Twitter

We're now on Twitter
We'll use the twitter feed to keep you updated about what's happening on the course including;

• Course closure
• Course conditions such as hard frost
• Work such as top dressing or aeration
• Anything unusual or notable

Follow us on the following link

https://twitter.com/Greens_AGC

Aeration

The first aeration of the greens this winter has just been completed, we used our Verti-drain which can penetrate up to 30cm into the soil.  We usually alternate between deep aeration with the Verti-drain and shallower but more closely spaced tining.  Aeration helps us maintain a healthy well drained soil with deep rooted fine grasses.  It is essential for the production of high quality playing surfaces all year round.

Verti-draining the 12th green

STRI visit

On the 18th of October we had our annual visit from Alistair Beggs our STRI agronomist.  We looked at many areas of the course but the emphasis is on greens.  Alistair brings some sophisticated tools so that we can objectively measure various aspects of green performance.  As usual our greens performed very well on smoothness, trueness and firmness.  Other factors affecting green performance, such as soil moisture and organic matter percentages at various depths in the soil profile are also measured.  The STRI now has a very extensive database of results from hundreds of golf courses all over the country and abroad and this data enables us to make objective comparisons of our performance.  The report is viewable on the members area of the website and there's a copy in the clubhouse.

Antony and Danny measuring green speed (It was windy so we were using the plastic tunnel for accuracy)

Nigel Robson measuring the firmness of the greens using a Clegg hammer

Alistair measuring trueness and smoothness 

Weather summary for October

Temperatures were close to average  at 11.8° with a high of 18.4° on the 3rd and a low of 5.4° on the 31st.  There was 57.6mm of rain, which is just above average, most of the rain fell early in the month and there was no rain after the 21st.

Heather management

We've cut the area of heather on the 13th carry.  This rejuvenates the heather and prevents it from becoming leggy.  It also provides us with seed rich brashings, that we can spread on other areas of the course.

Cutting the heather and collecting the brash and seed

Danny spreading brashings on the 12th carry

Renovation of green surrounds

Following on from treatment of the green surrounds to remove coarse grass, we've been renovating these areas to introduce fescue and bentgrass seed.  All of the surrounds were hollow cored and this was followed by overseeding and top dressing.  The seed has just started to come through so some of the areas with least grass cover will be hooped off to enable the seed to thrive.

Shane hollow coring

Danny, Neil and Antony collecting the cores
These were used for renovating pathways