Cathkin Managers Blog for W/C 27.01.2014

Cathkin Managers Blog for W/C 27.01.2014

Firstly, on behalf of the greens committee and greenstaff may we wish you all a happy new year and hope you had an enjoyable festive break and looking forward to a prosperous 2014.

Winter Project Update
13th tee renovation

Work on the tee began back in November primarily to re-level and maximise teeing area due to years of subsidence and also with the demand for golf on the increase we now need to look at increasing the overall teeing area especially to the par 3's.  All the existing turf has now been laid and is showing slight rooting due to mild temperature.  Additional new turf will be purchased shortly this is due to the increased size of the tee.  I have scheduled this for the begining of February weather permitting anticipating the new turf will have rooted well enough to begin competition play in April, however if this is not the case then the laddies and gents tee markers will remain on the temporary tees until the turf has sufficiently rooted.

Wind Blown/Storm Damaged Trees

In light of the recent storms, we suffered minimal wind blown damage compared with similar courses in the area however, the trees that suffered were of particular mature and large in size with extremely large root plates being exposed, this is extremely dangerous to remove to a lesser trained person.  Areas that suffered the most were to the l/h/s of the 16th/17th gents tee.  Approximately 10 large pine trees had fallen mainly on top of each other making it extremely difficult to remove therefore i contacted a local tree contractor who over the Christmas period and with the assistance of our greenstaff removed the damaged trees.  Our greenstaff have also managed to cut up and remove all the additional wind blown trees that have fallen internally as well on the perimeter boundary of the course approximately 14 in total and thankfully none had fallen externally on to the main road.

18th Gents/Ladies Path

Due to health and safety reasons it has been necessary to take action to improve the surface of these paths.  AstroTurf on the gents path has new deteriorated badly causing it to become extremely slippery especially when wet and frosty conditions.  As a short term solution rubber matting has been installed directly on to the AstroTurf.  This has improved the safety aspect although holding on to the metal hand rail is also advised especially when descending with a motorised trolley, again this is merely a short term solution until a more long term surface is found.  I contacted a specialised contractor to install a rubber granulated material to approximately 50mm deep to the ladies 18th path, if this is successful we aim to install this product to the 18th gents path at a later date.  I will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this product and update you on its progress.  You can gain further information on this product by visiting www.theblinder.com (blinder bunker liner and blinder eco path)
follow the link - black EPDM granulated rubber material.

Before                                   After

 

16th Path

Renovation work is well under way to this path, this is being carried out by our own staff as part of our winter programme.  Renovation of this path's surface, ball washer and seating area including the timber bench will continue over the next few weeks and i expect this to be completed by the end of February.

1st Tee Flag Pole

Another casualty from the recent storms was our club flag pole located at the rear of the 1st gents tee.  I have contacted a few companies recently and have received further information and quotations on purchasing a new one.  I will submit this information to our committee for further consideration and hopefully we will have one installed before the beginning of the competition season.

Course Flags

To protect the condition of our 125 year anniversary club logo flags of which were donated by the past captain society last year, i have removed them and replaced them with our spare older club flags for the use over the winter period.  As we approach the start of our winter season I will reinstate the anniversary flags, hopefully they can withstand another season until they require replacing.

Renovation to Main Tee Areas

As you may have seen recently various main tees have been hollowcored and cleared but not top dressed.  Normally top dressing would immediately follow hollowcoring but due to the fact they are not in play throughout the winter period I've decided to leave the holes open, this will remove surface moisture quicker and also allow air to circulate throughout the root zone.  This will keep them dryer and healthier throughout the winter months.  If weather permits top dressing will begin approximately in the beginning of March prior to the golf season commencing.

Bunker Renovation

As part of our winter programme we(greenstaff) will begin the renovation to various priority bunkers throughout the golf course i.e, 5th middle, 11th(all), 13th r/h/s, 16th, these bunkers will require full reconstruction i.e, removal of the existing turf and sand, construct new grass face and edging, install new turf and sand to the correct depth.  On the completion of these bunkers we will also assess the rest of the bunkers this course concentrating mainly on the depth of the sand in the appropriate areas.  This will continue throughout the forth coming months until all the bunkers are of a consistent playability.

