cutting and rolling greens in front of play 

We have applied another 0.5tons of top-dressing sand to the Craighead greens to help dilute thatch and to improve the surfaces 

Giving the Craighead greens their Autumn/winter feed to help strengthen the sward up going into the colder months 

This week saw us start our aeration work to the Balcomie course greens, which consisted of double scarifying at 6mm depth, cleaning up, verti-cutting, cleaning up, double spiking/seeding, applying 2 tons of top-dressing sand to each green then brushed in 

Scarifying helps rip out thatch from the profile 

the scarifying blades have tungsten tipped blades 

the amount of thatched ripped out of each green, this will help firm the surfaces up and reduce our thatch levels 

all go scarifying and verti-cutting 

Then we spiked and seeded the surfaces 2 ways to improve the grass sward 

loads of holes for to make a seedbed 

then 2 tons of sand was applied to each green to cover the seed, fill the holes and scarifying lines plus this will help to dilute the thatch levels

gently brushed in to the profile  

the surfaces were slowly rolled to help smooth and work the sand in 

then a good water in, next week the plan is to apply more sand to help the recovery of the surfaces going into the winter months 

already the gorse that was cut back at hole 16 on the Balcomie course has started to regenerate 
 

All go on the courses

Some great weather to be out cutting to prepare the courses for play 

cutting greens & changing holes in front of play, this mower is on demo as we are testing it out as it's a new model from our existing mowers, this mower has more technology, more efficiency so is better for the environment 

Out spraying tees with a liquid fert & wetting agent to help with the drought stress this Summer 

Working away at cutting and collecting certain deep rough areas to help thin them out and make them more playable going forward 

cutting and spraying tees 

We held a members tour/talk down at the sheds explaining behind the scenes and how this department operates and what work is involved running our courses 

The Craighead greens were top-dressed again with 9 tons of sand to help dilute the thatch to promote firmer/smoother surfaces 

The top-dressing sand is left to dry as long as we can before play

Then slowly rubbed in then watered 

Greens 4 & 7 on the Balcomie course were spiked, over seeded, heavy top-dressed then watered in to help improve the surfaces 

With the damper mornings at this time of year we have been having to brush fairway to help disperse grass clippings when cutting and help remove the dew before cutting

We have taken soil samples from both sets of greens to get them tested to see where we are with nutrient and thatch levels etc which allows us to plan our aeration and fertiliser programs going forward 

Certain weaker greens received a granular fertiliser to perk them up 

At this time of year we get a fair amount of damage and mess from Seagulls on the course with feathers and droppings 

We have cut back the gorse in front of green 16 on the Balcomie course to improve the line of site to the pin 

The damaged area of the wall at green 13 of the Craighead course has been rebuilt 
 

True Links

Both courses are drying out in these drought conditions, we have concentrated on watering greens & tees to keep them alive  

July has been fantastic weather 

Setting the courses up for play 

We have applied a wetting agent/seaweed to our 2nd & 12th fairways to aid recovery from the drought 

Changing holes for the medal 

With us going into level 0 we have taken the foam off the bottom of our pins, bunkers rakes, ball washers etc are all back out in play

Both our course drinking fountains are back open and we have painted the Craighead course one 

We have gave green 13 on the Balcomie course some extra work by spiking, over seeding and heavy top-dressing to help improve the surface

loads of holes for the seed to germinate 

We have top-dressed the Craighead course greens twice in July with 0.5tons per green per time to help dilute the thatch layer and improve the firmness on the surface 

Then a gentle rub in then watered so not to interfere with play 

It's that time of year when we start to cut & collect our deep roughs to help improve and thin these areas out 

With being in a drought we have only been cutting our fairways ever 2nd week to help rest them 

That's our electric car charging points in place in our driving range car park 
 

Turf ironing greens after cutting when possible to produce smoother and faster surfaces 

fertilising tees on the Balcomie course to help with wear and tear 

The last few mornings we have been having haar come in from the sea 

Green 14 on the Balcomie course has been double spiked and seeded then heavy top-dressed and rubbed in to help improve the surface 

Heavy application of top-dressing sand 

Slowly brushing in the top-dressing sand 

Then the seed and sand washed in 

The Craighead course greens received their Summer fertiliser this week 

Tees over both courses have been sprayed with a wetting agent and Seaweed to help in these very dry conditions as this allows irrigation water to penetrate better into the profile and reduce surface tension

getting the greens ready in front of play 

We have edged/weeded/topped up our 16th tee path on the Craighead course 

Both courses really drying out quick in these warm drying windy conditions 

March Orchids in our roughs at hole 7 on the Craighead course 

With these very dry conditions, we have found ourselves struggling for water to irrigate our surfaces from our existing boreholes. So we had a company come in and evaluate our existing boreholes and drill pilot test holes on areas that there Geologist recommended to try and find more water for a new borehole   

Pilot hole 1 at our tank area on the driving range came back with good results, so we are in the process of making this a new borehole in the next few weeks to give us the water that we need 

Each pilot hole was drilled to over 100m depth 

pilot hole 3 which was drilled next to our 12th tees on the Craighead course to a depth of over 110m recorded really good levels of water, this will hopefully be looked at in the future to be made into a borehole to future proof us for a good water supply in any long dry spells. Pilot hole 2 was drilled at the bottom of our driving range and was dry to over 100m depth

pilot hole 1 has now been fully drilled out to the correct size and casings put in, hopefully next week the new pump, pipe work and cabling will be installed down the borehole ready for us to look at connecting into our existing pump house and tank