Greens Update - Jan 2026
As the daylight begins to last longer, we can look forward to the spring coming, where the rise in temperatures will bring new life to the course. Most areas on the course are fairly dormant right now, however there are some rough areas which have maintained some growth through the winter, and we try to keep that growth trimmed when conditions allow.
The greens were aerated prior to Christmas and will be spiked again soon. This keeps the air moving into the profile, providing necessary oxygen to the grass plants. It also helps moisture to flow through the profile more easily, as well as easing the roots further down. They will be given a feed next week to help them tick along and today they have been given a roll with the turf iron to help smooth out the surfaces.
The tees and approaches will also be receiving a granular feed of lawn sand in the next week or so, to keep them ticking along over the winter period. The greens complexes are really benefitting from golf traffic walking around the roped areas. This will stand them in good stead for the spring period.
As for winter work, due to the weather delay, the new white and yellow tees have finally been turfed this week. Like the 12th, there is still some remedial work to be carried out at the sides of the tee, however both tops are turfed which means they will start to root quicker.
Next week we will start work on the 8th greenside bunker, preparing it for a new liner to go in, and shaping it ready for new turf. During any work time on this bunker the 8th green will be closed and a temporary green will be in play. To add to this, the tee markers on the 1st hole will be near the start of the fairway, to avoid any golf balls entering the area of work.
Thank you to the volunteer group who have moved from the swing studio to the path on the 9th tees, work which sees the tee path extended to the path with the bridge. This work is ongoing, but the base and edging has gone in.
To update on staff news, unfortunately a week ago Ewan was involved in a road traffic accident on his way home from work. A car pulled out of a side road and crashed straight into him, shunting his car into a third vehicle. Luckily Ewan was not badly harmed, but did suffer from back and neck pains, once the adrenalin had subsided. All being well Ewan will be back to work next week. The person who caused the accident was fined on the spot by the police, who were there very quickly.
On better news for the staff, the recent off-site training was successfully taken by both Dan and Oli. Dan Whiston completed training and an assessment on his spraying certificates, both the PA1, Safe Use of Pesticides, and PA6, the Safe Use of Pesticides using handheld equipment. The next step is for Dan to complete the PA2, which is the mounted sprayer award.
Oli successfully completed his training and assessment for using a chainsaw. He undertook 5 days of training at Ormskirk GC from an outside trainer and then was assessed this week. He has achieved a Level 2 award in the safe use of a chainsaw, saw maintenance and felling trees to a certain size.
Both these awards show a commitment to staff training and development which is fundamental in helping to not only improve the quality of the staff but also help to improve the golf course in the long run.
I attended the annual BTME (British Turf Management Exhibition) in Harrogate this week. It is the largest exhibition for all things related to golf courses in Europe, and I was able to catch up with a lot of company reps who we deal with, as well as look at potential future machinery upgrades. I also attended seminars to help us in the future.
As for the course, we will continue to keep it as tidy as possible in this next period, as we carry on with the winter projects.
