Golf
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We do not allow buggies on the course due to the health and safety concerns. We allow trolleys, but we put restrictions in place around greens to protect these areas
Verti-draining at the beginning of March this year
During the past year we have received a lot of rainfall, which I’m sure has tested all golf courses in the UK, not just ours. Our greens do flood after heavy rainfall, but drain away quite quickly. I don’t normally have to remove water from greens in the mornings after heavy overnight rain. Our aeration programme of regular hollow coring and verti-draining will hopefully help with this.
We do have some issues with shade and airflow to some greens which can lead to moss problems. These greens are irrigated less to reduce moisture build up. Basic aeration goes a long way to helping with drainage problems. This takes place as much as possible to keep the soil structure open, which helps root development as they struggle to compete in the heavy soil. It also help any fine grasses we do actually have. Regular topdressing will help to dilute any thatch build up as well as trying to improve soil structure and drainage. In the winter, greens are prone to going soft, so regular topdressing will help firm up the playing surfaces.
Members help out during coring
This can be frustrating if I am trying to shift off the snow or frost. On the plus side, it keeps the locals happy as they use it for sledging!
” More ‘weather’ to contend with 18 I PC APRIL/MAY 2016
Generally, the course drains well and we try and encourage golfers to spread the wear
around the place by putting up traffic restrictions around the course. We do not allow buggies on the course due to the health and safety concerns from being on the side of a hill. We allow trolleys, but we put restrictions in place around greens to protect these areas.
How were the greens and tees constructed?
Both are push-up type design, built with the native soil. We do get topsoil from the local area if there are any building sites looking to dispose of it, providing it’s not full of rubbish. That way, it doesn’t cost us anything. This allows me to use it for future projects.
They require plenty of aeration! With the greens being made from the natural land, it's important we keep them well aerated. They do tend to go hard in summer months making it extremely difficult to get moisture where we want it to go.
We are quite fortunate to have an irrigation system to the greens. Not many 9-hole courses can afford this. The system was put in back in 1998. We have an automatic sprinkler system on the greens and we also have valve boxes near each tee to be able to
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