Festive Season 2012

Adverse weather, has brought us new challenges and provided us different tasks recently. We have set the golf course up in the mornings, cleaning greens, moving tee markers and shaping sand in the bunkers. Followed by some DIY work within the work sheds. The team has been busy, painting the sheds and floors, adding more work benches, and general tidying up. Keeping the work sheds respectable and organized!

First week in January, we will kick off with the remainder of winter projects - 12th tee complex, one bunker re build on hole 4, level and turf path ends, drainage works.

Thank you for you all your coorperation in 2012, and wish you a Merry Christmas.

Looking forward to report back in 2013!

Tom and Pops on the 6th this morning!?!

Wet wet wet

Another busy week out on the golf course! Our aim was to complete the bunker construction on holes 4 and 11, however the weather made it difficult for us! We managed to get some turf down in places as it was starting to turn colour, which will determine the grow in process. We managed to apply a 'wet feed' on Thursday morning, this included mainly 1-0-15, seaweed and iron. Once the bunkers are completed we are set to start work in the 12th tee area, plans have been approved to raise the back of the tee to gain more floor space, creating a nice straight tier complex all the way to the ladies teeing area. The pathway will be evaluated to weather it needs moving or can stay in its original place, all appropriate drainage/irrigation will be installed. I'm looking forward to get this project started, with the hope of improving more tee complexes over the next few years.

Other assignments this week included; changing holes, brushing greens daily, cut greens on Thursday, raked bunkers and moving tee markers daily.

Bunkers on the fourth ready for turf 

We couldn't mow fairways or surrounds this week due to the soft grounds, luckily growth has slowed down! Forecast looks to be dry for the next few days now which is just what the course needs! Enjoy your weekend and mind the cows!

Your team

Mooove that cow!

Was a surprise to find 7 cows roaming the golf course this morning! Some damage was made to the 17th green, which was repaired straight away. The third is now complete, the newly turfed area to the right of the green will be cut with the surrounds mower at height of 12mm, this creating a nice swail off area. We will commence turfing the bunkers on hole 4 tomorrow and plan for this project to be finished by Friday. We had to move a couple of irrigation heads this morning around where the new bunkers are on holes 4 and 11, and adjust there heights, to go with the new contours. The bunkers on 11 are shaping up nicely and are in line once the 4th is complete. I can honestly say it looks daunting from the tee now, which is for you to decide weather you want to improve your golf or not!

Walking the cows away from the course

 Mikey moving sprinklers

The 4th LHS fairway bunker

4th RHS fairway bunker

We set the south side up for play this morning as the north side is closed, and looks to be for a couple of days. No trolleys are allowed on the course at this time. 

Other jobs I intend to be completed before March -

-Strip path ends and turf

-Aerify greens

-Trim trees along the 11th lake banks

-Fill in 'out technoed' bunkers

-Improve drainage on 5th approach and 4th approach

All new bunkers will be edged, sanded and in play 1st of March 2013.

One last mention we have noticed ball blemishes on the greens. Pitch marks obviously take alot more time to heal in the winter months, please make sure you repair your ball marks, if you want us to produce good surfaces, please play your part and help us out!

Enjoy

More changes... for the better!

It clearly never stops at Les Mielles...

The remainder of the third is shaped and will be turfed/completed tomorrow, personally I don't like to leave jobs before they're completed but in this case it couldn't have been done any other way. The new fairway bunkers on hole four have been dug out and will be shaped over the weekend. I hope you all agree with why we have made the changes, not only to get the golfer thinking about their tee shot, but also to improve the definition of the fairway. We aim to have these completed by next week.

We then started with the bunker construction on hole 11, there will be two bunkers positioned on the right hand side, just before the elbow of the dog leg. This will improve the golf hole drastically and will make it a true stroke index 2.

The crew stripping the turf

Also trying to get the course prepared for the weekend, the team have put some real effort in this week, not only a privilege for myself to work with, but an asset to the Golf Club. 

We've had a couple of ideas from the members which is great to see, I think its important to look into what the members want, and to improve our environment. Don't be scared to contact me with your thoughts or compliments ;)  lesmiellesgreens@gmail.com

Credits Due

It was great to see no damage to the new bunkers over the weekend, and I'd like to thank all golfers for there cooperation. We've marked out on the 4th fairway where we propose for the new fairway bunkers to be. We plan to keep the large existing bunker, however reduce this in size. I hope you all agree, the new bunkers on 5 have made an improvement visually and I believe will play much fairer and demanding.

