Winter Work Review - New 11th Path

Following comments received at the Open Forum meeting held in the Clubhouse last year, a new path has been built from the 11th green to the 12th tees. To preserve the quality of the turf around the 11th green, golf trolley users are requested to always use the path, and no other route, to get to the 12th tee.

Buggies should use the same route as last year - break off right before the first of the three bunkers - before merging with the new path. Adhereance to this guidance will ensure the best possible playing conditions are achieved in this area.

Driving Range Open

The driving range has re-opened after the enforced closure following the storms last week. We have 10 bays in use down from the previous 14. As there are no dividers between some of the bays the mats have been spaced out to ensure the safety of all users.

Maintenance Week

Despite the recent snow our 2013 spring maintenance week will still run from 18th - 22nd March. We plan to undertake scarification and top dressing operations to all greens. Our original plan to also solid tine and overseed has been modified due to the huge clean up work still required following the snow and gale force winds.
Only 9 holes will be open throughout maintenance week to enable work to be carried out in a timely manner.

Snow Update

The big thaw is on with temperatures reaching a positively balmy 5 degrees C. Lots of grass is now visible on the course but large areas of deep snow remain in the places where the snow accumulated in the wind. All bunkers and grass hollows remain full of snow and a number of pathways are still completely impassable.

Tree Damage

The large pine tree situated in the corner of the property next to the 2nd green sustained considerable damage in the recent storm. A tree surgeon is required to remove the broken limbs but access is currently difficult due to the depth of the snow in this area of the golf course.

Storm Damage

The driving range enclosure has collapsed following the force 9 gales overnight on Monday and Tuesday this week.

 

Work will begin this week on dismantling the old building. The range will remain closed until further notice.

Snow

Following the severe weather the course is closed. Lots of areas have drifting snow up to 5ft deep. Course staff are busy clearing the access road and car park of the clubhouse.

Follow Us On Twitter

Twitter users can now keep up to date with goings on out on the course by following @LaMoyeGCgreens

Anyone wishing to get onto the twitter bandwagon need only go to www.twitter.com then follow the instructions to set up an account. It's really simple to get started and is a great place for news and content sharing.

Maintenance Week Update

All scheduled tasks were completed successfully during the recent maintenance week. Hollow coring, scarification, seeding and top dressing took place on each of the putting surfaces. A significant amount of organic matter has been removed from the greens, helping to improve air and water movement through the soil profile and also improve ball bounce characteristics and surface firmness.
50 tonnes of sand top dressing has been applied to the greens to fill the void following the aeration operations. The recent rain has been of real benefit in helping wash the top dressing into the base of the sward. A further 20 tonnes of material will be applied over the next few days. 
Greens mowing frequency has been relaxed slightly to help the grass in the greens recover from the rather intensive operations. Weather conditions will determine just how quickly full recovery takes but I would expect around another fortnight at least.

Autumn Update

Autumn Maintenance Week

Our second and final course maintenance week of 2012 commences on Monday 24^th of September. Hollow coring, scarification, seeding and top dressing work will be carried out on all greens. To enable the course staff to carry out the work in a timely manner, one tee starts will take place on Monday and Tuesday until 0930 each day. Beyond this time, a temporary green will be used on the hole being worked on to further minimise delay.

We have seen steady improvement in the putting surfaces over the past four years. This is because of the regular and thorough remedial works that have been carried out on the greens during previous maintenance weeks. Undoubtedly, there will be a period of recovery beyond the maintenance week itself. Whilst it is appreciated that this will cause inconvenience to members, please be assured that this work is entirely necessary to ensure continued, long-term improvement in our putting surfaces.

On this occasion we will be hollow coring with a 12mm tine at 50mm spacing to a depth of 75mm. This operation will remove around 5% of the total surface area of the green enabling a reduction in the organic matter (thatch) at the base of the turf. Scarification involves using thin, vertically positioned blades to remove further organic material. Seed will then be applied using a dedicated seeding unit to improve the species composition of the greens. Finer leaved grasses enable the ball to roll more smoothly over the surface of the green, ultimately making it easier to hole putts. Finally we will apply around 2.5 tonnes of top dressing sand to each green in order to fill up the holes and grooves that have been made.

Fair weather is required to carry out most of the planned work but with Mother Nature on our side we should comfortably complete each task within the scheduled five days.

Broadleaved Grasses In Greens

Another application of the selective graminicide Rescue has been made to all greens to control the spread of Ryegrass and Yorkshire Fog grasses. These are wholly inappropriate putting green grass types that have we have been treating now for three years. Thankfully, we have far less of these grass species now so the effects of the spray application will be less noticeable than in previous years. We may for a period have some thin areas of turf on but the areas will be seeded and top-dressed until good grass cover is restored. This has been timed to maximise the benefits from all the operations planned in the maintenance week.

Managing Wear

Somewhere in the region of 35000 rounds of golf are played each year here at La Moye. To help protect the course and minimise wear and tear it is vital that we restrict golfing traffic in certain areas at certain times of the year. With grass growth slowing down in the coming weeks we will begin to rope off various areas around the course and divert traffic away from many of the most heavily used walkways. This gives the turf in these areas a much needed rest and also allows the course team the chance to carry out much needed refurbishments. In some instances we will ask players to walk slightly further than normal to avoid particularly worn areas. It is hoped that members show understanding of this important issue and follow the directional signs and markings that will be used to indicate the routes to be used around the course. Some areas of the new turf laid last winter on holes 10, 11 and 12 is in particular need of respite and these areas will be prioritised.