October

Course Update - October 2018

Winter is almost  is hear but somehow we are still getting temperatures of 20 plus degrees in the day. Along with the moisture in the air and the warm daytime temperatures, its a beautiful recipe for disease. Predominantly Fusarium (see pic below)

This now brings me on to why we are overseeding our greens with the best cultivars of Browntop Bent grass there is. As you may know 13th & 14th greens have an excellent percentage of |Bent on them and they coped the best out of all greens with our latest disease outbreak. Worst greens by far were 1 & 3 which sit in shade most of the day. In my opinion we are on a great path with the greens trasition and 13 & 14 just clarify why. There are still chemicals to help with disease but they are gradually getting banned. we have lost two this year which are not being replaced. The cost of an application of fungicide is £1,250 which is a lot seeing as some courses with poa greens can apply up to 15 a year. We are up to date with our preventative fungicides that are permitted, although we wont be won't be using 15 this year!

Greens

We remain pleased with the greens. The double pass of overseeding has gone really well and conditions could not really have been better to establish this young seed.

I am fully aware there has been discussions about the greens being relatively slow. We are aware of this and know that whilst the trueness is pretty good, a foot or so quicker would keep most golfers even happier. Can I assure you we could easily get these greens quicker within 2/3 days if that was the priority. If we had a major event in 2 days time and prioritised that over the health of the thousands of pounds worth of bent seed applied over the last 2/3 months, you would now be putting on much quicker surfaces, lower height of cut, rolling, verticutting, away we go!

However, that is not our current priority, and if we did what is listed above, we would kill the majority of the germinating seed that is coming through. We are balancing the short term needs of golfers with ensuring that bent grass establishes on our weaker greens such as 1,3, 12 and 16, therefore giving much better surfaces for all of 2019 and beyond. We appreciate your patience while we do this, we feel strongly that 2018 was a better all year round for the greens than 2017 and that 2019 will be even better again.  

Drainage on 10th hole

As you are aware 10th green is by far the worst green for drainage and as written in the winter program we decided to fully drain it. The drains run horizontal to the hill on the left of the green where we feel most of the water is coming from. The idea is to catch the water as it works its way across the green. If the 1st drain line doesn't catch the water the next one will and so on. Most green drainage will be done with a traditional herring bone system but it was felt by the  drainage consultant to design a system that would catch the natural spring water that filters in from the hill that feeds the Oakley arms.

Buggies On the Course

With the winter setting in we have the problem of balancing the protection of the course, the needs of the golfer and also ensuring their health and safety. We very much hope that we don't have to prevent use of buggies or trollies as we know how much some golfers need them. We will therefore allow them as often as we can but buggy users can also help themselves. When I have staff calling me saying that a member has driven a buggy through one of the wettest area of the course, behind the 3rd green, it is very hard to think they will be sensible enough on some of the slopes out on the course. Please can all buggy users be sensible with their routes around the course, especially as conditions get wetter, it is for your own and others benefit. We will always have wet areas on the course so please stick to the paths, keep on he high sides of the fairway, even stay in the semi rough where you can and stay away from greens and tees.

Could I also ask now the winter is approaching that you all try and use carry bags as often as possible, I know it is not for everyone but it helps greatly reduce turf wear and compaction on the course.

*****

I see the forecast is for cold but dry weather this weekend. I hope for all us golfers, the dry weather continues but that the warmth returns soon!

Kind Regards,

Paul.