30/11/2011

Wednesday 30th November 2011


We are still at the 10th this week.


Slowly working our way back out of the job.


The Imlay Bridge is complete.




The astromat walkway has been removed, replaced with hard wearing turf and rubber crumb has been spread over the area.

Hopefully by the end of the week we should have the greenside turfed.

Next on the agenda is the other side. Yesterday, the turf was cut and the best of the turf was set aside.

This year we have a dump between the 3rd green Burnside and 10th walkway Championship. All waste material from the winter will be put here, sand capped and turfed. This will act as a screen between the two courses.



Meanwhile, in the shed, Dangerous Jimmy is back after his dizzy turn. Looks like he has been thinking of new ideas when he was off.

Here, he has created a a tunnel for the blow heater to dry off the heather seed.
Genius!!

Last day of Movember today.

22/11/2011

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Its hard to believe we are still in November, so warm.

Today the temperature high was just over 13 C = 55.40 F  and not a breath of  of wind.

Verti-drain work now focused on the tees.

Along with the mild weather comes heavy dew. Forgot to mention last week that we put an application of iron mixed with sand on the greens by hand/spreadsheet. Hopefully this will keep the leaf a little bit drier and keep disease at bay. Yesterday, we rolled the greens. Firstly, to take the dew off and secondly to give a little bit more smoothness and firmness after the verti drain work from the week before last.

Rolling the greens allowed up to spray the greens yesterday, with a disease preventative.

Our next project of the winter is at the 10th hole next to the green. Photo above kindly provided from John's Ilford Sporti camera.

Bridge work is just about complete on the Imlay bridge (outside contractors), this allows us to get on with some work around that area . Our job is to raise the block work on the burn wall (kerb stone) by two rows and create a soft mound to stop any future flooding. 


We are also taking away the astro mat walkway that leads from the 11th tee, raising the ground up and re-turfing with hard wearing turf. 

Kerb stone is used from a section at the 17th fairway (another winter job) for the 10th.


Two man job to lift the kerbs.

Sand from Cotside Quarry near Carnoustie used to upfill the area once all the poor silty soil was taken away.

Decent topsoil from the job was put to the side before sand was driven in. This soil was then put back on top before being shaped with the lute.

First part of the job almost ready for raking, tramping and turfing.

Bunkers getting re-built this week so far are two at the 4th green.

21/11/2011

Monday 21st November 2011


LINKS SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2011



WEATHER



October was a typical month with close to normal average noon temperatures (12.5° C) and a little lower than normal rainfall ((53 mm).  Winds were predominantly westerly, light to fresh, with cloud cover prevalent throughout the month.



WORK ON THE LINKS



Championship Course



Top Dressing



Greens, green surrounds along with winter greens were top dressed early in the month following verti-cutting.  The rear section of certain greens received further dressing after solid tining.  Fairways sand top dressed during the month included 6th, 12th and 18th, the turf nurseries and Public Putting Green.  Tees on the 5th, 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th holes were top dressed following aeration while greens received a second top dressing.  On the last day of the month, the 9th green was top dressed to fill 6” deep hollow tine holes. 



Aeration



A good deal of turf aeration work was carried out during the month including cross tine aeration on fairways and greens followed by rolling.  Tees were slit tined as were roughs and selected tees including “Hogan’s” which were also hollow tined along with certain walkways and tracks.  A start was made to greens verti draining with medium heave setting using

8 mm solid tines on the last day of the month



Minor Turf Repirs



Turf repairs involved “heading –out” divot scars on winter green areas as well as a number of tees as required. 



Mowing



The relatively mild conditions aided some late season growth and greens were mown four times per week generally and tolled as required.  The arranged programme of cutting back rough around the course was carried out at a height setting of 3” – 4” on the rough cutting machines. 




