Looking forward to 2018

We are a good week or so into January and we've finally had a prolonged dry spell - the first for quite some time. It has been good to get the greens striped up and at least presented nicely. Granted, they will not be lightning fast but it is the middle of winter and the main objective for now is to maintain play (and good grass coverage) on the greens.

They have, this week, been verti-drained and this is the first opportunity that the weather has allowed us to do this since our autumn renovation work in September 2017. Don't be surprised that the greens are a bit soft. They've never had much opportunity to dry out since. In the coming months, slitting and spiking will be very useful to keep the greens surfaces dry and to encourage some root growth in preparation for spring.

It's fair to say that the winter so far has been a little bit naff but hopefully the worst of the rain has fallen and now we can look forward to a bit more sun & wind thrown into the mix. I certainly agree with some members who have suggested that we need to crack on with some drainage improvements. Whilst drainage will not totally solve the problems associated with constant, heavy rain, the alternative of doing nothing is not exactly proactive. I think everyone knows which areas need to be addressed. There is no issue with doing the work - we just need a mini digger and a few more raw materials like gravel & root zone. I stress again, doing the work is not hard. Given the necessary resources, it will get done.

The green side bunker was one of our winter course improvement projects. As it was, the bunker was pretty dreadful (never pretty, mind) and not an aesthetically pleasing bunker to find oneself in by the 1st green. So we set about reducing the size with a view to creating a nicer shape, in line with our other renovated bunkers. We did however encounter a hitch - the irrigation ring main running straight through it. So, that had to be re-routed and while we were at it, we replaced the drainage pipe too.

Following this, we had installed a new valve assembly to replace the old, knackered one and this was relocated into the widened path by the 11th tee. Then we just needed to lay the turf to ensure it had a chance to slowly root in before spring. Bunker sand will be added nearer the time and when budgets allow.

Also, we decided to fill in the 8th green side bunker. It wasn't a great bunker and it was sat in shade all the time - never a great idea if you want the sun to dry out wet sand. So at least this area is now a bit more presentable.

Lastly, the 8th fairway bunker got a makeover - literally. Before, it was a terrible bunker with zero drainage capabilities and zero redeeming features. I used to cringe whenever I went past it. The real problems though were that it wasn't very prominent from the 8th/17th tees. I think it's important to be able to view hazards from afar. It gives a hole real impact and gives the golfer a better mental picture of how they visualise their shots. The other issue was one of poor aesthetics and an elevated leading edge. Bunkers should gather a wayward shot with the ball feeding into the base.

To achieve our target, I said to myself "what is it going to look like?". So, I looked at the first bunker on the 3rd fairway and thought, "just like that". Therefore what we did was basically imitate it.

The contouring around the 3rd fairway bunker (above) served as a model for the 8th, below:

I do think that we have achieved what we set out to and I also believe that these 2 renovated bunkers will look fantastic once they are completed. I will, of course, post more photos of the continuing progress at a later date.

To date, we have (woodland work aside) achieved the following from our course master plan over the last 4 years:

• Remodelled 12 tees
• Remodelled 10 bunkers
• Filled in 3 bunkers
• Reshaped 3 greens surrounds
• Environment Agency flood defence work at 4/7
• New permanent winter tee mats at 1, 2, 4, 5, 8

I think that is a productive 4 years work. Throw the ongoing woodland work and new paths into the pot and we have ourselves a much improved golf course.

I know that temporary greens are a bugbear. We don't enjoy golfers having to play golf on temporary greens either but sometimes they are a necessary evil. Over the next few years, they will improve. It is like with everything - they will not miraculously get better overnight. This year, they will improve again and with a bit more budget, patience and time, they will be more playable next winter (should we need them).

James is making great progress with his NVQ Level 2 and he should be qualified in February/March. I have completed a third of the GCMA Diploma in Golf Club Management. Education is important. Golf clubs hopefully recognise that employees who continue their professional development become a greater asset and stay motivated as a result. 

We both hope to see you all on the golf course in 2018. 

Have a great weekend and enjoy your golf!

A cooler start to November

Greetings pop pickers.

We are now over a week into November and at last we are starting to experience some sustained dry weather. It has only taken 4 months (the last full dry week before October end was June!!). Joking aside, the weather since July has been truly abysmal and I was starting to wonder whether the golf course would ever dry out. 

So a few things to catch up on then since the last blog...

