Wednesday 30th June

Still really warm and dry on the links, rain forecast tomorrow so rain dancing tonight.

The week so far included:

Hand cutting greens

With the Seniors Open coming up, we will now look to having guys in at the weekend hand-cutting.

Greens were sprayed with wetting agent and seaweed.

With Keith leaving last week, we have two new seasonal workers.

Two local lads Garry(Carnoustie) and Ben(Monifieth), they are both here til college starts in September.

Here's Sandy showing Ben around the course "Aye Ben, here's the drinking fountain, you just turn the tap and the water comes up. Amazing"

Talking of water here, is Gus showing us his new Dragons Den invention. The system known as Water Any Needy Cracks (W.A.N.C.) will hopefully be on the market soon, watch this space.


Bunkers were blown and raked.

Rabbit Damage

No, a few areas which had not recovered from the flooding's were headed out and repaired.

Here is another new family on the Buddon lake.

Can we also remind visitors, out for a walk on the course, for your own safety please use the roads/pathways at all times.

There is always one group that likes to take a shortcut.

Monday 28th June

Another week of sunshine on the links last week.

Last week fairways were brushed and cut Monday and Wednesday, greens cut everyday and rolled most days. Tees, bunker run-ins and semi rough cut during the week.

Tuesday saw a big push on the bunkers, with a squad getting round blowing faces, flymoing, strimming , cleaning out and raking.

A lot of hand watering around the course because of the warm, dry conditions.

Here's Barry at the 3rd green painting the ditch half rounds.

Monday, also saw a group teeing off at 5.30am.

http://http://www.guideandgazette.co.uk/news/OVER-2600-RAISED-BY-72HOLE.6382528.jp

Disturbance Theory

Here is a young family discovered in the bin beside the Toro shed last week. They will now be left alone in peace with no disturbance.

Wednesday 16th June

Another beautiful day on the links, midday temperature up to 20 c.

Jobs on the go today were cutting greens and rolling behind, certain weak areas of greens were solid tined , over-seeded and top-dressed.

Fairways were cut, tee banks were tidied up in the way of flymo and strimming, raking bunkers and markers moved.

Approaches and green surrounds were sprayed with wetting agent today with a low rate of iron, ammonia and seaweed added in.

Total weed-killing around the starters box and any other bits and bobs was carried out first thing.

Here's handy man Barry, painting (sleeping) safety barriers on the bridges around the Barry Burn (it's not his personal burn).

Jobs later in the day included spot weed-killing around the tees, cleaning the burn out and planting flowers in the office garden.

Too late for an award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. A few plants are put in including pansies.

Talking of pansies here's the Kerr brothers after a day in the burn.

Tuesday 15th June

Trying to play catch up with the old blog, obviously down to work and a few computer issues.

Yesterday was a perfect day for top-dressing greens, approaches and surrounds. Today all these areas were cut (greens double cut and rolled).

Tomorrow, we plan to cut fairways.

Last weeks jobs included:

Daily cutting of greens, rolling, cutting fairways and tees.

A home-made feed mix was put on the greens on the Thursday consisting of:

ammonia, iron, dried blood, hoof + horn and seaweed this was mixed with sand.

After the mix was spread by hand it was switched in. The next day greens were cut with the clippings return not to waste any feed.

Other jobs were star tining tees and spot spraying weeds round the course and at the public putting green.

New visitor/s to the Toro machinery shed were a family of swallows.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/swallow/index.aspx

Links Report, May 2010

WEATHER
May was a variable month with noon temperatures ranging from 8º C - 25º C and slight frost experienced on four occasions. Winds were generally light to moderate mainly from the west or south west with some northerlies flung in! Some heavy rains arrived in the early morning of the 23rd and 30th in particular and the monthly total was 54mm (the majority of which fell on these two occasions). Average noon temperatures were close to normal at 13º C.

WORK ON THE LINKS

General
Mowing intensities increased on all courses, which is normal for this time of year, as growth rates improved albeit rather irregularly. Other routine maintenance practices i.e. bunker maintenance, tee marker movement, hole changing, spring / summer aeration treatments, weed killing etc tied up the majority of man hours particularly on the Burnside and Buddon Courses.

Championship Course

Aeration
Weaker green walk-offs and tee to fairway walkways were either solid tined or hollow tined. Hollowed tined walkways were back filled with rubber crumb and sand while aerated green surrounds were overseeded and top dressed. The early part of the 7th fairway was hollow tined along with many bunker run-ins, traffic routes and the newly laid tees at the 2nd and 6th holes. The water damaged area on the 11th fairway and new turf either side of the 18th green were also hollow tined. Flood damage on 11th, 17th and 18th fairways was again tined and overseeded. All tined areas were followed up with top dressing. Hydroject aeration encompassed greens, and drier teeing grounds, incorporating wetting agent. Pencil tine aeration to fairway high spots commenced at the end of the month. The re-laid 3rd tee was solid tined early in the month.

Selective Weedkilling
The selective weed killing programme continued targeting the usual weeds, i.e. daisy, dandelion, plantains, clover and pearlwort, on all areas as required.

Mowing
Mowing intensities increased in all areas with greens coming in for daily mowing through the month. Greens, approaches and surrounds were lightly verti cut twice during May in addition to rolling and brushing as required. Low lying fairway areas were also verti cut along with the “island” fairway section on the 17th hole and teeing grounds generally. “Groomer” units were used on the greens near the end of the month and hand mowing was introduced at this time.

