Date posted: 4th October 2018
Course Notes September 2018
What a year weather wise!! A cold winter followed by an extremely wet, cold and late spring (placing did not stop until May 7th). We then had the hottest driest summer for decades. For a very brief period late May to late June we had a lush green course.
Our greens survived well, greatly helped by our new modern irrigation system which in hind sight was finished in the nick of time. Great credit to the foresight of the previous course convenor – Graham Molloy- for achieving this.
A new dedicated greens mower has been purchased with modern cutting blades giving a more consistent cut going forward.
This year we have started a programme of overseeding our fairways with a hardy rye grass designed for fairways. This along with the second sanding will produce a more consistent grass cover in time. Unfortunately, the dry weather has meant that in some areas the grass density has been lost on our fairways. These will recover in time, but patience is needed.
The drainage slits on the 2nd/3rd are slowly recovering. Again, the weather hindered their progress. These had to be over seeded three times having lost the first to the snow and the second to the drought.
A programme was put in place to upgrade our bunkers to a modern sport bonded design. This design allows the water to drain out but prevents soil contaminating the sand. Some of our older bunkers especially the those on the 5th/14th,6th and 7th holes have come in for some criticism over the year. Our greens staff are constantly rotavating, raking and adding sand to these, but even with their best efforts there are times when the criticism is deserved. These will be upgraded in the next few years and in the meantime your understanding and patience is greatly appreciated.
Our tees fared well over the summer again greatly helped by the new irrigation system. As we approach winter it would be appreciated if members would refrain from practicing from the tees as recovery from divot damage is not possible during the winter months.
Currently the paths around the 1st/3rd greens, along with a new wider gate, and sport bonding of the bunker on the first is being carried out. This along with drainage short left of the bunker will transform the aesthetics of this area. Please observe the restrictions that will be in place during the works.
Finally, the vagaries of the weather along with the removal of insecticides/fungicides due to legislation has made the art of agronomy increasingly difficult. We as members are lucky to have an excellent dedicated greens team under the leadership of Michael Browne who week in week out present the course in excellent condition. Their pride in the course is second to none and I would like to thank them for their efforts.
Happy golfing.
Paddy May
Course Convenor