18th Drainage R/H/S 150 yrds

Over the past few years we have noticed surface water lying here for longer periods than usual.  Recently we have began investigating, upgrading existing and installing new drainage to improve this area.  on investigation we have identified(as with similar poorly drainage areas) a high percentage of thatch within the turf.

This will naturally reduce peculation rates therefore causing flooding to this area.  On completion of this area we will also install additional drainage to the exit of the new 18th ladies path of which is also requiring some attention.

Greens Information

We regularly monitor the temperatures of the greens using a digital thermometer so that we can use this information to compare temperatures from previous seasons, also it is extremely useful information when deciding upon applying liquid or granular fertilisers therefore we minimise the risk of wasting valuable labour and expensive products.

Greens Soil Temperatures

21.11.13                           07.01.14
Greens   Temps                Greens  Temps
1            0.9°C                  7           4.6°C
2            0.5°C                  8           4.5°C
3            0.1°C                  9           4.3°C
5            0.6°C                  10         3.9°C
15          0.8°C                  11         4.3°C
16          0.7°C                  12         4.5°C
18          0.5°C                  13         4.1°C
PG         0.1°C                  17         4.3°C

As you can see its unusually mild for January and may it continue.

Thank you for your attention
Douglas

Course Information Blog W/C 28/10/2013

Course Information Blog W/C 28/10/2013

Sadly the fine summer weather is now at an end, although temperatures are unusually high for this time of year. Rain fall recordings from 18/10/13 - 25/10/13 shows approx 81mm of rain fall during this period. Thankfully the new drainage installed last winter has proved to be extremely beneficial as the course has taken it very well.

Whats been happening lately -

Fairways - contractors arrived on 14/10/13 to carry out deep aeration to selected fairways. Deep verti-draining is essential prior to the onset of winter. Verti-draining aids water penetration into the root-zone and drainage below, relieves compaction and controls thatch levels. Contractors have completed verti-draining and will return this week to carry out the remainder of sand banding to the 14th fairway.

Following verti-draining our green staff will begin slit tinning fairways to a depth of approx 6", this will begin w/c 4/11/13 and continue on a monthly basis throughout the winter period.

Recent heavy rain has highlighted some areas of flooding especially to the lower area of the 9th fairway approx 120 yards from the green. Drainage has been installed here, however a rise in rock level in the burn to the R/H/S of the fairway beyond the out of bounds reduces the flow of water therefore reducing the rate of which water can be removed from the 9th fairway, we can only rely on the burn level to reduce so that the fairway can drain effectively.

Drainage - recently we have completed installing approx 90m of lateral drainage to the L/H/S of the 14th green. As you know this has been an extremely wet area for sometime. Factors include, limited drainage, high thatch content within the turf and tree roots. Green staff have monitored the effectiveness of the new drainage and thankfully this seems to be successful. Next step is to remove the heavily thatched areas of turf and replace with new. This work will be ongoing and part our winter program.

Greens - sand injection -

If you have played recently you will have noticed linear lines across the greens filled with sand, this is known as sand injection - meaning the turf is scarified to a depth of approx 25mm using 2mm thick blades which removes dead organic matter (thatch) and injecting dried kiln sand directly into the channels created by the blades. The organic matter is scrapped/blown from the surface, then finally cut/rolled using a pedestrian mower, green back in play! Fortunately milder temperatures recently have allowed these lines to recover far quicker than usual, therefore the earlier we can sand inject during autumn renovation then the better the heeling process will be. Sand injection plays a vital role in our greens renovation program to ensure our main greens stay playable as much as possible throughout the forthcoming winter period. For further information on this machine and its benefits visit www.kensettsports.co.uk, follow link to contracting services and Graden contour sand and seed injection.

14th Fairway Update -

Following one of our best summers for several years the condition of the turf has improved dramatically beyond expectations. We have now grass cover to approx 95% leaving only minor areas to be addressed this winter. Contractors arrived on 17/10/13 intending to hollowcore, lift cores and topdress the area recently drained prior to the ditch. Unfortunately heavy rain halted work and we decided not to proceed any further as a high percentage of cores were not getting lifted, only smeared into the turf. Contractors will return when dryer weather is forecasted. I have scheduled the remainder of the sand banding for this week (weather permitting). This will complete all sand banding work as per the contractor's quotation.

