Course Update - March 27th 2015

During the winter we removed a number of dead and decaying trees from both courses and over the last few days we have been using a stump grinder to lower the stumps to below ground level so as not to trip golfers or cause injury if hit with a golf club and to avoid damaging grass cutting machinery.

A close up of the stump grinders cutting head

Below a short video of the stump grinder in action (between the 3rd & 8th fairways)

The Irrigation system, which this year includes the new short game area has been commissioned ahead of the new playing season.

We have also upgraded the irrigation sprinklers on tees 9 & 16. This will dramatically improve coverage and reduce water wastage on these teeing grounds.

Irrigation - Short game area chipping green

The spring bunker refurbishments have now been completed and all bunkers are in play except the newly renovated bunkers on hole 12, these bunkers will be open for play next weekend.

Greens 3 & 9 have been hollow cored and sand top-dressed this week. The greens that were hollow cored last week have received another application of sand to help fill the remaining core tine holes and to improve surface levels.

Greens 10 & 11 will be hollow cored and top dressed in early April when soil temperatures improve. The greens have also received a granular fertiliser to promote growth and accelerate recovery after the recent maintenance operations.    

Spring Bunker Refurbishment

We have recently been busy refurbishing the bunkers on both courses ahead of the new playing season. The bunkers have been edged, cleaned out and fresh sand added as and where required.

Before refurbishment

After refurbishment

For the bunkers where the sand is more compacted we have been using a small machine that we have recently purchased,which is called a Mantis. The Mantis is a lightweight cultivator that can tiller the sand to a depth of between 50mm/100mm and is a perfect solution to sand that has become compacted, particularly after heavy rain. 

Greens Spring Maintenance 2015

This week we began our Greens Spring Maintenance Program.

The green is first aerated  to a depth of 180mm with 12mm diameter tines.

The green is then hollow cored with 12mm diameter tines to a depth of 75mm

The 16th green being deep spiked and hollow cored

Approximately two tonnes of top dressing sand is then applied to each green

Finally, the sand is brushed into the putting surface

Greens (3,9,10, &11), which spend most of the winter under the shadow of Corstorphine Hill, will not be hollow cored and top dressed until soil temperatures and surface ground conditions on these greens improve.