Greens News
Wednesday 25 January
Trolley Damage
To stop any further damage being caused around greens and tees we have marked an area at the front of all greens with white marker posts and paint.
All golf trolleys must not be taken across these lines under any circumstances.
We have also moved some teeing areas to the front of fairways as there is no way left to walk to winter tees without causing damage or in some cases these areas may be dangerous.
Greenstaff are trying to keep the course as enjoyable as possible without implementing too many restrictions, however in some cases where danger becomes an issue or long term damage being caused the condition of the golf course must take priority.
Tuesday 24/1/12
We will be moving some teeing areas to the front of fairways to protect the areas around greens and tees. Just now the course is very wet and muddy, we are trying to protect areas as much as possible and keep the course open for play, however it is impossible to rope off all wet areas of the course. We would like to urge golfers where possible to keep trolleys well away from the sides of greens etc. The amount of damage being caused by golf trolleys constantly being taken around the same areas at the side of greens is now causing cause for concern. We would also like to stress that the matt at the 1st tee has been put down to protect the teeing area from divots and wear. The number of golfers still teeing from behind this matt is also now becoming a concern. Greenstaff are trying to protect as much of the course as possible from winter damage to ensure our golf course is up to standard when the golfing season finally starts. Therefore we would ask that all golfers playing the course over the winter months try to avoid wet areas with trolleys, and consider all matts, ropes etc put out by greenstaff.
Weekly Report 23/1/12
This week we will finish vertidraining the greens and carry on with tree work.
Weekly Report 9/1/12
After the recent storms we estimate to have lost around 200 trees on the golf course. Most of the damage has occurred within the mature conifer plantations and we have also lost 7 mature Poplar trees from the 14th. We are at present waiting on quotes from tree surgeons to help with this work as the golf club has insurance against storm damage. Until all quotes have been given to the insurance company greenstaff will continue tree work to try and tidy the course as quickly as possible.
Report 6/1/12
After the storms this week the course has lost an estimated 200 trees. To give you an idea of the devastation the storms caused I have put up some photo's of the damaged trees from different parts of the course.
Weekly Report 12/12/11
During last weeks storms we lost nine trees in total. This week we will be cutting and stacking them. At present it is to wet to drive to around the course to dump the trees. We will be cutting logs and stacking them at the bottom of the car park for any members who wish to use them.
Flooded Course 30/11/11
The course has had to be closed this week due to flooding. To let the members see how bad the course has become the greenstaff and myself took some pictures of the flooding. The greenstaff photo's are not the best quality due to being taken in a downpour with a mobile phone but have been included to give the members an idea what the course has been through.
Weekly Report 28/11/11
Drainage on the 1st green is now complete and after inspection on wet days seems to be working well. An area at the bottom of the hill has been left until we have drier weather to turf as this keeps washing away. This week we will continue working on the 4th green however we anticipate this green to take a little longer as we are trenching through the exsisting tile drains and will have to join them into the new pipe that we are laying. Also with the wet weather we are having difficulty with moving heavy machinery around this area. We have tried to rope off as many wet areas on the course as possible and would like to remind members that some areas on the course are extremely slippy and to use caution when playing.
For larger versions please click on photo's.
Weekly Report 21/11/11
Drainage on the 1st green is now complete. This week we will start to install a new drainage system on the 4th green. The rest of the week we will be lifting the rest of the leaves from around the course.
For larger versions please click on photo's.
Weekly Report 14/11/11
This week we will continue with the drainage system on the 1st green. The rest of the week we will be tidying leaves.
Weekly Report 07/11/11
This week we will continue with the drainage on the 1st green. We hope to have this complete by the end of the week. We will also continue to remove dead gorse.
Fairway protection will be in play from next Monday the 14th of November. Any ball lying on the fairway must be lifted to the first cut or played from a matt.
Weekly Report 01/11/11
This week we will be aerating fairways. This morning we will put a high potassium feed on the greens to strengthen them and help prevent disease. Last week we started to install a drainage system in the 1st green however the trencher we had on hire broke down. The committee has decided to purchase a second hand trencher from Nairn Brown which we will use to install drainage on all the wet greens. We will also use this on other wet areas around the course that need drainage. We should have this towards the end of this week. We have started to remove the gorse from behind the 10th green and this work will be ongoing throughout the winter. Areas around greens and tees have now been roped off and this will continue as more areas become worn.
Moss Killer on 12th green
Today we applied a mosskiller to the 12th green. Members will notice the moss on this green going black and dying over the next 2 weeks. Once this has happened we will scarify and rake out all the moss on this green. Then we will use rootzone and seed to fill all the bare areas. During this process we expect the surface of the green to be extremely uneven and bare and would ask that members understand this work must be done to prevent further spread of moss on this green.
Weekly Report 10/10/11
This week we will be starting our Autumn vertidraining on fairways.We intent to put a drain through the wet area on the second fairway as soon as the standing water has gone. Over the past couple of weeks it has been to wet and muddy to take our machinery around the greens surrounds and certain areas of the course. Due to this some areas of the course will be longer than usual for this time of year. With the heavy rain we have been getting lately the temperatures are still pretty high and this means that the grass is still growing when usually we would be expecting growth to be slowing down. This has also had an effect on the areas from Greens to Tees (walk on and off ) These areas will be repaired over the winter in preparation for next season. We would like to ask members where possible to avoid wet areas around Greens and Tees with trolleys. Last year we pruned the Gorse back at the 13th green to see if it could be saved before we started to dig it out. It has now started to generate a lot of new growth from the roots.
Weekly Report 03/10/11
This week we will scarify and topdress the greens. The rest of the week we will be tidying leaves and cutting the course.
Weekly Report 26/09/11
This week we will finish hollowcoring and topdressing the rest of the greens. If the weather is suitable we will start to core the tees next. The rest of the week we will be cutting and tidying leaves.
