Course Up-Date

Heather bed at the 17th following trials to control couch grass

The weather last week interrupted preparations for the Captains Weekend following 28mm of rain between Thursday and Sunday.
Despite this the greens performed well with speeds hitting 9.5 – 10 ft, and
would have been quicker still had the rain not intervened. The greenstaff began work at 430am over the weekend in order to complete all preparations ahead of play and ensure the best conditions possible. With the current warm damp spell
disease pressure has increased significantly. With this in mind the greens have
been sprayed to check disease and maintain a decent surface as we now focus
attention on preparing for The Stag. New yardage posts have been placed along
the edge of each hole giving distances of 100, 150, 200 yards measured to the centre
of the greens. The new bunker at the bottom of the practice area has been
completed and is now open allowing members to hone their skills. Following
successful trials selected heather areas around the bunkers have now been
sprayed to control the couch grass. The finer fescue and wild flowers in
amongst the heather will be allowed to flourish as this in in-keeping with the
natural environment in which the heather grows and enhances the over-all
appearance. New heather plants are beginning to establish however this process
takes time and can not be rushed!. The main task this week will be to verti-cut
and top dress the greens once again. This is vital work which must be carried
out as we approach The Stag. Timings will very much be dependent upon the weather;
any windows of opportunity must be taken to achieve the maximum results.

Course Up-Date

Toro 4500 mowing rough

As we head into June preparations for the years major tournaments is well under way. We continue with our programme of verti-cuting, brushing, grooming and top-dressing fortnightly. Once again we are seeing the benefits of the work carried out through the year to date. Equally this work will set the course up to be good shape as we move towards August. We have already had more rain since the beginning of June (32.7mm to date) than we had in the previous 3 months combined. The course has responded well with the fairways greening up. To aid recovery and promote the over-seeded fescue the fairways and approaches have received a folia feed. The greens are due a soil and wetting agent application this week which will coincide with the rain nicely. With the Captains Weekend approaching and the East Berkshire Stag only a couple of weeks away maintenance will step up a gear. Course conditions are tweaked as we strive to set the course up for the years biggest tournaments. Pin positions/hole placements have already been identified some weeks ago in order for us to keep these areas free in the run up to competitions. This week will see us work on presentation and increase both mowing and rolling frequency as we push the greens along in the build up for the weekend. The forecast looks set to remain unsettled with temps around or slightly below average.