5/4/18
The weather!!
What can I say!!
30mm in 2 days to start this month and more since. I
am wondering when it is going to stop and give the course, our gardens and
especially the green staff, a rest.
As mentioned previously, the problem is not just
the water but also the lack of grass growth on the course. I hear you saying
the temperatures are rising which is true, and we are seeing light at the end
of the tunnel, but the saturated ground conditions are suffocating the grass
plant. Fortunately, we have aerated the Greens, Approaches and Tees recently,
with more planned tomorrow, which is helping the water get through the soil
profile.
There are a few practices that I have wanted to do
over the last few weeks to help smoothness of the greens including top dressing
and some light feed, but we simply haven’ t had the conditions to do this
without causing damage and further stress on the plant.
You may notice a yellowing to some of the poa grass
blades on the greens, this is due to a couple of reasons.
- We applied the first feed on 13th March and was due to apply a follow up feed at the end of the month but have not been able to do so until today, due to heavy rain or strong wind. The problem is that the first application has been washed through the plant by now and the poa is in need of this feed to prevent is suffering from the stress of low growth and high saturation.
- Poa needs the temperatures up and a managed feeding program to spring in to life and begin to grow. The bent however is tolerant to colder conditions and less nutrition. This is why you can see a darker healthier grass on the greens. this is predominantly bent.
The reasons above are just outlining are just some
of the reasons why we are changing the grasses over to bent and getting away
from poa. The complex thing for us to achieve is getting the balance right during
this transition phase and hopefully getting them to sit comfortably alongside
each other for a while.
I was hoping to get the course set up for summer
golf and move you on to the summer tees over the next week or so, but with the
lack of growth and wet weather we are experiencing I am holding back for a
while longer.
We will instead look to move you on to summer
tees gradually depending on grass conditions on the individual tee, how
much wear that tee will end up getting across the year and conditions around
the tee.
Finally, I have to say though, I am very happy with
the way the course has held up with the weather and would like to thank you all
for your co-operation when we have to take trolleys and buggies off. I only do
this if I feel they will be a detriment to the course or will be unsafe for you
to use.
Enjoy the Masters this weekend, but don’t forget, once
they have finished their little one week showpiece, Augusta looks like this in
the summer:
Kind Regards,
Paul Staples