 5th hole before renovation

5th hole complete

We've had a large amount of rain over the past few days, It's good to see our drainage works we completed last month are put to the test and prove to be working. We wish to look out for more drainage issues during the winter to improve surfaces. One being on the 5th approach, Friday morning we found one of the new bunker faces to be washed out, to prevent this from happening again, we built up the brow slightly and re shaped, and will now hook up a drain cap in the appropriate place. We actually took this into consideration when building these bunkers, however mother nature proves 'tough to beat'.

 Tom repairing the damage

Always having a busy week ahead, this week is no different. We have a liquid feed planned, mainly liquid iron and seaweed. And weather permitting to start the bunker construction on hole 4. If you have any suggestions or queries please do not hesitate to contact me via email lesmiellesgreens@gmail.com

Start of the new week

With another busy weekend, Mondays a day where we get some course tidying up and the start of the weeks works. We missed a cut on the greens this morning, just rolled the greens with the vibe rollers for the seniors competition this morning. Changed holes, cut tees and surrounds. It was a pleasant surprise to see no damage done to the new bunkers this morning. If were to do more bunkers this winter it's important the golfers get the message, as it is easily avoided and a time consuming job for us to repair.

This morning we applied an organic based fertilizer 7-5-12 containing magnesium and sulphur, this is part of our winter feeding program for the fairways.

Pop feeding the 9th fairway

Also as part of our agronomy program, soil tests were taken. We chose 5 of the greens, ranging from what we feel are the worst to the best. These soils will now go away to a lab in England to be examined. These examinations will show us our nutrition levels, and will depend on our feeding program for next season.

Soil testing the 7th green

This afternoon we are progressing on with the new bunkers on hole 5. The turf is taken from our turf nursery on site, this being cost effective and on hand when we need turf. We are hoping this project to be completed by Wednesday.

The turf bed

Tom rolling greens this morning

Golf Course Update

Little rain this week, which is drying the course up nicely. Also letting us get on with some 'winter jobs' if you like. Hole 3 is almost complete, we are just waiting on ground to continue filling the right hand side bunker, this ground is from a local demolition contractor, and is at no cost. We then add black sand on top to achieve the correct grade.

We've cleared the tamarisk shrub from the back of the 3rd and 5th green, hopefully we will see some positive results from doing this. A lot of the content was either dead or over hanging, which didn't look so great.

the back of the fifth green

Also cracking on with the new bunkers on the 5th, we're starting to see some good shapes. These bunker faces will be turfed just like the ones on hole 3.

 Tom and George shaping the bunkers on hole 5

This week we have been setting up the new irrigation system, the system was installed beginning of the year, however we ran with the old system this season. We are now programming all the valve decoders to the new system, which will be in operation next year. This system will take our water management to the next level,  improving the surfaces, and to help us operate it more effective.

Mikey wiring up one of the valves

Mowing has slowed up the past few weeks, cutting fairways and tees weekly, and greens and surrounds when needed (around 3 times a week). When we're not cutting greens, we either brush to remove the dew and stand up the grass, or roll to maintain some speed and trueness. Hopefully we will apply a winter feed to the fairways tomorrow, will keep you posted if it goes ahead. Lastly, alot of the surrounds have suffered in the high traffic areas, and with the wet weather. It's noticeable that trolleys are being pushed far too close to the edges of greens, so please think about this when next playing!

If you have any questions with regards to our projects please do not hesitate to contact me via email - lesmiellesgreens@gmail.com

Meet The Team

From left to right; Augistinho a.k.a Pops, Maria, Michael, Jack, Tom, George and David kneeling

I'm very fortunate to work alongside such a reliable and hard working team. Always willing to learn new practices and methods, and put their ideas forward. Within the team, we have Michael working as Irrigation tech, and David in charge of the golf course machinery. The teams pride and presentation is getting better and better by the day, and strive to get Les Mielles in it's best condition all year round.

Maybe not a good time to post this picture as we're in shorts and shirts, but soon be christmas!

Rain Rain Rain

It was unfortunate to see some damage to the new bunkers over the weekend, there were various foot prints all over the new turf around the bunker faces. This morning we switched greens, changed holes, cut tees and surrounds, and started some tree work. With constant rain this afternoon, we got some much needed tidying up, and painting the sheds.

clearly this golfer couldn't walk the extra 2 yards to enter the bunker without causing damage

changing holes, switching greens

The tamarisk shrub is common around our golf course. This winter we plan to tidy some of the areas up, we have noticed some dead branches and unsightly growth. The shrubs look best when in bloom, and cutting back the tamarisk will develop the new growth.

cutting the tamarisk shrub right down

Windy start to the day... but progression!

