
2

Arecentoverseasvisitorasked,“CanweplaygolfinIrelandallyearround?”Yeswecan,wasofcoursetheanswer,especiallythoseofusluckyenoughtoplayonlinkscourses.

IexplainedhowtheweatherrarelygetscoldenoughthatourcoursewouldbeclosedforaprolongedperiodoftimeandthatIthardlyeversnowsinIreland.It’smorewindandrainthatyouwouldbeconcernedwiththanicytemperatures.

Warmingtomysubject,likeallIrishweatherexperts,ItoldhimthatalongtheAtlanticCoastduringthemonthsofNovembertoApril,anythingcanhappenweatherwise.Indeedthesamecouldbesaidofthesummermonthstoo,butIkeptthattomyself!

Theconversationgotmethinking,dowereally

appreciateourgoodfortunebeingabletoplaygolfallyearround?Doweappreciatetheaddedvalueofourmembershipfee?

Onthedownsidewehavetodealwithsomeharshweather,occasionaltemporarygreensandthecoupleofmonthsplayingofffairwaymatsbutthat’spartandparcelofwintergolfandreadilyacceptedbymostgolfers.

We’reperhapsluckythatsuccessiveCourseManagershavealwaysbeencommittedtohavingthefullcourseinplaywheneverpossibleduringthewintermonths.

Wintergolfhasalwaysbeenlesscompetitive,atimetoenjoyafriendlygamewithfriends.It’saboutthe‘feelgood’factorweexperienceonreachingthe19thonacold,blusterywinter’sday.

Wind,rain,temporarygreens–howluckyarewe?

WIN

TER

GOLF


3

TheaimofourCourseManageristokeepplayonthemaingreensfortwelvemonthsoftheyearifpossible.However,thisidealhastobematchedwiththeprevailingweatherandtheconditionofthegreens.

Anindicationofthetypeofdamagearisingfromplayunderadverseconditionsisgivenbelowandwhilstappreciatingthatgolfersexpectwinterplay,theserequirementsmustbekeptinperspective.Mostcompetitivegolfandimportantfixturestakeplaceoutsidethewinterperiodsoalittleinconveniencecausedbyplayingtotemporarygreensofasatisfactorystandardshouldbeacceptabletoallgolferswhennecessary.

Theputtingsurfacesofthemaingreensaretherforebetterpreservedforwhentheyarerequiredandexpectedtobeattheirbest.

WetConditions

Inpersistentlywetconditions,thesoilaroundthepinislikelytobecomeseverelycompacted.Fineparticlesofsiltandclaycanmigratetothesurface,resultinginsoil-stainedpatchesroundpinpositionsandotherwelltraffickedroutes.Alloftheseeffectsweakentheturfandimpedesurfacedrainage.

Intheseconditions,holechangesshouldbe

frequenttoavoidregularconcentrationoffoottraffictothesamespot,usebeingmadeoftheouterregionsofthegreensasfaraspossible,althoughkeepingtowardsthefrontinverywetspells.

FrostyConditions

Damagecausedbyplayduringfrostyweatherfallsintotwomaincategories.

1.Whenfrozen,planttissuesareeasilybruisedbyplayersfeet.Followingathaw,itisoftenpossibletoseebrownfootmarksforseveralweeks,particularlyaroundholesites.Thegreatertheweightofplayinhardfrost,obviouslythegreaterbecomestheextentofthisdamage.Affectedareasremainthinforlongperiods,alteringthetruenessoftheputtingsurface,andaremoresusceptibletodiseaseinspring.

2.Long-termdamageiscausedwhenplaytakesplaceafterasuddenthaw.Intheseconditionsthetoplayerofthatchandsoilbecomessoft,whilsttheunderlyingsoilremainsfrozen.Rootdamageoccursfromtheshearingactionasplayers’feetmovethesoft,unfrozensurfaceacrossthefrozensub-surface.Thisdisruptsputtingsurfacesandcreatesweakareasthatmaynotrecoverbeforetheheightofthecompetitionseason.

WINTERPLAYONGOLFGREENS


4

Octoberhasbeenagoodmonthweatherwise,whichmakestheGreenkeeperslifealittleeasier.Theteamcontinuestoworkhardwhichisreflectedinthequalityofworkachieved.Comingintothewintermonthswewillseeourworkpatternschangewithlessmowingcarriedoutandmoreofanemphasisonpreparingthecoursefornextseason.

