the right of the 3rd fairway lower to make finding the ball easier from the tee shot.

1st/18th Lower

Thursday 7 June 2018


It has been a rubbish few weeks with regards to machinery.  Constant breakages and problems caused by an aged fleet.  The rough however is now going to seed and looks great in the wind.


1st Upper
Seed heads are now disappearing on the greens so speed and smoothness will pick up in the next ten days. 

close up view of  a green

Saturday 2 June 2018

The course is undergoing a change at the moment.  Rough is being shaped in order to frame the golf course.  These areas in the main are off the line of play and the aim is to allow trees to grow within these plantations.  Some parts of the rough will need further reshaping to get the balance between play ability and the course shaping.

6th Upper

Damage to the 6th Lower has been hollow tined, dressed and seeded and should begin to fill in in the next few weeks.
H-tining


Seed and sand

With the rain in the last week we have taken the opportunity to drain the irrigation system and rebuild 3 complete new boxes around the course.  These have caused persistent problems with leaks in the last year.

1st Green Lower 


Tuesday 8 May 2018

Lots going on, in what is a short week.  1/2 a ton of sand followed by 10mm tines down to 75mm on the Lower.  Tomorrow moving to the Upper and finishing the Lower.  Following behind is the brush 2 ways and light irrigation about 5 minutes a green. 

Tine and Brush

Medium dressing
 As we keep away from to much feed on the greens we are creating a hungrier sward. The paler, shallow rooting Poa is struggling where as deeper rooting Bent is thriving.  All the work this week should see the greens begin to fill in and smooth out in the next week or 2.
  
Lots of preferred bent grass moving into the greens