Weekly Report 19/09/11
Today (Monday)we will be spraying the greens for disease. We will also be applying a mosskiller on the 12th green today if the weather remains dry. Once this has been applied we will leave it to work for 5 to 7 days then remove the moss using rakes and dress the green with sand and seed. The putting surface will be uneven for some time during this process. It is important that this work is done while we still have some growth to ensure recovery before the winter. We will start hollow coring the greens tomorrow, again it is important that this work is complete before the winter weather starts. This helps to keep the greens firmer for play throughout the winter. We will endeavour to complete this work with as little disruption to play as possible.
Weekly Report 12/09/11
This week we will be preparing the course for the youth open on Saturday. After the weekends rain a lot of areas have become wet and slippy, we would ask members to use caution when playing and try to avoid these areas where possible. We plan to hollow core the greens on Monday 19th of September.
Weekly Report 05/09/11
We would like to take this opportunity to inform members of some temporary problems we are having regarding greens staff. We currently have one greenkeeper of with a broken ankle and another greenkeeper has a broken hand. We also have a member of staff on holiday this week. This will leave two greenkeepers and one summer worker to prepare and set up the course this week. We are sure members will see that this is an enormous task and would ask for there support while we try to maintain the standard of the golf course.
Weekly Report 29/08/11
Last week we applied an organic fertilizer to the greens. This will strengthen the sward as the temperature starts to drop. Today we will verticut the greens to improve the putting surface. With the colder weather approaching we have raised height of cut to 4mm. On Wednesday Complete weed control will be on course from early morning to spray for worms. Over the next few weeks the contractor will be returning to spray the Japanese Knotweed in the car park and around our irrigation tank. This will be repeated over the next 3 years to ensure it is successful. At the end of this week one of our summer staff will be finishing. We will be keeping the other summer worker to help ease our workload until our experienced member of staff is fit to return to work. This week we will be preparing for the ladies open replay on Thursday.
Weekly Report 15/08/11
This week we will spray the greens for disease. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 08/08/11
This week we will be cutting and preparing the course for play. With the wet and warm weather over the weekend we are starting to see signs of disease on the greens, we will monitor this and possibly spray a fungicide if needed.
Weekly Report 25/07/11
Due to the weather over the last we while we have noticed that the faces of the new bunkers have started to dry out. This week we plan to feed and water the new bunker faces which will help to strengthen them up. The rest of the week will be cutting and preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 18/07/11
This week we will be solid tinning the greens. This will help to get air get down into the roots and also help the water get down through the rootzone. Depending on the weather we also plan to verti cut and top dress the greens which will help to level out the playing surface. The rest of the week will be cutting and preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 11/07/11
This morning (Monday) we used a greens iron on the greens. This machine was on demonstration from Nairn Brown, its levels and speeds up the surface without causing compaction. This week we will be spraying a liquid cocktail on the greens to enhance the colour and stop them from drying out so quickly. We plan to topdress as well but this will depend on the weather. The 10th path was cut and tidied last week. All tees were fed today with a granular fertilizer. The rest of the week we will prepare the course for play.
Weekly Report 04/07/11
On Friday we applied a liquid feed to the greens. This week we will be pencil tining some of the softer greens, this should help to level the surface as they are extremely bumpy after play in wet weather. We plan to topdress later in the week but this will be weather dependant. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 27/06/11
This week we will be preparing the course for the Seniors open on Thursday. We will be putting a feed down on the greens later in the week.
Please Repair Pitchmarks
After this weekends rain it has become apparent this morning that the amount of unrepaired pitchmarks on the greens is now becoming a problem. To show this Greenstaff placed golf balls on each unrepaired pitchmark on the 3rd green. We would like to urge members to repair pitchmarks as an unrepaired pitchmark will cause the grass to die and leave an uneven putting surface. See how to correctly repair a pitchmark.
Weekly Report 13/06/11
Last week the greens were sprayed with a seaweed cocktail to strengthen the sward and encourage the grass the thicken. New putting green pins were purchased last week and we would ask members to replace them in the holes when they are finished practising. We also cut the hedge at the first tee last week and it is our intention to cut the hedge at the back of the 13th this week. Today( Monday) we will verticut the tees and topdress the greens. We will continue cutting damaged trees for some of the week. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 06/06/11
This week we hope to topdress the greens and spray a liquid cocktail on them. This should strengthen the greens and improve the putting surface. We still have some trees to cross cut and tidy from the high winds and hope to finish them this week. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 30/05/11
This week we will verticut the greens. The rest of the week we will be catching up with the cutting that was missed last week due to the wind damage.
Weekly Report 23/05/11
Due to the heavy rain on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday we have been unable to cut the greens. This morning (24th) we set out to cut the greens and had a machine breakdown. This machine will not be repaired in time to cut for todays medal so golfers may expect to find the greens very bumpy and slow. This should be repaired for tomorrow morning and hopfully we can continue with our normal cutting routine. After last nights heavy winds we have a lot of debris around the course which we have already started to clear. This work will be time consuming and until it is complete we would ask golfers to understand that we may have to leave other normal weekly tasks undone.
This week we will be moving the ash etc from the bottom of the car park. We will finish planting the new trees at the 5th and 17th where the gorse was removed. We hope to topdress the greens but this will depend on the weather. The rest of the week we will prepare the course for play.
Weekly Report 16/05/11
This week we will pencil tine and feed the greens. Steven McFarlane has now started with us for the summer. We will be strimming and flymoing ditches and bunkers this week. We intend to start edging all the bottom bunkers this week. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 09/05/11
This week we will feed the greens and for the rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 02/05/11
Today we will spray the greens with a wetting agent and seaweed, this will help to stop them from drying out and also help fill any old disease scars. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 25/04/11
Last week we overseeded the greens. To give the seed a chance to root we had to raise the height of cut over the weekend, this will have caused the greens to be a lot slower and bumpier than normal. We will reduce the height of cut this week to 5mm normal cutting height for this time of year. This week we will be preparing the course for the up coming competitions.