AlthoughIcouldwriteajobs-to-dolistofcourseimprovementsonbothofmyarms,we’llbelimitedonwhatcanbeachievedduetothefocusontheCourseRe-Developmentstartingearlythismonthandcontinuingthroughoutthewinter.

Ihavesomeprojectsalreadyunderwayincludingrivetingthelefthandfairwaybunkeronthe1st.Thepathsat13and18havebeenstripedandlevelled.ThesepathswillbeturfedwithnewturffromEmeraldLawns.Thepathat13wasonly2meterswide,wideningitto4.5meterswillspreadthetrafficandresultinginanicegrasspathallyearround.Alotofrepairworkonhigh-wearareasisongoing.Thisre-turfingneedstobedonethissideofDecembertoallowtheturftoknitin.

RevitalisationProgram

The7thgreenextensionhasbeencompletedandthenewseediscomingalongwell.Therehasbeenatotallynewirrigationsystemputinaroundthegreen,thiswascarriedin-housebythegreensstaff.Thenew8thteehasalsobeenturfedandshouldbereadyforplaycometheWestofIrelandnextyear.

Theworkonthe3rdhole,tolowertheapproachintothenewgreen,hasprogressedwell.Thisworkwillbecompletedintwophases,with70%oftheworkbeingdoneonthefirstphase.ThisincludesloweringtheapproachtothenewgreenbyremovingpartoftheexistinggreenandleavingtheremainingportioninplayfortheWinter. Continued>

CourseManagersReport–MarkMillar


5

Phasetwowillseetherestoftheoldgreenremovedandwillonlybecarriedoutwhenthenewgreenisopenforplay.TheplanistohavethenewgreenreadyfortheWestofIreland,maybeafewweeksearlierweatherpermitting.Whilethediggerisonsitewe’lldigoutthenewbunkeronthe2ndandtheextensiontothebunkeronthe3rd.

Greens

Thegreensarelookingandplayingfineforthetimeofyear,althoughthefirstfourholesformewouldbetheonesthatareshowingsignsofstressduealotofplay.ThesegreenshighlighthowdifficultitistogrowFescuegrassonthesegreensduetothehightraffic.

ConorNolanfromtheSTRIcarriedoutareviewofthecourseearlierthismonth.Hewasverypleasedwiththeprogressofthe6th,7th,8th&9thgreensthatweresprayedwithRescuetokillofftheundesirablegrasses.Heagreedthattheprogramwillbemoredifficulttoimplementonthefirstfourholesduetothetrafficlevels.

AfterConor’svisitthegreenswereover-seededagainwith20gseedpermetersquare.Duetothecolderweatherandlittlerainfalltheseed‘strike’isnotasgoodasearlierintheyear.I’mpleasedwiththeresultsoftheover-seedingprogramthisseason,hopefullyweweresuccessfulinnotimpactingtoomuchongolfersenjoymentofthecourse.

I’vestartedworkona5-yearLinksplaninconjunctionwiththeSTRIandtheLinksCommittee.TheaimoftheplanissimplytoimprovetheplayingsurfaceshereatCoSligoinastructuredway.I’malsointroducinganOnlineCourseMaintenancesoftwaresystem,Turfkeeper(seepage6),whichwillmonitorallactivitiesandcostsassociatedwithmaintainingbothcourses.

WorkCompletedinOctober

• Cutsomeareasoflongroughtothinitoutfornextseason.I’llbeworkingona6meterbandaroundmostholesoverthewinter.

• Turfedaroundthenew3rdgreensurroundstomatchinwiththegreenandfinishedturfingthenew11thteebox.

• AllbanksmowedwithFlymomower.

• Bunkerrevettedon1stfairway.

• Sprayedpathwayswithfertilisertohelprecoveryoverthewinter(50kghaSulphateammonia).

• BunkerMaintenance(Strim,Flymo).

• Droppedmowingheightonew3rdand5thgreensto7mm.

• Allteeshavebeenfertilisedwith9.7.7granular@25gmetersquare.

