Knocking Back Succession

During the winter of 2016/17 we scheduled a renovation project to enlarge the men's 12th tee complex. Being a par 3 the original tee was too small to sustain excess wear and over time had become uneven and bumpy. In addition to this the tee complex was still on the old irrigation set up of 360 degree heads. These heads had over many years been watering the surrounding areas of the tee complex which in turn led to the open dune land becoming over vegetated with thick rank grasses and scrub. 

View from the 12th tee complex

Over vegetated grass and scrub

With plans in place to enlarge the tee and install an irrigation set up to just water the tees surface a decision was made to revert the scrub to the front and side of the tee back to its natural state. This concept derived from annual visits from Bob Taylor and Sophie Vukelic who are ecology consultants for the Sports Turf Research Institution. They advised that to knock back succession in many over vegetated areas of the course we could adopt a practice of removing scrub completely, scraping back to bare sand thus restoring many areas of our sand based course back to their natural state.

Through their advise and support we had already successfully carried out a number of small trial areas along the 8th carry, these were met with such positive feed back from members that we had no hesitation in deciding to carry out the ecological reversals required around the 12th tee complex.

Open vista over natural dune land

Returned to natural dune land

It wasn't until the project had been completed that our intentions turned to entering the Golf Environment Awards. This is something that the club has been involved in for a number of years with our aim being to improve the ecological value of the course.

The greenkeeping team had done such a fantastic job of not only rebuilding the entire tee complex but successfully and sympathetically returning the area back to it's native dune environment. Even though everything we do is a team effort a special mention must go to Deputy Head Greenkeeper Richard Le Moignan and Mechanic/Greenkeeper Gary Denton who led the entire project from start to finish, thier dedication and enthusiasm in poor weather conditions is to be applauded.

Their hard work and commitment over the winter months was rewarded when news came through from the Golf Environment Awards that we had made the long list in the category Outstanding Environmental Project of the Year. Following the judging process which is carried out by industry leading professionals, we were informed we had made the short list and were finalists invited to attend the awards ceremony held in Harrogate during the British Turf Managers Exhibition.

Unfortunately we were not bestowed the honor of outright winners but the fact we were one of four finalists in a nationally recognized award, and is attended by the industry's leading professionals and supported by the R&A has to be a feather in the cap for La Moye Golf Club.   

The Golf Environment Awards Finalist Trophy

Receiving the trophy on behalf of the club, Phil Bowler DHG, Andrew Ricketts HG and Richard Cutler GM

Grassland Management

During the Autumn we brought in a contractor to undertake grassland management work to a number of rough areas on holes 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 14, 16 and 18. The aim of this process is to thin out the rough grasses allowing for a wispy rough to come through in the spring, repeating this process annually will not only improve the aesthetics of the holes but will also prove to be less penal from wayward shots. 

Dense rough at 2nd green

Rough cut short and collected in one pass

Cut rough scarified and material collected

Let there be air and light

Our 2nd green which is tucked away in the south west corner of the golf course has struggled in recent times with high disease pressures due to it's enclosed nature.This in part has much to do with the lack of air and light available to dry out the greens surface especially during the winter months. A section of the large stand of white poplar to the left hand approach and a large conifer branch which hung over the green were removed to allow increased air flow and light across the surface of the putting green. To the right hand side a stand of three holm oak were encroaching into the approach and if left unchecked would start influence the way the hole is played. One holm oak was removed completely while the other two were crown raised, this will allow a variety of golf shots to be played from the right hand side of the fairway.

Large conifer limb shadowing back quarter of 2nd green

Limb removed allowing direct sunlight to the surface

White poplar restricting airflow

White poplar thinned out to open up airflow through green complex

Encroaching holm oaks

One holm oak removed two more crown lifted

 

12th Tee Reconstruction

The original par 3 12th tee surrounded by rank non native species

Scraped back to sand, shaped and transplanted natural dune grasses

Original enclosed view from Championship tee

New tee complex enlarged by 25%, irrigation installed, turf laid and open vista

Long-eared owl

We managed to get a couple of great pictures of what we think is a long-eared owl recently. It was perched on the perimeter fence in the land to the left of the 7th green. The pictures were taken in the middle of the day.

Long Awaited Update!

I have struggled to regularly update the blog in recent months due in the most part to a lack of time but also because it is difficult to produce content that is not repetitive. The blog is now in its seventh year and I feel like we have covered most of the topics of interest quite a few times. Nonetheless, this post aims to give a general update on the work done on the golf course over the past couple of months.

Following the maintenance week at the end of March the greens recovered well from the invasive treatments carried out. A number of applications of sand top dressing have been applied to the greens with the aim of improving surface smoothness. Some pencil tine work was carried out on putting surfaces in early May and this will be repeated in June. It is vital we carry out regular aeration on the putting surfaces to aid the movement of air and water through the turf and upper profile of the rootzone. This needs to be done throughout the year using a variety of pencil, slit and hollow tines working at depths ranging from half an inch up to twelve inches or even beyond. Regular aeration of greens is the single most important operation in sports turf management. High quality putting surfaces can only be sustained if a regular and effective aeration programme is in place.

Applications of selective weedkiller have taken place in all closely mown turf areas. The mild winter and wet spring allowed record numbers of weeds to pop up and chemical control of these has been a necessity. The same weather conditions have caused the rough grasses to grow vigorously. Within these roughs there are diverse and varied plants some of which are protected species in Jersey. This year we have seen record numbers of the Early-purple orchid (Orchis mascula). Literally thousands of examples of this beautiful plant were noted across the course this spring. We also noted Pyramidal orchid (Anacamptis pyramidalis) as shown in the image below .

