Things have really turned now with a very autumnal feel. On Thursday morning on my way in the temperature was as low as 2°c and although the course is still in good condition the signs are there that the seasons are changing.
Increased worm activity and heavy dew on the grass are typical of the autumn and as such certain work is now required at this time of year.
- Greens have been fertilised and height of cut raised fractionally to help strengthen the sward ready for play in the winter months. The extra density of the sward will help to maintain turf quality through the off season when recovery from wear is slow. This will result in slightly slower ball roll, but this will only be marginal with the quality performance still retained.
- Rescue applications have begun on areas of rough and fairways. Rescue is a selective herbicide for the control of the coarse grasses of Ryegrass and Yorkshire Fog. Controlling these grasses will improve turf quality, reduce maintenance and help to thin out further the denser more penal areas of rough. The purchase of a new sprayer with foam marker will help to achieve more accurate application and we are grateful for the continued investment from the business.
- Rawcliffe green will continue to be developed with our intention to transport rootzone to the new green complex. This will be then shaped to produce the desired contours of the green surface. The second bunker will also be built with surrounds also contoured to compliment the green itself.
Finally people have asked me about raking bunkers and if we could do it more often. In ideal world we would, but because there is a limit to what we can do, we have to make a decision on which jobs and tasks will prioritised.
We rake all the bunkers every Friday and we rake course of the day for competitions and on weekends. Apart from that bunkers are left and it has to be remembered that bunkers are hazards and that a perfect lie in a bunker is less important than on, say a fairway or green surround. Therefore our time is spent on other areas that also need attention as well as the bunkers.
As always any questions please get in touch. Either see me on the course on my email is [email protected]