Weekly Report 18/04/11
Now we have started to get some growth we are seeing the different grass species on the greens growing at different speeds. This causes an uneven and bumpy surface. To combat this we applied a granular fertilizer last week and today we will verticut, cut, overseed and topdress the greens. Tomorrow we plan to verticut and cut the tees. If time allows we will start to scarify and sand some of the green bankings this week as they are showing signs of moss invasion. A drop zone has now been put in place at the back of the 7th green where the new ditch has been sited. This will be used until the ditch has grassed over and can be cut. The rest of the week we will prepare the course for play.
Weekly Report 11/04/11
Depending on the weather this week we will be spraying the greens with a fungicide for the disease. We will also be putting a feed on the greens and tees to help with the growth. The rest of the week will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 04/04/11
This week we will topdress the greens and vertidrain the tees. If the weather is suitable we will apply a granular feed to the greens and tees. This will help to start the growth. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
On Saturday morning greenstaff moved the markers for play. On Sunday morning it became apparent that a member had taken the decision to move the markers to the full width of some of the tees. Greenstaff move markers each day to keep the wear on the tees to a minimum. This year we have started a new intense maintenance programme to try and improve the quality of the tees, therefore we would ask that once markers have been moved they should remain in the position set for that day.
Weekly Report 28/03/11
This week we plan to core the greens with mini tines. This should help to level the surface after winter play. We will be repairing the fence at the 3rd this week. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 21/03/11
This week we will scarify greens and tees. The greens will be sprayed with a high nitrogen, seaweed product to promote growth and roots. The rest of the week we will be cutting in preparation for Saturdays medal. All new bunkers will be in play from Saturday however the turf surrounding them will remain G.U.R. New bunker rakes have been purchased and we would ask members lightly rake footprints to try and avoid disturbing the compacted sand under the first 2 inches.
Weekly Report 14/03/11
Today we will start to remove the gorse from the 5th and 17th. A feed was applied to the greens this morning. The rest of the week we will be finishing winter work ready for the first medal.
Weekly Report 7/03/11
Souters will start to edge and sand the new bunkers this morning (Monday). The sand will be approx 4 to 5 inches deep this will ensure no dirt or drainage stone will appear through the sand. This is the correct depth of sand for new bunkers and we must make members aware that for the first few months the sand will feel fluffy and it is a possibility that some balls may plug. Through time the sand will weather and compact at this depth. Until the sand has weathered we will use a vibrating plate to keep the sand as firm as possible.
We will topdressing and feeding the greens this week. The rest of the week we will be starting to prepare the course for the start of the season.
Weekly Report 28/02/11
This week we hope to pipe and cover the last section of the 3rd ditch. If the weather remains dry we will topdress the greens on Tuesday. Once this has been done we will apply a high potassium feed to the greens, this should help to promote some early growth. We have started to soil around the sunken tree bases and will continue with this work until complete.
Weekly Report 21/02/11
This morning we will start verti-draining the greens. This will allow air into the roots and help aid water movement through the rootzone. We did not manage to apply a feed to the greens last week due to the frost. We hope to get this down this week. Souters hope to start turfing some of the bunkers that have been shaped on Wednesday, however this work will depend on the weather. This week we will continue to tidy paths etc around the course. A few months ago we tried to install a larger pipe at the outlet of the 14th ditch. This pipe is big enough to carry the volume of water flowing to this area, however the old tile pipe that it is connected to under the ground is not able to cope with this anymore and continues to block after heavy rain. We will have to consider removing the old pipe across the fairway and install a larger new pipe.This may be a job for next years winter programme.
Weekly Report 14/02/11
Work on the 3rd ditch is almost complete now. All that is left to do is soil the bankings and pipe the ditch to the end. With the wet weather it has been too wet to get machinery near the ditch. This morning (Monday) we will slit and roll the greens. We hope to apply a high potassium feed mid week if the weather is suitable. This week we will be concentrating on finishing odd jobs around the course like tidying ditches paths etc. Last week Souters decided that due to wet weather it would be advisable to stop work on the bunkers until today.
3rd Ditch
Weekly Report 07/02/11
This week we hope to re-open the 3rd hole. The rest of the week we will be working on the 3rd bankings and cutting up storm damaged trees.
Cutting down damaged trees at Ten.
Weekly Report 31/01/11
Work will now begin on the bunkers tomorrow 1st February. This week we will be working on the 3rd ditch and 14th path.
Weekly Report 17/01/11
Today we will apply a granular feed to the greens to strengthen them after the last few weeks bad weather. The rest of the week we will be working on the 3rd ditch and 14th path.
Bunker reconstruction work will begin on the 31st of January. This work will be carried out by Souters Sports. This company have been used by many courses in the area and we are certain that the job will be carried out to a high standard. All bunkers on the first nine holes will have the exsisting sand stripped out and new drainage installed if needed. The old bunker sand will be used to shape the new bunkers with rolling turf faces and new sand will be placed in the bunkers. This work should be completed and the new bunkers in play for the start of the season. However some of the newly turfed banks may remain GUR until the turf has established.
Weekly Report 10/01/11
The course remains closed today. (10/01/11)
This week we will continue with the 3rd ditch and 14th path. The gorse behind the 14th medal tee has been cut back to the stump. This will encourage new growth and a healthier plant. It is our intention to do this work to all the gorse on the course over a period of time.
Weekly Report 03/01/11
This week we will be working on the path at the 14th . Over the the holidays we lost a tree down the left of the 14th fairway we will be cutting and tidying this up this week.
Weekly Report 08/11/10
This week we will be spending most of our time blowing and collecting leaves. As of today all balls must be played from a matt on the fairway or lifted to the first cut.