Greens are looking okay heading into winter. We finally got some recovery following the autumn coring and scarifying. As it was so wet and cool in September, the recovery took forever. However, the greens are finally drying out (with the exception of the 9th - a perpetual headache) and going into winter, they look fairly decent. We will try to get a really light dressing to them over the next week or so.

I did see Ronnie Minshull with a wry look on his face this week as we topdressed the putting green! The issue we had with some greens was that because it was so wet in September, we never managed to topdress the greens and drag in DRY sand. So we couldn't top up all the holes created from the hollow coring. Hence some greens just need a wee bit more. The sand will also help to protect the plant against winter play too (the abrasiveness of the sand should mitigate against spike marks and general foot traffic, particularly when rain is thrown into the mix). Ronnie knows this anyway - and with him being a demon putter, he actually dreams of playing on freshly top dressed greens.

As is normally the case these days, more trees have been felled following the latest round of chainsaw training on site. And as is normally the case, when the trees have been felled, logged and collected, it doesn't look like anything has been done! Such is the quantity of trees in certain areas on the golf course, a few removed here and there barely scratches the surface.

However, in some areas (such as between the 1st and 2nd, above top), we really are making great progress. This area is now much improved and can now start to support some maturing trees that will develop correctly. It also continues to remove our leaves burden - a task I find so demoralising and unproductive. I would much rather be carrying out course improvements than dealing with leaves. But, deal with them we will and I hope they will all be fallen soon.

Many thanks to Tom Frame and John Newns for installing a permanent mat behind the 5th tee. This will serve both 5 and 14 in the winter. Well done fellas, it looks great!

Recently, we took an opportunity to dig a soakaway in the middle of the 9th green. It presented a chance to work on this problematic green whilst it was closed for play. The top photo shows the base of the green after removing a sand improved rooting layer. Unfortunately, once this was removed, we hit a really wet, compacted heavy clay soil. Not the sort of soil that will drain well or quickly nor will support good root growth.

In saying that, the photo above at least demonstrates that roots will grow through a verti drain hole. Punching holes in greens, despite the complaints of golfers, does actually draw many benefits. But 12 inches down, we found gravel (unfortunately capped off by clay and then gravel covering another layer of clay. This is probably (and I'm sticking my neck out here) why the green floods during really heavy rain. The water just sits on the surface because the drainage rate is so poor. The photo below shows just how wet it can sit.

With that in mind, the soakaway was filled with a thin layer of grit before we added 6-8 inches of a sandy root zone (similar to our divot mix). This should at least drain better than what was previously  here and provide us with a starting area on which we can expand this work further into the green. It is by no means a quick solution nor a long term solution. However, the alternative is to do nothing and that is in no way proactive.

We also started something similar at the back of the 8th green. You don't need to see the gory details of the soil below this green to realise why this doesn't drain. I'll give you a clue though; it's a bit like the 9th! 

All we can do is adopt a piecemeal approach to these 2 greens. There is simply not the budget available to do anything bigger or more drastic with either the 8th or 9th green. The compromise is that, during heavy rain, they puddle/flood and we go to a temporary green. Enough said.

Have a great week and (weather permitting) enjoy your golf.

Trees on the golf course

http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/clubhouse/2017-ungated/10-17-ungated/five-things-to-know-about-trees-on-golf-courses.html

September update

Recently, the weather has been a bit naff. So wet in fact that the autumn renovations have stretched over 3 weeks (when all finished). Really, when working as a team of 2, you need everything to work in your favour to get the work done in a week. We were grateful for the help of Dave Asprey, Colin Riley and John Newns for their assistance. Great work guys!

The trouble we had was that it tipped it down from 4th September and trying to pull cores out of wet greens is a nightmare. They just don't come out. Dragging in wet sand is just as bad too. So the work really has dragged on because everything has been so stop-start.

We must get the work done so that the greens are nice and dry (and firm) as we head into autumn and winter. We aim to finish next week.

One positive to report is that I arranged a demonstration day with Bernhard's. We managed to get the greens mower cylinders re-ground FOC. This saved the golf club about £250-300 which is money that won't be lost out of the budget. Re-grinding is a pricey business (maintaining golf courses is a pricey business but that's the way it is when you're running a business that caters for a luxury hobby such as golf) and to keep greens, tees, approaches and fairways looking in good condition, mower cylinders need to be regularly sharp.

