Course Volunteer Scheme

Ken Hall and Burt Butcher are organising course volunteers to work with the greens staff. Matt will allocate volunteers on the day, twice a week.  Initial days and times are Tuesdays and Thursdays meeting at 1.00pm at the machinery shed near the Pro shop.  Jobs will not involve the use of machinery and not too strenuous!

If you would like to get involved please contact Burt or Ken – contact details in the diary.  Providing an email address will be useful for forward planning.

Thank you to all those all ready involved; your time is much appreciated.

 

Maintenance Program For Greens July 2010

Greens

Regular cutting and weekly verti cutting. Hand watering greens, moving away from an irrigation green cycle which uses excessive water and not just treating the areas required. Excessive watering contributes to thatch levels to increase, compaction, turf grass diseases and plays havoc with the soils biology. The greens will be regularly handpicked free of weeds. Weekly aeration with the sarel roller or pencil tiner, which has been fitted to our new tractor. Together with the correct feeding program that has now been put in place, through time this will drastically improve the soil biology and reduce the thatch to a much more comfortable level. My plan is to create the correct soil condition where we can grow the correct fine grasses throughout the entire green surfaces. It would be a huge waste of time and money if we where to overseed the greens with fine grasses in their current condition. The fine grasses would simply die. For the time being, due to the dry, hot weather we have moved away from the top dressing program. It is inadvisable to apply sand to green surfaces in these conditions. They would bake the surfaces and make them unsustainable.

Tees

Regular cutting, moving of markers, divoting, watering via the irrigation system and hand watering means. The tees have recently been fed with an organic fertilizer to help them through this warm, dry and stressful period.

Approaches

Regular moving, divoting and watering through irrigation system and hand watering means. A weekly aeration program is in place.

Fairways

Moving as and when required, filling up hollows on fairways with regular top dressing. A number of fairways have been reshaped to their original size.

Semi Rough and Rough areas

Regular moving of semi rough and tee banks. Likewise with the maintenance of the rough areas. Flymos and strimmers will be used where the ride on machinery can’t reach.

Bunkers

Regular raking, moving of sand to ensure the correct levels, de-stoning and picking out weeds, edging round bunkers and flymoing bunker banks. Any membrane that is coming through will be cut out and stapled back, as seen.

Additional Comments

I understand due to my short time at this club I haven't met everyone yet. Those of you that I have, I would just like thank you for making me feel so welcome. There is a real friendly vibe that the whole club gives you. I have never experienced a golf club quite like it. Pinner Hill golf club surpasses its reputation of being a friendly club. Just to let everyone know that I will be holding a Course Managers Q&A session in the clubhouse which will commence on Monday the 19th of July at approx. 19:30 following the Greens Committee meeting that evening, for anyone that may be interested in my plans for the course over the next few months. You are all very welcome. The idea of this meeting is to give the members the opportunity to meet myself and I am available to answer any questions or comments you may have.

Jeff Foulger

Golf Course Manager