CAPEL GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE

Sounds like a bad round doesn't it, better see Jim for a swing check, in really it is only our winter works program in full swing.   We have commenced pruning trees, we are focusing on the first line of trees along fairway edges and trimming low lying dangerous branches along with unhealthy suckers and damaged limbs. This type of work is very subjective, I can assure you we are taking a conservative approach, only removing branches posing a risk to staff on equipment and cart users and only trimming trees in the first row, the inside area or bush will be largely untouched. It will result in a safer work environment, a healthier turf cover on the edges of Fairways with reduced shading and a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Works will progress in sections as we have a limited stockpile area and we need to dispose of these before continuing. The other major winter work project, levelling Bunker Bases, this ...

One question that has been popping up a lot lately, "Will the greens remain at the same pace they are now for the rest of winter "? Members are obviously relishing the pace of the greens at the moment, they are running pretty slick and the stories of just how quick are being added to daily, so what's the answer to the question on everyone's lips. The simple answer is yes, we plan to have the greens at present pace or there abouts for the rest of winter. For the more complicated or should I say detailed answer, read on Factors in our control are our maintenance inputs which effect green speed like Green mowing heights and cut frequency, moisture management, nutrient management, winter grass suppression techniques and a wide variety of other maintenance practices which directly effect green speed will be or are planned to be similar for the rest of winter, this equates to the greens being of similar pace for the rest of...

Its been 4 weeks since we seeded the chipping green, time for an update to inform you of the progress to your new practice facility. The green is where we had planned it to be despite the heavy rain recently causing some wash out areas which will require reseeding, Believe it or not we are cutting the green at 10mm presently and with healthy growth continuing we  will be lowering the height to 8mm by the end of this week. The washout patches will be reseeded and the whole green given a light top-dress in 2 weeks by which time the young seedling grass will be strong enough to withstand a light sanding. From there we will be regularly lowering heights and giving light topdressing until the green is open for practice, baring any unforeseen events that should be in approx. 8 weeks. This week is a huge week for the staff and the club, We have the Pro Am on Wednesday, followed by the 2 day Capel Cup major event, all our efforts have been focused on th...

The first 2 weeks of May has brought a little over 100mm rain, 67mm falling last Tuesday night, the rain was very welcome as a start in recharging water aquifers etc. and lets face it no mater how much water you irrigate with, you just can't beat the rain for results, the downside is as it fell in short bouts of heavy downpours it did cause washouts which kept us busy. Another concern is the effect the heavy rain has had on the germinating seed on the chipper, some washout is expected to impact on results. In the coming 2 weeks our focus will be solely on preparing the course for the upcoming Pro-Am and Capel Cup, we take great pride in maintaining a high standard of course year round but we do strive to take the course up a few notches for our major events, this requires attention to the 5% jobs which we generally do not have time to get to in the normal operation of the course with low staff numbers, examples of the % jobs I re...

Hello and welcome to this weeks update The ladies invitation day hit off Friday under fine skies and course conditions, which wasn't looking likely the day before with 33mm of rain effecting the course conditions and what could be done on course, a busy Thursday afternoon and Friday morning  managed to have the course ready for play, and with 1 staff on leave for the week, it was no mean feat. Disease conditions I spoke of last post have eased slightly and you will notice subsequent improvement in the fairways, tho flair ups are to be expected. Those conditions are not only favourable for disease incidence but also are perfect for seed germination, the chipping green was re seeded last week under much better conditions for success than the 35 degree days we had late last year, we will be monitoring the progress closely as we start to see the green hue develop over the next few days. These conditions have also contributed to the continued extended growth peri...

Conditions have been ideal for the rampant spread of 2 diseases over the past 3 to 4 weeks, warm days cool nights, very high humidity, little wind / air movement and heavy morning dew containing leaf exodus (Guttation) rich with nutrients create conditions perfect for disease infection and spread. The degree of humidity and calm winds along with the length of time we have experienced these conditions is unusual for us, while we usually have a few days at a time, the past few weeks have consistently been very Humid with little to no wind, this has contributed to the unusual severity of the disease, namely Dollar Spot in the fairways. Dollar Spot is so named because of the initial dollar size spot, symptoms start as, as these spots enlarge they can coalesce developing into much larger irregular shaped patches, this is what you are seeing in the fairways at the moment, they may look like large dry areas but these straw coloured patches are damage caused by the dollar...

Last time I posted I mentioned the weather changing quickly, and yes March was one of our coolest and wettest for a few years, since 1997 to be exact, Mother nature has had very different ideas since with our Warmest start to April on record, recording summer like 30 degree temps, today as I write we are finally getting wet with 7mm falling so far and hopefully a bit more on the way. I digress, before I start sounding like a channel 7 weather reporter.  The greens have continued to improve since renovations, they would have been slightly slower the week following the Easter Medley as we rested them, applied follow up fertiliser applications and allowed them to "breath" a little after pushing them a little harder than normal for the 3 weeks after renovations in order to have them running reasonably well for the Easter Medley. Normal greens maintenance has resumed this week, double cutting and a slight H.O.C reduction will have them running at a much better pace...