CSGC Links News October 2015
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Transcript of CSGC Links News October 2015
TheCountySligoGolfClub Issue11–October2015
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STRICOURSEVISITConorNolanCourseConsultant
PROTECTINGWINTERGREENSThehow&why
TURFKEEPERCourseMaintenanceSystem
WINTERGOLFWind,rain&temporarygreens
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Arecentoverseasvisitorasked,“CanweplaygolfinIrelandallyearround?”Yeswecan,wasofcoursetheanswer,especiallythoseofusluckyenoughtoplayonlinkscourses.
IexplainedhowtheweatherrarelygetscoldenoughthatourcoursewouldbeclosedforaprolongedperiodoftimeandthatIthardlyeversnowsinIreland.It’smorewindandrainthatyouwouldbeconcernedwiththanicytemperatures.
Warmingtomysubject,likeallIrishweatherexperts,ItoldhimthatalongtheAtlanticCoastduringthemonthsofNovembertoApril,anythingcanhappenweatherwise.Indeedthesamecouldbesaidofthesummermonthstoo,butIkeptthattomyself!
Theconversationgotmethinking,dowereally
appreciateourgoodfortunebeingabletoplaygolfallyearround?Doweappreciatetheaddedvalueofourmembershipfee?
Onthedownsidewehavetodealwithsomeharshweather,occasionaltemporarygreensandthecoupleofmonthsplayingofffairwaymatsbutthat’spartandparcelofwintergolfandreadilyacceptedbymostgolfers.
We’reperhapsluckythatsuccessiveCourseManagershavealwaysbeencommittedtohavingthefullcourseinplaywheneverpossibleduringthewintermonths.
Wintergolfhasalwaysbeenlesscompetitive,atimetoenjoyafriendlygamewithfriends.It’saboutthe‘feelgood’factorweexperienceonreachingthe19thonacold,blusterywinter’sday.
Wind,rain,temporarygreens–howluckyarewe?
WIN
TER
GOLF
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TheaimofourCourseManageristokeepplayonthemaingreensfortwelvemonthsoftheyearifpossible.However,thisidealhastobematchedwiththeprevailingweatherandtheconditionofthegreens.
Anindicationofthetypeofdamagearisingfromplayunderadverseconditionsisgivenbelowandwhilstappreciatingthatgolfersexpectwinterplay,theserequirementsmustbekeptinperspective.Mostcompetitivegolfandimportantfixturestakeplaceoutsidethewinterperiodsoalittleinconveniencecausedbyplayingtotemporarygreensofasatisfactorystandardshouldbeacceptabletoallgolferswhennecessary.
Theputtingsurfacesofthemaingreensaretherforebetterpreservedforwhentheyarerequiredandexpectedtobeattheirbest.
WetConditions
Inpersistentlywetconditions,thesoilaroundthepinislikelytobecomeseverelycompacted.Fineparticlesofsiltandclaycanmigratetothesurface,resultinginsoil-stainedpatchesroundpinpositionsandotherwelltraffickedroutes.Alloftheseeffectsweakentheturfandimpedesurfacedrainage.
Intheseconditions,holechangesshouldbe
frequenttoavoidregularconcentrationoffoottraffictothesamespot,usebeingmadeoftheouterregionsofthegreensasfaraspossible,althoughkeepingtowardsthefrontinverywetspells.
FrostyConditions
Damagecausedbyplayduringfrostyweatherfallsintotwomaincategories.
1.Whenfrozen,planttissuesareeasilybruisedbyplayersfeet.Followingathaw,itisoftenpossibletoseebrownfootmarksforseveralweeks,particularlyaroundholesites.Thegreatertheweightofplayinhardfrost,obviouslythegreaterbecomestheextentofthisdamage.Affectedareasremainthinforlongperiods,alteringthetruenessoftheputtingsurface,andaremoresusceptibletodiseaseinspring.
2.Long-termdamageiscausedwhenplaytakesplaceafterasuddenthaw.Intheseconditionsthetoplayerofthatchandsoilbecomessoft,whilsttheunderlyingsoilremainsfrozen.Rootdamageoccursfromtheshearingactionasplayers’feetmovethesoft,unfrozensurfaceacrossthefrozensub-surface.Thisdisruptsputtingsurfacesandcreatesweakareasthatmaynotrecoverbeforetheheightofthecompetitionseason.
WINTERPLAYONGOLFGREENS
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Octoberhasbeenagoodmonthweatherwise,whichmakestheGreenkeeperslifealittleeasier.Theteamcontinuestoworkhardwhichisreflectedinthequalityofworkachieved.Comingintothewintermonthswewillseeourworkpatternschangewithlessmowingcarriedoutandmoreofanemphasisonpreparingthecoursefornextseason.
