Frosty Mornings!

Now that we are entering the 'Frosty Season' we thought that we would give you a run down of our procedures at EGC. They area as follows:

Frost - As soon as the grass plant freezes (either the leaf or the roots) it goes into a dormant state. This means that although it is still alive it is not growing. There are two types of frost. A leaf or white frost freezes the water cells on the leaf leaving the roots unfrozen. Any wear on the leaf at this point will cause the cells to die, leaving a scorch mark. After a week or so you will see yellow marks on the leaf. At this stage the leaf has been bruised and is open to infection. Disease will soon follow. There is also a risk during this period of the leaf breaking away from the roots due to foot traffic. The second type is a ground frost. Not only will the leaf freeze but the roots too. The plant when it is in this state will be solid. I believe that damage to the plant during this period is minimal. 

So in mind of the statement above we implement the following guidelines:

• White frost; the greens will be put onto temporary holes until the whiteness has dispersed. There will also be a trolley ban during this period.
 • Ground frost; the greens will remain in play during this period. This could mean that the greens go back on during the day, because the white frost has gone but the ground is still frozen.

We hope this explains the tricky subject of frost and if you need up to date information please view the club website (where a header will explain current conditions) or phone the pro shop.

In the meantime to cheer us up, it was a lovely morning this morning and here are a few pictures that were taken!

Giving the Greens a little trim in the morning!

At this time of year, cutting frequency gets a lot less. From cutting seven days a week during the main season (March to October) we go to one or two cuts in the off season (November to February). Heights of cut are also increased from 2 to 3mm. The other difference is that we hand cut with pedestrian mowers in the off season, which gives a nice visual appeal but requires extra man hours. During the main season it takes four hours to cut greens with a ride-on mower (1 greenkeeper), whereas at present it takes twelve hours with 3 x hand mowers (3 greenkeepers). The benefit is less aggression with the turf. At least it keeps us fit walking all these miles!

Drainage Works - Monitor Progress!

So that you can monitor how progress is going with our drainage works, we have included a slide show of the operations. Updates will be posted throughout the programme.

It's Wet!!!

Just walking around the course this morning you can see how wet it has become with the storms of the last few weeks. Areas such as between the 1st green/2nd tee, 4th fairway and 6th/7th fairways are just overrun with the amount of water that has fell. Have a look at the pictures that were taken.

Between the 1st and 2nd Tee

Left of 12th Green

13th Ditch

7th Fairway

Work Commences to the 7th Approach

First up is the redraining of the 7th Approach. Over the years this area has got wetter and wetter. There is old clay pipe drainage in here but these pipes have either collapsed over time or got blocked up by root roots. The system to be installed here will reconnect the two ditches from left to right and then reconnect the green to the ditch on the right of the fairway. Weather permitting this work should be completed by the end of the week. In the mean time a temporary green will be in play in the fairway. Looking at the course this morning, this work is well overdue!