Trees

The recent storms and wet weather have slightly spoiled  what has been an awesome golfing year. We have had very little frost, none in the soil and the course conditions, especially the greens have been very good throughout the winter.

Unfortunately,  the high winds recently have meant that we have lost a few large trees. The plan is to get them all cut up and tidied on Monday and Tuesday before New Year,  so we can start the winter projects as soon as 2014 starts. We have a lot to do. The plans is to complete all the ninth improvements in January so we can start the 16th in February.

We have lost a large silver birch on 18 (above and right), while we have lost large pines on 10 and 2, an oak and two large beech on Bearwood Road. Fortunately, most of the trees haven't been in play.

We have quite a large amount of woodland work to do this winter, even more now! and the plan is to continue to promote the indigenous trees on the estate, which are generally beech, oak, some birch and pine. We really try to allow key trees to develop and grow, which will encourage large healthy specimens. This does mean that we do have to do quite a lot of thinning,  but it does mean we have more healthy trees, which are much more storm resistant. Areas such as the left of 16th green, which were planted ten or 12 years ago are a great example. There are some great beech trees in here and we do need to thin out some of the other trees to allow the better ones to grow to the size of the one below on the right which is one of the best trees on the estate.

The golf course is looking and playing very well at the moment. Some exciting work to come with a new bunker being planned for nine and the completion of the 16th hole. We will start cutting the rough in January but it has looked good and played well, even in December.

Also the work never stops in the workshop. Here is Jim renovating our old Ransomes rough cutter. The front deck has been taken off, re-plated, welded and then resprayed and it looks good as new. 

Preperation for Turkey trot

I hope you course looks good because I can't see anything !! 

It is the Turkey trot today and to get the course right we have to start early. It's not ideal but the only way to get it all done these days is to put lights on all the equipment and do it in the dark !

It has been a while since I wrote anything on this blog. Not because we haven't been busy, but quite the opposite. Since the paths have been finished on 6,7 and 8 we have concentrated on finishing the 6th tee complex. It looks great and will look super when it has all grown in. We have seeded the banks, which will take a little longer to come through, but it was quicker and cheaper and we can crack on with the next project. It will also perform much better in the long term.

We have now started and nearly finished draining the 7th ladies tee. It was always very wet and whilst we put in a drain keep the path dry,  it was sensible to try to drain the tee at the same time.

First we marked the drains, dug them and used a quick set level to ensure the correct fall. We used the lab results for the sand to ensure it would drain at 200mm depth, with a small fensoil amendment.

 We put the pipework in and connected it up and then put a 150 layer of shingle in.

 We then added the rootzone. The tees were built with no drainage and a 200mm kingsley rootzone so we could easily just repolace the rootzone exactly and it would have the right hydraulic pull to keep the tee dry.

The turf was replaced, the tee topdressed and the exit drain re-turfed. All done in four days, will last for years. The tee will need a little TLC in spring but it should be fine for play immediately.

The next job on the agenda is to improve the look of the first tee area and drain the white tee which is very wet. No rest !!