Golf
Although revetted bunkers are more suited to links courses, the revetted style bunkers suit Cupar as most greens are cut into the side of the hill
Four bunkers were remodelled this winter
course two or three times a year to discuss future winter projects and identify where we can make improvements, short and long term.
I always keep the members informed and make them feel involved. It is their club and Cupar Golf Club is known for its community spirit where help is there if it’s needed. Regular Facebook blog updates go a long way to keeping them onside.
What special projects are you working on at the moment?
I have recently started a bunker renovation programme. This will be ongoing through the coming winters. Although revetted bunkers are more suited to links courses, the revetted style bunkers suit Cupar as most greens are cut into the side of the hill. We currently have twenty-six bunkers on the course, and I have renovated four this winter. Some bunkers are in a worse state than others, but I am trying to target the worst ones first.
Cupar already has a great reputation for good greens and I’m now trying to improve the quality of our bunkers. I would have liked to have done a couple more this winter, but the wet weather hindered my progress.
Some bunkers need repositioning slightly and some just need to be refaced and sand quality improved. We are quite fortunate to have a large area on the right hand side of our 2nd hole that we can use as a turf nursery. It is renovated by hiring in a rotovator and then prepared for seeding. Most of the bunkers I have done this year have been done by hand, so there has been no cost to the club. I do tend to hire in a mini digger for the bigger projects that require high quantities of soil to be removed.
I also built a new 13th medal tee which was uneven and facing the wrong way. I also cleared out the gorse in the area to improve light and air flow.
Do you have any additional areas to maintain - for example, woodland, heathland, gardens?
Nothing major really, just the club car park at the clubhouse and the bottom of the road
into the club. Jobs we do to these areas are spraying off weeds, litter picking and keeping the areas presentable as much as possible - first impressions are important.
The members help me when I core the greens. Picking up cores on ten greens can be hard going, so I ask the members for help via the Facebook page and a notice in the clubhouse. The members have been great with me and are starting to see the benefits of the improvements I’m making. But building bunkers and earth moving I tend to do myself. Luckily, I enjoy doing it!
What about ongoing training?
I try my best to go to as many greenkeeping seminars held through the BIGGA central section. Being on your own can mean you lose sight on things happening in the world! I am also fortunate to have Elmwood just down the road for any courses I need to do, such as first aid, and any other courses that might be a benefit to me and the club.
How do you undertake pest and weed control?
Moles are the worse problem here at Cupar with the soil being rich in worms, which they love. There’s not much I can do except keep on setting the traps. I have been quite successful though, as I have caught over forty moles over the past year. They tend to damage the outer areas of the course, especially in the rough. They do become a problem when you need to cut the rough, so the soil is lifted and traps are set. I mix sand with the mole hills and use it as a divot mix.
We spray total weedkiller on our paths, bunker edges, tree bases, wall backs and car parks. This saves me loads of time strimming and weeding. It also keeps presentation up to a good level. We also have problems with weeds on fairways and some tees - mainly daisies. These are sprayed off using a selective weedkiller.
Last year, we had a small outbreak of Fusarium in late autumn. I managed to get Chipco applied and this helped. We only spray when we have to as we can’t afford the luxury of preventative spraying. Improving
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What’s in the shed? John Deere 220 SL pedestrian greensmower John Deere 3235c fairway mower John Deere 1545 rough mower Cushman utility vehicle Toro 3250 triple with greens and tee units Verticutting units Stihl chainsaw Echo pruner Echo backpack blower Echo hand-held blower Stihl brushcutter Echo brushcutter A selection of hand tools
“We generally purchase machinery secondhand as that’s all we can afford. We have a good relationship with Sandy Armit at Double A in Cupar, who are the local John Deere dealers. They are top class, they are local and getting parts is easy and quick. We recently purchased an ex-demo John Deere 220 SL greens mower, 11-bladed cylinder with full groomer kit, which has helped with poa seeding during the summer, as well as lateral growth. Members have commented on how good the surfaces have been since I have been using it. I used to be quite open, and kind of still am, but so far I have been impressed with John Deere products and, more importantly, the backup service from Double A. The danger of buying secondhand kit is you don’t know much about its history, so you may get breakdowns in the future. So good and quick backup is important in keeping machinery downtime to a minimum. I tend to hire in Crail Golfing Society’s
aeration equipment. I am fortunate to get on really well with their Course Manager, Bob Meikle. Bob himself will come up and carry out the aeration for me. Other clubs in the area help me out as much as possible which is great to see and I’m ever so grateful for this. What would my wish list include? To
replace my fairway mower over the next year and perhaps add a topdresser and a TruTurf roller to the fleet.”
PC APRIL/MAY 2016 I 21
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