We have spiked the greens again to help relieve surface tension on the Balcomie course

 That's us at full cutting now over both courses and turf ironing greens when possible to help keep a good pace on the surfaces

 That's us down to 4mm height of cut on the greens for the summer

 We can see the benefits of our rough management plan over both our courses of achieving thinners roughs but this will be on going each year

Congratulations and good luck to one of our Greenkeepers Andy who has left to work at Milnathort GC

 It's all go with the cutting over both courses

 After we raked, cut and collected areas of problem deep roughs, we have now sprayed a herbicide to reduce the rougher grasses to help thin these areas out and make them more playable

 After 3 week since we started the hollow coring etc to the Craighead greens, the greens have recovered well and I'm hoping they will be back to normal in a weeks time

More irrigation repairs

 The 2nd fairway bunker on the Balcomie course was dug out and freshly screened sand put back as we were getting the odd stone coming up

With us getting some heat at last it was time to spray all our fairways and semi-roughs over both courses with a selective herbicide and sticker to help reduce weeds in the turf

 This week before applying our wetting agent and seaweed to the greens, we spiked the greens to relieve surface tension and to allow the wetter to penetrate better into the soil profile, then irrigate at night to wash in

 We have replaced all our old marker posts in the roughs/3.5" roughs over both courses and this time cemented the posts in so they always stay straight and will look neater, plus when we take them out to cut they just slide in and out the sleeve

Trip to Trump Turnberry

 I was lucky enough to get a tour of the changes at Turnberry this week through our BIGGA section

 This week saw us complete the aeration work to the Craighead course greens as we were delayed on Friday and Monday morning with 34mm of rain, but the rain really helped wash in the top-dressing

 The greens are getting a little feed to help aid recovery

 Another task this week was some rough management before the growth really kicks in. We raked the roughs to help rip into the base then cut and collected the grass in problem areas over both courses

 Giving the greens a brush before cutting on the Balcomie course to help stand up the grass

After we cut and divoted the tees we sprayed them with a selective herbicide to help reduce surface weeds