Greens maintenance

 

We have been out using our sand injection machine to inject 2 tons of sand into each green, we do this to help dilute thatch and improve air & water movement without too much surface disturbance, this is a very slow process so at present we are choosing certain greens so not to interfere with play, but will be looking at trying to complete all the Craighead course greens going into the winter period 

sand injected down to 125mm into the profile 

We are now starting to cut down our deep  rough areas on the Craighead course then leaving for a few days then cutting and collecting the clippings to help thin these areas out, which should help playability next season and a better environment for nesting birds 

When possible we have been brushing fairways to help disperse the dew and get a better quality cut on our fairways 

We have now completed deep scarifying our Craighead course tees to rip out thatch 

With the dry spell we are having we have needed to apply a little water at nights to help keep the moisture levels where we want them 

This week was our Balcomie course greens aeration planned works to improve the greens and relieve compaction, reduce thatch levels and aid in drainage 

All greens were micro-cored, cleaned-up, verti-cut then cut 

The amount of debris taken out from each green 

Then the greens were spiked/seeded 

The spiker makes the hole/pot for the seed to go into and the 2 brushes on the machine helps to brush more seed into the holes, with micro-coring this leaves a hole for the seed to go into also 

seed was brushed again

surface after being top-dressed and brushed 

2 tons of sand was applied to each green to fill the holes and cover the seed 

then a final drag mat to mat everything into the surface, greens will be rolled when possible going forward and hopefully in 2/3 weeks the greens will be fully recovered going into the winter 

AIG Women’s final qualifier

All going really well with the preparations for the Ladies AIG final Open qualifier over the Craighead course 

Spraying the Craighead fairways with very low rate of fertiliser & wetting agent to add a little colour and strength to the plant 

Craighead greens being cut then rolled & holes being changed on our trial run for the qualifier 

great definition on the course 

R&A in collecting data on greens speeds, profile moisture levels and surface firmness leading up to the event 

water the weaker fairways on the Balcomie course and we have sprayed them with liquid fertiliser and wetting agent 

The 8th/15th storm hut on the Craighead course has had all the outer wood replaced and painted 

Our new turf driving range tee settling in well, we are top-dressing weekly with sand to help firm the surface up 

watering our weaker fairways with our rain trains as these areas have no irrigation sprinklers 

The Balcomie course being set up for daily play and when possible we will roll greens behind the cutting and the greens are having their monthly application of fertiliser/seaweed and wetting agent applied 

Summer is here 
 

Monthly spiking of our greens & PG's over both courses before we apply our wetting agent and liquid fertiliser, this allows us to get our product into the profile and helps reduce compaction 

Then the greens were cut and rolled to smooth off the surfaces before play 

We have had 3 different cable issues with our irrigation system on the Craighead course, which have all been traced and fixed 

Setting up both courses for our Club Championships 

Applying wetting agent and a little liquid fertiliser on our greens & surrounds before the rain that is in the forecast (fingers crossed) as both courses are very dry 

The weaker/dryer fairways on the Balcomie course have had an application of wetting agent and fertiliser to help the plant in these dry conditions 

With the AIG ladies final qualifier just round the corner on the Craighead course,we have our planned fertiliser program on greens, surrounds and tees being applied today 

fertilising tees on the Craighead course 

With it being so dry, we have been applying irrigation water to our greens, surrounds and tees during the night, but we will check moisture levels beforehand to help reduce water usage where possible 

We have been out very lightly scarifying our Balcomie course fairways to help cut off any longs ends to tidy up the surfaces

Applying irrigation in the mornings before the wind picks up, this allows us to get better coverage on the target areas 

Last week we had a very successful beach clean along the coastline of the Balcomie course with Volunteers from our Membership and the Green staff 

All the old/damaged creels etc from the beach, The local council will be collecting these in due course

The new turf area in front of our new driving range mat area has been worked on by reducing the cutting height to fairway height, then the area was over seeded and heavy top-dressed then fertilised 

The weaker fairways have been watered with our rain train to help keep the grass alive and water in the wetting agent and fertiliser 

A job we have tried to do more of is divot/seed our fairways to aid recovery from play 

Greens being cut and holes changed before play 
 

All go over both courses with a wet start to the Summer which has been difficult to keep up with the grass growth but the growth is starting to tail back a little with this dry spell 

Greens being cut & rolled, greens are being groomed at least once a week to help tickle/cut lateral growth 

We have replaced all the flowers at front of the Clubhouse 

We are collecting the grass clippings from fairways over both courses when we cut to help reduce weed seeds going back into the surface 

All fairways and semi-roughs over both courses have been sprayed with a selective herbicide to control daises and clover 

Our newly built driving range mat area is now in play for the season, the grass area is still out of play to allow turf to establish and knit in before we start to reduce the cutting height on this area 

Our drier fairways on the Balcomie course have been sprayed with a wetting agent and seaweed/fert to help strengthen them up going into the main playing season 

With the dry spell we are now watering greens etc at nights to keep the moisture level where we want it to be, we use moisture probe to check daily 

We are now cutting the deep rough areas left of 5th hole and right of hole 6 to help speed up play on the Balcomie course 

With it being such a wet and mild winter and the banning of insecticides we are having problems with the grub called Leatherjacket on the Craighead greens mostly with Crows etc pecking for the grubs, this in turn is causing damage to the surfaces, which we are seeding/sanding when possible, hopefully this should stop very shortly when the grubs pupate