Greens Update August 2025
Greens Update
Greens Update – August 2025
It has been a very busy year for Marsden’s Green’s team. The comparatively dry weather has seen a marked increase in play, with many new members joining the club as well as an increase in visiting players. We hope this newsletter provides some useful information about what we are doing.
New 8th Green
Extensive work was successfully undertaken at the start of the season in preparing the foundations of the new 8th. The green is now filling out nicely and we are on course to get it in play for 2026. Newly established grass requires care. Currently it is progressing well, but much work is needed to thicken it. Throughout the Autumn we will be creating mounds and bunkers to make the hole more challenging than it currently appears. Additional attention will also be paid to the fairway approach and appropriate levels of rough.
Given the variations in the British climate, the winter and spring will determine how soon we can get on in 2026. If we have a bad spring, we cannot rule out the possibility that we may face a delay in use.
The 5th Green
The drainage system is now functioning better so the contrast between different grass types used previously on this green has been exposed, with the weaker grass species revealed. We are currently going through a transitional phase in the green’s grass growth to ensure it will be more drought tolerant and more disease tolerant going forward. Members may be interested to know that we have been undertaking similar exercises elsewhere on the course and may recall how the second green surface has transitioned in a similar way over the past year. Our objective is to create an environment that gives the stronger grass a competitive advantage over the weaker grasses. In the past wet weather and weak drainage have disguised these issues.
The Bore Hole
The course has benefitted from the improved water supply provided by the Bore Hole. However, it has recently come to our attention that its pump is not currently functioning. We are investigating solutions to this problem. Though the current situation is not critical, water management is of huge importance if dry spells recur.
Tees and other projects
We have used turf from older tees to build new tees around the sixth and fifteenth holes. These are progressing well. We will continue to undertake work in seeding and levelling the remaining tee areas. As work on the 8th hole project diminishes, going forward into the Autumn and Winter we seek to carry out further small jobs which will include bunker renovations, collapsed drain repair, winter tee construction and temporary green improvements.
In the meantime may we express our appreciation for the help of those member volunteers who have assisted us throughout the year.
Moles
You may see some orange flags around the course, these are markers for the mole traps. Please do not move the flags as they mark where the traps are located. A free drop can be taken with no penalty if the flags interfere with stance or swing.
Chris Dawson, Greens Chairman
Luke Roberts, Head Greenkeeper
It has been a very busy year for Marsden’s Green’s team. The comparatively dry weather has seen a marked increase in play, with many new members joining the club as well as an increase in visiting players. We hope this newsletter provides some useful information about what we are doing.
New 8th Green
Extensive work was successfully undertaken at the start of the season in preparing the foundations of the new 8th. The green is now filling out nicely and we are on course to get it in play for 2026. Newly established grass requires care. Currently it is progressing well, but much work is needed to thicken it. Throughout the Autumn we will be creating mounds and bunkers to make the hole more challenging than it currently appears. Additional attention will also be paid to the fairway approach and appropriate levels of rough.
Given the variations in the British climate, the winter and spring will determine how soon we can get on in 2026. If we have a bad spring, we cannot rule out the possibility that we may face a delay in use.
The 5th Green
The drainage system is now functioning better so the contrast between different grass types used previously on this green has been exposed, with the weaker grass species revealed. We are currently going through a transitional phase in the green’s grass growth to ensure it will be more drought tolerant and more disease tolerant going forward. Members may be interested to know that we have been undertaking similar exercises elsewhere on the course and may recall how the second green surface has transitioned in a similar way over the past year. Our objective is to create an environment that gives the stronger grass a competitive advantage over the weaker grasses. In the past wet weather and weak drainage have disguised these issues.
The Bore Hole
The course has benefitted from the improved water supply provided by the Bore Hole. However, it has recently come to our attention that its pump is not currently functioning. We are investigating solutions to this problem. Though the current situation is not critical, water management is of huge importance if dry spells recur.
Tees and other projects
We have used turf from older tees to build new tees around the sixth and fifteenth holes. These are progressing well. We will continue to undertake work in seeding and levelling the remaining tee areas. As work on the 8th hole project diminishes, going forward into the Autumn and Winter we seek to carry out further small jobs which will include bunker renovations, collapsed drain repair, winter tee construction and temporary green improvements.
In the meantime may we express our appreciation for the help of those member volunteers who have assisted us throughout the year.
Moles
You may see some orange flags around the course, these are markers for the mole traps. Please do not move the flags as they mark where the traps are located. A free drop can be taken with no penalty if the flags interfere with stance or swing.
Chris Dawson, Greens Chairman
Luke Roberts, Head Greenkeeper