13th Tee Renovation -
Work is well underway now in the re-leveling of the 13th tee. This was chosen from a few throughout the course that require attention due to the subsidence over many years. In addition to leveling the surface we will be installing a rubber matting path to the left hand side of the tee, this is a continuation of the path leading from the 12th green. There is also scope to widen and lengthen the tee by a few meters giving us more teeing area which as you know because of its size and par takes a hammering during the playing season. Weather permitting we hope to be at the stage of relaying the original turf by the end of November, all going well. This is the first of many projects of our winter program of which details will follow later this week.

Fairway Protection -
As of the 1/11/13 and similar to previous years we will be introducing fairway protection to all fairways this winter. There is a slight change to the rule this year as we are introducing no play in any area of the fairway except 25 yards from the green. Certain holes are excluded from the 25 yard rule due to the design such as the 1st, 2nd and 5th. This area will be marked by a blue line across the fairway and measured 25 yards from the front of the green. This will donate the end of fairway protection and the beginning of play from the fairway to the green.
We do hope you will adhere to this measure of course protection so that come the start of competition season in 2014 our fairways will have the best possible start and be in the best condition for the time of year.

Thank you for your attention
Douglas.

        


  

Course Information Blog For W/C 09.09.13

Course Information Blog for W/C 09/09/2013

Bunkers/Bunker Raking

Gordon and I have complied a couple of short video clips on how we(greenstaff) rake our bunkers and how we would like to see members rake them too.

View video clip 1 -

Step 1 - Gordon starts by lightly raking the sand from the face of the bunker down towards the base, this is to prevent plugballs in the face of the bunker.

Step 2 - As he finishes raking from the face he then proceeds to rake in a light pushing motion ensuring the sand from the face is level and the correct amount distributed around the middle(base) of the bunker.

Step 3 - Once raking is complete he leaves the rake half in, half out of the bunker and not in the line of play.  By doing so a ball that enters the bunker will not be obstructed by the rake, leaving the ball close to the edge of the bunker will restrict your back swing.

View video clip 2 -

Gordon has placed his ball in a popular spot in the bunker, he plays his shot extremely well and proceeds to rake his footprints in a push and pull motion to level off the sand taking care, he is not pulling sand towards the back edge of the bunker.  Raking sand in a push and pull motion will contain the sand in the middle of the bunker until the quantity falls below the correct depth therefore requiring a top up by greenstaff.

As we all know our bunkers are now in need of repair/reconstruction.  Myself and the greens committee are currently are finalising our winter programme for 2013/14 of which bunkers are on the agenda.  If reconstruction is the way forward then this will require to be done over a period of 3-5 year programme assuming our greenstaff are involved, remembering drainage is still our priority.

Thank you

Douglas McIntosh 

Course Information Blog W/C 26/08/2013

Course Information Blog W/C 26/08/2013

14th/16th Drainage Progress

To date all quoted/priced drainage work has now been installed by the contractors.  Drainage tracks/lines that have been soil/seeded by green staff are now germinating and growing well.  Hopefully by the first signs of winter we will see a significant improvement in grass coverage to these areas.

Due to a mechanical fault with the sand banding machine, approx 75% of the sand banding has been completed to the lower part (14b) of the fairway.  The remaining work will be scheduled for completion by the end of September.  For the best results ground conditions favour in the moist side so that any crowning of the sand slit will easily be pressed back to ground level.  Hopefully we will continue to see improvement in surface water removal and grass coverage throughout this coming winter and into spring 2014.

I think its fair to say that the work carried out to the beginning of the 14th fairway has proved to be extremely beneficial and money well spent.  The condition of the turf has improved dramatically beyond all expectations this is obviously helped by the fine summer weather over the past few months.  Now that the drainage work is near completion we will be continuing similar aeration, thatch removal and sand top dressings to part B (lower level area prior to ditch) as part A (road to bunker) with hopefully similar results.

Any minor bare areas that have not fully recovered will be excavated and re-turfed as part of this years winter programme.  Preferred lies will remain on for both fairways until further notice.