Weekly Report 01/11/10
Members may have noticed some teeing areas are now being moved forward. This is done to protect the tees from winter wear. At this time of year the grass growth slows down and becomes weak this means any damage caused will not repair until the spring. Where possible we will use winter tees. As of Monday 8th of November protection of the fairways will begin. This means matts must be used from the fairway or balls must be lifted and played from the first cut. All greens have been fed today and we plan to feed the tees tomorrow. This will strengthen the grass for the winter months ahead. The rest of the week we will be lifting leaves and if time allows we will re-start the 3rd ditch. There is a meeting on Thursday 4th November @ 6:45 in the clubhouse where members can ask the greenstaff and convener any questions regarding the keeping of the course.
Weekly Report 25/10/10
This week we will be lifting leaves. We hope to start work on the 3rd ditch soon. All greens have been cored and topdressed and a high pottasium feed will be applied as soon as the weather is suitable. This will strengthen the grass against outbreaks of disease and bad weather conditions in the coming months.
Weekly Report 18/10/10
This week we will finish coring and topdressing the greens. The rest of the week we will be tidying up leaves and preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 11/10/10
This week we will core and topdress nine greens. All fairways and tees were sprayed for worms last week. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 04/10/10
Complete Weed Control will be spraying the course for worms this week. They arrived today to start work, however this had to be cancelled due to high winds. The work will go ahead on the next suitable day. We plan to start hollowcoring and topdressing the greens on Monday 11th Oct. For the rest of this week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 27/09/10
We started to hollow core the tees last week, this work should be completed today. We will be scarifying them this week. The fairways will be sprayed for worms this week if the weather is suitable. We will be using the same contractor as last year.
Weekly Report 20/09/10
We currently have fusarium on the greens. We hope to spray a fungicide on this as soon as the weather is suitable. We will once again be using a contractor to spray for worms and hope to have this work completed soon. We will let members know the dates as soon as this has been arranged. We will be starting to hollowcore and topdress the greens soon, once again we will let members know the dates via the web-site. This week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 13/09/10
This week we will be cutting and preparing the course for play. Depending on the weather we will be spraying the greens with a fungicide as we have had an outbreak of fusarium.
Weekly Report 06/09/10
We have now raised the height of cut on the greens. This will encourage a thicker sward as the Autumn months approach. With the wetter weather approaching we would like to ask members to take the time to repair their own pitchmarks and one other where possible. Our summer staff have now finished and we would like to thank Steven and Gary for there hard work over the past few months. We will continue cutting this week and preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 30/08/10
This week we will be preparing the course for play. Depending on the weather we might start the work on the tees. We plan to hollow tine and heavily top dress them over the coming weeks.
Weekly Report 23/08/10
Today (Monday) we will slit and roll the greens. If the weather is suitable we will spray a fungicide to prevent disease. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 16/08/10
This week we will soil and seed all tees and fairways. The rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 9/08/10
This week we will be applying a light topdressing to the greens. This will be followed with an application of granular fertilizer. All tees will be soil and seeded this week. We currently have an outbreak of fusarium on the greens, due to weather and competitions we have been unable to spray for this. We will spray as soon as the weather is suitable. We are unable to cut for 2 days after this has been done so we will wait until there are no competitions on the calendar.
Weekly Report 2/08/10
Today we will spray the greens with a liquid feed to strengthen the grass for the upcoming competitions. The amount of unrepaired pitchmarks are increasing again and we would like to remind members that these cause an uneven putting surface and a weak grass sward that can allow disease to enter the damaged area. We will be repairing the astro turf on the 1st path this week. The rest of the week we will continue cutting.
Weekly Report 26/07/10
This week we will apply a liquid seaweed to the greens this will strengthen the sward and encourage rooting. If the weather is suitable we will also apply this to the tees. We will continue edging bunkers in preperation for all upcoming competitions. We will be putting new sleepers in at the bridge accross the practice area this week as these are now extremely worn. The rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 19/07/10
This week we will be soil and seeding the fairways.Depending on the weather we will be verti cutting the greens and also putting a feed on the tees.The rest of the week will be cutting.
Weekly Report 12/07/10
This week we will be soil and seeding divot marks on the fairways and tees. A fungicide was applied to the greens yesterday to help prevent disease from spreading. The rest of week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 05/07/10
This week we will spray the greens with a fungicide as we are starting to see signs of disease. This is due to the damp, humid conditions. All tees were scarified and topdressed last week, we hope to pencil tine them this week. We still have some trees left to weedkill as the weather conditions have been unsuitable for spraying. This will be done as soon as the weather changes. We will start to divot fairways this week.
Weekly Report 28/06/10
This week we will be scarifying, and topdressing tees. We will also verticut and topdress the greens. All bunkers have now been topped with sand. This week we will continue to weedkill tree bases. The greens and tees will be pencil tined this week.
Weekly Report 21/06/10
This week we will verticut the greens and feed the tees. We will be working late on the course this week in preperation for the Ralston Invitational. We will continue topping the sand in bunkers.
Weekly Report 14/06/10
We have a new greenkeeper starting with us today to replace Philip Kirkwood. He has been working at Drumpelier Golf Club and we are sure he will be an asset to the club. We will be applying a liquid feed to the greens this week, this should help thicken the grass coverage. We will be starting to strim and weedkill round the tree bases tommorrow. All bunkers have now been edged and over the next week or so we will top up bare bunkers with new sand. We will also be putting a liquid feed on the tees this week.
Weekly Report 07/06/10
All greens will be verticut and topdressed today. We are using a borrowed topdresser from Nairn Brown until we have fixed our own. We are waiting on a delivery of bunker sand to top up bunkers.This will be done as soon as the sand arrives. We are currently monitoring the amount of water the greens get at night. Due to the time of year and hot weather when we water this encourages the annual meadow grass to flower which is very unsightly and causes an uneven putting surface. If members look they will be able to see the white seed heads on some of the greens. We will apply a light granular feed to the greens later in the week. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 31/05/10
This week we will be edging bunkers. We are having problems with our topdresser at present and due to this we have been unable to topdress the greens. We hope to have this sorted soon. We now have 2 summer workers helping us. We will be applying a wetting agent to the tees this week to stop them drying out. Our cutting programme will now have to be increased due to the increase in growth.
