Greens Update - Late November 2023
Hi everyone,
Finally, we seem to have a spell of dry weather upon us, which is very welcome indeed! It has been very frustrating for all of us not to be able to carry out our programme of works due to the course being flooded in many parts. It is still very soft, but at least it seems like a dryer spell is coming - meaning we will be able to crack on. It is still not firm enough to safely have the larger mowers around, but hopefully we will be able to cut some areas of the course soon. This is much needed.
A ditch has been dug form the pond on the left of the 1st, back to the outlet which travels under the 1st and away behind the 17th. This will act as a relief ditch for when the ponds become too high, such as in recent weeks after all the rainfall. Already the ponds have reduced in height over a few days. This has had a knock on effect on drainage of the surrounding areas. Below is how the work has affected some of our neighbours gardens that are in the vicinity - pretty significant!
Before…
… and After.
The greens have been hand cut though which has tidied them up. We are trying to keep them as free from debris as possible, which has meant a lot of blowing. This will continue for a while until all the leaves are down, the oaks are hanging on at the moment. The greens are quite soft at the minute, especially after all the bad weather, but hopefully the dryer weather will help with that. I know there have been some concerns over the softness but in general the greens are in good health, despite a little bit of disease showing here and there. Actually, the amount of disease is less than 1% of the surface area so is not too bad overall. For those not at the latest forum, I spoke with Gary from the STRI about the question of softness and he gave me this reply:
“It's not what you and your team are doing, it's two-fold, and this has to be considered before conclusion. Firstly, the maintenance over that period, has it been consistently carried out and multiples of tons of aggregates/top dressing been a product that is consistent year on year and batch to batch?
Most top dressings will vary depending on time and area in the quarry being harvested.
Secondly, did the original USGA spec live up to its name as many are only just within that spec and will without doubt be influenced by wear from moisture percolation, aeration exercises and additional aggregates with a variety of particle sizes and shapes, all wearing the sand spec into smaller particles and thus hindering original flow.
Likewise has the local primary drainage been reviewed as we now have totally different weather patterns from when these designs and specifications were drawn up.
Organic matter both in the mat form and the degrading fine particles will also hinder moisture infiltration and we must accept that even a USGA spec has a limited lifespan?
I would say that the answer is a mix of all the above and digging an inspection pit would be advantageous to our potential resolution. But in real terms sir, it’s not what you have or haven't done, it is natural rootzone/soil mechanics and a vastly changed cyclical weather system.”
Just to answer a few points on this.
I do not think the club have ever tested multiple batches of sand and topdressing over the years, although it may have been done at the time of rebuilding the greens. Maintenance levels on the greens would have changed year in year out, with various levels of work being carried out. Here and now, we carry out as much as we can in the right conditions to aid the movement of moisture away from the surface. I will also be introducing penetrant wetting agents that will help pull water down through the profile. We will also be spraying products over the next few months which will help target the thatchy organic matter, resulting in firmer greens.
The drainage of the greens will be looked at as soon as we have located all the original rodding points put in during construction.
The products we now use are helping to clean up any unwanted thatchy organic matter and make them more sustainable for the future. The USGA specification of pure sand under our greens has changed and developed over the years, and now it is about managing what we have to produce the best possible surfaces.
Hopefully, next week we will be able to carry on with aspects of our winter programme, such as stripping off some areas of poor turf around some bunkers, finishing the winter mats and making a start on the new yellow tee at the 2nd.
