Course Update
It has been a few weeks since our last update. During that time, a lot of golf has been played, and we have received a great deal of positive feedback regarding the condition of the course. Members, guests, and visitors from County and other events have been consistent in their praise. This reflects the hard work of our greenkeeping team and the continued investment in the course. The team is confident that the course’s good condition will be maintained well beyond the official end of the season.
As always, the putting greens have been the area of most scrutiny. Fortunately, the second phase of work described in our previous update went exceptionally well. Following scarification and top dressing in August, the overseeding phase produced great results. The Redexim dimple seeder worked very well, and combined with mowing by the new Toro greens mower, the greens are now providing a true and fast rolling surface.
While the seeder was on site, it was also used to overseed select tees and heavily trafficked areas, particularly around the greens. Please note that many of these areas are marked with white paint. We would appreciate it if you could avoid playing from these marked areas to promote recovery.
All of this has been achieved during another summer of record-breaking heat and low rainfall. It is important to note that the preceding winter also saw record rainfall; data shows that 2026 rainfall is still over 200mm higher than at the same point in 2025. This explains why the course remained so resilient during the heatwaves, and why the latent growth expanded so strongly once the rains arrived. Please see the photos below showing the course today compared to four weeks ago.
We all share responsibility for helping to maintain the playing areas of the course, in accordance with our Club Values, please ensure you:
– Rake bunkers after playing from them, if you see other foot prints and have time to rake without delaying others
– Repair pitch marks. As the greens are softer following recent rain these will occur more often..Even if your ball finishes off the green, if it made contact with the green from distance, there is a good chance a pitch mark was made. Please repair them as you play.. Thank you.
Finally, a reminder that the geofencing trial on club buggies is ongoing. All club buggies are tracked live via GPS, and a history of each buggy’s movements is stored for up to a month. This information is proving very useful as we plan buggy routes for the winter.
For those who use personal ride-on buggies, you will soon receive a communication to confirm vehicle details, necessary insurance, and slight updates to pre-round registration when the 90-degree rule is in effect. More details will follow in the coming weeks.
Thank you