Weekly Report 24/05/10
We are now starting to see an increase in growth due to the heat. Today the greens have been sprayed with Primo Maxx, this is a growth regulator that will encourage the grass to thicken and slow down lateral growth. As golfers may have noticed the greens become slower later in the day. Primo Maxx will help keep a consistant green speed throughout the day. We will vericut and top dress this week as we were unable to make time last week to carry out this work. Our weekly cutting routine will now have to be increased due the amount of growth we have.
Weekly Report 17/05/10
Today we will verticut the greens to help improve the putting surface. We will also pencil tine and topdress the greens this week, this will encourage growth and level the surface. The irrigation system is now being used at night. Due to this unrepaired pitchmarks are more visible. During the week greenstaff repaired over 15 pitchmarks on one green. If these are left unrepaired the grass around the pitchmark will die and leave weak areas on the green where disease can take hold. This also leads to an even putting surface. At present we are working hard to improve the putting surface and would like to ask for the members assistance to make sure that all pitchmarks are repaired. This week we will continue with our weekly cutting programme.
Weekly Report 08/05/10
We are now noticing the growth starting to speed up due to last weeks application of fertilizer and warmer afternoon temperatures. This week we will be verticutting the greens again and using our hand cutting machines to groom the grass before it is cut. This should help to stand the sward upright and improve the putting surface.
3rd Ditch
This work will now be done when time allows and all other weekly work has been completed.
We have now taken delivery of our new proflex machine for cutting rough. This should help speed up the time taken to carry out this job.
Bunkers.
We are in the process of edging and topping up the sand in the bunkers. This work will be ongoing all season.
Weekly Report 03/05/10
Members will by now have noticed the lack of grass coverage on the greens. This is due to the lack of temperature at night. Grass will not grow until there is constant temperature of around 10 degrees. We have been trying to encourage the growth and reduce stress by pencil tining the greens, and topdressing to firm and level the playing surface. We have also been applying fertilizer to the greens to try and speed up the growth but this also needs temperature to break down in the soil. Old clay push up greens which we have at Ralston always take longer to start than sand based greens. We are doing everthing possible to speed this process and over the next few weeks expect to see a huge improvment in the putting surface.
1st Green.
Due to extreme compaction and anarobic soil conditions, the grass coverage on this green has become extremely poor and the roots extremely shallow. Water cannot penetrate the surface and move downwards to the old tile drains installed many years ago. The only way to rectify this is to install a new drainage system. As a temporary fix to the problem we have pencil tined this green to a depth of 12 inches and brushed a mix of sand, profile and seed into the holes. This will allow water to move through the the compacted surface and into the old tiles quicker. This is only a temporary solution and will not rectify the problem. We would like to ask for the members patience while we work on returning this putting surface to an acceptable standard.
Pond at 18th.
The pond liner is torn in many areas and needs repaired. We have purchased a repair kit and will repair this as soon as possible. The repair patches can only be applied on dry warm day.
This week we have been working to improve the putting surface. All greens have been verti-cut, cut to remove the thatch and sprayed with a preventative fungicide. A wetting agent will be sprayed today and watered in. For the rest of the week we will be preparing the course for weekly play.
Weekly Report 26/04/10
This week we will pencil tine the greens. Last week all greens were scarified and topdressed. We will be edging and topping up the sand in bunkers this week. Work on the 3rd ditch will continue this week. The rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 19/04/10
This week will be working on the 3rd ditch. The rest of the week will be grass cutting.
Weekly Report 12/04/10
All the tees were scarified last week and all the divot boxes are now out for members to use on par 3 holes. Today (Monday) we will be deep vertidraining the 1st green and filling the holes with a mix of sand, profile and seed. This should help firm the surface and stop this green retaining so much water. The greens will be sprayed with a fungicide and for the rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 05/04/10
This week we will be preparing the course for Saturdays medal and working on the 3rd ditch. If the weather is suitable we will topdress the greens again and apply a fungicide.
Weekly Report 29/03/10
This week we will continue with the 3rd ditch, all the pipe has now been put in place and covered. The greens will be pencil tined this week. From today we will be starting some intense maintenance work on the first green. This will include deep vertidraining, heavy topdressing and overseeding.
Weekly Report 22/03/10
This week we will be starting to work on the course, cutting and topping bunkers with sand. A feed will be applied to the greens today. The 3rd ditch and areas that have been soiled on the 1st path will remain GUR until the seed has taken.
Weekly Report 15/03/10
We will be coring the greens this week. The rest of the week we will be working on the 3rd ditch. From today members have no need to take the ball off to the side of the fairways as the fairways are back in play. The 2nd medal tee is now in play and the 1st path has re-opened. Could members avoid walking on the new turf and soiled banks. Rubber matts have been placed to walk on at the entrance and exit to the path. New distance markers will be ready for Saturday the 27th.
Work on the ditch at the Third.
Weekly Report 08/03/10
This week work will continue with the 1st path and 3rd ditch. If the ground thaws and no more frost is expected we will apply a feed to the greens, this will help strengthen them after the long and deep frosts we have had. Our consultant from Rigby Taylor was out last week to inspect the chipping green and we are confident that although it is showing signs of extreme stress we will be able to rectify this as soon as the ground thaws. We will be clearing the fence line along the 4th this week. This should enable golfers to determine quickly whether a ball is in play or out of bounds. We also hope to turf the drainage tracks around the course this week.
Weekly Report 02/03/10
This week we will continue with the 3rd ditch and the 1st path. We now need the frost to thaw before work can continue on the first path as we are unable to firm the base under the astro-turf.
Due to stress we have had to close the chipping area temporarily. This is a new green and is not coping well with the cold weather we have had.
