Last week, work centred on the front 9 of Morgans, with hollow tining, overseeding and top dressing of the greens. This is very disruptive work and has left the greens very uneven. This work is hugely important for the health of the turf but also in regards to the continual improvements that we are trying to achieve. A further positive from our perspective is that such aggressive work is only necessary every several years compared to many courses that carry out this type of renovation at least every year and in many cases even more often.
This week we shall be working on the back 9 of Morgans with exactly the same process. Please be patient while we get this completed. The team have worked incredibly hard and have also had to manage largely without my help, as I have been taking time off due to the birth of our second child.
Also this week we have applied the remainder of selective herbicide ‘Rescue’ to tees, aprons and areas of golfing rough. Unfortunately this chemical has been removed from the market under new legislation and it will be no longer legal to use as of next year. This is a real shame for us, as we have had so much success from the use of ‘Rescue’ in recent years. The most notable improvement has been seen on the fairways with the removal of tufty Ryegrass, or ‘Hedgehogs’ as they were known to some of you. We can only hope that an alternative is developed in the future.
As we are now heading into winter, it will be even more important for us to protect the course. Tees are now going onto winter mats and ropes will soon begin to be put up to protect heavily trafficked areas. I know it can be frustrating to have to abide by such restrictions as these, but please help us by doing so and the reward will be a far better course come spring.
The team will continue with work on the greens this week and then winter work will begin as outlined in the winter program sent out a couple of weeks back.
Regarding the proposal to remove Millennium from our rota of courses, a quick reminder that I will be here on the 26th October at 6pm to discuss further the options available to us.
Many thanks for reading,
Greg