Watering the course/communication with greenstaff

[ChasingBirdies]

Afternoon all, long time reader-first time poster and all that...

Anyway, just querying how your club's greenkeepers will handle the next few day's worth of high temperatures/no rain. The reason I ask is that my home club (whose name I won't mention out of fairness) seems happy to apply no water to greens or tees whatsoever. The course is a parkland layout, situated on chalk, which admittedly drains very well, and allows year round play on full tees and greens. However, the greens in the summer months turn to something that resembles a runway following a week of warm weather with no rain. I played yesterday and 6 of the pins were situated in places completely inaccessible thanks to the firm conditions.

Will your course's greenkeepers be watering the greens/tees/fairways over the next few days? Also, how do your greenkeeping staff communicate with members about the upkeep? It's something our own team have done very little of.

 

[stokie_93]

Afternoon all, long time reader-first time poster and all that...

Anyway, just querying how your club's greenkeepers will handle the next few day's worth of high temperatures/no rain. The reason I ask is that my home club (whose name I won't mention out of fairness) seems happy to apply no water to greens or tees whatsoever. The course is a parkland layout, situated on chalk, which admittedly drains very well, and allows year round play on full tees and greens. However, the greens in the summer months turn to something that resembles a runway following a week of warm weather with no rain. I played yesterday and 6 of the pins were situated in places completely inaccessible thanks to the firm conditions.

Will your course's greenkeepers be watering the greens/tees/fairways over the next few days? Also, how do your greenkeeping staff communicate with members about the upkeep? It's something our own team have done very little of.

Our course dries out fairly well but following the last what seems like an eternity of rainfall the course is still damp.

My prediction is this run of dry weather will do all sorts of favours for the course and no watering will be needed.

 

[Face breaker]

Afternoon all, long time reader-first time poster and all that...

Anyway, just querying how your club's greenkeepers will handle the next few day's worth of high temperatures/no rain. The reason I ask is that my home club (whose name I won't mention out of fairness) seems happy to apply no water to greens or tees whatsoever. The course is a parkland layout, situated on chalk, which admittedly drains very well, and allows year round play on full tees and greens. However, the greens in the summer months turn to something that resembles a runway following a week of warm weather with no rain. I played yesterday and 6 of the pins were situated in places completely inaccessible thanks to the firm conditions.

Will your course's greenkeepers be watering the greens/tees/fairways over the next few days? Also, how do your greenkeeping staff communicate with members about the upkeep? It's something our own team have done very little of.

Depends on what regulations/restrictions your course has upon it, some courses are situated in areas of 'special scientific interest' (SSSI) and therefore may well be restricted as to what they can and can't do, that includes irrigation amongst other things such as pest and disease control (the spraying of fungicides or herbicides) in which case their hands a severely tied under these circumstances !...:thup:

 

[Region3]

We are 'rationed' by the water authority as to how much water we are allowed to put on the course.

As long as the course doesn't get damaged by a lack of water, it's just a different set of conditions you have to adjust for. Provided the pins aren't in spots where it's impossible to stop a ball with a putter I see no problem with it.

I do wonder at all the people moaning they can't stop the ball on the greens then continue to pitch it pin high.

 

[Lump]

sprinklers on throughout the course overnight. (usually a couple of hours) our course drys out very quickly. (sits on sand) so its needed massively.
Fairways where already burning on sunday afternoon. Had a few roll out a good 30-50yrds longer than I've ever hit on the course.Hit driver then GW at our first, its usually driver 6/7 irons downwind with a lifey.

 

[patricks148]

not been needed as its rained at some point in the day... everyday since Jan.

 

[Tashyboy]

Heyup and welcome, re your question er I don't know but if I get chance al ask tomorrow. Re watering, God I hope not this time last week they were under water. They are slow for this time of the year and the club prides itself on its quick greens so are a feeling they will be left a few days. There is a bit of wet stuff forecast for weds so it may well be left its then to see where it falls.

 

[Hosel Fade]

We only have one short update each couple of months and I am abroad for the summer so unsure of the current process. Seem happy to get the rollers out after being unable to use them as desired through June which was the wettest month since Feb '14 according to the blog. Also recently started doing some irrigation and my guess is we are not exactly low in the reservoirs

 

[Wabinez]

Either greens, tees or approaches will get watered. Due to land we are based on, we can only put so much water on. With how dry it has been here for a few days, the water won't really touch the sides, but will keep some important bits looking green!
Get a week or two of warm stuff with no wet weather, and it will turn very firm and very fast, very quickly!

 

[cliveb]

We are 'rationed' by the water authority as to how much water we are allowed to put on the course.

That makes sense - we've had so little rain over the last few months that they must be seriously short of the stuff.

My home course is on clay and doesn't drain that well, so it's not too dry yet. But I went up there today for a session on the practice ground and saw a greenkeeper watering the 18th green. Strangely he was doing it with a hosepipe, even though we do have greenside sprinklers. I don't think I've ever known the fairways to be watered - in dry summers they tend to develop quite big cracks.

 

[Foxholer]

Who cares!

Unless there's water in front of the green and the greens are so rock-hard that the ball bounces through the back (possibly into more water on a course I know), then treat it as a different challenge!

Parkland courses can be boringly predictable! Don't think negatively! Treat this (and next) week as something to challenge you!

 

[macca64]

Ours will get bit of water I expect, but saying that, they might hold out to see if we get the thunderstorm on Wednesday, also we get a update every week informing us of the work the green keepers are doing.

 

[Face breaker]

That makes sense - we've had so little rain over the last few months that they must be seriously short of the stuff.

My home course is on clay and doesn't drain that well, so it's not too dry yet. But I went up there today for a session on the practice ground and saw a greenkeeper watering the 18th green. Strangely he was doing it with a hosepipe, even though we do have greenside sprinklers. I don't think I've ever known the fairways to be watered - in dry summers they tend to develop quite big cracks.

Probably applying some kind of wetting agent (soap tablets) usually because certain areas of a green will drain/dry quicker than other parts !...:thup:

Ps, incase you were wondering I'm a Greenkeeper by trade...

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I imagine our sprinklers on the tees and greens will be on as normal. Can't see why they wouldn't especially with club champs coming up this weekend. The club and green staff will want it playing as well as possible

 

[Crazyface]

Afternoon all, long time reader-first time poster and all that...

Anyway, just querying how your club's greenkeepers will handle the next few day's worth of high temperatures/no rain. The reason I ask is that my home club (whose name I won't mention out of fairness) seems happy to apply no water to greens or tees whatsoever. The course is a parkland layout, situated on chalk, which admittedly drains very well, and allows year round play on full tees and greens. However, the greens in the summer months turn to something that resembles a runway following a week of warm weather with no rain. I played yesterday and 6 of the pins were situated in places completely inaccessible thanks to the firm conditions.

Will your course's greenkeepers be watering the greens/tees/fairways over the next few days? Also, how do your greenkeeping staff communicate with members about the upkeep? It's something our own team have done very little of.

WHAT !!!????
WHAT !!!????
and HELL NO !!!!

We still have standing water in places!!!!!

I look forward to no subs increase next year due to a water bill of £0.00.

 

[Tashyboy]

Spoke to one of our green keepers today and the greens are watered at 4.00am every morning. At this time of the year they do not want the greens to dry out and crack. They were a good bit quicker today

 

[Fish]

Sprinklers down the fairways & greens, on a timer but never seen them on so must be in the night or very early morning, I think we have a bore hole we draw from and if we hit our quota, we can draw from the river Sowe that runs through our course by agreement with all the relevant agencies.