Course Update
We hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy the recent amazing weather on a course that is really taking shape for the season. It has been great to see the new bedding plants in the new landscaping areas blooming. Thanks must go to the volunteers that take the time to assist with the maintenance of these. It really helps the greenkeeping team and is much appreciated. There are plans for further smaller scale areas like these soon and we hope you enjoy seeing them as you play the course.
As important as the landscaping and bedding plant areas are for the aesthetic of the course the playing surfaces are the highest priority, in particular the putting greens. During the season there is a work program carried out by the green keeping team on a 7-10 day cycle that includes processes that many might not be aware of. These include:
- Mowing – the most obvious but it is done to a very high level of precision with height of cut measured within half a millimetre. To ensure this can be maintained through the season the Toro greens mower’s units which house the cutting blades are regularly serviced and refurbished. As a back up we now have two sets of these units as they can sometimes be damaged by debris on the putting green. If ever you see loose stones etc on the surface it would be appreciated if you cleared it.
- Verticutting – uses a different type of mowing unit that as the name suggests cuts vertically where as the normal unit cuts horizontally across the grass blades. These units also create very fine vertical grooves you may have noticed sometimes. These grooves help the green surface accept light sand dressing after the mower has removed organic material (mosses etc). Verticutting also promotes vatical grass growth, standing the grass up ready for a shaper horizontal cut with the normal units.
- Top dressing – as mentioned in previous course updates the application of sand to the surfaces is essential in preventing organic matter growth. The sand also helps to fill areas of slight uneven growth providing a smoother more consistent roll on the green.
- Vibrospiking – is yet another attachment that might look like a mower but in fact punches micro holes across the surface. This helps with aeration and the application of top dressing.
- Spraying – many of you will have seen the tractor on the course with the spray tank mounted. This will be used on the greens for a variety of reasons, some products sprayed will help growth, some will prevent disease, some will even slow growth down.
- Watering – the irrigation system is now in full operation and utilised every night in the very small hours to water the greens for 15-20 mins. There is a network of irrigation pipe many kilometres long across all parts of the course to make this happen.
- Brushing – done by hand most days this is an essential part of greens maintenance. The large brushes remove dew, debris and other materials so the machinery designed for fine turf maintenance won’t be affected.
- Rolling or ‘ironing’ – this is sometimes done instead of mowing as cutting at very low heights too frequently can be detrimental to grass health. At this time of year, and especially before competitions, the greens might be cut and then rolled to increase the speed of the surface.
As the above describes there is a lot of care and attention given to the putting greens. Please take the time to repair a few pitch marks every round and it will make a huge difference too!
On the subject of course maintenance and etiquette please see an important note from the Greens Chairman, David Wilkes below: