A summer that can be kindly described as 'mixed' has provided some testing times of late for the course staff. The course is generally in very good condition and this is primarily down to a lot of hard work by John Hanley and the team.
The greens have come in for particular praise this year. Their current quality is as a result of working closely with our agronomist in order to find the right balance between feeding, cutting and rolling regimes and aeration. This programme will continue throughout the Autumn to provide thebest greens possible for the playing season.
The new bunkers on the 4th and 9th have also received positive feedback. We had 42mls (nearly 2inchs in old money) of rain last Sunday and the new bunkers held up perfectly. The sand will take time to compact properly so I ask for your patience in that regard.
The drain work on the 2nd/3rd has also been a huge improvement to the presentation of the course, and has been well received by members and guests.
We continue to face number of challenges however, especially during the summer months. Primary among these challenges is water, or lack thereof. Surprising though it might seem, we have had a relatively dry summer with no rain for extended periods of time. This dry weather coupled with an unusually persistent wind dries the course out and increases demand on our water consumption. Our irrigation system is served by a well whose water production falls in summer when we need water most. We normally water tees, green approaches, surrounds and the putting surface. When water levels are low, we naturally have to prioritise what areas of the course to be watered with the greens top of the list. A comprehensive review of our irrigation system has been undertaken which makes specific recommendations for
improvements to the system. These recommendations will be included in the course Master Plan currently being devised by architects (Re) Golf Design and the Course Development Committee. I hope to be in a position to provide further details of the plan in the coming weeks.
You will have noticed somewhat longer grass on the left of the 4th fairway. We have extended this idea to other areas of the course including behind the 4th green, the front of the 6th tee and between the 4th and 6th fairways. These areas will take time to grow out and again I ask for your patience.
Finally I ask all members to take particular care to:
Rake bunkers
Repair plug marks
Repair/sand fill divots (especially on tees)
There have been a worrying number of people not doing the above and the course suffers for it. You know who you are!
Best,
Graham Molloy
Course Convenor
