A Wet One!
The theme of summer has continued through what has been one of the wettest winters I can remember. Despite the challenges, and thanks to the support of the winter policies by the members, I feel the course has stood up relatively well. We have been open for more play than any of the local parkland courses and this is testament to past investment in the rebuild of the greens’ complexes and the miles of fairway drainage put in over the last 20 plus years. Combined with recent aeration work at the start and end of the season, along with a wetting agent program, we think the course is in a good position to further progress the playing surfaces, as the better growing conditions arrive toward June. In the meantime, we will look to consolidate what we have got until then.
Greens
The putting green will open on Friday 1st March the first for a 5-day putting competition. It will then close on the 7th and 8th for some renovation work and reopen for the season on Saturday 9th March.
The rest of the greens have carried a good coverage of grass through the winter thanks to a steady nutrition and disease control policy which seems to have performed well. We will look to open the surface from time-to-time throughout the season but with minimal affect to ball roll.
We also hope for better weather through the season to carry out more light, frequent topdressing to the greens to improve smoothness and trueness. It is important to be aware that proper growth on greens doesn’t normally occur till the end of May so we will be working hard to reduce the effect of variable growth on ball roll during April and May.
Tees
We will continue to maintain and improve the Blue teeing areas. We have been pleased with the response from the different sections to this trial and we look forward to their increased use.
The new tee signage is out and looks great, giving a modern look to the area.
The Yellow and Red tee sets will be available in March and the Whites will be introduced when required. By popular demand we are also looking to reintroduce the white tee on the 9th once we have met all the health and safety requirements to do so.
The use of mats on par 3 holes has proved a success with 80 to 90 % recovery of the grass surfaces compared with large areas that did not recover until midsummer in 2023. Again, thanks for supporting this policy. We are looking to expand the construction and use of winter teeing areas across the course over the coming years to improve conditions for the main season.
Bunkers
We have 5 bunkers in the build process which we will complete as soon as possible. The weather will dictate when we are able to complete this work. We are sorry for the delay, but we are relying on weather windows which have simply been non-existent. The rest of the bunkers will be renovated for the season over the coming weeks, but again this has been affected by the weather.
Fairways and semi rough
Cutting will be done as weather allows and we are also continuing cultural practices to reduce worm casting but as there are no effective legal controls this continues to be a battle, but we will aim to further improve these areas.
Some new shapes will be used this year to maximise playability and safety of certain holes. Some of you may have seen the first test of one of the next generations of robotic mowing systems. I would expect this technology to be commonplace on courses in the near future so watch this space.
Rough
We hope one of the biggest difference you will see this year is the quality of the rough. With the ability to mow in most ground conditions thanks to the new Ventrac tractor this should mean greater consistency should be achievable. Periods of flush fast growth will still occur but our ability to react to this has now increased.
Trees
We have removed 6 more large poplars and even more large conifers to improve light and air flow to key areas and reduce leaf litter at the end of summer. Crown lifting and strategic pruning is also continuing across the course to improve light, air flow and create vistas across the course. We have also had to have some emergency tree work done along Tarvin Road due to safety concerns from the Council.
Drainage
The 12th Fairway has been really tested and been fantastic. We will look to do other areas on the course in the summer. We’ve been unable to complete any of our winter drainage due to the weather. We may try to complete some of the low impact areas if time allows during the summer to improve all year-round conditions.
Other Progress
The range building is up and running with the final fixes to happen when the range is being readied for full opening.
The Short Game Area (SGA) is growing in nicely. We expect to be able to open this area in the mid-summer.
The shoe blower has now been moved and the area has been landscaped ready for turfing as soon as possible.
The 10th tee is growing in nicely ready for play towards May time. The sides will take some time to fully establish but the delays caused by the weather has meant delays to the grow-in.
Repairs to the irrigation system to enable full automation have been completed. These work areas will be filled in when possible. The system will be opened up in March. Thanks to some new pieces of equipment, we will be able to better control moisture levels to improve the health of the grass.
New gates have been built for the overflow carpark once the range build is completed.
A buggy wash down area is also under construction to allow members to environmentally wash down their buggies, ride-Ons or trolleys if they so wish, along with the club buggies.
We have rebuilt several paths to allow better access across the course for staff and members. We will look to expand the number of paths around the course to allow for the increased demand for ride on vehicles, along with a safe route for summer when conditions are very wet.
We apologise in advance for any inconvenience as we all work to better the course each season. To stand till in nature is to go backwards. We ask that everybody does their bit to help the course through spring to follow ropes, use paths, use mats, repair minor damage and travel sensibly and safely around the course. Thanks for working with us and we hope you enjoy your course.
Richie Stephens
Course Manager
