A cold snap to hasten Spring

As I write, we are heading into what is forecast as the coldest week of winter to date. I remember thinking a few weeks ago that we weren't out of winter yet and just maybe there was a final sting in the tail before we reached April. Step forward February!

The last week or two has actually been quite good, weather wise, and we have all noticed a bit of budding on trees along with snowdrops and other spring bulbs starting to push through. A bit of birdsong has also hinted at an early start. As with March 2017, it may be a false start.

We had a little snow too in February which halted a very disappointing and wet winter. Our rainfall statistics have made depressing reading. Certainly, many local golf courses have endured a similar plight this winter. Weather patterns indicate wetter, milder winters and certainly a mixed bag in summer. It seems also that Spring starts later every year.

I think that next winter might be a good time to execute some drainage installation on certain areas on the golf course. Getting playing surfaces returned to something approaching 'dry' is essential, given golfers want to play year round. Drainage certainly won't overcome torrential rainfall - but it certainly won't do any harm either.

We have recently completed an overhaul of the 2 beds by the putting green. They were looking a little tired, overgrown and unkempt if I'm being honest. Moving into PPGC's 40th year, we thought that giving them both a bit of TLC was the order of the day. A low cost, immediate impact improvement. I managed to snag some lovely lavender from my local Waitrose. I was given some money from Alan Whitty - thank you Alan, and the seniors section - to get a few more shrubs. The 2 others in the bed (above) are Leucothoe scarletta and Berberis 'Tiny Gold'. The contrast of the foliage of the silvery blue Lavender against the crimson/green and yellow of the other two will make a lovely contrast.

We recently finished off the shuttering around the 11th tee mat to finish this part of path area. It now looks a lot more defined and the path is now wider and, more importantly, drains really well after heavy rain. As you may recall, when we installed a new valve assembly, we put a lot of gravel as a soaraway around this area which used to consistently puddle after rain. Now, it is pretty decent.

Last week saw the (near) completion of the 1st green side bunker. It has been a really enjoyable winter project to transform a bunker that was always difficult to maintain and to keep looking good.

The photo above shows it in happier times (dry weather). The photo below shows it at its worst; devoid of decent sand, very poor aesthetically and compromised from a playability perspective - the ball would never gather in the middle of the bunker as it sloped from back to front.

We also found irrigation pipe running through the middle of the base and so we had to re-route that around the back edge which worked out well, considering the valve assembly needed to be replaced as the wiring was corroded among other things.

The part of the bunker that has been filled in and turfed has also had a large soak away installed to keep it dry - the soak away actually sits above the drain that will take water away from the bunker and out too the ditch near the 11th tee.

The above photo is interesting in that it demonstrates how sand splash from years of bunker shots can accumulate and raise the edge of the bunker (light sand on top of dark sandy soil). This became obvious as we were edging the bunker and grading the face & base of the bunker.

A skimming of path grit should hopefully bind to the clay base and provide a more sterile base that weeds will find hard to colonise. It will also help to stop the bunker sand from migrating into the drain.

Now that the bunker has been sanded, we just need a few more weeks to allow it to settle. Dare I say it but a bit of rain will help it to compact!!

We are now progressing with the 8th fairway bunker. That is a little more challenging as it has been pelted with rain and needs a bit more work doing with the drain. That said, a dry week will help us to crack on with it.

Enjoy your (dry) weekend and hopefully a round of golf too!

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!