Surprise on the first hole this morning

Great to see the new bunkers on hole 3 coming along nicely, started laying some turf this afternoon as it had been rolled up for a couple of days now. Drainage should not be an issue with the construction of these bunkers as there's good natural sand underneath, however we will monitor this throughout next year, and if we have to install drains etc. we can. The bunkers do look fairly deep, however once we add the sand they wont be as deep! These bunkers will be out of play now till March, and thats when we will add the sand. We have also installed steps to access the bunkers, please use these as this will keep our bunker faces in better condition.

Shaping up on the 3rd right hand side bunker

Turfing the bunker faces

Steps going in on new bunkers

The new bunkers on the 5th have been dug out and shaped, and we will get turfing these once the 3rd is complete. Course maintenance has obviously took a back seat, growth is slowing down now though with the colder nights.

We would like to look at the fairway bunker positioning on hole 4 next, and also the 12th tee complex.

Overall much praise goes to the lads out there today, knuckled down and done a great job.

Winter Projects 2012

Winter works started Monday 29th October, the main priority is re building the green side bunkers on holes 3 and 5. The third hole had 3 bunkers in the front with a small pot hole bunker at the back of the green. Working alongside ex European Tour Professional Wayne Stephens, it was decided to turn the 3 bunkers into 2 and position them more strategically. Also bringing in more slopes around the bunkers to protect the short par 4. It was also felt that the small bunker at the rear needed to be filled, bearing in mind the maintenance and upkeep of bunkers around the course.

Hole 3 before renovation

There will be a new bunker on the  front left hand side, the center of the bunker will be roughly where the rake is. And the other center being roughly on the walkway on the right hand side. We believe these two new bunkers can hold the same penalty as the previous three, but provide us with easier upkeep and look far better visually.

As you can see in the picture for hole 5, this bunker is in need with some TLC. We have designs to make this large narrow bunker into two smaller bunkers.

Hole 5 before

The first bunker will be brought into the surround by two meters, with a smaller bunker hiding up against the left hand surround. Halfway stage and completion pictures will follow, this was just an update as there looked to be many puzzled faces out there today. 

With golf ball and club technology improving, it is also our aim to fill in some now 'out of place' bunkers around the course, this will start later on in the season along with turfing path ends, and tree work. The crew will be busy this winter and we hope you can appreciate we are trying to improve the course for everyones benefits.

We also had a welcome delivery today, the staff have kindly been provided with new waterproof suits. 

Tom looking professional?!?!

#Thatchmowroll

This morning we verti-cut the greens to a depth of 2mm below flush. We then followed this practice with a single mow at 4mm and a roll to smooth the surface. Our idea for this is also to encourage new growth within the disease scars. Other jobs this morning included cutting tees and surrounds, cut semi-rough.

Verti cutting units attached to a Jacobson tri-plex

Benefits of Verti cutting

- Thatch removal or reduction

- To reduce lateral growth

- Improve putting speeds

- Thins out the sward

Wednesday 24th October 2012

View from the back of 7th green this morning

This morning was the final round of the Pro-Am, the crew were in early to get the mowing and bunkers prepared for the tournament. Congratulations to Les Mielles Professional Wayne Stephens on his win.

Tom double cutting the putting green this morning

The new cups have arrived, a bit later than hoped due to the fog. However they were in action today and have already made an improvement. Just to remind the players, these are inter-locking cups and ferrels, and need to be placed back properly for the flag sticks not to fall out in the winds.

We took advantage of the nice weather this afternoon and applied a systemic fungicide 'Instrata' to all 19 greens. This is part of our disease prevention program, and will stand our surfaces in good stead throughout the winter months. We apologise to members playing this afternoon, for the tyre marks on the greens, as you can understand the greens are on the soft side, however the marks should be gone by tomorrow.

Jack spraying the 7th green

Course Update Monday 22nd October 2012

Pro-Am starts tomorrow morning, and despite the wet weather, the course looks fine. Greens are obviously going to be running slower than we hoped, they stimped just under 9 this morning. I went out with Sam from the PGA today, for the hole locations, he was happy with the condition of the course.

Tuesday morning duties -  raking/shaping bunkers, single cutting greens, rolled greens, change holes
Afternoon duties - cut fairways (anti-clock direction), single cut greens, cut tees and surrounds, mow semi rough.