Work continues on the first path.
Weekly Report 22/02/10
This week we will be starting work on the 3rd ditch. We will also finish the 1st path and turf the drainage lines depending on the weather.
Weekly Report 15/02/10
This week we will continue working on the first path. Turf will be ordered this week or the begining of next to turf the drainage lines at the 11th 15th and 16th.
Weekly Report 08/02/10
This week we will continue to work on the 1st path. We will spray the greens with a liqiud cocktail on Tuesday.
Weekly Report 01/02/10
This week we will continue with the 1st path. We will put new steps in at the 2nd medal tee as the old ones were starting to become worn. We will be applying a liquid cocktail to the greens this week if the temperature rises.This should strengthen the grass. We will also be spraying a fungicide as soon as the weather improves to combat any disease that may occur before the start of the season.
Weekly Report 18/01/10
The course was re opened on Sunday 17th January.
This week we will start work on the 3rd ditch and continue with the 1st path.
Hopefully we have seen the last of the snow and ice and we can start to move
forward with our winter programme.
Weekly Report 14/12/09
This week we will be working on the 1st path and collecting the remainder of the leaves on the course and around the clubhouse.
Weekly Report 07/12/09
This week we will start to vertidrain the fairways. All bunkers will be raked and tidied and we will continue work on the 1st path.
Weekly Report 30/11/09
This week we will be lifting leaves and filling the drainage tracks around the course with stone. We will also be working on the 1st path.
Weekly Report 16/11/09
This week we will verti-drain the tees. Work on the 1st path will continue. We will also be clearing leaves this week. The gravel banding has now been finished and is working well.
Weekly Report 09/11/09
This week we will be starting work on the path at the 1st . We will also gravel band the 15th fairway. New drainage has been put in at the front of the 11th green this should stop this area flooding.
Weekly Report 02/11/09
This week we have started putting drainage in at the 11th. We will continue to gravel band the 15th fairway. The rest of the week we will be lifting leaves. Lift and drop from the fairways will start from today (Monday).
Weekly Report 26/10/09
Gravel Banding has now started on the 16th fairway. We will keep the 15th and 16th holes open but ask golfers to move balls to the side of the fairway away from greenstaff. The rest of the week we will be lifting leaves and roping off wet muddy areas.
Weekly Report 19/10/09
We have hired a Gravel Bander for the next few weeks, this is due to arrive this afternoon. We will be working on the 15th and 16th fairways all of this week. These holes will be closed to allow this work to be carried out as quickly as possible. We will also be grass cutting this week.
Winter Programme
Renovation of the 3rd ditch.
This will narrowed and the base will be slabbed allowing golf balls to be found. The ditch will be piped and grassed over towards the left hand side. This should allow a continuous flow of water helping to dry other areas of the course.
1st Path
This path will be astroturfed.
Winter Greens.
Large winter hole cups will be purchased and used this year. These will be moved as often as possible to spread the wear on the greens.
Practice Area.
Yardage posts will be put at the practice area to be used for target practive. If time allows astroturf matts will be installed for winter play.
Distance Markers.
New permanent distance markers will be purchased in January to save money on paint.
Gravel Banding.
This machine will be hired and Greenstaff will Gravel Band the 15th and16th fairways.
Weekly Report 05/10/09
This week we will start to hollowcore the greens and topdress them. We will also be working on the drainage at the 13th. The rest of the week we will be grass cutting.
Weekly Report 28:09:09
This week we will hollow core and sand some of the wetter greens. We started drainage work at the left hand side of the 13th green last week. We will put new drainage tracks in this area.
Left hand side of 13th green
Work on the 3rd ditch has now commenced and it is our intention to make this ditch smaller and slab the base so that balls can be found quickly.
Work has started on the ditch at 3.
Golfers may have noticed grass on the greens starting to thin. This is due to a disease we have called Anthracnose, we have sprayed a fungicide to stop this and with the aeration we will be doing over the next few weeks the greens should recover quickly.
Weekly Report 21:09:09
This week we will be putting a feed on the greens to strengthen them before we core.We will also be feeding the tees and finish the topdressing depending on the weather.
Weekly Report 14:09:09
At the end of last week we discovered that some of the greens have a desease on them called anthracnose. The disease can cause some parts of the green to die so we will be doing some work on the greens this week. We will be slitting all the greens and coreing the 9th green as it is the worse affected. If the good weather continues we will also be spraying them with a fungicide. We also plan to finish topdressing the tees. The rest of the week will be grass cutting.
Weekly Report 07:09:09
Last week we opened up some old drainage at the 18th and 1st that had become blocked. We used draining rods to clear this and it is now running again. We will fill these holes with stone this week. Today (Monday)we will start working on the tees. We will vertidrain, scarify, topdress and feed them in preperation for the wet months ahead. Winter greens have now been white lined and members must now lift and drop from these when not in play. With the heavy rain we are seeing again we would ask all members to use caution when playing as some areas on the course are becoming extremely slippy.
Weekly Report 31:08:09
With the rain we have been seeing over the past few weeks we will be raising our hieght of cut to winter hieghts. We have started to prepare the winter greens earlier this year as agreed at last seasons winter meeting. We will start some winter work this week as most areas of the course have become too wet to cut.
Weekly Report 24:08:09
This week we will be preparing the course for the ladies open day. We will spray the greens for disease today (Monday). We will be preparing the winter greens for play, they will be white lined, verticut, cut and topdressed. For the rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 17:08:09
This week we will be preparing the course for the Club Championship Final and the Seniors Open. We will continue to divot tees and fairways this week.
Weekly Report 10:08:09
This week the greens will be verticut and sprayed if the weather is ok.The divot mix has arrived so work has started on the tees and fairways.The rest of the week will be grass cutting.
