7th Green and ‘thinned out’ rough
mowing equipment with Jacobsen, sourced from TH White. “The only downside is their distance from the course, so we use New Forest Farm Machinery, who still maintain our John Deere Equipment, for grinding,” explains Tim.
Day to day set up is the greenkeeper’s
responsibility, with any ongoing repairs carried out by one of Mark’s engineers. “We maintain the greens at 3mm in the summer, rising to 5mm in the winter. They are USGA spec, so can be fairly hungry. We give them a regular liquid feed and 4:6:4 Headland Sustane, supplemented with a seaweed and chelated iron mix. We’ll hollow tine twice in the spring and in mid-october and topdress with a silicon sand.” Tees are maintained at 8mm
throughout the year and fairways at 16mm. Tees are fed twice a year with Headland Xtend slow release fertiliser (22:2:8). Fertilisers are recommended by their Countrywide representative, David
One of the new buggy paths
Smart. “He also carries out our soil samples for us, and makes his recommendations based on the results. But, I don’t always listen to him,” says Tim, “as I like to use my experience and my eyes.” Semi-rough is kept at 2” (50mm) and clippings from greens and tees are spread here to add nutrient and green up the grass. Intermediate rough is cut to 4” (100mm). “The rough was a problem area for us,” says Tim. “It was very thick and players were losing balls, slowing down their rounds to a point where it became a frustration for everyone. So, now, a local farmer comes in September and cuts the rough for hay, then bales it and removes from site. This is helping to thin the grass and encourage fescue grasses and native wild flowers to grow. We have also sown a wildflower mix to add to the diversity of species.”
Mark’s eighty year old father, Bill, an ex-farm manager, also helps out with the
Polybed drainage system being installed
rough areas, when he is not enjoying the pleasures of the croquet lawns! There are twenty-three bunkers on the course, and they have been the subject of extensive renovations over the past couple of winters. “We have enlarged some and added a couple of new ones - you must think I’m mad to add to our daily workload with such a small team - and we’ve also carried out extensive drainage work using the polybed system.” “This is a fairly new system consisting of a standard drainage pipe surrounded by expanded polythene packaging type material, all encased in mesh,” explains Tim. “It simply links to the existing drainage outlets. It comes in three metre lengths, so is easy to handle. What I particularly like about it is how easy it is to install. Simply dig a trench and back fill with sand - no grit required. Now, all the bunkers drain freely and, with the addition of a new Jacobsen Groom Master II bunker rake, the maintenance
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