AlthoughIcouldwriteajobs-to-dolistofcourseimprovementsonbothofmyarms,we’llbelimitedonwhatcanbeachievedduetothefocusontheCourseRe-Developmentstartingearlythismonthandcontinuingthroughoutthewinter.
Ihavesomeprojectsalreadyunderwayincludingrivetingthelefthandfairwaybunkeronthe1st.Thepathsat13and18havebeenstripedandlevelled.ThesepathswillbeturfedwithnewturffromEmeraldLawns.Thepathat13wasonly2meterswide,wideningitto4.5meterswillspreadthetrafficandresultinginanicegrasspathallyearround.Alotofrepairworkonhigh-wearareasisongoing.Thisre-turfingneedstobedonethissideofDecembertoallowtheturftoknitin.
RevitalisationProgram
The7thgreenextensionhasbeencompletedandthenewseediscomingalongwell.Therehasbeenatotallynewirrigationsystemputinaroundthegreen,thiswascarriedin-housebythegreensstaff.Thenew8thteehasalsobeenturfedandshouldbereadyforplaycometheWestofIrelandnextyear.
Theworkonthe3rdhole,tolowertheapproachintothenewgreen,hasprogressedwell.Thisworkwillbecompletedintwophases,with70%oftheworkbeingdoneonthefirstphase.ThisincludesloweringtheapproachtothenewgreenbyremovingpartoftheexistinggreenandleavingtheremainingportioninplayfortheWinter. Continued>
CourseManagersReport–MarkMillar
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Phasetwowillseetherestoftheoldgreenremovedandwillonlybecarriedoutwhenthenewgreenisopenforplay.TheplanistohavethenewgreenreadyfortheWestofIreland,maybeafewweeksearlierweatherpermitting.Whilethediggerisonsitewe’lldigoutthenewbunkeronthe2ndandtheextensiontothebunkeronthe3rd.
Greens
Thegreensarelookingandplayingfineforthetimeofyear,althoughthefirstfourholesformewouldbetheonesthatareshowingsignsofstressduealotofplay.ThesegreenshighlighthowdifficultitistogrowFescuegrassonthesegreensduetothehightraffic.
ConorNolanfromtheSTRIcarriedoutareviewofthecourseearlierthismonth.Hewasverypleasedwiththeprogressofthe6th,7th,8th&9thgreensthatweresprayedwithRescuetokillofftheundesirablegrasses.Heagreedthattheprogramwillbemoredifficulttoimplementonthefirstfourholesduetothetrafficlevels.
AfterConor’svisitthegreenswereover-seededagainwith20gseedpermetersquare.Duetothecolderweatherandlittlerainfalltheseed‘strike’isnotasgoodasearlierintheyear.I’mpleasedwiththeresultsoftheover-seedingprogramthisseason,hopefullyweweresuccessfulinnotimpactingtoomuchongolfersenjoymentofthecourse.
I’vestartedworkona5-yearLinksplaninconjunctionwiththeSTRIandtheLinksCommittee.TheaimoftheplanissimplytoimprovetheplayingsurfaceshereatCoSligoinastructuredway.I’malsointroducinganOnlineCourseMaintenancesoftwaresystem,Turfkeeper(seepage6),whichwillmonitorallactivitiesandcostsassociatedwithmaintainingbothcourses.
WorkCompletedinOctober
• Cutsomeareasoflongroughtothinitoutfornextseason.I’llbeworkingona6meterbandaroundmostholesoverthewinter.
• Turfedaroundthenew3rdgreensurroundstomatchinwiththegreenandfinishedturfingthenew11thteebox.
• AllbanksmowedwithFlymomower.
• Bunkerrevettedon1stfairway.
• Sprayedpathwayswithfertilisertohelprecoveryoverthewinter(50kghaSulphateammonia).
• BunkerMaintenance(Strim,Flymo).
• Droppedmowingheightonew3rdand5thgreensto7mm.
• Allteeshavebeenfertilisedwith9.7.7granular@25gmetersquare.
• Hedgeatclubhouseasbeentopped.
• FixedIrrigationleakson5thhole.
• HollowcoredBomoregreens,coreswillbeusedonnew7thgreenextension.Greenswheretop-dressedafterwards.
• Allfairwaysbeensprayedwithfertiliser(40kghaSulphateammonia&10kghasulphateiron).
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ExtensiveData
Everydetailyouinputintothesystemisrecordedandstoredforevergivingyouawealthofdetailedinformation.Needtojustifythereplacementofamachineduetoit'shighservicingcost?Turfkeeperhasyoucovered.Allreportsaredatesearchableandcanbefilteredinanumberofwaysallinamatterofseconds!
PlanningTool
Notjustarecordingtool,Turfkeeperisperfectforplanning.Thestaffareaisextremelyflexibleandthemultipledaily,weeklyandmonthlycalendarviewsmakesplanningstaffworkloadsabreeze.