Weekly Report 03:08:09
This week we will be cutting the hedge at the 1st tee and painting the target at the back of the 12th green. 10 tonne of divot mix has been ordered and we will start work on the tees and fairways as soon as this arrives. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for the Ralston Rosebowl this Saturday 8 August.
Weekly Report 27:07:09
This week we will verticut, and sand the greens. Once this has been done we will apply a liqiud fertilizer and growth retardant. All bunkers will be edged this week and topped up with sand. We put a down pipe into an old drain at the front of the 11th green last week. This is a temporary measure to move water until we have time to install proper drainage to this area.
Weekly Report 20:07:09
This week we will spend some time cutting and weedkilling the fence lines around the course. We will verticut the greens and start to strim paths and edge bunkers. Some new trees have been planted at the 5th hole.
Weekly Report 13:07:09
This week we are scarifing the greens.Depending on the weather we will also be sanding and overseeding them. The rest of the week will be grass cutting.
Weekly Report 06:07:09
This week we will be top dressing the greens. The rest of the week we will be grass cutting.
With the heavy rain showers that we recieved over the weekend the greens have started to grow quicker than normal. Combined with the heat this will cause lush green growth and this will give an uneven slow putting surface. This week we will be verticutting and lowering the hieght of cut to help us achieve a better surface.
Weekly Report 29:06:09
This week we will pencil tine the greens, sand and overseed them. Once this work has been done we will put a granular feed down. The rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 22:06:09
This week we will finish weedkilling round tree bases and continue with our weekly cutting programme.
Weekly Report 15:06:09
This week we will feed the tees and apply Primo Maxx to the greens. This is a growth retardent that will thicken up the sward on the greens and keep the greens at a constant speed throughout the day. At the weekend there was some vandalism on the 11th green. Today we will be using the chainsaw in this area to thin out the trees so we can prevent this reoccuring. The rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 08:06:09
This week we will be preparing the course for Captains Day. The greens will recieve an application of wetting agent today to stop them drying out. We hope to put a feed on the tees this week. We will continue strimming and weedkilling this week. All bunkers will also be edged this week.
Weekly Report 01:06:09
This week we will be cutting. We will put a liquid feed on the greens this week. New trees will be planted at the 3rd and 5th, and we will start to weedkill and strim round trees.
Weekly Report 26:05:09
This week we will continue our cutting programme. We will be spraying the greens with a liqiud cocktail today to strengthen them and boost the growth. The spraying contractor is hoping to spray the fairways this week with selective weedkiller, we will notify members via the web site when a day has been arranged.
Weekly Report 18:05:09
This week we have a tractor mounted blower in on demonstration. We will try and scarify the 15th, 16th and 17th fairways and use the blower to tidy them. For the rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 12:05:09
This week we will be cutting also continuing with edging and topping up the bunkers.
Weekly Report 05:05:09
Members might have noticed the uneven growth on the greens just
now. This is due to the weather conditions, temperature and 3 different
types of grasses on the greens which are bent, fescue and poa annua
(annual meadow grass). The weather we experience in the west of Scotland
gives ideal growing conditions for annual meadow grass. This grass
is what most greenkeepers would call a weed grass. Bent and fescue
are the two main types of grasses that are desired on a golf green.
Unlike annual meadow grass they can withstand attacks from disease,
do not need a lot of fertiliser and are able to tolerate a close
mowing programme. The turf used for the new chipping are was a mix
of bent and fescue but if members look at the putting surface now,
the invasion of annual meadow grass is clear to see. At this time
of year the annual meadow grass is not growing as fast as the bents
and fescue this is what causes bumpy greens. Greenstaff try to combat
this through verticutting and topdressing. Once the temperature rises
a little more the growth pattern will become more even, but until
then greenstaff will be doing everything possible to give members
a true putting surface.
This week we will be cutting and edging bunkers. We will apply a wetting agent to the greens later in the week.
Weekly Report 27:04:09
This week we will finish turfing the 16th fairway. All the turf that has been put down has had to be pegged to stop the birds pecking and lifting it. We will be astroturfing and laying slabs at the shoe cleaner this week. This will help to keep this area tidy. The rest of the week we will be preparing the course for play.
Weekly Report 20:04:09
This week we will be vertidraining the greens. After this has been done we will top dress and feed them. We will be putting sand in the bunkers at 15 and 16th on Monday to get them back in play. We will continue with soiling the base of trees, this work will be ongoing. With the dry weather we are getting we are watering the newly laid turf at 16 every morning. The rest of the turf will be delivered on Wedensday. The rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 13:04:09
This week we will be turfing the 15th fairway.
Now we are getting some growth the different types of grasses on the greens are growing at different speeds. This causes an uneven putting surface. This week we will verticut and drop the hieght on the greens this will help give a true surface.
We will soil round more trees this week.
For the rest of the week we will be cutting.
Weekly Report 06:04:09
This week we will be preparing the course for Saturdays medal. The drainage contractors plan to finish this week. Turf has been ordered and we will start to turf the drainage tracks on Thursday. All the greens have now been cored, scarified and topdressed.
Weekly Report 30:03:09
This week we hope to finish coring the greens. We will also be putting rubber matts in at walk off areas and turfing over them, this should stop these areas sinking and getting as muddy. Once the greens have been cored we will scarify and topdress them. We will also be putting soil around the tree bases this week. Fairway spraying is going ahead today (Monday).
Weekly Report 23:03:09
Fairway spraying has been canceled for today due to high winds. This will now go ahead tommorrow if the weather is suitable.
On Sunday the 15th of March greenstaff put some winter greens on due to wet weather, when the course was inspected the next morning it became apparent that the 9th and 17th greens had been put back on the main greens. This was not done by any of the greenstaff. This has caused severe damage to these greens and will cause the putting surface weeks if not months to recover. We would like to ask for the members support to make sure this is not repeated.
The astro turf path at the 6th and 18th has now been completed. This week we will be returfing the walk off areas at the end of paths and turfing the drainage tracks at the 17th. We will be putting soil around tree bases this week.
