April Green keeper Update
A very dry February followed by a very wet March (in fact the wettest in 40 years) has been challenging to say the least. Although the small drainage on the green surrounds have worked well, other parts of the course have been saturated and very difficult for us to work on.
Apart from the ground conditions March was a good time for us to drain the 1st green. Most of the excavation and backfill took place under extreme downpours, this meant that access to the green was very difficult for machinery, but eventually the works were completed and already the green has dried very well and looks a success. It will take time for the green to fully dry out and a few weeks of dry weather will ensure that any further rain showers will dissipate quickly.
After the excavations were completed they were filled with porous pipe, shingle and root zone then the turf was then laid back on top slightly higher than the surrounding green to allow for settling, which will take some time and after this we will be able to roll and dress the green and reinstate it to the pre levels.
The remainder of the greens are growing well and we have reduced the height of cut ready for Easter and fertilised and treated the sward.
In April we are also going to seed the tees and the first fairway when the ground temperature is slightly higher in order to give the seed a good start. After the seeding has taken place the tees will be re dressed to level localised dips and troughs and then fertilised.
The green surrounds were fertilised with a slow release product that will last for 3 months and during April a thatch eater will be applied to the greens.
April is the month when maintenance really kicks off on the grass areas and we can finally see a difference in heights of cuts.