Course Update
As described in our last update, this week was set aside for important end-of-season work. This focused on the putting greens, tees, and the completion of tree clearance across the 4th and 18th holes. All of this work went very well, and the benefits will be apparent over the coming months. Thank you to everyone who played this week and gave our greenkeepers and visiting contractors the space needed to work efficiently.
Putting Greens
As at the beginning of the season, a step-by-step approach was taken for this work:
1. Scarification: Removal of organic materials (mosses and non-pure bent grasses) from the subsoil.
2. Aeration: Solid tining to a 1.5–3″ depth to allow the soil to breathe.
3. Top Dressing: Fine sand was spread and brushed into the holes created by aeration.
4. Rolling and Mowing: Because the first three steps went so smoothly, the team was able to roll and mow the putting surfaces shortly after to improve the consistency of the roll.
Next week, commencing August 24th, the dimple seeder will be used across the greens to deposit pure bent grass seed. With warm temperatures and rain expected, this seed should germinate well and keep the surface in excellent health through the autumn and winter. Since we have the dimple seeder on site for an extended period, we also hope to use it on the tees and some approaches. The next course update will cover how this went.
Tree Clearance
The team that worked on the right-hand side of the 4th hole a few weeks ago returned this week. With the right machinery, they made light work of clearing the left-hand side of the 4th and the front of the 18th pond. This work improves the views and tidiness across these holes, and is also a necessary part of the drainage program for this part of the course. Further updates on drainage work will be shared in the autumn and winter.
Buggy Geofencing
An important part of the winter course work will be extending sections of the buggy paths onto the back 9. Now that large parts of the course have clearly defined and safe routes, we will be using geofencing technology to ensure golf club buggies remain on these paths when conditions require it.
Most of our buggies have now been fitted with GPS receivers linked to the controls. Zones have been created to determine where buggies are enabled to drive. If a buggy leaves the designated route, it will come to a slow stop and can only be driven in reverse back onto the route. To allow time to get used to this technology and modify routes if necessary, we will begin applying it from early September while ground conditions are still good.