Weather summary for January

The month was very wet and temperatures were well above average.  We had 81.2mm of rain; nearly double the 45.1mm average and it was the wettest January since 1995 when we had 81.6.  The wettest January since our records began in 1979 was 1988 with 134mm which must have been pretty grim.  The average temperature was 6.5 degrees which is warmer than usual and much warmer than 2013 when the average was 2.6 degrees.  The highest temperature recorded was 11.4 degrees on the 6th with a low of -2.6 on the 21st.

                                   The mild weather brought the rare sight of a fairway mower at work in February.                              Note the river in the background - muchcloser than it should be

 

Bunker reconstruction

The bunker right of the 3rd green and the left hand fairway bunker on the 12th were turfed yesterday.  We'll keep these bunkers out of play until the turf has rooted.  In the interim period, please take great care when entering and leaving the bunkers to retrieve balls as the turf is fragile.

Danny and Neil laying turf on the 12th

Jerry working on the 3rd greenside bunker

River course bund

A bund has been constructed left of the 6th green on the river course to protect against flooding from the normal range of astronomical tides.  This is a temporary measure whilst we wait for a final decision on the future of Hazelwood marshes and sea defences in that area.  It is likely that a higher bund built to a higher specification will be needed to secure the low lying area from the 6th green to the 8th fairway for the long term.

The bund under construction

Machine fire

One of our battery powered, e-gator trucks caught fire today and the fire service were called out.  They arrived on site a few minutes after the call and the fire was put out very quickly.  The fire was caused by an electrical fault but the damage is quite severe so it's difficult to see exactly what happened. 

Many thanks to the Aldeburgh fire crew

The e-gator ablaze -
At this stage batteries were exploding so we were keeping well clear

Shortly after the arrival of the fire crew

Practice net

The practice net was dismantled today as the frame was damaged during the recent stormy weather and repairs are required.  The intention is to put up the repaired net on a new site about 30m away, closer to the woodland.

Taking down the practice bays

Digging out the base for the new site

Transplanting the privet shrubs to screen the new site

Weather summary for December

The average temperature for December was 7.1 degrees, the warmest December since we installed the weather station in 2000.  The highest temperature was 16.4 on the 19th, more than 2 degrees higher than the previous record.  The low of 1 degree on the 29th was the warmest minimum we've recorded.  38mm of rain fell during the month, bringing the annual total to 372mm, well below the 546mm average. 
The extremes of weather in 2013, particularly the very cold and dry spring and early summer, made it very difficult to meet our usual standards for turf quality, hopefully the weather will be more accommodating in 2014.

River course flooding update

Water levels have subsided over the weekend but the 3rd green is still being covered at high tide.  The river course is now open but a temporary green is in play on the 3rd.  The river wall has been breached in several places and it seems likely, given the extent of damage, that repairs will take some time.  We're hoping to get more information from the environment agency over the next few days.

Here are some photos taken today of a couple of the holes in the river wall.  They were taken a little before low tide and the water is flowing from the marshes out into the river Alde. 

River course flooding

Parts of the river course were flooded during the storm surge last night and as the river wall was breached in a couple of places, water levels were rising again this afternoon.  The river course is closed until the water levels drop.  There is likely to be some damage to the turf but the severity will depend on how long the areas remain flooded, the salinity of the water and how much silt and other debris has been deposited.


The 3rd green

 


The 7th tee and the pond, which is rather larger than usual!

Trevor starting the clear up

The 6th green and fairway, looking towards the 8th

The 6th green

The 4th green with the debris left at high tide

The 3rd green and fairway with Hazlewood marshes in the background

Looking towards the 6th from the 9th: at its height the water reached across the 8th fairway

A rather lethargic Adder was woken from hibernation by the flood

Practice ground development

Work is in progress on extending the chipping green, creating some humps and hollows and building a new, deeper bunker.  On the river course the old practice bunker has been filled in and a new one is being built out of the firing line from the soon to be constructed tee.

The chipping green extension and new bunker,ready for topsoil

The river course practice bunker

Craig on the mini digger and Neil shaping the banks

Weather summary for November

35.2 mm of rain fell in November, well below the 50.5mm average for the month.  It was also a little colder than average at 7.2 degrees compared with the long term average of 8.1.  The highest temperature recorded was 14.4 degrees on the 6th and the lowest was -1 on the 20th.