Course maintenance

[sunshine]

August is a popular time to do for a number of reasons

The greens will be generally dry so the coring is done well

Then the weather will be still very mild for the greens to recover quickly

We did the front 9 on Monday and back 9 on Tuesday and they will be recovered by this weekend

If they wait until September you may not get the mild weather.

And trying to organise around bad weather ? Not easy

Another reason.... most people go on holiday in August so the course is less busy.

I reckon it takes about 3 weeks to recover in August. In comparison, when it was done in March before the end of lockdown it took much longer maybe 6 weeks to fully recover.

 

[louise_a]

Our greens renovation takes place the first week of September, greens are ok in 2 weeks and good after 3 as a rule

 

[rulefan]

This is what we did last week.

With increased levels of play we took the opportunity to carry out some well needed aeration work, all greens were solid tined to a depth of 150mm with 6mm diameter solid tines to relieve surface compaction and also aid the movement and exchange of water, air and gas within the profile.

Course.

All greens solid tined
Greens sprayed with soluble iron to strengthen the grass against disease
Soluble feed and wetting agent sprayed as part of our ongoing programme
Greens scarified x 2
Areas strimmed
Rough ongoing
fairways cut x 3 (early morning dew is causing clipping residue).
Perimeter cut x 3
Tees cut x 2
collars and apps x 3
Areas flailed including perimeter of the 1st lake
Divoting ongoing
Bunkers machine raked x 2 and patched in daily
Holes changed x 2
Driving range and paddock cut x 2

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Greens maintenance at ours is usually around October.
Either hollow or soil tine or deep scarified, weather dependant.

That is very late for that level of maintenance.
Sounds like the members are driving the dates against best practice.

 

[Golfnut1957]

Ours starts wk commencing 13th Sept, and they are going to town this year. Blasting the greens with a compressed air machine then tining, sanding and seeding. Dredging the pond on 11 and finally chopping down 8 giant popular trees which line 11, 12 & 13.
We are expecting interruptions and part closures for all the back end of September.

 

[Bobthesock]

Ours starts wk commencing 13th Sept, and they are going to town this year. Blasting the greens with a compressed air machine then tining, sanding and seeding. Dredging the pond on 11 and finally chopping down 8 giant popular trees which line 11, 12 & 13.
We are expecting interruptions and part closures for all the back end of September.

Early finish to the season at your club then. Hope they sort out courtesy green fees out elsewhere if the weather is nice

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Early finish to the season at your club then. Hope they sort out courtesy green fees out elsewhere if the weather is nice

Why an early finish ?

That’s what we have just done in regards the greens 10 days ago and they are back to normal now

With the milder uk weather his course will be back playable by end of September

 

[Bobthesock]

Why an early finish ?

That’s what we have just done in regards the greens 10 days ago and they are back to normal now

With the milder uk weather his course will be back playable by end of September

Was replying to the poster who said work commences 13th September and expects disruption until the end of September

 

[Golfnut1957]

Early finish to the season at your club then. Hope they sort out courtesy green fees out elsewhere if the weather is nice

You are actually correct. All the main finals will have been played before then. We have had no knockouts this year because of the lockdown. The next thing in the pipeline is the winter league and with that running until February course condition is a moot point anyway.
Notwithstanding the afore mentioned, expectation is that the course will be in excellent condition in the run-up to winter, and more importantly, next season.

 

[backwoodsman]

This week is "Greens Week" at ours. Hollow tining of all greens and dressing with sand. Solid tining of all fairways.

Played with 17 temp greens yesterday - never did find out why they left one green in play? Admittedly it had been tined, sanded and brushed, but then, so had some of the others .

 

[patricks148]

Nairn do the greens Oct, after the Tomatin Pro am. The reason we are told it that they can use the winter to dress with sand at least every two weeks. They did that last winter, but in reality this doesn't happen as often as they say meaning we end up with poor greens full of holes for 5 months. Nairn Dunbar over the other side of town do theirs after the 5 day open at he start of Aug, they have recovered within a month and their greens are good all winter. The members complain about this but I know which I'd prefer.

 

[MadAdey]

My clubs newsletter has just mentioned course maintenance is to begin in September.

What does this generally mean? More GUR areas or as extreme as a closed course for certain days?

Ask in the Pro shop, they will be able to tell you what is happening. Like people have said, it can range from green maintenance to course maintenance. If they have any greens where the apron has worn thin, they might shut it down for a couple of weeks to enable them to lay new turf and give it chance to settle in.

 

[eddie_1878]

Ask in the Pro shop, they will be able to tell you what is happening. Like people have said, it can range from green maintenance to course maintenance. If they have any greens where the apron has worn thin, they might shut it down for a couple of weeks to enable them to lay new turf and give it chance to settle in.

I asked a member the other day and he confirmed it was just green work which doesn’t result in any closures etc. Basically the greens won’t be as good as they normally are for a couple of weeks, which I’m sure won’t be too much of a hindrance with my putting!

 

[jim8flog]

Early finish to the season at your club then. Hope they sort out courtesy green fees out elsewhere if the weather is nice

What is this season you mention?

From the Guidance on the Rules of Handicapping

GDef/1 Active and Inactive Seasons
Active and Inactive seasons are not implemented in GB&I. Golf should be played throughout the year; although for many clubs the course setup may mean that, in winter, scores will not be acceptable for handicap purposes. However, it is expected that all clubs will endeavour to encourage players to return acceptable scores throughout the year where possible.