Fertiliser
A nitrogenous fertiliser (8-0-0) was applied to teeing grounds early in the month while some weak spots on greens received a light dressing with tX10 (5-2-8). Fairways were sprayed with liquid nitrogen, liquid iron and wetting agent. Bunker run-ins and traffic routes generally also received a spring/ summer fertiliser.

Top Dressing
Greens were top dressed in the middle of the month following a light verti cut. Recently re-laid tees and bunker heads were also top dressed during the month.

Conditioner Treatments
Green surrounds and new re-laid tees were sprayed with a mixture of wetting agent and seaweed while a special micro-nutrient mix with phosphate and manganese was applied to greens on two occasions. The penetrant, Aqueduct was applied to weaker green areas on the 1st, 6th, 7th, 9th, 11th and 16th in the first half of the month.

Rebuilt bunker faces were watered with the addition of Aquaroot pellets in the applicator gun. In addition to wetting agent, these pellets contain humates, a bio-stimulant which enhances root development, nutrient uptake and water retention.

Insecticide
A garlic based product was applied to several greens for nematode control later in the month.

Irrigation
Hand watering was carried out as and when required as was overnight automatic irrigation to playing surfaces and seeded areas.

Bunker Maintenance
The usual bunker maintenance procedures were carried out during the month.

Overseeding
Overseeding work involved the sections of gorse clearance on the 17th hole following burning as well as hollow tined and flood damaged areas on the course.

Minor Turf Repairs
Turfing to the new bridge at the 11th tee on either side of the approach road was completed while repairs were carried out to sections which received the ryegrass killer, RESCUE on the 7th, 10th and 18th holes.

Links Report, April 2010

WEATHER
April was a little cooler than normal with regard to average noon temperatures (11°C). Total rainfall was 31mm. Winds were variable in direction although more northerlies than usual, light to fresh generally with a maximum of 20 mph. Fortunately the cold easterly winds off the north sea, commonly associated with this period were not persistent this year, although soil temperatures were slow to rise following the cold winter. Slight frost was experienced on four occasions.

WORK ON THE LINKS

Championship Course

Aeration
Early in the month certain tees were hollow-tined, over seeded and top-dressed as were worn or trafficked areas round the course including flood damaged areas on the island and 18th fairway following scarification. Re-shaped fairway sections were similarly treated. Hollow-tining was also carried out in semi-roughs on the 9th and 10th holes and the 18th tee to fairway walkway. Hydroject aeration was applied to certain weaker greens or green areas involving the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th 9th and 11th holes with wetting agent added. Hydroject work continued from last month on fairways.

Turf Nursery
The main turf nursery was cleared prior to upfill with sand excavated from the 10th hole working area on The Burnside Course. The area was prepared in the usual manner and turf was laid near the end of the month to re-stock.

Bunkers
Bunkers were trimmed and floors cultivated as required whilst sand topping-up was carried out to certain wet bunkers.

Top-Dressing
Greens and approaches were top-dressed during the month along with green surrounds, recently re-laid tees and “Hogan” tees. Top-dressing also followed hollow-tining and overseeding work on the course.

Mowing/Rolling
The slow growth meant mowing progressed cautiously, with greens being mown 3 times per week by the end of the month. Greens were brushed on several occasions and verti-cut along with approaches and surrounds in the middle of April. Rolling was a common practice on greens during the month. Fairways were brushed prior to mowing and coarse areas of rough were cut using the J. Deere rough cutter or strimmer as required.

Irrigation
Hand watering on greens was carried out locally as required as was watering on new bunker-faces. The automatic system was tested and zone 9 (18th hole and putting green) failed. The main fault was traced to the relevant translator in the pump house. Sprinkler-heads were trimmed around generally and spray arcs adjusted as required, Drinking fountains were re-established on the courses during the month as usual.

Turf Repairs
Turf repairs were carried out to the waterlogged areas on the 10th and 11th holes as well as adjacent to the new bridge at the 11th tee following burn wall finishing work.

Conditioning Treatment
Greens, approaches, surrounds and many teeing grounds received a wetting agent spray during April. A micro-nutrient mixture was applied to greens in the middle of the month.

Fertiliser
Liquid fertiliser applications were made to walkways, certain green surrounds and higher parts of fairways and contained nitrogen, seaweed and liquid iron sulphate. Some trafficked areas received a dressing of TX10, a mild organic fertiliser. A spring fertiliser (16-0-16) was applied to greens at the end of the month whilst approaches and surrounds were treated with an (8-0-0) standard fertiliser mix. Hogan tees, new turfed tees along with previously re-turfed areas were sprayed with liquid nitrogen with a fungicide added as a preventative treatment.

Weedkilling
Total weedkiller was applied to around shelters, on service roads, along the edge of the public putting greens, bridge approach matting and in the maintenance yard as well as in front of the hotel and the path to the practice nets. Weed and grass growth was removed manually from the burn wall.

Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous work carried out in April included cleaning out ditches, the door step at 20 Links Parade, fence post replacement on boundary lines and removing debris at the salt-marsh from previous flooding.

Friday 4th June

Less than 45 days till The Seniors Open now, much of the jobs happening this week were general maintenance eg changing holes, cutting greens, approaches, fairways, tees etc.

Thursday, saw the first of two R and A days the next one being Monday and the Links Championship is now down to matchplay, with Duncan Cairnie the only greenkeeper left.

Good Luck Dunc.

The family of ducks are getting bigger.