Greens Report
Greens Report January 2025
There has been a recent follow up visit from Alistair Beggs, the R&A agronomist, and this report summarises his thoughts and recommendations for the future of the golf course.
He was impressed with how strong the greens were and how well the disease pressure had been managed. He commented that weather patterns had been such over the previous 6-8 weeks that many courses had suffered with Fusarium activity which would impact the performance of the greens in the following spring, we should be in a good place to minimise this. The October treatment had been successful and he commented that the surfaces were well grassed for this time of year.
His principal concern for the greens was that the layer of sub surface organic matter remains significant, which makes the greens water retentive and too soft. The remedy for this is aeration by frequent deep slitting and micro coring to oxidise the organic layer by exposing it to the air. Light sand dressing will also help to dilute the layer. Next year we hope to achieve two things, additional removal of unwanted material and dilution of that which remains.
He was also concerned about the softness of many of the green surrounds which is caused by poor drainage and intensive worm activity. This can be combated by aeration and intensive sanding when conditions allow. Worms don't like sand and their reduction and the improved drainage should result in a marked improvement in the areas. Clearly drainage and irrigation are an important part of the future plan, not only around the greens, but on many of the fairways. Fairways are suffering from significant drainage and stability issues because of the weakness of the local soils. They cannot support year round golf and no amount of aeration and routine maintenance will fix this. The drainage issue must be addressed.
He also commented that the proposed tree removal programme was necessary to improve the sun penetration to key greens, particularly the 4th and the 18th which are suffering through lack of sunlight.
Alistair recommendation is that a strategic plan be developed to address the following areas.
1. Whilst the irrigation system is in working order at present it is aged and is always likely to fail and probably at the most inconvenient time. It is likely that over the next 10 years we will have at least 2 or 3 hot and dry summers and it is essential that the system is robust enough to overcome these periods but that also we have sufficient water available to deal with the increased demand. It is recommended that the club use a recognised irrigation specialist to address these issues and propose a plan to ensure the system is consistently maintained and upgraded. The investigation of the availability of more water sources is essential as it is easy to overlook when water is plentiful.
2. Turf needs an optimum environment to grow in to get the best from it. At the same time this business should wish to shout about the biodiversity strengths of the site and how the course interacts with nature. Undertaking an ecological management plan and acting on optimising the health of the wetlands, woodlands and grasslands will offer real benefits, not only to the turf surfaces but to members and guests too, who can be told about the good work being done on the site.
3. A major area of concern is the course drainage and the objective is to improve the drainage so that the course is playable throughout the year. The first step should be to engage a drainage specialist to review the course needs before approaching a selection of contractors on a tender basis. Good drainage would supply the club with a significantly larger income stream.
4. There is a need to employ an architect to undertake a review of the course. His brief should include rationalising teeing areas and bunkers to make the course more maintainable and sustainable in the future as well as enhancing its natural features.
5. A review of the resource levels and machinery availability and suitability needs to be undertaken to ensure that the team is large enough and sufficiently well equipped to deliver the standards required. This would involve the purchase of additional equipment and also consideration of automation and new developments to meet the challenges of the future.
These findings come as no surprise as they have been highlighted before but the report emphasises the need to formulate a plan to address the issues over the next few years. Clearly there will be considerable investment involved but the benefits should be seen in terms of increased revenue and a course that is playable throughout the year for all golfers.
He was impressed with how strong the greens were and how well the disease pressure had been managed. He commented that weather patterns had been such over the previous 6-8 weeks that many courses had suffered with Fusarium activity which would impact the performance of the greens in the following spring, we should be in a good place to minimise this. The October treatment had been successful and he commented that the surfaces were well grassed for this time of year.
His principal concern for the greens was that the layer of sub surface organic matter remains significant, which makes the greens water retentive and too soft. The remedy for this is aeration by frequent deep slitting and micro coring to oxidise the organic layer by exposing it to the air. Light sand dressing will also help to dilute the layer. Next year we hope to achieve two things, additional removal of unwanted material and dilution of that which remains.
He was also concerned about the softness of many of the green surrounds which is caused by poor drainage and intensive worm activity. This can be combated by aeration and intensive sanding when conditions allow. Worms don't like sand and their reduction and the improved drainage should result in a marked improvement in the areas. Clearly drainage and irrigation are an important part of the future plan, not only around the greens, but on many of the fairways. Fairways are suffering from significant drainage and stability issues because of the weakness of the local soils. They cannot support year round golf and no amount of aeration and routine maintenance will fix this. The drainage issue must be addressed.
He also commented that the proposed tree removal programme was necessary to improve the sun penetration to key greens, particularly the 4th and the 18th which are suffering through lack of sunlight.
Alistair recommendation is that a strategic plan be developed to address the following areas.
1. Whilst the irrigation system is in working order at present it is aged and is always likely to fail and probably at the most inconvenient time. It is likely that over the next 10 years we will have at least 2 or 3 hot and dry summers and it is essential that the system is robust enough to overcome these periods but that also we have sufficient water available to deal with the increased demand. It is recommended that the club use a recognised irrigation specialist to address these issues and propose a plan to ensure the system is consistently maintained and upgraded. The investigation of the availability of more water sources is essential as it is easy to overlook when water is plentiful.
2. Turf needs an optimum environment to grow in to get the best from it. At the same time this business should wish to shout about the biodiversity strengths of the site and how the course interacts with nature. Undertaking an ecological management plan and acting on optimising the health of the wetlands, woodlands and grasslands will offer real benefits, not only to the turf surfaces but to members and guests too, who can be told about the good work being done on the site.
3. A major area of concern is the course drainage and the objective is to improve the drainage so that the course is playable throughout the year. The first step should be to engage a drainage specialist to review the course needs before approaching a selection of contractors on a tender basis. Good drainage would supply the club with a significantly larger income stream.
4. There is a need to employ an architect to undertake a review of the course. His brief should include rationalising teeing areas and bunkers to make the course more maintainable and sustainable in the future as well as enhancing its natural features.
5. A review of the resource levels and machinery availability and suitability needs to be undertaken to ensure that the team is large enough and sufficiently well equipped to deliver the standards required. This would involve the purchase of additional equipment and also consideration of automation and new developments to meet the challenges of the future.
These findings come as no surprise as they have been highlighted before but the report emphasises the need to formulate a plan to address the issues over the next few years. Clearly there will be considerable investment involved but the benefits should be seen in terms of increased revenue and a course that is playable throughout the year for all golfers.