• Hedgeatclubhouseasbeentopped.

• FixedIrrigationleakson5thhole.

• HollowcoredBomoregreens,coreswillbeusedonnew7thgreenextension.Greenswheretop-dressedafterwards.

• Allfairwaysbeensprayedwithfertiliser(40kghaSulphateammonia&10kghasulphateiron).


6

ExtensiveData

Everydetailyouinputintothesystemisrecordedandstoredforevergivingyouawealthofdetailedinformation.Needtojustifythereplacementofamachineduetoit'shighservicingcost?Turfkeeperhasyoucovered.Allreportsaredatesearchableandcanbefilteredinanumberofwaysallinamatterofseconds!

PlanningTool

Notjustarecordingtool,Turfkeeperisperfectforplanning.Thestaffareaisextremelyflexibleandthemultipledaily,weeklyandmonthlycalendarviewsmakesplanningstaffworkloadsabreeze.

Youcanthenusethesystem'sexportoptionstodisplayplannedworkinexceloronpapertogivetostaff,orsetuptheirownloginandletthemaccesstheworkstraightfromthesystem.

Quick&Simple

DespitebeinganextensiveplanningandrecordingtoolTurfkeeperremainsquick,simpleandeasytouse.Withinputfromgreenkeepersallalongtheway,thesystemremainsavaluabletoolwhilenotdistractingyoufromthejob.Withanaveragetimeneededof10-15minutesperday,Turfkeepermakessurenottogetintheway.

Complete online turf management system User friendly and built by fellow greenkeepers, Turfkeeper offers a totally personalised environment to manage your business. Record day to day information on various parts of your operation such as staff management, stock usage, machinery maintenance; and use Turfkeeper's detailed reporting system to visualise and analyse costs and resource usage.


7

Ø Someareasmaybecordonedoffforrepairafterinclementweather(markedGroundUnderRepair),pleaserespecttheseareas.

Ø Pleasereplacedivotsandrepairpitchmarks.

Ø WatchtheLinksNoticeBoardforinformationonwhat’shappeningonthecourse.

Ø EveryeffortismadebytheGreenkeeperstokeepgreensclosurestoanabsoluteminimum,howeversometimesclosuresareunavoidable.Allowingplayonoverlywetorfrozengreensearlyinthewinterdamagesturfandshouldbeavoided.

Ø Knockingoffexcessdirtfromshoesbeforewalkingongreensishelpful.

Oneoftheaimsofturfmanagementistokeepplayonthemaingreensforasnearto12monthsoftheyearaspossible.Greenkeepershavetotakewinter

weatherintoaccount,sopleasefollowthesestepstohelpthemastemperaturesplunge.

THANKYOUFORYOURCO-OPERATION,YOURASSISTANCEWILLGREATLYHELPTHEGREENKEEPINGTEAMPREPAREAFIRSTCLASS

COURSEFORYOUTOENJOY.


8

'STRIistheworld'sleadingconsultancyfordesign,researchandmanagementofnaturalandartificialsportssurfaces.Theyoffereffectivesolutionsandindependentadvicetosportsclubsandrecreationalfacilitiesacrosstheglobe.

TheSportsTurfResearchInstitutewasestablishedin1929,inassociationwiththeUKGolfUnionsandTheR&Atoprovideresearchandadvisoryservicesforgolfclubsontheirgolfgreensandcourses.Bythe1950s,STRIhadclearlyestablishedareputationastheleadingcompanyinEuropeforprovidingadviceandresearchonnewproductsandtechniquesformanagingsportsturf,notjustforgolf,butforalltypesofsportssurfacesandamenitygrassareas.

STRIhasestablishedareputationastheworld’sleadingauthorityforgolfclubsthrougheightyyearsofextensiveresearchonthedesign,constructionandmaintenanceofgolfgreensandcourses.

Toproducegoodqualitygolfcoursesandgreensrequiresexpertisecombinedwithknowledgeofthelatestproductsandmachineryandbestpracticetechniquesthatshouldbeusedacrossthedifferentareasofagolfcourse.

WorkingcloselywiththeCourseManager,theyprovidepracticalandrelevantadviceonallaspectsofcoursemaintenanceincluding;Surfacehardness/softness-pests-weedsanddiseases(testedatSTRI’slabs)-soilandrootzoneissues–grassspeciescompositionandpoorgrasscover-drainageandirrigationissues.

