Course Managers Update - Around the Greens in May
Published Tuesday, 28th May 2019
April was yet another month for the record books with 4mm
of rain and some beautiful autumn weather. The dry/warm conditions have seen
higher irrigation requirements than usual for this time of year.
The Greens are in great condition leading into winter and
have enjoyed the warmth. The warmer weather has seen some pests cause minor
damage to some green areas. Warm days and heavy dew have also seen turf
diseases like Dollar Spot and even Pythium continue through the month on top of
the “normal” disease activity for this time of year. All of these are minor and
have been controlled by following our usual management procedures.
Tees are still looking good thanks to the extended warm
weather. As growth and recovery have
slowed the cutting of the tee surfaces has been reduced to once a week.
The Fairways are the best they’ve looked at this time of
year since 2016 thanks again to the sunshine. Several irrigation cycles have
been run through fairways during April but they are still benefitting from the
rain in March. Turf patching has continued on the 13th fairway, as
well as the end of the path on the 14th and 15th. We will
hold off laying any more turf on fairways until August or September in
anticipation of some cooler weather. During May we will do a follow up feed to
carry the colour into winter.
More bunkers have had their drains cleared and fresh sand added. It is my intention during May and into June to cut all bunker edges back to where they are supposed to be. Bunker edges have crept in over the years, this is particularly evident in the smaller bunkers such as the 6th and 16th.
Shay Tasker
Course Manager