Regards the weather, it has been a terrible summer in all honesty. The monthly rainfall totals are as follows:

• January - 51mm

• February-  79mm

• March - 84mm

• April - 18mm

• May - 46mm

• June - 99mm

• July - 81mm

• August - 75mm

• September - 94mm (so far)

Interesting that the wettest month of the year was June with September close behind. It has been a summer of extremes really and I guess warm & wet will become the norm for our summers from now on!

Many thanks for all volunteers who have assisted this summer with a special nod to Len Dilnutt for getting wet on a rough mower!

The cooler months of summer

As we head into August, we can reflect on a couple of quite wet months; June and July. Rainfall records show that June was easily the wettest month of the year so far. July was third wettest after March. 

So the heady days of May have been replaced by cooler, wetter days. This week, in particular, has been almost Autumn like. Winds and rain have provided a challenging week. However, there has been a noticeable slowdown in growth, understandably so, given the cooler days and nights. Casting worms have been really active too - the 4th fairway, normally quite wet and fertile, has been hammered by worm activity this week.

Greens are now looking smoother with the poa having stopped seeding. You will notice some anthracnose disease has hit the poa in places. We will overseed these areas with bent grass seed to hopefully fill in any minor gaps (replacing poor quality grass - poa, with something significantly better - bent).

Complete Weed Control were recently hired to spray fairways and roughs with a selective herbicide. The weeds are now dead, evident from the 2 examples above of dandelion and plantain. The cost of weed control is quite high due to the quantity of product required to cover the whole golf course. However, this operation will ultimately prevent weeds from regenerating in greater quantities in future years.

It has been nice to spruce up the fairway yardage discs with a well needed jet wash. These products are made from recycled plastic and as such will never rot or break easily. Keeping them clean and trimmed up enhances the golf course. A new set of tee signs has updated our course furniture and is long overdue. They look really sharp and modern. Thanks to John Newns and Tom Frame for their efforts in siting the new tee signs. Some more sponsors should help to repay the investment.

Elsewhere, Mark has been prominent in the woodland with more chainsaw training. Continued attention to woodland areas is now bearing fruit. Areas that never had grass growth before are now beginning to pick up. In addition, close examination of this essential work shows that the careful selection of trees to be removed has in fact created more space for other trees to flourish. The removal of trees is considered and Mark's expertise in identifying rotten or dying trees helps the golf club to meet the requirements of the Course Masterplan.

We continue to mow fairways with grass boxes to remove clippings (and reduce nutrient from the soil) so that the fairways stay shorter for longer. This work that started 3 years ago is now starting to click. We are now in the position where certain fairways are growing much slower and this will reduce the need to mow fairways so regularly. Mowing is a big expense - diesel, labour, cylinder re-grinding and replacement of machinery parts are all a considerable burden on the course maintenance budget.

We have also purchased a trailed spring tine harrow to help us address dense growth in fairways and roughs. The idea is that the harrow will help to thin out these areas by removing unwanted thatch from the surface. In time, fairways and roughs should start to improve further in regards to playability. We hope that any balls landing in rough shouldn't sit down too much. Broadleaf grasses will also be discouraged. With the removal of thatch, these areas should also firm up more and hold less surface water in inclement weather.

Well done to James for some stellar tees and approach mowing. He is proud of his stripes and loves mowing these areas, particularly with the brush on the mower. "They look much cleaner and tighter" is his usual remark. Nice to hear!

A small project has seen the weeds sprayed and trimmed down on the bank by the 15th tee. The views of these 2 adjacent holes are really good. However, maintaining a huge bank like this is just not practical due to the severity of the slopes involved.

This whole teeing area ultimately needs to be redeveloped in the future. It would really make a huge statement for the tees at holes 6 and 15 to be modernised. In their current state, they are not capable of being maintained effectively. The 6th tee, for a par 3 that gets hammered by divots, is way too small. It can never recover from wear because there is not enough room to allow divoted areas to recover.

The 15th tee has similar issues. The encroachment of trees and the hawthorn hedge to the left of the path renders the left side of this tee unusable (in the same way as the 7th, 8th, 14th and 16th tees. Look closely at the wear (divot) patterns and this tells you everything about the limitations of the aforementioned tees.

Hopefully in the future, funds will be available to make more efficient use of the current 15th tee site. It would make this hole an outstanding par 3 and allow a redeveloped tee complex to be maintained much more easily.

I thought it would be nice to sign off with a lovely photo of my daughter Violet. She's an absolute beauty and is doing really well.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your golf!

