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
