CAPEL GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE

It was nice to have some rain last week, in all 45mm fell in 24hrs,  it freshened the course up nicely allowing us to turn the irrigation pumps off for the rest of the week giving the staff a break from constant manual water shifts including having to return in the afternoon and evenings  for irrigation on the back 9. Without the need for manual water shifts we were able to spend  a little time progressing the 2nd Men's Black Tee construction work which is now very close to having turf laid once some more consolidation of the banks are complete. It seems like this project is taking forever, we constantly have to remind ourselves we only have 4 staff and with the manual irrigation sucking up huge chunks of time along with the extra mowing requirements of the course through summer with all essential course maintenance taking priority does not leave a great deal left for extra projects such as this one. The recovery of the rough areas from herbicide treatments over th...

The front 9  fairway renovation went well with strong growth occurring, alleviating some compaction and more importantly allowing the gases exchange from the root-zone,  this should hold them in good position for summer. You would have noticed the yellowing saltine in the greens I have taken advantage of the mild weather conditions being more aggressive with measures for Saltine and Crab grass in the greens than previous years. The Saltine will stand out more so than normal as it discolours with the herbicide effect, as a result it may appear there is more than usual in the greens, there isn't it just seems that way with the discolouration making it stand out more. Unfortunately due to the vigorous nature of the grass, control measures are more for   suppression and long term control than immediate eradication. Further due to the high risks of photo-toxicity to the bent grass in warmer weather, product applications are ceased during summer. The initial t...

Fairway renovations were completed successfully today in time for the competition, my thanks to the contractors Sussex Turf Control and our own staff for for the long hours put in yesterday to ensure we were completed by hit off today. Only some product application is left to complete tomorrow.   Renovations went as smooth as they could go, I am expecting a very good result which will be almost immediate but will take a few weeks for the full benefits to kick in and stand the fairways in good shape for summer. As part of the renovation process  we did apply some post emergent herbicide to the short roughs on the front 9  for various weed control, this will cause the turf to discolour (brown off), this is only a temporary side effect and will soon be back to normal conditions. Further spraying to the back 9 short roughs will take place in December with more or less the same effects.  

A notice to all players to advise The front 9 Fairways will be Cored commencing next Monday the 23rd November. Surface disruption will result during the process and for few weeks after till the core holes completely heal.  It is not expected to impact on competition fields as we hope to be well advanced by Tuesday afternoon and other than the initial coring and cleaning off minimal interference with play should be encountered. However unforeseen circumstances may arise that delay or slow down the work which are out of our control,  should you come to a fairway with workers carrying out their duties, please DO NOT HIT , if playing socially miss the hole and continue on the next, if in Competition wait to be called. Your cooperation in this matter is important for the safety of contractors and staff.  Thank you. This maintenance work is vitally important for the continued high standard our fairways are in and expect the success of last years renovations on the ba...

The greens continue their strong recovery from renovations, we have been cutting at 3mm for the last week with double cuts commencing this week .  The greens may still be slightly slower specially for afternoon players as we continue to have very strong growth rates due to the remaining active fertiliser applied for recovery and the optimal cooler temperatures with some humidity also increasing growth rates. At this stage we are not applying any growth regulators to control growth as we still need some recovery occurring but should tamper off over the coming weeks with subsequent improvement in pace. The 9th tee extension will be open soon, a decrease in height of cut and a 3rd sanding to smooth any irregularities will be carried out prior to markers being placed in the area. The 2nd tee is taking longer to attend as it is a low priority task with us only working on the tee when time permits.  Many members would not realise we have been operating at only 75% c...

My apologies to the members for it being a while since I updated the blog site, some issues with the site has prevented me from posting any new content. Hopefully the issues have now been rectified and I can resume regular updates.   The greens are coming back well from renovations 19 days ago I thank the members for their patience over the past few weeks,   while it is a necessary practice for the long term health and quality of the greens surface and one we must continue crryingout, I do understand it can be very disruptive to your game so thank you for your patience and care repairing your pitch marks during the recovery period. We have commenced morning cuts and are down to 4mm Heights, it is anticipated we will lower the heights further next week at which point the greens will have a much better ball roll and be slightly up on pace than they have been during the past few weeks. It must be remembered we are still only 19 days out from renovat...

On behalf of the greens staff I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members for the very generous dinner voucher and drink money raised by the members for the green staff, special thanks to Ray Rendell for organising this very thoughtful gift. Please know the staff truly appreciate your gift   and are humbled by such a wonderful gesture and it will certainly be put to good use down at the Prince of Wales once leave and TAFE commitments allow all of us to be on hand . We always strive to achieve a very high standard of course for our members   (some could argue we punch well above our weight)and take great pride in presenting the Golf Course in a manner that befits not just the members of   Capel Golf Club but the staff as well   through commitment and passion to the task at hand, for that to be recognised by the membership in this manner is very appreciated.     Thank you again for your very thoughtful and generous gift. ...