Golf
most ambitious winter programmes ever undertaken at Scotscraig Golf Club and it ran a little longer than we would have liked due to us having one of the wettest winters possible. Prior to my arrival, the focus
was on gorse/broom removal as much of it had become neglected and out of control. Whilst some of it was removed completely, we have only cut scrub back to ground level since my arrival, as I feel we have the right amount of gorse and broom now as long as it is managed and kept under control. As it regenerates, it will be maintained on a three-to- four year cycle or depending on rate of growth. Last winter, we cut back around 5000m² and it made dramatic changes to the openness of the course. It will take the next few years to get on top of all of it. We also renovated all the
greenside bunkers last winter and, in total, we fully revetted twenty-one. Some of these had shrunk over the years and were reinstated to their original dimensions. There were a handful of bunkers where we altered them completely to fit in better with the hole and surrounding contours. We also remodelled the tees
on three of the holes to provide a larger playing surface, as well as partially remodelling two green surrounds and a par 3 walkway. We plan to do some more tee remodelling this winter, albeit on a much smaller scale, as well as relevelling one or two. The completion of the bunkers on the course will make up the bulk of this coming winter’s project work. The main project undertaken
last winter was to rebuild the 4th green. Widely regarded as the signature hole of the course, it is a medium length par 4, with an approach shot played over heather and undulations to a plateau green, which falls off in every direction. The green was raised up around the 1950s and, as a result, had become very small, measuring only 10 x 15 yards. Being a very small target, it was being heavily worn and this, coupled with shade by trees and a poor quality rootzone, meant the green had become almost entirely Poa Annua and was prone to waterlogging. The decision was made to
remove the turf and lower the green by around two feet to preserve the plateau nature, but increase the playing area by just over three times. The heavy rootzone was removed and mixed with indigenous sand before being spread around the surrounds and used to shape. The green itself was then reshaped with contours similar to the previous green, only more subtle to give far more areas for placing a pin. Despite the green being a much larger target, the hole has not become any easier as many people suspected! We are largely self-sufficient with almost all maintenance and project work carried out in- house. Some of the larger project work in the future may require contractors, depending on the scale of operations, but we will try to do as much as possible ourselves. We have a group of members who get together to help with fairway divot repair on a roughly monthly basis and that relieves
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PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 I 23
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