Wednesday morning we will follow the same routine as Tuesday morning, And then clean the worksheds and do some painting work etc.

We noticed some fusarium patch this morning, so weather permitting we can apply a fungicide later this week, keep you up to date with how that goes.

Job Allocation

To keep the team organised and myself clear with the day to day operations on the course, I find a 'jobs board' a valuable tool. I also believe it maximises the tasks and work loads, We also run through the tasks in a morning brief so everyone is clear with what we are trying to achieve.

I like to rotate the tasks between the staff members on a regular basis, this keeps everyone well trained/experienced. And also keeps them interested in the description. This week however I have signed staff up to specific tasks. This is so it almost becomes second nature to them for preparing the course to a high standard for the Pro-Am. As always in these parts of the world, it's always weather depending!

Golf Course update 16th October 2012

Luckily with little rain last night and high winds, the course is holding up well. This morning we managed to brush greens, at a right to left angle, brushing into the grain, with a single cut after at left to right angle. We've been following this practice throughout the summer, and have seen some improvements to the putting surfaces. The weather forecast is looking clear this afternoon, so fingers crossed we can apply our winter feed to the tees and surrounds.

Benefits of brushing the greens prior mowing - Removes dew to give a better quality of cut

                                                                    - Stands up the blade (better finish)

                                                                    - Clears any debris

Tom brushing the 16th green

A new machine also arrived this morning, the management have purchased a McConnel 'swing trim' hedge cutter. This tractor attachment will benefit labor costs drastically.

Breakdown - 

Up to 3.5m reach

Unique swingover - enables us to work either side of the tractor

Low power requirement

Three point linkage system

Eliminates white finger

PGA South Region Pro-Am Course Prep

This week we will be preparing the course presentation for this years Pro-Am. We haven't had the best start to the week, with constant rain all night Sunday. However the crew have made some good progress with a few detail jobs today.

Goerge mowing the 18th approach

Shaped bunkers and added sand where we needed to

Changed holes, the hole locations will be placed in easier positions this week to save the tougher pins

Tom managed to get some much needed 'patching and plugging'

 And, if we get some more of this weather, the course will be playing well!

Tomorrow we're hoping to get fairways cut, as it was too wet this morning. Greens double cut, and get on top of some tee banks and path edges.

Winter feeding program

Today we started our winter feeding program, we applied 2-0-15 to all 19 greens. We will apply this feed on a monthly basis through to march. This feed will develop root growth and keep the plant strong through the winter months.

If you wish to know more details about our feeding programs please do not hesitate to contact me via email - lesmiellesgreens@gmail.com

Golf Course Course Etiquette

To keep our golf course healthy and in good condition through the winter months, it is important we throw out a few reminders regards to course etiquette.

-Diverted Traffic | To keep our greens surrounds in good order, we have white lined traffic routes for golfers to follow around the greens.

-Pitchmarks | With the greens becoming damper, it is important every golfer repairs their own ball mark correctly. For information to repair a pitchmark correctly please follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1UWnpv3woU&feature=related

-Bunkers | It has come to our attention that some bunkers are not being raked appropriately. Please ensure your footprints and divot has been smoothed over and raked, this way each golfer has a fair test of golf.

-Ground Under Repair | We have marked areas that need help with growth and prevent any risk of any further damage. These areas are marked with white paint along with G.U.R, please drop at least one club length no nearer the hole.

-Roped off areas | Please avoid going through these areas, if you need to retrieve a ball, please make sure the rope and stakes are in place when done.

New Grinders at Les Mielles

To continue with the improvement on the golf course, it is vital all our mowing equipment is set up correctly. We have recently purchased the Bernhard 'Anglemaster 3000MC' and 'Dual Master 3000iR' grinding machines.  

Not will this only improve the finish and play ability of the surfaces, it will provide us with healthier turf grass.

Breakdown

-Poorly sharpened mowers will tear the blade, rather than cut. This making the sward more prone to disease.
-Having the option to grind when we need to.
-Cost effective.
-Provide a quality cut.

Drainage

Drainage is an important topic, when it comes to golf course maintenance. The past week, has seen us install new drainage to two areas on the course. Firstly the 11th Fairway, being a low area has caused some serious waterlogging. We installed a new grade, going into a 6 inch perforated pipe, running into the near by lake. We used 1'' washed gravel as backfill and turfed the area to finish.

Secondly the 16th surround, had been victim of a blocked drain. We located the drain, cleared the line, and installed a new grade in the lowest/wettest spot. This should now prevent sitting water, and keep the turf clean and healthy.