2nd Banking

Due to health and safety reasons it has been necessary to cut down the long grass on the l/h/s of the 2nd on the rock escarpment, so that tee shots from the 2nd tee can be easily found and more importantly directed away from the 4th green in case of a serious injury to anyone putting out on or around the 4th green.  Maintaining the smaller fairway to the height of approx 30mm to the upper level on the 2nd hole will now cease.  This will now be cut to approx 50mm similar to the current semi rough throughout the course.  Hopefully this measure will be a step forward in diverting tee shots away from the 4th hole, if not remember to shout 'FORE!!'.

8th Green Drainage

As you may have seen throughout the past few weeks drainage work by Mr Lawson (farmer) has been getting installed to the r/h/s of the green in his part of the field.  Installed is a 150mm twin wall pipe leading in to the old reservoir.  This will remove any ponding/flooding which usually encroaches onto the course of which we regularly see during lengthy periods of rain.  I have conveyed my appreciation to Mr Lawson for his time and effort in this project and hopefully this winter we will see this area significantly dryer.

                           

Winter Programme 

Details of our winter programme are currently being discussed and hopefully be finalised by next month.  I'm sure we all remember last years appalling summer weather therefore drainage will continue to be on the agenda.  Areas will be selected from our drainage report carried out last year by Jim Westwood (drainage consultant for the STRI).

On Behalf of the green staff and greens committee i would like to thank you for your recent kind and encouraging comments regarding the course conditions recently.

Thank you for your attention,
Douglas McIntosh

Course information blog w/c 16/07/13

14th Fairway update
Our planned drainage work is now well underway and progressing extremely well, this has helped by the flourishing weather we are experiencing just. Thankfully the good weather has allowed the contractors to install the quoted amount of drainage without causing too much damage and disruption to the 14th and 16th fairways, however some rock excavation was required on the 14th fairway delaying progress slightly, hence the decision to reschedule last Saturdays competition to the 20/07/13. This allowed contractors to work over the weekend therefore bringing them back on schedule and hopefully they will be off site on or around the 19/07/13 as planned.

Approx 800m of lateral drainage have been installed to the 14th fairway (before ditch) and 350m to the area of the left and right of the green. Contractors are currently working on the 16th installing 120m of 150mm twin wall pipe and 350m of 100mm lateral drainage pipe, scheduled to be completed  by today 16/07/13 following this sand banding at 7inch centres by 7inch deep. This will begin tomorrow 17/07/13. Sand banding is an effective way to link up lateral drainage and so far this has proved to be successfull as seen recently to the start of the 14th fairway beyond the course road.

As we approach the final stage of the programme work, hollowcoring and sand banding. This is part of the thatch removal process that is required to ensure the new drainage functions effectively. As per the quotation our greens staff are required to apply soil/seed to all of the drainage channels as part of the final reinstatement work. This will be carried out over the next few weeks. These channels will be treated as G.U.R. Until the seed has fully germinated and complete grass coverage is achieved.

Can I take this opportunity to thank you for your cooperation during this period. Your assistance has allowed the contractors to work efficiently, safely and most importantly on schedule. This work is invaluable so that our course stays open and considerably dryer throughout the forthcoming winter
Periods.

14th Fairway bunker
It has been agreed by committee to fill in the first fairway bunker on the l/h/s of the 14th hole due to the poor construction, deteriorating condition and more importantly with the advance in new technology penalises the wrong category of handicap golfer. We will utilise the materials excavated by the drainage contractor so that no cost will be occurred by the club for infill material. A new bunker will be created at a later date approx 50yds further down the fairway/rough on a similar line.

