Moor Park Course Report March 2019
Divoting 01 The tees on both courses have recently been divoted as a general preseason exercise. Seed germination within these divots will start within the next 2-3 weeks. Tees Update Fertiliser 02 A slow release spring starter fertiliser will be applied to the tees and to the surrounding areas of the greens. This product will only release when conditions are favourable and we will see a positive impact when growth begins. Over Seeding 03 Several weaker tees will receive an over seed in April using a straight rye grass seed mixture. The management of swapping from winter tees to the main tees has worked well and has aided traffic routes and pinch points.
Tee Re-turfing All the newly turfed tees have received their first cut since being turfed. The height of cut will be slowly lowered as growth begins. Pictures show the West Course 4 th teeing area before re-turfing.
Tee Re-turfing Picture shows West Course 4 th teeing area after re-turfing
Fairway Recovery Work Verti Drained Verti Draining completed to reduce compaction by creating fissures and fractures within the subsoil to allow oxygen in and enhance root development therefore aiding a stronger sward going forward. Overseeding The seeding went very well as the ground conditions were a little softer than in August which allowed the disks of the seeder to penetrate through the organic levels and disperse the seed evenly. Several areas of rough were also seeded. Pending soil temperatures seedlings from this cultivar of Rye Grass tends to germinate within a 10/15 day window. Wetting Agent An application of wetting agent is planned to allow a uniformed penetration of water over the fairways and aid moisture retention within the surface to aid seedling development. AUG 2018 MARCH MARCH MARCH APRIL APRIL Overseeding The seeding from last August has wintered well, and growth from this work can already be seen. Soluble Iron Applied Wet winter conditions allowed the infestation of moss which was subsequently sprayed with soluble iron to remove with great results. Fertiliser Once the seedlings have germinated, an application of an organic granular fertiliser will be applied to help accelerate growth. The fertiliser will give a slow release of nutrients over an 8 week period. The seedlings will be very vulnerable in their first 6-8 weeks of growth, therefore we will be unable to spray for any weeds until after this time has passed.
Current Fairway Recovery SEPTEMBER 2018 Picture taken from 16 th fairway of West course 20 days after first overseeding in September 2018. MARCH 2019 Picture taken from the same spot on the 16 th fairway of West Course showing how well the seedlings have faired over the winter. Over the coming weeks the growth from the first overseeding will continue and once the March overseeding has germinated this will give a much improved sward coverage.
Greens Work Our first application of wetting agent was applied recently. This product will now be applied on a monthly basis. Liquid foliar feeds containing iron, calcium and potassium will be sprayed as required to aid colour and toughen the turf. Liquid Feed Fertiliser Top Dressed Wetting Agent Greens were top dressed and brushed recently as the weather was favourable to do so. 10 tons of sand was applied to each course after pencil tinning the greens upper surface to aid organic dilution, surface levels and firmness. A slow release high potassium fertiliser will be applied to the greens shortly. This fine grade fertiliser will give the greens 17.5kg of Nitrogen. This product will only start releasing nutrients following rain and suitable ground temperatures to activate. Once applied there will be no operational disturbance on the greens until these mini prills have worked their way down to the base of the plants.
Short Game Area The team have done an excellent job putting the final touches on and around the short game area. This included a new fence, installation of a practice matting area, installation of Buck Brick sand into our two new practice bunkers and the creation of two new trolley parks. The mounds in the middle of this area have been cut back, and will be allowed to grow onto seed head this season giving a lovely fescue feel to the area.
Path Works The 11 th and 12 th paths have now been completed and provide the members with a comfortable and safe walk. The High team did a great job with the preparation work under wet and difficult conditions. This involved re shutter boarding both edges of the paths and relaying a type 1 material. The accuracy of the type 1 application was critical as the depth had to be a consistent depth of 40mm. We would like to thank Profusion for providing training to our team on path building and the laying of its state of the art rubber compound. The Artisans have been doing a wonderful job of edging our existing paths on the 3 rd, 4th, 5th and 6 th on the High and the 2 nd and 5 th on West.
Steps & Bridges 13 th High New steps have been put in leading up to the 13 th High tee that hopefully make this long journey a little easier to the newly returfed medal tee! 13 th West The steps leading down from the 13 th West to the red tee have been renewed relayed and hope this compliments the snow drops within this area. Bridges The West team have done great job bringing the bridges on the 10 th and 12 th of West to the standards we expect. The bridge lines will be re painted shortly on both courses.
Woodland Management Woodland Management Both teams have been hard at work within and around the woodland areas. The objectives of this work were: Create air flow around the courses, especially tees and greens. To enhance woodland and standard tree aesthetics. To raise low branches for ease of maintenance during the summer. Create an environmentally friendly habitat for wildlife and wild flora. Scrub clearance A flail mower was used to remove the undergrowth in many areas of the woodlands. This has knocked back the brambles and other undesirable infestation and we should see some areas of colour shortly. The dell to the left of the 14 th of High is an area that we are looking forward to seeing as early signs are showing a plethora of blue bells coming through. During the woodland clearance many old and new tree stumps were removed to stop re growth and enable a flail mower to go through the various areas. This work is planned again for next winter as we are unable to complete this work in the summer due to disturbing habitats of animals and plants.
Gorse around the courses have had much attention this winter. The main areas of work included, 16 th pond and 10 th on High Course. This shaping and pruning back will allow a thicker shrub moving forward, and stop the gorse becoming woody and weak. Gorse Management
Other Works Driving Range Practice Putting Green Irrigation Course Debris The new bottom practice tee matting has been installed. The new ball machine is also in place and is in operation. The practice putting green has been over seeded with a dwarf rye and fescue mix to help strengthen this green. This seed mixture was introduced to this green several years ago with great success and we are confident it will bring this area up to speed shortly. The same seed mixture was used to help bring back the 4 th green on the High after the drainage works were carried out a couple of years ago. All sunken sprinklers have been lifted and levelled. Many worn valves causing leaking irrigation boxes have also been replaced. An electrical diagnostic test on the wiring of the system has been undertaken and any faulty wiring or decoders are in the process of being repaired prior to the system being primed with water in April. Following the recent two week period of high winds, the team have worked hard to clear debris from the courses and roads. Most of the debris had to be hand collected along with cutting and removing larger tree limbs.
Team Course Walks Both the High and West teams have completed their pre-season course walks. These walks are designed to agree on best practice for the season ahead and highlight special areas for attention. The tees have been remarked with white lines. These lines indicate the area of mown tee surfaces that will ensure a defined collar around them. The tees are now facing the direction of play ensuring the stripes on the tees are evenly matched to enhance aesthetics. The fairways will return to being striped this season. There are also some new and extended run offs on the High including the back left of the 18 th. There will also be some new run off areas around the West that will be defined soon.