18/05/2018
Hello, Its been a
while and how things have changed!!
I started last
time talking about the amount of rain we have been having. Well, we haven't
seen a drop for a long time and I shouldn't say this but it would be nice to
see a bit of rain!!
My staff and I are
very happy with where we are with the course and surfaces are beginning to take
shape. It is a great time to see the bent that we are introducing to the greens
as the poa is a little behind the bent grasses, because of the low soil
temperatures. I know it is always a saying at Broadstone that the greens aren't
there till June but I hope you can see from a few of the predominantly bent
greens (5,13 & 14) that we can change this theory and have these wonderful
greens for most, if not all year round. This will occur once the conversion is
completed across some of the more poa dominant greens such as 1,3 & 10.
This difference in conversion speeds between the drier greens
that get more light and air and the wetter, shadier ones that don't, is
perfectly normal on this program, they will catch up, we just need to keep
doing what we are doing and be patient.
Rough
The dreaded rough
has started seeding and is really bringing definition to the course and I have
started to add an extra couple of cuts at 5 inches where I feel the course
needs it. At present the base of the rough in most places is not thick and is
playable, obviously not an easy shot (as you shouldn't really be there!) but
still thin enough that you can find your ball and swing a club through.
Bunkers
The bunkers are an
ongoing gripe here and at a lot of other courses. We have long term plans to
refurbish all the bunkers but this doesn't stop us looking for short term
solutions to the worst bunkers. As I said in a previous blog, we have acquired
a beach cleaner from the Bournemouth council and have been waiting for some dry
weather to have a go with it. You may have noticed or seen us out in a few
bunkers on the 8th and 9th, starting to try and address the stone issues. The
bunker sand has to be bone dry, including the bases, for the machine to work
but when it is, it works like a dream. We have cleaned a handful of bunkers so
far and whilst it will not remove all of the stones, it will definitely
help us in the bad state that the bunkers are in.
Please watch this
little video clip of Sam and the machine in action.
If video does not work please try this link
Watering the
course
I thought I could
briefly explain about how we irrigate the course.
You probably never
see the irrigation doing a full cycle around the course. It is on most nights
during the early hours of the morning at the moment and we are not watering
everything, just watering what needs to be to keep surfaces healthy and
moisture levels at the optimum number.
The system is
there predominantly to keep the grass alive as overwatering can also be a
problem to the greens and can encourage the wrong grasses or thatch which are
caused due to too much moisture in the ground.
TPC Sawgrass
- Must watch video!
Those who like watching the golf on Sky, will have seen a great Players Championship last weekend at Sawgrass. I just thought I would add a link to a video of the course set up from the green keeping team and volunteers. Wouldn't I just love this amount of staff and machinery and it just shows how much work goes into a tournament at that level......and it's not even a major!! Please remember this video next time you compare a course you are playing to the one you see on TV.
Please click here for link
I would also like
to thank all the people that have made time to email in with their thoughts on
the course, mostly positive, but also some giving feedback about areas they
wish to see improved. I like members to give both sides of feedback, as we
cannot achieve everything and have to prioritize our workload and your feedback
helps us do this. Also, all the positive feedback we receive, I pass on to all
my staff which definitely spurs them on to make the course even better everyday.
Finally, Ed has
emailed you about the divot party on Tuesday 22nd May at 6pm and the team would
love some of you to come. I have 7 of the staff that are coming in to help
which will be a great time for you all to meet the lads.
Kind Regards
Paul
