LINKS SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
FOR MARCH 2012
WEATHER
March was an excellent month
with record noon temperatures (12.5° average) and very low rainfall of 12.5 mm
for the month. Winds were again light to
fresh predominantly westerly. The last
week of the month was abnormally warm and sunny with temperatures near 20° C.
WORK ON THE
LINKS
CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE
Greens
A spring fertiliser mix containing a 6:0:12 compound
fertiliser, seaweed and bone meal was applied to all greens with weaker greens
also receiving an application of an organic based 5:2:8 fertiliser.
Due to the warmer weather cutting regimes were more
frequent and intense that would be normal for March with the greens also being
brushed prior to mowing on 3 occasions to refine coarser growth. Rolling took
place on 3 occasions.
A light top dressing was applied in the middle of the
month and the monthly conditioner program of wetting agent and organic
supplement was commenced.
Approaches & Surrounds
These areas were aerated using ½” cross tines and the
approaches received a spring feed.
Weak walk-offs were mini-tined & top dressed, with
recycled rubber crumb also being applied to these areas to help improve wear
tolerance. These walk-offs were also fed with a nitrogen/seaweed mix.
Fairways
Weak, trafficked and new turf areas were midi-cored
& top dressed as well as being aerated with the hydro-ject.
Divot scars remaining from last season were filled
with soil & seed prior to the start of the new golfing season.
Tees
Mossy tees received an application if iron sulphate
and the 12th Ladies/Green tee was hollow cored.
All tees were top dressed towards the end of the
month.
Roughs
The rough behind the 16th green and either
side of the 18th fairway received an application of 12:0:9
fertiliser. The Rolawn roughs either side of the 9th received a
similar application before being hollow cored and top dressed.
·
Large areas of Sea Lyme were strimmed
and raked up
·
Winter traffic routes were
verti-drained
·
The rough over the ditch at the
left of the 4th hole was sprayed with the graminicide “Rescue” to
help control agricultural grasses prior to any wild flower seed being sown
Bunkers
Sand was shaped and stone picked.
Newly built bunker faces were hand watered regularly
New turf patches
All newly turfed areas were fed & top dressed and
were hand watered regularly.
General Work
The area to become a turf nursery at the left of the 5th
hole had the vegetation removed and used to create a screening mound and to
fill in the road which used to run alongside the gorse further back the hole.
This area was then levelled off.
Ditches were cleaned and the burn wall at the 10th,
17th & 18th was pointed with cement where required.
Fence repairs were carried out as required, Astroturf
edges were tidied up and irrigation sprinklers were trimmed and raised as
required.
The 3 remaining fuel tanks at the maintenance facility
had protective brick walls built around them.
Bridges
John Imlay officially opened the bridges he donated on
the 10th hole on March 12th.
Scottish Greenkeeper Conference
Craig Boath, Mark Reynolds, Stephen Sutherland and I
attended the Scottish Greenkeeper Conference in Dunfermline where we listened
to some excellent presentations including one on the development of the golf
ball from John Philp.
BURNSIDE
COURSE
Bunker
Maintenance
Bunkers were
trimmed and faces brushed in the usual manner followed by sand shaping after
sand topping up where required.
Turf Repairs
Some ryegrass
patches were “headed out” on the 3rd green early in the month and
rabbit scrapes were plugged as required.
Following the usual preparations, the filled in bunkers on the 7th
and 13th holes were turfed over.
Bunker
Revetmets
The only bunker
revetments carried out in March were the pair on the right approach to the 6th
green.
Aeration
Aeration work
during the month involved star-tining fairways and green walk-offs. Trafficked areas generally were mini-tined.
Top Dressing
Greens were top
dressed during the month as were re-turfed patches, the re-laid 14th
tees along with the 5th and 6th fairways, followed by
brushing in.
Mowing
All playing
surfaces were mown as required during the month which amounted to more often
than normal in the prevailing fine weather.
Greens were rolled regularly and roughs were brushed while the burn bank
was strimmed as required.
Fertiliser
Greens received
a dressing of Ammonium Sulphate and certain weaker greens were treated with the
organic fertiliser tX10 in addition. The
new turf on the 13th fairway along with certain tees and other turf
patches were also dressed with an organic based fertiliser (6-4-8). A lawn sand mixture was applied to all
tees.
Turf Conditioner
The turf wetting
agent, Revolution, was applied to greens to commence the summer monthly
programme, as per the other courses. An
alternative product ‘Dispatch’ was used on approaches with liquid seaweed and
liquid iron added.
Primo Maxx
The growth
retardant, Primo Maxx was applied to
greens as an initial treatment to be carried out 3weekly through the season.
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
jobs carried out during March included driving dune sand to the compost shed,
screening sand, processing divot mix, trimming round sprinklers, turfing round
bore hole meter chambers, setting up equipment,
filling ground down stumps with compost and seed and hand watering. Remaining divot scars were filled on all
courses in the last week of the month,
BUDDON LINKS
COURSE
Insecticide
A preventative
insecticide was sprayed on greens as a precaution against lestherjackets.
Aeration
Verti-drain
aeration using 8mm tines continued on greens, approaches and winter tees all
followed by rolling. Green surrounds
were mini–tined and top dressed.
Top Dressing
Greens and
approaches were top dressed followed by matting in.
Turf
Conditioner
The turf wetting
agent Revolution was applied to greens as per the other courses and later in
the month greens were treated with an iron sulphate dressing.
Bunkers
Bunker
maintenance was carried out as usual allied to sand topping up where required.
New Bunker –
14th Fairway
The new bunker
to the left of the 14th hole was constructed during the month with
some low contouring connecting to the existing mound beyond.
Minor Turf
Repairs
Turf repairs
were completed on the 1st tee and a bunker face was repaired on the
16th fairway.
Mowing
Greens,
approaches, tees and fairways were all mown as required during the month with
certain greens rotary brushed prior to cutting.
Greens were rolled regularly. The
‘Amazone’ flail mower was used to cut rough in the area of the new holes
construction.
Irrigation
New turf areas
were watered during the month as were greens when required. Sprinklers were checked for operation and
arcs adjusted as needed.
Fungicide
Certain greens
received a fungicide spray later in the month for fusarium control.
Environmental
Work
Young trees were
planted in the 6,7,16 triangle behind the 4th tee on the Burnside
Course and behind the 9th green and alongside the 10th
tees on the Championship Course, all taken from excess within the 2nd
hole plantings on the Burnside.
The spoil heap
to the left of the 6th hole, Burnside, was shaped in preparation for
a May sowing and low growth was trimmed
from the willows on the 5th hole.
Several stumps were dug out from within the 6,7,16 triangle and ground
down stumps to the left of the 9th hole on the Championship Course
were turfed over.
Trees were
removed on the ditch line to the right of the 12th hole on the
Buddon Course within the new holes development.
Similarly gorse wes cut back in the area of the new 12th
fairway. Arisings from clearances were
initially chipped but subsequently were gathered due to the volume of
material. Marram sprigs were planted
within the previous sand excavation area in the 18th carry Buddon,
as well as to the right of the fairway bunkers on the 7th hole and
on the new mounds to the left of the 10th carry on the Championship
Course. Reeds were cleared from the pond
behind the 4th green Buddon and the adjacent “beach” area was
cleared of weeds and mossy growth.
Sections of Barry Burn on the 5th and 17th holes,
Burnside Course were cleared of the usual bottom weed, watercrowfoot which has
developed early this year due to the warmer than normal temperatures and low
water levels.
John S. Philp
Links Superintendent
