Up date on the Winter Projects Green Meeting 12th March 2014 Present: P Cottom, T Dickinson, P Harvey, A Helm and P Walker. Work undertaken since the last meeting: Course: • Greens have been cut, slit, fed a tonic to boostand fungicide to act against the residual fusarium. • The 3rd, 4th and 7th holes have been vertidrained. • The course receives its weekly presentation work – bunkers, bins and tidy up. Projects: • 4th hole – the area in front on the tee has been cleared and is ready for dressing and seeding. The area near the green has been cleared, sanded, dressed and is ready for turf. • 5th hole – the tee has been turfed and provides a quality, level area for both red and yellow tees and much needed larger area too for the white tee. The latter could vary the hole by 20 yards. The bridge over the stream has been completed in stone on the 4th hole side; the wood side will be next month. • 7th hole – the first two fairway bunkers have been dug out, with work underway. • 17th hole – the sodden condition of this tee and desire to complete the work ahead of the season has resulted in two extra layers of stone carpet being added (30 tonnes each of 25mm and 5 – 10mm grit), plus a 15mm deep layer of soil (80 tonnes), before it was turfed. The path has been added to the rear (ready for a new bench kindly donated by The Ramsey family in loving memory of Graham). The tee-side trees on the Club land have been cut down and crown-lifted to provide more light and air. Work planned to be undertaken during this month: Course: • As a whole will be scarified in numerouscompacted areas. • Greens – will be scarified, micro-tined, top-dressed (around 25 tonnes over the 18) and cut down marginally from the current 8mm height. • Tees – fed and top-dressed (35 tonnes across the 18 holes). • Fairways – will receive their first full cut and fly mown on banks. • Bunkers – a rolling project to deep rake all, edge and then top-up commences this month. • Trees – broken branches / fallen trees around the course / edges will be cut back / down. • Paths – a few areas need topping with crush and run. The path to the ‘ladies’ will also be topped off. As recommended by Barracloughs, the new path exiting from the 8th green towards the red/yellow tees will be started and subsequently topped off. • A new 7th temporary green is to be prepared and cut ready for early season and will be GUR. Projects: • The 3rd, 4th and 5th hole zone will be vertidrained, top-soiled, seeded and dressed. • 3rd – the stone wall at the top-end of the ditch will be capped off. • 4th – the path through the woods will be extended at both ends. • 4th – the ditch base and edges hopefully completed near the 5th tee. • 5th stone bridge will be completed on the wood side. And the path running over the bridge be made good again. • The ladies have requested have the 4th hole be opened on competition days; weather conditions and state of remedial work will be a determining factor, along with input from handicaps who are awaiting advice from the R&A regarding dropping zones. • 7th – the three bunkers will be dug out, shaped, banks turfed and bunkers sanded. • 17th tee – mat to be placed temporarily at rear of the 17th tee to protect the new tee until newly laid turf has bedded in. Other matters: • The winter projects for 2014/15 will focus mainly on path-work, drainage and tree cutting (6th tee, 7th tee and the ravine / 18th tee area especially), plus the member-funded tree planting project – which will import smallnative specimen trees to add colour and use saplings from around the course which will be identified and marked out this summer. • The opening of the project areas will greatly depend on the weather. It is anticipated that the 5th tee will be April, 17th tee (grass) May / June and 7th green in June. Handicaps will make the 7th hole into a par 4, using a newly cut green. • We plan to hold a devoting evening on Monday 7th April, 18.00 hrs till complete or dusk. Volunteers will be much appreciated – please bring a bucket too! Looking back over the winter: The Committee thank the green staff for grinding on with their projects through some of the wettest times in living memory. The images of them up to their necks in mud, or so it seemed, in the driving rain day in day out makes the completed work all that much more appreciated. As we set out to the Committee during the summer of 2013, at the EGM and the October 2013 Winter Projects document we took on additional drainage work this winter and afterSTRI’s strong recommendation reshaped the 7thgreen – please see their report for fuller details. In summary: The new stream on 3 / 4/ 5 is a drainage project first and a course enhancement second. We anticipate a marked improvement in the playing surface of this area and will assess the additional banding needs over the next 18 months around the 3rd and 4th greens. It also removed a previously raised health and safety issue. This project linked in with the drainage work on the 3rd fairway completed during the winter 2011/12,which has displayed a marked improvement. In creating the stream ditch, we excavated sufficient clay to level the 5th tee. Members will recall the restricted back white tee area and undulating red and yellow tees. The old turf from this tee has been used on the banks of the stream, with new turf imported to ensure the new 5th tee was consistent. Once the area dries out the approach slope of the white tee will be extended to reduce the gradient and help astray shots to the 4th green. The 7th green project moved the Club on fromhaving a problem green which the agronomists STRI classed as unworkable. We worked closely with the Club’s Architect and duly increased the original size of the planned green to ensure the right contours, many more pin positions andplayability. Whilst this has resulted in a superb looking and no doubt challenging 44m green of some 600 sqm in size, some 30% larger, and has required additional resource, drainage, materials and a whole returf. We had anticipated relaying the original turf but this would have given rise toin two grass types, which we were advised against. The 17th tee was pretty much destroyed through the 7th green construction due to the weather conditions. Whilst we had planned to raise this tee slightly, due to the sodden soil and desire to complete the work ahead of the season, two layersor 60 tonnes of stone were laid and 80 tonnes of soil (all by barrow). This added an additional foot or so of height, plus extra cost. It has been fully returfed now and with the cutting back and removal of tee-side trees we anticipate a larger and far superior tee area. Currently, at the time of this notice, the staff are constructing the three fairway bunkers on the 7thhole. The architect’s design and ethos has been on the Green Notice Board since the autumn. Essentially, the bunkers will be as much a visual hazard as an actual one for most members of all handicap categories. Without these, the concern was that the 7th would continue to play weekly in the top 5 easiest of holes on the course despite being stroke 4. Once the projects are completed the green staff and committee will work through the projects toestablish the lessons learned – which we are sure will include seeking the members’ authority to undertake such projects (ie similar green projects, as per STRI’s recommendations) earlier in the season, rather than being at the behest of winter weather - which this year has extended hire of equipment and required additional time andresources to make-good surfaces to ensure completion ahead of the new season. The alternative could have been to park the projects until the conditions improved but this would have resulted in work continuing well into the season, delaying further the project zones being back in play. Either way has a cost implication. As a team, we are delighted with the appearance of the work, the professional approach and results achieved by the hardworking green staff andexpected improvement to not only the playing surface but also golfer’s enjoyment of the course. We have received excellent feedback from all quarters of the Club about the projects and the playing surface of the greens this winter – which are benefitting from their third year of intensiveSTRI driven aeration work, mainly through the season. On behalf of the staff and committee may we thank you for your understanding and support. For and on behalf of the Green Staff and Committee 13th March 2014. Return to News Page
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 10:54:06 +0000
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