Greens Report
July 2019

Once again, we have seen an improvement in the condition of the course and it is receiving praise from both members and the visitors. The greens are in fine condition and are running at about 9 on the stimp meter. They are being regularly watered but without water the speed increases to 10, making them quick. This was commented on by the competitors in the Club Championship, who generally found the course in good condition but very challenging.

An area that is receiving attention is the rough, which has been very tough. The semi-rough is being cut at 1.5 inches and the main rough has now been cut down to 2 inches. Because of the reduction in height, there is a great deal of debris left in the rough which makes the course look untidy and creates difficulties in finding golf balls. Although the debris is inevitable it will disappear over the next few cuts as it becomes absorbed into the grass. The other issue is the extent of the heavy rough and how it affects play. We are all aware of how difficult it is to find your ball if you should stray into the heavy rough and there have been areas which have been cut back where they are seen to be unfair. This issue is being continually assessed with a view to removing unnecessary rough and we are taking into account areas of concern that have been brought up by members.

We now have all the bunkers in play, although in general they are seen as a weakness of the course. Until all the bunkers have been renovated, we will always have issues here but it is noticeable that during heavy rain the treated bunkers drain well so at least we have a solution to the problem. Work is continuing on the bunkers throughout the year as labour is available but it will be important to speed up the process by using machines instead of manual labour.

The growth on the fairways is now noticeable, even in the bare areas and we should see this improvement continue. As previously stated, we will reassess the situation later in the Summer to decide what further treatment is necessary.

The irrigation system is now in full automatic operation allowing programming of irrigation throughout the day. There are 764 sprinklers on the course and there are still a few that need attention. There are also a few leaks in the system, but the work that is ongoing on these issues will not affect the overall effectiveness of the system.
We have come a long way in the past year due to the effectiveness of the greenkeeping work and the availability of the essential capital investment. Some of the actions can be initially unpopular but mostly I hope you agree that the end result does justify the means.

In the next report I hope to comment on the Autumn treatment and potential targets for Winter work.