Peter Fenton Greens:
Greens health has been somewhat of a concern this month. The outbreak of fusarium worsened as the mild damp weather continued deep into November. Plant protection products have come in the form of Potassium Sulphate, Citric Acid, Phosphite, Kelp, Iron and Penetrant washed in with a decent amount of rain. The outbreak is very frustrating, as scars left will have no chance of recovery until the warmer temperatures of Spring arrive. We have all the cultural practices in place that should help reduce the frequency and severity of Fusarium in the years to come. These include sand top dressing and hollow coring to pull moisture away from the surface. Along with aeration work such as slitting, sarel rolling and spiking. Finally, our chosen products of a low Nitrogen regime, organic based fertilizers, compost teas, penetrants and natural acidifiers. Battling the disease without the use of fungicide is not for the faint of heart, but there will be massive benefits down the road, should we be able to keep omitting this harmful and expensive chemical from our program – which we have managed to do now for three years and counting.
Now is about the time of year we switch to handcutting the greens which offer less compaction through the wetter months. Looking forward to getting these mowers out in December with fresh bed knives, sharpened reels and front brushes.
Projects:
Its been another big month on projects, taking hire of an 8 ton digger and 4 ton dumper to finish transporting subsoil for the 4th green surround. Towards the end of the month we had the smaller 3 ton digger to form the mounding and shape the bunkers. Its been a massive task to manage, with the inevitable disruption to play in the form of tracks, but also due to still having to cut grass on all surfaces as the growth just kept on coming through November. It’s also a time of year the team look to shed some of the stored up holidays and lieu time accumulated from working right through the long hours of a busy Spring, Summer and Autumn. This has all once more put incredible pressure on such a small team, and as such I believe this has shown in other areas of the course looking unkept once more. Regarding the projects, as it stands now we are now just awaiting the return of our tractor with front loader so that we can transport the top soil and start turfing the surround – due back shortly from repair. Two drains are still to install from the new bunkers of the 4th, these bunkers are also in need of revetting.
The 14th project hit a bit of a stumbling block, as an old drain and a massive amount of gravel right on the edge of the new bunker resulted in the hole filling with water each time it rained. The gravel has now been dug out of this area, some 1.5 metre away from our new bunker and sealed off with clay. Now any water that accumulates in the pipe or gravel should build up and feed off to the left (as the hole is played) and away down the hill. Those with concerns regarding the irrigation system being the source of water, the pipework to the hole runs down the fence some 20 yards away, feeding a box at the back of the green, which in turn feeds each side of the green, from two legs of pipe. The system is also fully drained at this time.
Machinery:
We found a bit of time to address maintenance issues regarding some of our machinery. The greens roller had a new chain fitted, and our semi mower now has five new blades. A new throttle cable was fitted to the greens mower, the Landini tractor is currently away having a new clutch. Austin has done a fantastic job in patching up our old trailer, strengthening the chassis with fresh steel. Austin is also helping to redesign an old back transport box into a grading implement. Once in place this piece of kit, fits onto the back of a tractor and will make it possible for us to level our own tees. Surfaces such as the 13th tee, which is incredibly uneven particularly towards the back, can now be stripped of turf, levelled with the new grader, and returfed within a two day turnaround, all done in house at very low cost.
Our problems with our new deep spiker, resulted in the buyer coming to site to survey. They were indeed satisfied the machine is not performing anywhere near the manner in which it should. It is due for collection early December, to go back to Chester, so that full diagnostics can be carried out and a plan formed.
Looking towards next month…
Its been another month where we had benefitted from some great help and support from members. First up thank you to Robin, Bob and Roy for divotting the tees and surveying all our perimeter fences needing repair. Bill has been on hand controlling the mole situation and Liam helping us out once more each Monday. Thanks again to Ian, who has helped out massively with project management and organisation with a view to improving communication and efficiency across the team. Ian has also been on hand carrying out various tasks about the course again. And huge thanks to Mike and team rectifying a series of dangerous situations with the bridge in a very timely manner, along with continued help and support from Ali, Amanda and the board, Sam and team.
Wishing you all the best in the coming month. Peter, Jack and Gordon.
