Practice Area - Access Road

We have now completed the upgrading of the first forty-meter section of the practice ground access roadway.

Recycled railway sleepers have been used to form a kerb edge along the roadway, which should help prevent washout of the surface and ultimately reduce wastage.

The surface has been dressed with a 100% recycled material called Ultitrec.
Ultitrec contains recycled asphalt, concrete, inert construction & demolition waste, natural and artificial aggregate, bricks, sand, ceramics and glass. Because the material has a wide range of particle sizes and shape (20mm down to dust), it packs down well and when rolled, produces a reasonably smooth surface.

The roadside bankings have been built up with excavated soil and spoil from this winter's drainage works on hole 12. It is our intention to seed these bankings in the spring with a wildflower seed mixture.

Some pictures of our progress

Excavating trench for railway sleeper kerb edge.

One of three kerbs that will be installed to divert surface water off the roadway 

Surface dressing applied

Looking back down the access roadway

Practice Nets

The practice nets beside the practice putting green have been receiving an makeover today. The rubber crumb base has been power washed, the bay enclosure netting and baffle nets have been replaced and new mats have been installed.

Tomorrow we will be removing some of the surrounding undergrowth and pruning back some of the low and overhanging branches. Hopefully, this will this allow a little more daylight into this rather gloomy area.

Power washing the rubber crumb base

Makeover completed

5th Green Re-Opens

Our tree surgeons felled the uprooted beech tree behind the 5th green today.

The tree surgeon attaching a pull-rope, which is used to tug the tree in the desired direction of fall

A second rope is being attached at right-angles to the direction of fall to help prevent the tree twisting and falling over the 5th green.

Something we didn't expect - massive decay through the centre of the tree

Tree Planting

This week we have been busy planting a number of young deciduous trees, on both courses.
Most of the trees are direct replacements for trees that have been removed because of disease, decay or storm damage. Others have been planted as long-term replacements for trees that only have a very limited life span remaining.

The trees that have been planted are all native and are of small leaf size, which should not only help to minimise leaf collection and removal operations but reduce lost golf balls. 

Some of the Oaks that have been planted between the 1st & 18th fairways

Oaks being planted on the left-hand side of the 14th fairway