The weather yesterday (Monday) was a welcome surprise, we just need it for sometime now for the course to dry out. The south side is open for play, however the north remains closed until further notice.  You may have noticed end of last year we had a hydraulic leak on the 4th green. This was probably the worst time of the year for this to happen, as our only option is to seed and top dress this area. Turfing would be another option however we do not have a turf nursery with greens quality turf. So with the weather warming up, this morning we decided to hollow core the scar, top dress and seed with creeping bent grass. 

Cored, seeded and dressed

Cores

We have also managed to make some alterations to the 17th tee complex. We removed the sleepers and have created a tier from the ladies tee to the blue tee box. We had to raise the left hand side of the blue tee, so it is now the same width as the lassies tee. I'm sure you will all agree this looks formal and smarter. 

17th tee before

Pops and Sammy turfing

Single cut on the greens this morning as there has been some growth over the past couple days. The team are looking forward to spring, stepping up the golf course presentation and seeing the benefits of our winter works. 

Keeping guard

Braving all weathers

The weather doesn't look to be clearing up anytime soon, it seems to be getting worse if anything! The team have still been working through it and progressed with some smaller jobs, but will still improve the course. We aim to make the tee complexes more accessable for machinery, and also for us to operate on the surface safely. This week we have took away the sleepers at the front of the 16th tee box, and shaped it to act as a suttle tee bank. This now gives the mowing equipment more area to turn, saving wear and tear. The tractors/aerifiers plenty of room to run off the tee, and also looks better visually. We installed new edging, and we have decided to seed the area, once the weather warms up. As you can see in the picture below, the weeds along the edge. As we don't box off our tee clippings, they can often blow over the front of this tee, this encouraging the weeds to flourish. The works we have done, will prevent the clippings from going onto the path, therefor helping us overhaul the weeds situation. We do spray our paths with total weedkiller, when the weather is on our side.

Before - Clearly needed some work

Compacting and grading the soil

Going back to seeding areas when the weather warms up, you may have noticed the back bunker on the 3rd has been filled in, and shaped up. This will also be seeded once the temperatures rise.

This morning we started aerifying fairways, we simply cannot get anough of aerification at the moment. It's a practice that turf needs to improve the health of the plant, then improving playabilty and the visuals. This time we are using the small tines going down 3 inches, but have added some heave to give the profile a kick. In simple terms - no heave is when tines go staright in straight out, increasing the heave gives the tines a kick action when it's in the soil, this allows the water and air desperse alot easier.

Pop on the 1st this morning

At the moment we can only take a day at a time with this weather. We have some feeding to get on top of, fertilsing greens, tees and surrounds. And also to repair some of the course boundry fences.

Course update 30/01/13

The weather this month has been somewhat the norm...more rain! The greens are in good condition considering, the benefits of the pencil tining are evident. Hoping to get some more slit tining on the fairways and tees during February, get some air into the soil!

The lake on hole 1

We've been busy with some DIY works to improve our workshops, smart sheds raises the game out on the course. Sammy has done a great job in particular and is proving to be an asset to the team.

Sammy working on our new store room

Myself and Pops started with the new fence along the road beside the 10th hole, this is to protect walkers, bikers etc. from getting hit by any golf balls.

Digging the holes for the posts

David and Nelio our mechanics, have worked endlessly. They have now completed all our 'winter servicing' in good time, and progress onto some more intense mechanical work. This work is vital to our plans out on the course, so we thank David and Nelio  behind the scenes! 

Nelio working away

The new bunkers on the 3rd are looking a lot better with the rope taken away. Please keep using the steps when entering the bunkers. We will be introducing an 'edge cut' once tempretatures start to rise, this will be one pass around every green at a lower height of cut than the surrounds. We're hoping this will improve playability around the greens along with the visual aspect. 

Hole 3 complete

Please stay away from wet areas on fairways and around greens, and enjoy your golf!