Weekly Report 16:03:09
The drainage work on the 16th fairway has now commenced. The turf that has been lifted from the drainage tracks is being used to turf worn areas around the course. The fence around the carpark has now been sorted and will be painted when the weather allows. We have now opened up the irrigation system in preperation for the coming season. The hole at the back of the 18th will be filled and turfed this week. We will be working at the 6th and 18th path most of this week laying astroturf. We will also be starting to sort the bases of trees with new soil this week.
Weekly Report 09:03:09
This week we will be sorting the fence around the car park area. We have started laying the astroturf on the 6th and 18th path however work has had to be stopped due to bad weather. The drainage at this area is now complete and should be turfed in the next week or so. The drainage work on the 16th fairway is due to begin today.
Weekly Report 02:03:09
This week we will be starting to astroturf the 6th and 18th path, more drainage stone has been ordered to complete the work behind the 17th green. We will also be starting to put soil around the tree bases this week. Drainage work at the 16th will commence Mon 9th of March.
Weekly Report 23:02:09
The bunker at the 12th has now been re-shaped and new drainage has been installed. This now means that greenstaff will not have to return to this bunker after rain to shovel and grub the sand. This should free up more time for greenstaff to concentrate on other problem bunkers. Turf has been ordered and this bunker will be complete by the end of this week.
The drainage work at the back of the 17th green should also be finished this week and we hope to start laying the new astroturf on the 6th and 18th path at the begining of next week.
We now have the outlet ready on the 16th fairway for the drainage contractor and this work should commence the begining of next week.
At present we are staking all trees that are low around their bases and these will be removed when soil has been added.
The steps on the 4th medal tee will be complete this week.
All greens have recieved a spring feed to help start some growth. Over the next month the greens will be mini-tined and topdressed to improve the putting surface.
On Tuesday we will be tidying the car park.
Weekly Report 16:02:09
This week we will be starting the bunkers and drainage at the 12th. We will also be sorting the steps at the 4th. We have now found an outlet for the drainage on the 16th fairway to be connected to.
Weekly Report 09:02:09
Last week we started digging at the back of the 18th to sort the wet area around the shoe cleaner, we have found an old tile pipe that is working so we can run all the water from this area to that. This weeks programme is all dependant on the weather.
Weekly Report 02:02:09
Our new digger has now arrived so we will be starting to work on the areas with drainage problems. We will continue to sort the steps on the course this week and work in the plantation at the left hand side of the fifth.
Weekly Report 26:01:09
This week we will continue with the new steps. The plantation at the left hand side of the fifth fairway has now become dangerous with only around two trees left standing in the middle. Over the next few weeks we will be clearing this with the intention of planting new trees in this area.
Weekly Report 19:01:09
The new sleepers for steps were delivered on Saturday so we will start
replacing old and dangerous steps with these this morning. We have started
to pencil tine the greens, this should help move surface water through
the soil quicker. We will also be cutting back Gorse and Whin this week
and possibly starting to put soil around the bases of the new trees.
The Ralston Greenstaff have published a very interesting article on Coping
with waterlogged fairways.
Weekly Report 12:01:09
This week we are hoping to finish the vertidraining that is left. Last week the ground was to hard to start work on new steps so this work should commence this week. We will be raising the hollow areas around tree bases this week.
Weekly Report 05:01:09
This week we will be cutting back the hawthorns at the 7th, 2nd and 6th to allow shots to be played from under them. Sleepers have been ordered and work will begin soon on renewing most of the old and dangerous steps on the course. We still have 3 fairways left to complete our winter vertidraining programme however these cannot be done until the frost has gone. Over the next few weeks we hope to start raising the bases of all the new trees that have been planted and complete some of the drainage work we have started.
Weekly Report 09:12:08
We will be working in the plantation to the left of the 5th green for most of this week. This plantation has had fires started in it during the summer months so we will be clearing all dead wood and dangerous trees from it. This should stop this happening again. The frost we have seen over the last week or so is now deep in the ground we would like to ask members to use caution when using steps and other areas on the course.
Last week we erected the new driving nets behind the chipping area.
These have still to be lowered and cemented into the ground.
The shoe cleaner has now been moved behind the 18th green.
It has still to have a timber frame put round the edge and
more
sand brushed into the astro turf.
The new smoking shelter has now been finished. It had to be
moved to the other side of the building because of
health and safety reasons.
RGC Greenstaff
New Machinery
The club have recently traded-in a utility mower & purchased a new fairway mower. This machine will allow us to cut the fairways in a single day using only one member of staff. This is a significant labour saving & should allow time to be devoted to other course maintenance tasks.
Ralston GC purchased it's first John Deere machine about 7 years ago. Since that time we have become a valued customer and built up a good relationship with Nairn Brown,our local John Deere dealers. Our fleet of machines is constantly improving with up to date John Deere models being brought in on a rolling programme. The council and greenstaff here at Ralston GC hope to improve the course over the coming years with the continued training of staff and utilisation of modern greenkeping equiptment.
John Deere 3235C
The John Deere 3235C in the picture above is the new fairway mower. It is set to cut the fairways at 13 mm. There are 5 cutting units which are all fitted with rear roller brushes, these help to disperse grass clippings which allow us to cut during wet or damp conditions with minimal mess.
In the past the fairways were cut using three smaller triplex mowers that took three men one full day to cut all the fairways.
The new machine is a lot more powerful which means the fairways can now be cut in one full working day by one person.
Ralston greenstaff with some of our Machinery
The two machines on the outside of the picture above are called John Deere 2653A's. They previously were used for cutting fairways and first cut. Now with the purchase of the new fairway mower these will only be used for cutting tee bankings and first cut.
Augusta eat your heart out
Greens staff also have three 220B hand mowers.These are used for hand cutting greens and are fitted with groomers to help stand the grass up before cutting. These machines give a better quality of cut.
RGC Greenstaff