Twas the Week Before Xmas
How many of you find your mail box is getting trashed with shopping catalogues with headlines like "LAST MINUTE GIFT IDEAS" conjuring up images of frantic shoppers racing about with last minute Xmas preparations and gift buying? Same every Xmas isn't it ?
Well just like the reliability of those catalogues hitting your mail box and the frantic shoppers, Golf Course staff across the country will be attending last minute Course Preparations with the Xmas New Year period in mind, Not because we forgot some form of maintenance or anything like that, with the following 2 weeks very disruptive with public holidays, more work is being crammed into this week than any other on any golf course you may visit, along with preventative disease applications and other pest and stress concoctions of varied products to help relieve some of the stress and worry thinking about the course over Xmas and New Year, every Course Superintendent knows with less working days over the coming weeks, time is very restricted to get on top of any problems that may come to pass and so most take a very preventative approach to control the things we can and attempt to control any potential issues arising from those we can't control. Any Greenkeeper would be playing with fire if they haven't at least applied some form of preventative application of products leading into Xmas.
At Capel this year not only are we busy with the above, it is a little busier than previous years as we continue the catch up work we wanted completed over the past few weeks which had to be delayed because of storms, rain etc.
Here's a rundown of works this week.
Couch / Saltene first application control greens.
Preventative Fungicide app Greens
Light foliar fertiliser Greens
Growth Regulator application Greens
Core Tees
Verti cut (scarify) selected tees.
Wetting Agent applied Greens and Tees.
Granular Fertiliser application Tees.
Normal Course mowing and conditioning Greens double cut x3 days
Normal course set up and Competition preps. (Holes, Markers, Bunkers etc).
Greens and Tees mowers Back lapped and serviced.
Manual Irrigation Back 9.
Full test Front 9 Automatic system and rectify faults.
Not a bad effort for the 4 of us.
Lastly each year prior to Xmas I organise a fun day for staff, to thank them for their efforts through the year and motivate them for the coming year, specially the rest of Summer to come and the hard slog ahead, over the years we have had novelty golf days, Ten Pin Bowling and this year it was down to Busso for some Archery practice,
Robin Hood and your Merry Men ate our arrows, as we took over Sherwood Forrest.
The last week before Xmas and just like those catalogues and images of frantic shoppers making last minute Xmas preps, Golf Course Staff are doing the same, difference being it is controlled and planned last minute preparations and those Preparations are gift wrapped as your Golf Course.
Well just like the reliability of those catalogues hitting your mail box and the frantic shoppers, Golf Course staff across the country will be attending last minute Course Preparations with the Xmas New Year period in mind, Not because we forgot some form of maintenance or anything like that, with the following 2 weeks very disruptive with public holidays, more work is being crammed into this week than any other on any golf course you may visit, along with preventative disease applications and other pest and stress concoctions of varied products to help relieve some of the stress and worry thinking about the course over Xmas and New Year, every Course Superintendent knows with less working days over the coming weeks, time is very restricted to get on top of any problems that may come to pass and so most take a very preventative approach to control the things we can and attempt to control any potential issues arising from those we can't control. Any Greenkeeper would be playing with fire if they haven't at least applied some form of preventative application of products leading into Xmas.
At Capel this year not only are we busy with the above, it is a little busier than previous years as we continue the catch up work we wanted completed over the past few weeks which had to be delayed because of storms, rain etc.
Here's a rundown of works this week.
Couch / Saltene first application control greens.
Preventative Fungicide app Greens
Light foliar fertiliser Greens
Growth Regulator application Greens
Core Tees
Verti cut (scarify) selected tees.
Wetting Agent applied Greens and Tees.
Granular Fertiliser application Tees.
Normal Course mowing and conditioning Greens double cut x3 days
Normal course set up and Competition preps. (Holes, Markers, Bunkers etc).
Greens and Tees mowers Back lapped and serviced.
Manual Irrigation Back 9.
Full test Front 9 Automatic system and rectify faults.
Not a bad effort for the 4 of us.
Lastly each year prior to Xmas I organise a fun day for staff, to thank them for their efforts through the year and motivate them for the coming year, specially the rest of Summer to come and the hard slog ahead, over the years we have had novelty golf days, Ten Pin Bowling and this year it was down to Busso for some Archery practice,
Robin Hood and your Merry Men ate our arrows, as we took over Sherwood Forrest.
The last week before Xmas and just like those catalogues and images of frantic shoppers making last minute Xmas preps, Golf Course Staff are doing the same, difference being it is controlled and planned last minute preparations and those Preparations are gift wrapped as your Golf Course.
