Course update 01/09/2017
Hello all,
I would like to first say thank you to all the members that
have wished me well in my appointment as Head Greenkeeper. It was a hard
process, but well worth the wait. I am looking forward to the future ahead at Broadstone and I am itching to get started on helping the course reach its potential.
Having worked here for over 10 years now and having acted up over this summer, I have many ideas and plans as to how we can improve what is already a wonderful place to play golf. It won't all happen overnight and I would appreciate your patience while we get some of the bigger issues sorted out, (yes, including the bunkers!) but I hope you have seen this summer that we are going in the right direction.
I see this appointment as only being the start of the process, my initial focus will be to get the staff working well, (you are only as good as your team) and then to ensure we get this winter's projects planned and completed correctly. In the medium/long term, working with Ed, Gordon and the Committee to implement the larger scale improvements, whilst at the same time maintaining very good surfaces, will be the key goal. Alongside this, I am also aware that we must never stop learning and I am already planning various ways in which I can ensure we copy best practice and give members of Broadstone the very best golfing conditions.
Managing such a high profile venue on such a big site, with the SSSI heathland areas as well as the golf course surfaces to maintain, is no easy task, however, it is a challenge I am up for and look forward to tackling. Thanks again for all your support.
Having worked here for over 10 years now and having acted up over this summer, I have many ideas and plans as to how we can improve what is already a wonderful place to play golf. It won't all happen overnight and I would appreciate your patience while we get some of the bigger issues sorted out, (yes, including the bunkers!) but I hope you have seen this summer that we are going in the right direction.
I see this appointment as only being the start of the process, my initial focus will be to get the staff working well, (you are only as good as your team) and then to ensure we get this winter's projects planned and completed correctly. In the medium/long term, working with Ed, Gordon and the Committee to implement the larger scale improvements, whilst at the same time maintaining very good surfaces, will be the key goal. Alongside this, I am also aware that we must never stop learning and I am already planning various ways in which I can ensure we copy best practice and give members of Broadstone the very best golfing conditions.
Managing such a high profile venue on such a big site, with the SSSI heathland areas as well as the golf course surfaces to maintain, is no easy task, however, it is a challenge I am up for and look forward to tackling. Thanks again for all your support.
First up on my to do list from Monday, weather permitting, will be re-starting our overseeding of bent seed into the greens. When seeding, we
need the conditions to be dry, meaning we only have a seeding window between
10am and roughly 4pm. This may mean you may have a temporary green at some
point in your round next week, apologies for this, we hope not to cause too much inconvenience to you.
The process is not too severe, the seeder will cut lines into the green at
5mm, the optimum height for successful germanation, and leave bent seed in at this height. We will then apply a light dressing and cut
after to just ease any disruption to the surface. Those of you with good memories will remember us carrying out this operation, with good success, in the Autumn of 2015.
As you may have seen I have removed all the leggy gorse and
birch saplings left of 13th green.
I have always wanted to cut this bank down and bring the old bunkers
back in to play, albeit grassy bunkers. There is still work to do on the area, but after the amount of balls we found in
there I’m sure you will all be happy. Most balls will be donated to the
practice ground. (I may have kept a couple of pro V1’s!)
Back to the course for this weekend, hole change, double cutting of greens and a bunker rake for all you medal players tomorrow, have a great game.
Kind Regards, Paul Staples
Back to the course for this weekend, hole change, double cutting of greens and a bunker rake for all you medal players tomorrow, have a great game.
Kind Regards, Paul Staples
Congratulations Paul. I played yesterday afternoon and the presentation of the course in general was as good as I have seen it for many years. Good luck to you and the team.
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