Heatwave

The newly rebuilt bunkers on the Craighead course cut and put back into play

This week with the warm weather we have had to cut fairways, semi-roughs and tees again, other jobs have been to finish off the planting, top-dress surrounds and fertilise, divoted landing areas, out watering turf and putting out new pins and flags

Cutting bunker faces and topping up bunkers with fresh sand

Cutting tees with boxes off so not to lift any fertiliser

Working coming on well at the new driving range tee area, other jobs have been continuing with the planting on the Craighead course, any cutting required and staff appraisals

This week we have started our last winter project which is upgrading our driving range tee area which is all getting replaced with one continuous artificial mat which you can insert tees into plus spread the wear more evenly, other jobs have been to continue the planting program on the Craighead course, cutting greens when required, cutting 3.5" roughs and bunker raking

The frame getting built before back filling ready for new mat

It's our Captain verses Vice Captain today the start of the season on the Balcomie course which means that's our weekend work is extended to cutting/rolling greens, hole changing as well as the usual bunker raking and tee moving over both courses

Cutting the harder growing fairways on the Balcomie course

On the Balcomie course we turf ironed greens, raked bunkers, divoted fairways 1, 10 & 12, changed holes, put new inserts in hole cups, put out new flags and pins for the season and carried on topping up bunker with sand. On the Craighead course we raked bunkers, cut tees, divoted tees, fertilised tees and washed golf buggies and refueled ready for going back out on Saturday for the season

Balcomie course- cut greens, raked bunkers, moved tee markers, cut semi-rough, edged the 14th path and finished spraying fairways with soluble iron
Craighead course - cut greens, apply Lawnsand to the greens at half-rate, water in lawnsand, move tee markers, rake bunkers and plant gorse at 15th tee and in deep rough between holes 6 & 8

This week we have been topping up bunkers with sand on the Balcomie course and reshaping the 8th fairway to incorporate the new bunkers on the left other jobs have been spiking weak areas on walkways then fertilising, fertilising newly turfed bunkers & tees over both courses, spraying fairways with iron
Weak area round 10th fairway bunker
14th railway sleeper bunker topped up

Today we had to change planned jobs as we had frost first thing which was meant to be spiking, cutting and applying wetting agent to greens on both courses but we put pins on the winter greens till 9.30am, dug out all the old cement from the tee posts then replaced with fresh cement and re positioned them and started cutting, edging and topping up bunkers with fresh sand on the Balcomie course

We have been out on the Craighead course giving the tees and fairways their first cut of the year, other jobs have been spraying tees with iron, adding sand to the newly re-built bunkers, turf ironing greens to smooth off surface behind the solid tining and making a start to edging and reshaping the greenside bunkers. On the Balcomie course we have sprayed the greens with worm irritant and iron

Yesterday we had Sir Peter Erskine and Anna Mckay helping us plant 6 trees for the Queens Jubilee celebrations