Youcanthenusethesystem'sexportoptionstodisplayplannedworkinexceloronpapertogivetostaff,orsetuptheirownloginandletthemaccesstheworkstraightfromthesystem.
Quick&Simple
DespitebeinganextensiveplanningandrecordingtoolTurfkeeperremainsquick,simpleandeasytouse.Withinputfromgreenkeepersallalongtheway,thesystemremainsavaluabletoolwhilenotdistractingyoufromthejob.Withanaveragetimeneededof10-15minutesperday,Turfkeepermakessurenottogetintheway.
Complete online turf management system User friendly and built by fellow greenkeepers, Turfkeeper offers a totally personalised environment to manage your business. Record day to day information on various parts of your operation such as staff management, stock usage, machinery maintenance; and use Turfkeeper's detailed reporting system to visualise and analyse costs and resource usage.
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Ø Someareasmaybecordonedoffforrepairafterinclementweather(markedGroundUnderRepair),pleaserespecttheseareas.
Ø Pleasereplacedivotsandrepairpitchmarks.
Ø WatchtheLinksNoticeBoardforinformationonwhat’shappeningonthecourse.
Ø EveryeffortismadebytheGreenkeeperstokeepgreensclosurestoanabsoluteminimum,howeversometimesclosuresareunavoidable.Allowingplayonoverlywetorfrozengreensearlyinthewinterdamagesturfandshouldbeavoided.
Ø Knockingoffexcessdirtfromshoesbeforewalkingongreensishelpful.
Oneoftheaimsofturfmanagementistokeepplayonthemaingreensforasnearto12monthsoftheyearaspossible.Greenkeepershavetotakewinter
weatherintoaccount,sopleasefollowthesestepstohelpthemastemperaturesplunge.
THANKYOUFORYOURCO-OPERATION,YOURASSISTANCEWILLGREATLYHELPTHEGREENKEEPINGTEAMPREPAREAFIRSTCLASS
COURSEFORYOUTOENJOY.
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'STRIistheworld'sleadingconsultancyfordesign,researchandmanagementofnaturalandartificialsportssurfaces.Theyoffereffectivesolutionsandindependentadvicetosportsclubsandrecreationalfacilitiesacrosstheglobe.
TheSportsTurfResearchInstitutewasestablishedin1929,inassociationwiththeUKGolfUnionsandTheR&Atoprovideresearchandadvisoryservicesforgolfclubsontheirgolfgreensandcourses.Bythe1950s,STRIhadclearlyestablishedareputationastheleadingcompanyinEuropeforprovidingadviceandresearchonnewproductsandtechniquesformanagingsportsturf,notjustforgolf,butforalltypesofsportssurfacesandamenitygrassareas.
STRIhasestablishedareputationastheworld’sleadingauthorityforgolfclubsthrougheightyyearsofextensiveresearchonthedesign,constructionandmaintenanceofgolfgreensandcourses.
Toproducegoodqualitygolfcoursesandgreensrequiresexpertisecombinedwithknowledgeofthelatestproductsandmachineryandbestpracticetechniquesthatshouldbeusedacrossthedifferentareasofagolfcourse.
WorkingcloselywiththeCourseManager,theyprovidepracticalandrelevantadviceonallaspectsofcoursemaintenanceincluding;Surfacehardness/softness-pests-weedsanddiseases(testedatSTRI’slabs)-soilandrootzoneissues–grassspeciescompositionandpoorgrasscover-drainageandirrigationissues.
SportsTurfResearchInstitute
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STRIAgronomyConsultantConorNolanpaidthesecondoftwoannualvisitstotheClubrecently.
Hisroleinvolvesacomprehensiveassessmentofthecourseandgreens,supportedbyadetailedreportonhisfindingswithrecommendationsonmaintenanceandimprovingquality.
ThevisitconsistsofameetingwiththeCourseManager,TheDirectorofGolfandarepresentativeoftheLinksCommitteefollowedbyawalkofthecourse.
ItemsdiscussedwithConorincludedare-schedulingoftheAutumnvisitorperhapsanextravisittoallowhimviewthecourseduringthepeakgolfseason.
CourseManagerMarkwasalsointerestedinanewlydevelopedservicethatmeasuresthequalityandperformanceofgreensbytakingacomprehensivesetofmeasurementsacrosseachgreentoanalysespeed,trueness,smoothness,firmness,moisturelevelsandsoilanalysisandidentifythecorrelationbetweenthese.
Thisservicewouldhelpustofullyunderstandthequalityofourgreensallowingustotracktheprogressandimprovementsinplayingquality.
