COURSE REPORT – JULY 2017
COURSE REPORT
INTRODUCTION
The regular inspection of the golf course was carried
out on Friday, September 22, 2017. The results of the
inspection together with recommendations for ongoing
management are given in the following sections of this
report.
TEES
The tees have performed well this year with strong turf
grass developing resulting from fertilisation and the use of
the growth regulator. The autumn programme for the tees
will consist of:
1. Aeration - hollow coring plus top dressing
2. Fertilisation - application of the controlled release
organic fertiliser Marathon
The need to renovate/reconstruct a number of Tees on
the golf course has been identified; these include:
1. 1st on the Yellow - quotation for carrying out
construction of a new tee complex has been received
2. 8th on the Blue - tee is in very poor condition and
requires upgrading.
FAIRWAYS
The quality of the fairways continues to be maintained
at a very high level through precise fertiliser inputs.
The only issue associated with the fairways and other
close mown areas is worm casting that causes smearing
on the surfaces. Worm casting creates a maintenance
nightmare and is one of the most challenging issues
for superintendents. Casting occurs where earthworm
populations reach several millions, particularly, under
fairways.
The only remedy is:
1. to raise the height of cut - reduces the visual impact
2. top dressing - abrasiveness of the sand can reduce
earthworm populations
3. Chemical control is available on a very limited basis
with a chemical that will not be available after this year.
Some supplies are available and will be used on the tees
to give the most cost-effective responses.
APPROACHES & GREEN SURROUNDS
Excellent turf grass quality has been maintained in both of
these areas ensuring superb definition and presentation
standards. This is due to the programme of aeration, top
dressing, fertilisation and use of the growth regulator.
One issue that will be examined during the next course
inspection is the size and shape of the approaches to the
greens. It is likely that some of these can be changed to
improve the definition of the golf course.
The left-hand green surround on the 9th hole is in very
poor condition with large worn areas due to the effect of
shade from the adjacent trees. In order to improve this
situation, the following will be carried out this autumn/
winter:
1. The affected area will be dug out and a new root zone
installed to provide a mound instead of the current swale
2. The redesigned area will be seeded with a shade
tolerant grass, namely, Poa pratensis.
BUNKERS
As stated many times before maintaining bunkers are
labour intensive and costly. The cost of maintenance
can and should be reduced, particularly, in this current
situation where staff resources are low (8 staff for 27
holes).
Example of how this can be done include:
Minimising disturbance of bunker faces - smooth bunker
faces with the smooth size of a bunker rake. This method
reduces the amount of raking time, created firmer faces
and reduces the likelihood of buried lies and encourages
golf balls to roll into the bottom of a bunker.