Early September saw a spell of quite substantial rain leading to some surprisingly heavy worm activity which gave us some trouble while cutting and, I’m sure, trouble for all players. Until this evening we had seen no rain since and were beginning to show the need for a drop. Now that we have had few millimeters I am hoping that the following month takes the lead of many a recent October and puts on some nice weather for us.
The greens recovered well from August renovation and as these dewy mornings set in our overseeding success is quite apparent with little tufts visible at the core hole locations showing good establishment from our overseeded bentgrass. We have had some issues with anthracnose over the last couple of weeks which we have been managing through tailoring fertiliser inputs; this is most apparent on greens which have suffered dry patch through the hot, dry spells of the year but as temperatures drop and moisture levels come up the incidence of this “summer” disease will tail off quickly.
We have upgraded our flags on the putting greens recently and I’m sure everyone has noticed we have moved away from red/yellow to indicate front and back nine. We are using a colour system to indicate the depth that the flag is on the green which may help some of you with shot making.
To head this one off at the pass, all of our greens are a different shape, every shot played in will be played from a different angle and each individual will have a slightly different take on where the front of the green ends and the middle commences, please use the flag system as a guide and not a concrete, measured distance guide. The system is there to help you make a quick decision on pin position without having to refer to the zone-based card for information.
Disappointingly on Monday morning, 21 September, I came to work to discover two divots on the green surfaces. One on the 2nd (par 3) and one on the 16th (par 4). One must ask how anyone playing thinks that causing this type of damage is acceptable?
Finally, we have seen quite astonishing levels of play on the course recently which is being mirrored at clubs across the country. I understand that play can be a little slower when the course is very busy but through my conversations with greenkeepers at numerous clubs most golf clubs are experiencing the same issues.
Please take measures to not waste time when you are playing, please keep up with the group in front and please have patience with our team and your fellow players if you are delayed, there are worse places to be at this time.
Enjoy the course and thank you everyone that has passed on their thanks to my team through a very challenging time.
Yours in sport
Jaey Goodchild
Head Greenkeeper