Early-purple orchid

Pyramidal orchid

Currently in flower and most prominent on holes 10, 11 and 14 is the semi-parasitic plant Yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor). This is a particularly appealing plant in golf course roughs as it gets some of its nutrients from the roots of neighbouring plants. This helps naturally restrict the growth of grasses in the area keeping a much lighter texture to the roughs where this plant is present. This both increases biodiversity and makes it easier to find your golf ball, a perfect combination!

Yellow-rattle

Barn Owl Conservation

We recently had a visit from the Barn Owl Conservation Network who installed a new owl box. We currently have a pair of owls in our existing box and we hope the new accommodation will attract more of these beautiful birds.

Bird Box Survey

We have 18 bird boxes situated in trees and on some of the buildings around the golf course complex. In a survey carried out last month we found that 10 of the 18 boxes showed signs of being inhabited. In those 10, chicks could be seen or heard in 5 of the boxes.

More Gorse Clearance

 A few weeks ago we cleared more gorse from between the 4th and 5th holes. Degenerate, woody bushes were pulled out from around the trees to create a slightly more open feel to the right side of the 4th. A number of sharp rush plants can be found in this area but these were being severely compromised by the encroachment of gorse. During this process we tried to protect the sharp rush from damage.

Following the clearance work an excavator was used to scrape the brash from the ground to expose the natural seed bank beneath. This helps to accelerate the regeneration process.

Once recovery takes place we expect the area to contain a healthy balance of young gorse plants, sharp rush and open grasslands.

 In time we will tackle the rest of the gorse between the 4th and 5th as it is all becoming well past its best.

Hole 8 Gorse Clearance

The rather old and tired looking stand of gorse to the right side of the 8th hole was recently removed. This had become very unsightly in recent years and had encroached into to to such an extent that visibility of the road that crosses the fairway had become severely restricted.

An excavator fitted with an attachment specially adapted  for pulling gorse was selected to carry out the work. In only three hours a 40m x 8m stand of degenerate gorse mixed with bramble was removed and burned nearby.
As can be seen in the video below, the remaining material was mulched with a heavy duty flail fitted to a high powered tractor. This par of the job took a mere 30 minutes to complete.

Although this has left the area  fairly clean and tidy, we will need to go back to treat the bramble re-growth in a few weeks.

Transplanting Pine Trees

We recently took the decision to transplant a few small pine trees which were planted a number of years ago on the left side of the fifth hole. As the trees have matured they have grown too close together to such an extent that they now compromise one another. We also felt that the trees could have a greater strategic impact within the hole if they were pulled back and spaced out so players who have hit left off the tee now have a more obstructed path towards the green. 

Using a 16 tonne excavator we first dug out the soil from the areas where the trees were being replanted. As the soil in the area is of a very sandy nature we added a nutrient rich, moisture holding material to give the trees the best chance of surviving the process. We then turned the excavator bucket around and gently scooped up the root ball beneath the tree and placed each tree in the freshly dug holes. 

The trees only have a moderate chance of surviving this process but the only alternative to this course of action was to cut them down completely. Hopefully with regular watering and a slice of luck they will establish successfully in their new location.

A Stunning Vista

Overgrown blackthorn bushes behind the 4th green have been drastically cut back recently. Over the years these plants had grown ever taller and closer to the green to such an extent that the spectacular views down towards La Pulente and beyond to Corbiere had long since disappeared.

During the process two granite outcrops were uncovered that add extra interest to the area. In future the blackthorn will be maintained at its present height and the exposed soil will be managed to encourage rough grasses.

Monitoring Groundwater

Yesterday we were visited by two employees of the States of Jersey Environment Department, Environmental Protection Division. The purpose of the visit was to test the quality of the water in our boreholes and to ensure no contamination is taking place from pesticides or other chemicals. Testing is carried out twice each year and involves testing the water on site for pH, conductivity, temperature and alkalinity. Samples are then taken back to the lab for further microbiological and pesticide analysis.

The results of the latest testing can be viewed on a pdf file by clicking here for reference, our boreholes are numbered J128a and J128B
If you would like to find out more about this topic you can visit the States of Jersey website by clicking here

More Marram Planting

Following on from the work carried out last year, we have planted more Marram grass (Ammophila arenaria) on the left side of the 11th hole. Since the Holm oak (Quercus ilex) trees have been removed from the dunes in this area we have identified the need to stabilise the shifting sands. There can be no doubt that Marram is perfect plant for this purpose. Recent heavy rain has provided ideal soil conditions so hopefully most of the plugs will establish successfully.

We carry out most of this work by hand. We carefully select the best plants then we tease them out of the ground and collect together in large tubs ready for replanting. Through trial and error we have found that the plants that survive the process best are those which have the most fresh looking small white roots. The large rhizome that extends deep from each plant does not help a transplanted specimen to survive. We would consider the plants shown in the image below to be ideal for transplanting as they have a good number of fresh looking root hairs.

  

Tiny root "hairs" clearly visible

We aim to complete as much of this type of work as possible over the next few weeks as this is felt to be the best time of year to ensure success. Areas on the left side of the 13th hole will be planted out next.

All planted areas have been white lined and fenced off. No play is allowed from within the lined areas and players are requested to take care not to trample the plants when retrieving their ball.