CONORNOLANjoinedtheSTRI'sAdvisoryandConsultancyTeaminJune2001asTurfgrassAgronomistforIrelandandisoneofthegolfspecialistsamongsttheteam.HehasofferedadvicetoawidearrayofsurfacetypesandoperationsamongstwhicharesomeofIrelandsleadinglinksdestinations.
RecentlyNorthernEuropehasbeenaddedtohisareaofgolfcoursecoverage,aregionheiskeentobringhisknowledge/expertisetohavingenjoyedmanyformativeyearstherepriortojoiningtheSTRI.InEuropehepredominantlyworkedintheareaofgolfcoursedesign,construction,grow-insandregularmaintenanceinawidearrayofcountries;Austria,Slovenia,Switzerland,HungaryandtheUnitedArabEmirates.
Healsotooktimeawayfromprojectworktogainhands-onexperienceofoldannualmeadowgrass/creepingbentgreensmanagementinthedemandingNewYorkmetropolitanregion.
Hehasaspecialinterestintheaestheticandecologicaldevelopmentofsitesarisingoutofhistimespentason-sitedesignerworkingunderthestrictenvironmentalrequirementsoftheAustrianandSwissauthorities.
CoursevisitOctober15th
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ItwasformallyannouncedlastweekthatRoyalPortrushGolfClub,regardedasoneofthefinestlinkscoursesintheworld,willhostNorthernIreland'sfirstOpenChampionshipsince1951.
ItseemslikeagoodtimetocatchupwiththeverypopularformerCountySligoGCCourseManager,GraemeBeatt.IndeedGraemestillkeepsinregularcontactwithhissuccessoratRossesPoint,MarkMillar.TheybothworkedtogetherforanumberofyearsatCastleDargan.
SituatedontheruggedAtlanticcoast,Portrushprovidessomethingofagreenkeepingchallenge,butonethatGraemeismorethanadequatelyqualifiedfor.
BackinDecember,thelongstandingcoursemanager,JoeFindlay,retiredaftertwenty-sixyearswiththeclub.HewasreplacedbyGraemewhooriginallyhailsfromStAndrews.Hetookupthereignsattheendoflastyearfollowinganimpressivecareeratothervenues.
"Ijoinedthegreenkeepingstaffatmyhomeclub,ScotscraigGolfClub,in1995andwentontoworkatKingsbarnsfrom2000until2006,withaspellatRoyalMelbourneinthistime.HemovedtoIrelandin2006toworkattheCastleDarganGolfCourseandstayedasCourseManageruntil2011.“IthenreallyenjoyedworkingasCourseManageratCountySligoGC,RossesPointfrom2011until2014."
Heisresponsibleforthegolfcoursebudget,butreportstotheclubsecretaryonamonthlybasisandwhenevernecessaryforanythingoutoftheordinary.
OthermembersofGraeme’steamincludeAlexMcCook,theDeputyCourseManager,whohasbeenwiththeclubfortwenty-sevenyears,andChrisCalvin,theirrigationtechnicianwhohasenjoyedtwenty-twoyearsservice.
Thecourseemploysitsownmechanic,StevenWalker,whohasbeenwiththeclubforthirtyyears.
Graemeadded:"WeusetheSTRIforecologyandagronomyservicesandareintooursecondseasonofafiveyearecologyplan.Therearefiveseasonalstafffordivotingandbunkerrakingandwewilladdmorewhenneeded."
Continued>
‘Ireallyenjoyedworking
atCountySligo’
GRAEMEBEATT
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TheDunluceLinksatRoyalPortrushGolfClubranksamongsttheworld'sgreatestcourses.
Unimaginableroughandtestinggreens,combinedwiththeunpredictableweatheroftheroaringNorthAtlanticmakethiscourseanadmirabletestforeventhemostseasonedgolfaficionado.
AnotherlinkbetweenRossesPointandRoyalPortrushisthatthedesignofbothcourseswasmasteredbyoneofgolf'sgreatestcoursearchitects,HarryColt.Heusedthenaturalcontoursanddunesofthelinkslandatbothlocationsto
createalegacythatattractsgolfersfromallacrosstheglobe.
Portrush&CountySligoarebothColtdesignedcourses
The6,867yardDunlucecourse,whichhasbeenextendedtojustunder7,200yards,isroutedthroughruggedlinksland,andconstantlychangesinbothdirectionandelevation,whilstallthetimeprovidingsomeofthemostawe-inspiringscenerytobefoundinIreland.
TheCountySligoGolfClub Issue11–October2015
Editor:VincentMcGee
TheCountySligoGolfClub2015©
TheviewsexpressedincontributedarticlesarenotnecessarilytheviewsoftheeditorofthispublicationorCoSligoGolfClub.Editorialcontentand
photographscannotbereproducedwithoutpriorpermissionfromtheeditor.
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