Hand Cutting Greens

After every blog that we seem to write lately it is with the anticipation of better weather. The last time that our weather station recorded no rain in a single day was the 10th December. Since then we have over 220mm of rain and the forecast is for more to come.

During intense periods such as this course maintenance as you will guess becomes an issue. We have many construction projects on the go but for actually cutting playing surfaces it becomes a problem. The only area that can be maintained and kept to a good standard are the greens. Over the years we have worked on their drainage capabilities. Not through the traditional method of land drainage but more on the rootzone side. We have done this by having a good deep aeration and sanding programme in place for the last 8 years. This allows the water to 'float' in the rootzone away from the top surface. It is paying dividends as during this intense wet spell we have not closed or gone on temporary greens.

The video above shows Mitchel cutting our 13th green with a hand mower. For the vast majority of time we use ride-on mowers to cut the greens but when ground conditions become soft we switch to hand mowers. These keep the greens in tip top condition even during the winter months. Our smoothness readings for the last two weeks have been 9.5 out of 10. Not bad considering it's January the weather we are having!

Root Pruning

Roots going on to the 13th Green

Over the last 5 years we have implemented a root pruning programme around the golf course. Being on a tight (88acres) parkland setting trees play a major part in the set up of our golf course. They add strategy and give the golf course its identity. However on the flip side they block out sunlight and restrict air flow. All needed to create a healthy plant. One other thing that they have which are not very welcome are their roots. The root of a tree extends at least double the size of its canopy. So next time you walk past a tree think about that. If it stands 30metres high, its roots will be around 60metres wide. Probably going on to a green and tee:(

Our root pruning programme has been predominately based around greens and tees. Last year we did the Oaks behind the 5th green. We were starting to notice in the summer months that this green was drying out a lot quicker than the others and was susceptible to disease far quicker. Since we cut the roots back last May this has been reversed. This week we carried on with the programme and the Ash tree by the 13th green had its roots cut back. This tree is only 5metres away from the green which is way too close. Ideally the Ash wouldn't be here but it plays an important part in the defence of the 13th hole. Trimming the roots back is a happy compromise:)

Happy New Year 2014!

It was a wet end to 2013 and the new year brings further wet conditions. Golf courses across the country are under extreme pressure and at EGC we are no different. The good news is the drainage that we have installed over the past two years is working well and these areas are handling the conditions. The bad news is getting to these areas in the first place becomes a bit of an issue!

Above left is a picture of a rather wet 15th fairway taken this morning. On the right is the outlet for this fairway which goes under the footpath, through the 11th tee and in to the river by the 10th bridge. As you can see, plenty of water is coming out of the outlet. So why you may think is the 15th fairway saturated? The answer is pipework or rather a lack of it. The outlet takes the water from the ditch to the left of the 15th fairway. However to move the water in to that ditch, pipework is needed. As we head in to the new year this will be one of our priority jobs. The plans have been laid, materials are in, so all we need now is some dry weather and we will be down there in a flash.

Merry Christmas from EGCagronomy!

Christmas unfortunately may be a bit wet here at EGC this year. With the storms yesterday the river decided to burst it's banks last night. We suggest santa brings a boat with him this year whilst delivering presents!

As it's Christmas we don't want to end on a negative note so we've posted this picture of the course last summer. The shortest day has passed and we are now on our way to spring. We wish all our members and guests a merry Christmas. Let's hope it dries up soon so that we can get all our new presents out on the golf course!

Adidas Zero's are not welcome at EGC!

Today we have taken the unusual step of banning some golf shoes. Within the greenkeeping world there has been much talk about the damage done by certain golf shoes to our greens. A new design seems to be coming out frequently and some of these can seriously damage the putting surfaces. As you can see from the picture to the left, Adidas Zero's golf shoes have left a bumpy surface on our greens. It looks like a pair of football boots have been walked across the greens. Until their soles become friendlier they wont be welcome at Ealing for the foreseeable future!

Winter is here!

This week winter has definately felt like it has arrived. We've had a couple of mornings of frost and the air temperature has dropped suddenly. As the golf course has dried out a lot over the past few weeks we decided to give all playing areas a trim before christmas. As usual greens,approaches and fairways were cut but on top of this surrounds,tee banks, semi-rough and full rough were tidied up. These areas can only be cut when ground conditions are suitable at this time of year. Not so much of making hay while the sun shines, but rather cutting when the rain stops!

On top of this we are right in the middle of leaf clearance. During November and December a big operation goes in to place to collect all the leaves that fall from the trees. Around 200 labour hours has been spent so far to blow and pick up the leaves. If we don't then they will mulch in to the ground smothering the grass plant. Also finding golf balls in amongst heavy piles can be problematic. They may look beautiful up on the trees at this time of year, but on the floor they can be a pain for the golfers!

The Oaks looking lovely

1st and 8th Drainage Works Completed

After 6 (long) weeks we finally finished the fairway draining to holes 1 and 8 last week. It has been an intense period, but secondary drainage went on top of the primary drainage. The big challenge for this area was irrigation pipework and natural falls. Or rather a lack of it! In total we had to cross the irrigation system 30 times, which was a huge challenge in itself and very time consuming. The other issue was the lack of a natural gradient on the 8th fairway. We managed to overcome both and from the video to the left, it's always nice to see water gushing out at the end!

The secondary drainage system consisted of gravel banding at 90degree angles to the land drainage. We included the 4th fairway in with this work which had land drainage installed last year. A small trench was cut about 30mm wide and 200mm deep, with gravel backfilled in to it. We invested in this machine last year and even during the poor weather last week, it left a nice job. We then top-dressed on top of this to finish it off. As we sit on good old London clay, secondary drainage will be as important as primary drainage long term. 

Gravel Bander at work

The Finished 8th Fairway

All this work has been completed in house. As well as the gravel bander we invested in a chain trencher, which enable us to do so. We have now completed our major drainage works for this year and in two years, 4 holes have had drainage installed in them. We will do some other minor works around the place over the winter but the next big phase will commence next autumn. Watch out the 2nd fairway. You are next on the list!!!