Those Greens................

It doesn't matter when you do it , and do it you must , coring the greens is inevitably going to upset someone or something. Given we are now emerging from the latest coring I thought it may be helpful to outline my understanding of the philosophy of the Board and the Greens Staff in completing this task in the December/January window.

1) Time of least disruption to Club competitions - because it is between Closing & Opening Days there are no major club fixtures that are effected by the coring ie the greens should be at their best for Club Championships and other important trophies.
2) Low Course Usage - the statistical analysis at the time the change was made indicated this is a period of relatively low course usage both for members and green fee players. Accepting the difference this year because of fairway renovation that pattern of usage has continued largely unchanged.
3) Weather - there are less likely to be rain delays and if so for shorter periods during this time causing minimal disruption and maximum effectiveness during the implementation of the coring.
4) Hole size - to be effective the holes must be filled with sand - obviously the larger the hole & the dryer the sand the better the fill. Unfilled holes (smaller or otherwise) promote root growth especially from poa to fill the void which encourages poa spread and the development of thatch.
5) Heat - because poa is heat sensitive and water reliant it is placed under stress during the coring as the water supply is managed thereby inhibiting its seeding and growth spread therefore providing the brown top with the better conditions for strike and establishment ie the poa is being controlled with a view to driving it out.
6) Optimal Growing Conditions - because the water supply can be managed to some extent the climate variations can be minimised to provide the best effective growth period with warmer soil temperatures. The grass needs to recover to close the coring holes , the simple addition of more and more sand will not achieve this as the extra sand is dispersed or washed away by wind and water. The grass is needed to grow and recover as quickly as possible to hold further smaller applications of sand. Although not necessarily easily seen extra sand is usually added at the time of fertilisation (a further application is planned very soon).

Unfortunately this year there was an irrigation problem that did effect a very few greens - Mark has been able to isolate and repair the pressure problem and is hopeful the greens concerned will "catch up" fairly quickly. Like it or not we have to core to maintain the overall standard of the greens regretably this does effect some members more than others but bearing all matters in mind it does seem this is the most cost and time effective period to undertake the work. Mark is passionate about the standard of the course and is committed to providing the best playing surface possible with the least detriment to the members. If you have any questions please feel free to approach in the first instance either myself or Struan. In the interim good putting!!!