Course Update - October 21st 2011

Autumn Greens Maintenance Program – Despite difficult weather conditions, I am pleased to report that we have now completed greens hollow coring operations and that 40 tonnes of top dressing sand has now been applied to the putting surfaces.

Another 20 tonnes will be spread over the next two weeks to infill the remaining core holes and smooth putting surfaces.

Course Improvements - The 2^nd phase of the 9^th green surrounds improvements are now almost complete.

We have removed the thatch-contaminated turf and re-contoured the left-hand side of the green with fresh root zone.

Re-grading left-hand surround of 9th green

The area will be re-turfed at the beginning of November when we expect deliver of our next consignment of turf.


12^th Tee – The turf that was causing surface drainage problems has now been removed from the teeing surface.

We are at present importing additional root zone to ensure that when levelling and re-grading work has been completed, surface water drains freely from the tee top. 

Clearing turf from the 12th tee

Additional root zone for the 12th tee

New Greenkeeping Facilities – The site is now ready for the steel support columns, which have now been delivered and weather permitting should be erected next week.  

The first steel work being delivered

Autumn Maintenance Program 2011 - Update

Update – October 5^th

This week we commenced our Autumn Greens Maintenance Program at Murrayfield and despite the changeable weather the greens have now been hollow cored with 12mm diameter tines to a depth of 90mm. 

,

Hollow coring commences

Hollow coring - Murrayfield 1st Green

We have already applied 20 tonnes of top dressing sand to the putting surfaces and to ensure that all the aeration holes are backfilled, we will apply another 20 tonnes of sand at the beginning of next week.

We have also aerated the 5^th & 13^th greens to a depth of 225mm with 12mm diameter solid tines.

This operation helps to alleviate soil compaction in the greens and will improve the movement of water through the soil profile, later this month (weather permitting), we intend to deep aerate the remaining greens.

Normally, we top-dress the green with sand after aeration but when aerating to relieve deep-rooted compaction we apply the sand to the putting surface beforehand. 

Aerating the 5th green to a depth of 225mm

This avoids the necessity of operating heavy machinery on the newly aerated putting surface, the sand is then brushed into the tine holes with yard brushes. 

Working the sand into the aeration holes

4th Fairway Drainage

I am pleased to report that the second phase of the drainage works on the 4th fairway have now been completed.

I have included some pictures of the progress.

Removing the contaminated gravel to expose the existing drainage pipe.

The first section is ready for back filling

Clean gravel & grit being spread 

Completed works

Murrayfield Golf Club – Drainage 4th Fairway – Phase II

 Drainage 4th Hole

Members will remember that earlier this year we replaced a large section of the main drainage pipe that runs down the left-hand side of the 4^th fairway, the original pipe work had been damaged by tree roots and was beyond repair.

Next week (weather permitting) we intend to commence phase II, the plan is to excavate and refurbish the existing drain, which crosses the fairway at approximately 230 yards from the teeing ground.

We will remove the existing turf (which has an extremely high thatch content) and gravel from over the top of the drain, as this gravel is now contaminated with debris.

This contamination is now slowing infiltration rates and is causing surface flooding, especially after excessive rainfall.

Locating pipe work

Existing gravel contaminated with soil and debris

Once the drain has been covered with fresh 15/ 20 mm diameter gravel, a 50 mm layer of 2-4mm diameter grit will be added.

The grit layer will prevent the new root-zone from being washed down and mixing with the gravel, consequently, ensuring rainwater can drain freely down to the drainage pipe.

Finally, the drainage line will then be returfed with new turf and marked as ground under repair. 

Drainage 16th Hole

We will shortly be announcing plans to start a phased improvement program to the drainage system from the 16^th fairway and hope to commence excavations later this year.