Typical of spring we are seeing a prolonged spell of high pressure and east to north easy winds bringing cool and dry weather. The last rainfall we received was over three weeks ago and the forecast is showing another week of dry weather as I write this.
March and April saw record levels of rainfall so it is good for the course to have this dry spell and have a period of recovery.
We have reduced our mowing height to the summer height of 4mm although we will look to squeeze things down a fraction for major events later in the summer. Management now is focussing on seedhead management through regular brushing as we mow to lift the seedheads and remove more trough mowing.
We see a spurt of root growth at this time of year as the plants awaken from the winter doldrums. To capitalise on strong root growth we are aerating greens with a small diameter solid tine. There is minimal disruption from this operation and once surfaces are rolled and mown most will not notice evidence of the operation.
Following a couple of years using a colour code system of flags for determining the pin position on greens, we will be reverting to the traditional system Bowood has used for flag colours whereby front nine holes had yellow flags and back nine holes had red flags.
Once our new flags have been delivered by our supplier these will be installed. We are experiencing long delays with some suppliers, with flags, sticks and cups being one. Orders have been confirmed for a significant period of time but manufacture lead times are lagging.
Please see the broken tee caddies on trial on six tees. These are for use as an alternative to rubbish bins for players to discard broken tees rather than leaving them laying on the tee surface. These caddies are NOT for cigarette butts, banana skins or any other rubbish.
A short one this month. Enjoy the course and the weather and see you all on the course.
Jaey Goodchild
Head Greenkeeper