Thank you
Douglas

Course Information Blog W/C 1/7/2012

14th fairway progress

At last summer temperatures are here.  This has boosted grass growth especially at this part of the fairway (14a) on plan. In conjunction with hollowcoring and reseeding work, applications of granular calcium/lime have proved to be beneficial and successful as we now can see encouraging signs of improvement in grass coverage, especially to the poorest areas. This work will continue throughout the summer and into early autumn to ensure we have as much grass coverage as possible going into the winter period.
Next months application of calcium/lime will take it into the 1 ton of product applied  since April this year. Soil samples will be taken this week and sent for analysis so that we can monitor how effective these applications have been in adjusting the soil PH. Incorrect soil PH is one of the contributing factors of poor plant health and thatch accumulation.
At this point i would like to remind you all that contractors (Souters sports turf) are arriving on Monday 1/7/13 to begin installing drainage to the 14th, 15th, and 16th fairways. Their work will consist of installing approx no 1100m of drainage running diagonally across the 14th fairway and around the green and 15th tee area (14th B & C on drainage plan ) .
On completion of the 14th drainage work contractors will start on the 16th fairway installing approx 150mm twin wall pipe replacing the exciting outdated pipe, with a further 500m lateral drainage concentrating on the l/h/s of the fairway and rough. This will link up to the work that our green staff carried out during the winter period.
In order that the contractors can carry out their work safely and effectively from Monday to Friday a shorter hole will be in operation this means that a temporary green will be installed approx 230 yards from the main tee. Contractors Are instructed not to work at the weekends so that sat/sun competitions can be played. Playing surfaces will be affected during this period of work therefor can I ask for your patients and cooperation during and after their work is complete . Hopefully the good weather will continue so that contractors can produce work to their high standard that they/we expect, again your patients and understanding are essential.
Timescale for completion of drainage works is difficult to predict due to the weather and the quantity of rock removal that is required, never the less we are hoping contractors will be off site in approx 2 to 3 weeks if all goes well.
On completion of all drainage works and as part of our thatch removal plan we have instructed the contractors to return at a later date to hollowcore and top dress the 14th and 16th fairways. This will reduce some of the compaction created by their drainage equipment and also remove a percentage of the thatch which is contributing to surface flooding that we currently see on these fairways, i will post regular updates on Souters progress via this blog.

Thankyou
Douglas

Course Information Blog W/C 27/05/2013

14th Fairway Progress

This part of the fairway(14(a) on plan) is now showing encouraging signs of improvement as far as surface water removal is concerned.  A few weeks passed contractors installed sand band slits approx 7 inch deep across the fairway linking up with lateral drainage installed over the winter period by our greens staff.  This has proved to be a good investment as last weekend saw approx 3/4" (19mm) of rainfall over approx 24hrs, the following morning the fairway was inspected and we were pleasantly surprised how well the fairway drained compared to similar areas throughout the course.

To date we have made two applications of granular lime/calcium to adjust the soil ph with additional monthly application there after until the correct ph level is achieved.  Root zone mixed with seed and pre seeding fertiliser has been applied to the drain lines, however fluctuating temperatures recently is hampering seed germination in addition hollow coring and top dressing have also been carried out to the rest of the fairway, hopefully as temperatures increase we will see an improvement in grass coverage.

As i have mentioned in recent blogs contractors (Souters) are scheduled to arrive on 1/7/13 to begin installing approx 800m of lateral drains and sand banding to the worst part of this fairway (14b and c) on the drainage plan.  The 16th fairway will also be included in this work schedule.

Hopefully the weather will be extremely kind to us during this period so that the work can be carried out to a high standard that we all expect.  As we try to keep inconvenience to a minimum, can i ask for your patience and co operation during this time.

6th Medal Tee

Due to pest infestation and deterioration in the turf in the winter period it was necessary to returf the surface of the tee.  Approx 70% of the tee has been completed using a new grass species specifically grown for shaded areas.  The new turf is rooting well due to the warmer temperatures lately and we should have it back in play in approx a few weeks time.  The remainder of the tee will be returfed once play resumes from the new turfed area.

Renovation to Aprons, Fringes and Walk Offs

Last years appalling weather caused a gradual deterioration to certain areas of aprons, fringes and walk ways.  High rainfall has contributed to the lower areas holding water for longer periods than usual causing the turf to deteriorate and die.  Throughout the next few months, weather permitting (stay dry) it is our intention to renovate these areas by hollow coring, top dressing and re seeding all bear areas. Ropes and polls with be installed ti divert traffic away from these areas so that full recovery can be achieved.

Our Work Schedule For This Week

Out with normal maintenance

• Hollow coring, top dressing and re seeding various aprons, walkways and winter tees.
• Apply root zone and seed to new drainage lines at the 7th/13th, 16th and 6th fairways.

Thank you for your attention,

Douglas McIntosh