Greens Maintenance
The putting surfaces have performed to a good standard
over recent weeks and months. Our programme of regular aeration and top
dressing is proving to be successful. Year on year our surfaces are improving in
terms of firmness, smoothness and pace. We must continue this work on a 4-week
cycle through the growing season to ensure we keep enjoying the benefits of
good quality greens. The persistently wet weather this season has made diligent
pitch mark repairs an absolute necessity. I would like to remind all players of
the importance of making good any ball marks on greens as quickly as possible.
Pitchmarks repaired within 10 minutes recover much quicker than those repaired
beyond that time.
Rough
The wet weather so far this season has made things
very challenging and nowhere more so than in the rough. Our approach to the
management of the rough sets out to balance the needs of the golfer with the
needs of the grass plants and the diverse array of flora and fauna that inhabit
the rough grasslands. We are very fortunate that we are able to play our golf
in such a wonderful, natural environment and it is a prime objective of the
course staff to protect and enhance that environment. The rough grasses here at
La Moye are very delicate and must be
treated carefully. In any normal year, only in the late spring/early summer
period do they get a chance to grow properly, set seed and thicken up before
the summer droughts come in to thin out the grass naturally. This cycle takes
place most years and it ensures we have good grass cover throughout the year
providing crucial definition between the holes. If we cut too much rough we
will remove this important aspect of the character of the course. Also, the
rough grasslands are the most species diverse areas of the whole golf course
and as such are the most valuable from an ecological point of view. Our roughs
provide the perfect habitat for a vast array of flora and fauna ranging from
the green lizard to wild orchids with thousands of things in between.
That said the single most important consideration
is ensuring the golf course remains playable and enjoyable for all levels of
golfer. To do this we aim to maintain landing area widths of between 30 and 55
metres. This includes fairways cut at a height of around 13mm, a first cut of
rough at 25mm and a second cut of rough at a height of around 100mm. This
ensures that well placed shots are rewarded with a good lie but errant shots
are punished incrementally. We think this gives the fairest course set up
possible. Hopefully the weather we have experienced so far this year will be
the exception to the rule. The wet weather that usually abates in June has
continued to mid-July causing exceptional rough grass growth. A significant number
of additional rough areas have been cut for very the first time recently to try
to lessen the impact of the increased growth.
Greens Reconstruction Project – Project Rootzone
In the
three months since opening, the new turf on holes 10, 11 and 12 is settling in
quite nicely. Seeded areas have undoubtedly been helped by the very wet weather
of late although far drier weather would benefit the root development of the
turfed areas. Overall all the new areas are in pretty good shape, ropes and
posts are being used where necessary to minimize wear in sensitive areas and
this will continue for the foreseeable future. Lots of aeration is required on
the new greens to ensure the turf that was used becomes fully integrated into
the underlying rootzone. Regular top-dressings will gradually improve
smoothness and help level off any uneven areas.
Our
architect, Martin Hawtree has visited since the holes re-opened and expressed
his delight with the results. He has been asked to look at possibilities for
hole 13 and we eagerly await his proposals.
Sports Turf Research Institute Visit
The STRI provides sports turf consultancy to over
2000 sports clubs and facilities throughout the world. The R&A use their
services on all Open Championship golf courses to assess and benchmark
performance and to provide agronomic advice. Steve Gingell, their Regional Head
of Agronomy, visits us annually. On each visit a number of measurements are
taken from selected greens and the results obtained provide help in setting out
the following years greens maintenance programme. This year our greens scored
very well in all areas of testing. In fact Steve said it was the best set of
results he had seen all year! To find out more about putting green quality
measurement at La Moye, visit the blog
on the club website or go directly to the address below - http://lamoyegolfclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Benchmarking