Overseeding



Certain weaker and or heavier trafficked areas on greens were verti-seeded with a fescue / bent seed mix as were some areas on green surrounds and including the 18th tee.  A rectangular area of rough behind the 16th green running down to the burn was scarified and cut prior to disc overseeding in two directions with an ecology seed mix comprising of sweet vernal, sheep’s fescue, red fescue and wavy hair grass cultivars as agreed with

Bob Taylor and Richard Windows, S. T. R. I.  This mixture was similarly oversown in weaker rough areas to the left hand side of the 18th hole and the right hand side of the 14th hole. 



Autumn Fertiliser



An autumn fertiliser (3-10-5 + seaweed and iron sulphate) was applied to greens and approaches in the first half of the month.  Autumn fertiliser (2-0-10 +iron) was applied to teeing grounds and some weaker fairway areas.



Imlay Bridge – 10th Hole



Work commenced on this new stone bridge on the 18th of the month.  Progress has been hampered by lack of stone more recently, however the raising of the burn walling has been achieved and one side of the bridge is complete. 



Bridge Repairs – Ditches



The wide bridge crossing Jockie’s ditch to the left hand side on the 3rd hole over to the 4th tee was rebuilt with new timbers.  The bridge in front of the 10th white tee was moved to a more appropriate position.



Iron Sulphate



An iron sulphate dressing was applied to worm casts and mossy tees as required. 



Fungicide



Greens were sprayed with a preventative fungicide towards the end of the month.



Miscellaneous



Other work carried out included sweeping pine needles – 9th fairway, ditch bank repair to the left of the 10th tee, loosening bunker floors and shaping sand in bunkers, raising sprinklers, and turf switch repairs.



Winter Works



Winter works got underway on the last day of the month with turf cutting on the 7th fairway and setting aside reusable material.  A start was made to bunker revetments on the right hand side of the 2nd hole and the left hand side of the 14th hole.        







Burnside Course



Graden / Overseeding – 3rd Green



The 3rd green was scarified with the Graden machine followed by overseeding and top dressing early in the month.  This machine was also used to scarify a selection of teeing grounds.



Turf Repairs



Turf repairs during the month involved re-turfing beneath the replaced protection fence at the 10th tee and divot scars were plugged on winter greens and the 8th and 14th tees.



Top Dressing



Greens were top dressed near the middle of the month.



Fungicide



Greens were sprayed with a preventive fungicide during the month.



Turf Wetting Agent



Greens received their monthly application of wetting agent (Revolution) with liquid seaweed added. 



Autumn Fertiliser



Autumn fertiliser (2-0-10) was applied to teeing grounds and winter greens, whilst winter traffic areas were treated with a slightly different analysis (5-5-11).



Aeration



Teeing grounds were hollow tined along with the re-turfed area on the 13th fairway.  Walkways were slit-tined whilst verti-draining was carried out on the 9th approach, walkway to the 12th tee and low sections on the 4th and 12th fairways.  Deep hollow-tining was carried out to the flood prone areas on the 7th, 8th 11th and 18th fairways along with the rear of the 15th green and 16th approach.  A section across the front of the low lying 8th green was treated also.  All tined areas were subsequently top dressed. 



Miscellaneous



Other work carried out during the month included shaping bunkers, trimming round sprinklers, rolling greens, sweeping pine needles from the 5th, 3rd and 16th greens, tidying maintenance sheds and driving sand to the yard.




Buddon Links Course



Aeration



Greens were pencil-tined with 8mm tines early in the month as were green approaches.  Tees were verti-drained followed by slit-tining later in the month.  Verti-draining was also carried out to fairways and walkways. 



Fungicide



Greens were sprayed with a preventative fungicide early in the month as per the other courses. 



Autumn Fertiliser



Greens received an autumn fertiliser as did green approaches and teeing grounds. 



Ditch Work



Ditch clearance work commenced in October involving the ditch to the left of the 7th hole which is scheduled for piped extension southwards to the 10th green approach.  Excavation also took place in the ditch running parallel to the 8th hole. 