Looking closer at fusarium disease outbreaks

I'd like to communicate some information about disease outbreaks and disease control. It is quite topical because the past week has, due to rainfall and humidity, prompted some fusarium patch (michrodochium nivale) disease on the greens.

It is important to understand the reasons for an outbreak of disease and a simple but effective diagram is the disease triangle, below:

Basically, as the diagram demonstrates, disease occurs because a pathogen (fusarium), environmental factors (moisture, humidity, thatch layer etc) and a susceptible host (poa & bent grasses) are present at any particular time. If any of the factors are not present, then disease will not occur. 

For example, it is extremely unlikely that fusarium will occur during hot, dry weather because the disease favours humid, moist conditions. Given, the pathogen will be present at any time and the host (grasses) are always present but without the correct environmental conditions, an outbreak will not occur.

Fusarium can occur at any time of the year, providing it has favourable conditions to do so.

Control of disease can be addressed either culturally or chemically.

Cultural control includes dew removal (mowing, switching, brushing), well timed aeration (grooming, verticutting, scarifying) to encourage a less humid grass surface, regular aeration and topdressing to provide a drier surface, overseeing with grass cultivars that are more disease resistant, thatch removal (scarifying, hollow coring) as disease pathogens inhabit the thatch layer, irrigating only when necessary and fertilising correctly. 

We are aiming, always, to keep putting surfaces DRY. Fusarium requires MOISTURE. Hence why so much of the work over the last 3 years has been targeted towards providing greens that are firmer, less thatchy and drier. Essentially, cultural control forms part of an annual greens maintenance program.

Chemical control is essentially applying a fungicide to achieve control. It is generally a last resort because it is expensive. The other issue is that, legally, fungicides can only be applied so many times per year and this will generally be determined by government and industry bodies. The product label will specify the maximum number of doses that can be applied in any year. Beyond that, an alternative fungicide (generally with a different active ingredient) will have to be used.

So it becomes evident that common use of fungicides can become expensive. That is why we first aim to achieve control with sound turf management practices.

Secondly, we look at the time of year that the disease occurs. Although an outbreak can occur at any time, summer and autumn are not as problematic as winter and spring. This is because of growth. Fusarium is most problematic during winter because there is often very little growth and recovery from grass due to low temperatures. 

Conversely in summer, disease may be present but regular growth will help with disease control because regular mowing will generally remove the affected grass leaves. Importantly, an application of fungicide in the summer will often be wasteful because it too can quickly be removed out of the grass plant by mowing. That is why we are less concerned about disease occurring in the summer as well as the obvious point that applying a fungicide that will give control for 10-14 days in the summer is a complete waste of money. Far better to deploy fungicides during winter time when the grass needs assistance due to lack of growth and recovery.

As a point of interest, I've included a diagram of the fusarium disease life cycle below. This explains more about using different types of fungicides at different stages of the disease.

A preventative fungicide approach can be useful, particularly in autumn and winter because it will help to control disease before an outbreak occurs. 

A curative fungicide approach targets disease when it has progressed (stages 2 & 3).

The use of a fungicide with eradicant mode of action is deployed at stages 4 & 5 when the disease is advanced and causing turf loss. 

What we always have to consider is cost because chemicals are extremely expensive to purchase. With our budget, we cannot afford to be continually spraying fungicides to control fusarium. There is simply not enough money within the budget to do so.

Secondly, and maybe this is more a moral viewpoint, is that we have to ask ourselves if continuous fungicide spraying is environmentally friendly. To which the only answer is no. Additionally, we have to consider pathogen resistance to repeated use of the same fungicides.

Just as penicillin has been over prescribed by medical practitioners over the years, causing bacteria to become resistant to it, disease pathogens in turf can develop resistance to over use of fungicides because like everything else that lives, they adapt.

So, in conclusion, we do not enjoy to see fusarium disease. But as we have a limited budget, we must utilise fungicides sparingly and at the most critical times during the year. If we can achieve control without resorting to chemicals then that is the best outcome financially and environmentally.

It is a bit like type 2 diabetes which is linked to excess sugar in the diet and insulin resistance alongside other elements of a poor lifestyle. If we stay healthy, exercise regularly, limit sugar consumption then we are less likely to need the last resort (insulin injections). Prevention is better than a cure, as the saying goes. Or, perhaps cultural control is better than chemical control.