It’s been a few weeks since my last update and a lot has happened since then. There have been many times I’ve felt the need to do an update, but as you can imagine, finding the time is quite difficult at present. Below are the main things that have happened:

Staff: Our 4th team member was due to come back off Furlough on the 1st July but unfortunately decided to leave the company the day before. After putting the word out for staff on social media, I interviewed someone a few days later and they started the next day. Matthew joins us from Redditch Golf Club with 5 years’ experience and has almost completed his greenkeeping qualification. He is already proving to be a great addition to the team.

Greens:  We’ve now started our monthly maintenance and spraying program. This includes the application of wetting agents, liquid feeds, and growth regulators. Then maintenance wise we’ll be micro-tining and top dressing monthly with the next one being done on Tuesday, 21 July. Due to starting the program, late the greens are behind where I’d like them to be but are steadily improving. Over the coming weeks, we will core, seed, and dress any bare areas that remain to speed up the recovery.

Tees: Tees have improved massively. They dried out badly in May due to most of the sprinklers being damaged. Over the last two months, all tees sprinklers have been getting replaced and there are just three tees remaining to be done. Combined with the use of liquid feeds and wetting agents, the tee’s have all but recovered. Over the coming weeks, we’ll scarify and seed the tees to aid recovery of the last few areas, mainly the 14th and 16th. A selective weed killer will also be sprayed to kill off all the weeds that have established in the bare areas.

Fairways: The selective weed killer sprayed on the fairways earlier in the year has worked well with very few weeds remaining. With the fairway irrigation out of action, the mowing height of the fairways is adjusted regularly depending on weather conditions. When its cool and damp, like at present, the height will be reduced. This will encourage a denser grass sward.  When it's dry and warm, the height will be increased, this will help prevent the grass from drying out and dying off. Long term there are plans to get the irrigation fully operational. Once the tees are complete, we’ll look at the approaches and then at the fairways.

Rough: The rough has been a regular problem since opening due to constant issues with the rough mower.  A few weeks ago, it broke to an extent it wasn’t worth repairing. We’re currently finalising a deal on getting a brand-new rough mower and in the meantime, we have one on loan which arrived this week. Fingers crossed this will be the end of our issues with getting the rough cut.

Bunkers: Now we’re a team of four, we’ve managed to get around and edge/weed the bunkers. Not only has this massively improved the appearance of the course but they are now in a useable condition. We’ll be raking them weekly but with course rakes not in use, there will be footprints in them most days. We ask that you use your club to smooth these out the best you can.

Club Championship: This week has all been based around preparing for the Club Championships. We’ve tightened mowing heights on all areas, double verticut the greens to try and increase green speeds, and done some general tidying around the course and clubhouse. We’ll all be in this weekend to set the course up for you and from myself and the greenkeeping team, we hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your food and drink that’s now available.

Richard Sheldon

Golf Course Manager