Mowing



Greens were mown approximately three times per week and rolled as required during October whilst certain roughs around the course were cut at a 4” mower setting. 



Practice Tee – Artificial Turf Installation



Preparatory work for this installation involved turf and topsoil removal within a strip just over 12 feet wide the full length of the top tier.  Wooden framework was installed as required and the area within filled with road metal and compacted to form the solid even base for the tee turf matting.  The area was blinded with quarry dust to provide a smooth finish.  The mat installation took place on Friday 11 November.



Miscellaneous



Other work carried out during the month included seed divotting the 2nd tee following Dunhill Practice, bunker maintenance, blowing debris from greens and tees, and sweeping leaves from the 7th fairway. 



Environmental Work



A trial was carried out by way of cutting in heather seed using a disc seeder on the perimeters of several existing heather patches on the Championship Course.  



Broom was strimmed in heather areas on the 7th and 8th holes of the Burnside Course whilst a number of dead or damaged trees previously marked for felling were removed from the 6th, 7th ,16th triangle. 



On the Buddon Course, broom and scrub growth was removed from the ditch banks and base running down the 8th hole while gorse was removed from the ditch to the rear of the 6th green.  Heather seed collection was realised from topping heather banks on the 11th, 15th and 16th holes.  The spoil heap to the west end of the Links was tidied and several skips were uplifted mainly filled with grass cuttings. 



Irrigation System Storage Tank



 The old (1985) water storage tank at South America was emptied and dismantled towards the end of the month as scheduled being in an unsafe and corroded condition.  The concrete base was also removed and associated pipework uncovered. 



Mr C Chalmers is arranging to come and reconnect the larger storage tank to the 8” pipework going into the pump house.   











John S Philp

Links Superintendent


18/11/2011

Friday 18th November 2011

Another couple of busy winter weeks under the belt and the weather is really really mild.

More bunkers completed at 5th

3rd(above) and at holes: 9th, 10th, 4th, 2nd and 18th.

The job at the 7th fairway was turfed by the end of last week and by the end of this week, all around the bunkers were turfed.
Looking good.


Doesn't seem that long ago that we were re-turfing the nursery.

Yesterday, a small team went through to visit Hugh King & Co quarry through at Kilwinning.

This is where we get our washed dune sand from.

From there we went on to visit Billy and his team at Royal Troon.

07/11/2011

Monday 7th November 2011

Mornings getting darker, we are now starting at 7.30am.


Bonfire night was on Saturday, a good chance to get rid of pallets in and around the shed.


Work still on-going at the 7th, nearly ready for turf.



"Mair sand Honeyman" was the cry.


Dangerous Jimmy creating a drainage line.


Bunkers at 14th completed, the bunker teams also finished two bunkers at 2nd and two at the 5th last week. This week sees bunkers at the 3rd, 5th and 9th getting re-built.

01/11/2011

Tuesday 1st November 2011

A little bit of heat a the tail end of last week. Fairways cut along with the greens.
This is not our new water feature on the course.

One of the irrigation tanks is emptied and dismantled. The plan is to have a new tank in a different location underground in the near future.

We have had the new Toro Triflex Hybrid on demo for the last week.
Looks good.

Derek has finished his bridge at the 3rd.

This week sees the start of our winter works maintenance. First off is re-building 2 bunkers at the 14th fairway and 1 at the 2nd fairway.
The other job started is at the 7th fairway. Here we will be re-positioning the right hand bunker out of the two and raising all the ground round about. This area is prone to flooding especially after all the rain we have had this year.

At the 9th, we have hollow cored the green using 1/2 inch side ejectors on the verti-drain. Depth going down to about 6 inches. Hopefully this will encourage more root development.

After the cores were picked up we top-dressed the green using our own dune sand.


This is the only green we will do this to this year. All the rest of the greens will be verti-drained with a 8mm tine.