It's easy as A D C

Yesterday morning we started our aeration program to all putting surfaces. We have started off by using 9" pencil tines with no heave (straight in straight out), this is a slow process and will take little over 2 days to complete. Some disruption to the surfaces, but this will stand the greens in good stead for the forthcoming season.

A = Aeration

D= Drainage

C = Compaction

Pops and Sammy doing a great job on hole 11

Tom has been doing a good job within the clubhouse area, power washing the patio area.

Has a 3 litre engine and runs on coffee

There has also been a small change to the 4th tee complex. The tee box had minimal access for machinery, which was only accessible for the smaller machinery. It was also hard for turning, creating wear and tear on the front of the tee. The description was to remove the existing sleepers, and replace with an equal sloping bank.

Striping the turf, and removing the sleepers

Halfway stage, prepped and ready for turfing

Job completed

I'm heading to the BTME conference in Harrogate next week, this is an annual show presenting the industry with all the latest practices, equipment and seminars on turf related subjects.

Please abide to the traffic routes, marked with white line and ropes. Repair pitch marks, and replace divots! :)

Trees on hole 10

This week the team have been busy concentrating on hole 10. The willows along the lake banks have somewhat taken over more than needed or intended. Also to clear around the pre-historic stones placed 100 yards from the tee box, and to make a nice feature of these.

 You can just see the stones on the left

Clearing this area has also created a nice view, and you may also be tempted to go for the green, as you can see it clearly from the tee box. The hazard it still protecting the distance!

We then moved further along the hole, and took down the willows in the hazard. You can now see the whole fairway from the 11th tee, this being safer and also clears any dispute as to where your ball entered the hazard. We feel this has also made it fairer as to where we have positioned the new fairway bunkers!

Jason and Tom working away

I would also just like to make it clear, we're not intending to 'get rid' of these trees. the aim is manage and maintain. We're fortunate to have a great variety of trees and shrubs around our golf course.

Enjoy your golf and for more frequent updates, we're on facebook- Lesmiellesgreenstaff

Aerification week

To improve the playing surfaces, this week will see us carrying out various aerification practices. Please bear in mind the benefits, as there will be some disturbance as to playability over the next few days.

Benefits of aerifying -

1. Relieves compaction
2. Develops root growth and overall plant health
3. Drainage
4. Gets air into the surface
5. Penetrates the top soil and root zone

We will be carrying this out on greens, tees, collars, fairways and semi-roughs

Pops on tees (4 inch tines)

Tom slitting greens, 1 inch below flush 

Slitting fairways going in around 5 inches 

January 2013 BIGGA magazine

It was also nice for our department to get noticed, having an article in the 'Greenkeepers International' magazine. The team have done a fantastic job so far!

We've seen positive results with our recent application of fungicide. Other jobs this week will include pruning the willow trees along the 10th fairway. Course set, and mowing when required. The greens for this time of the year are in good condition, we just need to keep putting more work into the fairways tees and surrounds to improve the surfaces, which will come!

Happy New Year

Hope everyone enjoyed the festive season and wish them all the best for 2013!

With skeleton staff over Christmas and New years, the crew were back in force this morning! Alot of tidying up to do on the course this week. With some fusarium patch on the greens, we brushed the greens followed by an application of 'Medallion' fungicide. We used the walk sprayers to protect the playing surfaces, and the results will be monitored. Other jobs this morning included mowing tees and fairways.

 George filling up the walk sprayer

Fusarium patch

The fertiliser store has been stocked up with all our summer and winter applications, which will see us out till next year.

Fertiliser shed

Last week we managed to start some much needed tree work, we cut back the willows along the 11th fairway. This winter we plan to cut the willows down to knee length infront of the 18th tee, some along the 10th fairway and front left of the 18th green.

Finished product

With the weather forecast looking OK, we plan to feed tees and surrounds tomorrow, along with brushing greens, and changing holes. For more frequent updates on and around the course, we have a facebook page Les Mielles Greenstaff.