SportsTurfResearchInstitute


9

STRIAgronomyConsultantConorNolanpaidthesecondoftwoannualvisitstotheClubrecently.

Hisroleinvolvesacomprehensiveassessmentofthecourseandgreens,supportedbyadetailedreportonhisfindingswithrecommendationsonmaintenanceandimprovingquality.

ThevisitconsistsofameetingwiththeCourseManager,TheDirectorofGolfandarepresentativeoftheLinksCommitteefollowedbyawalkofthecourse.

ItemsdiscussedwithConorincludedare-schedulingoftheAutumnvisitorperhapsanextravisittoallowhimviewthecourseduringthepeakgolfseason.

CourseManagerMarkwasalsointerestedinanewlydevelopedservicethatmeasuresthequalityandperformanceofgreensbytakingacomprehensivesetofmeasurementsacrosseachgreentoanalysespeed,trueness,smoothness,firmness,moisturelevelsandsoilanalysisandidentifythecorrelationbetweenthese.

Thisservicewouldhelpustofullyunderstandthequalityofourgreensallowingustotracktheprogressandimprovementsinplayingquality.

CONORNOLANjoinedtheSTRI'sAdvisoryandConsultancyTeaminJune2001asTurfgrassAgronomistforIrelandandisoneofthegolfspecialistsamongsttheteam.HehasofferedadvicetoawidearrayofsurfacetypesandoperationsamongstwhicharesomeofIrelandsleadinglinksdestinations.

RecentlyNorthernEuropehasbeenaddedtohisareaofgolfcoursecoverage,aregionheiskeentobringhisknowledge/expertisetohavingenjoyedmanyformativeyearstherepriortojoiningtheSTRI.InEuropehepredominantlyworkedintheareaofgolfcoursedesign,construction,grow-insandregularmaintenanceinawidearrayofcountries;Austria,Slovenia,Switzerland,HungaryandtheUnitedArabEmirates.

Healsotooktimeawayfromprojectworktogainhands-onexperienceofoldannualmeadowgrass/creepingbentgreensmanagementinthedemandingNewYorkmetropolitanregion.

Hehasaspecialinterestintheaestheticandecologicaldevelopmentofsitesarisingoutofhistimespentason-sitedesignerworkingunderthestrictenvironmentalrequirementsoftheAustrianandSwissauthorities.

CoursevisitOctober15th


10

ItwasformallyannouncedlastweekthatRoyalPortrushGolfClub,regardedasoneofthefinestlinkscoursesintheworld,willhostNorthernIreland'sfirstOpenChampionshipsince1951.

ItseemslikeagoodtimetocatchupwiththeverypopularformerCountySligoGCCourseManager,GraemeBeatt.IndeedGraemestillkeepsinregularcontactwithhissuccessoratRossesPoint,MarkMillar.TheybothworkedtogetherforanumberofyearsatCastleDargan.

SituatedontheruggedAtlanticcoast,Portrushprovidessomethingofagreenkeepingchallenge,butonethatGraemeismorethanadequatelyqualifiedfor.

BackinDecember,thelongstandingcoursemanager,JoeFindlay,retiredaftertwenty-sixyearswiththeclub.HewasreplacedbyGraemewhooriginallyhailsfromStAndrews.Hetookupthereignsattheendoflastyearfollowinganimpressivecareeratothervenues.

"Ijoinedthegreenkeepingstaffatmyhomeclub,ScotscraigGolfClub,in1995andwentontoworkatKingsbarnsfrom2000until2006,withaspellatRoyalMelbourneinthistime.HemovedtoIrelandin2006toworkattheCastleDarganGolfCourseandstayedasCourseManageruntil2011.“IthenreallyenjoyedworkingasCourseManageratCountySligoGC,RossesPointfrom2011until2014."

Heisresponsibleforthegolfcoursebudget,butreportstotheclubsecretaryonamonthlybasisandwhenevernecessaryforanythingoutoftheordinary.

OthermembersofGraeme’steamincludeAlexMcCook,theDeputyCourseManager,whohasbeenwiththeclubfortwenty-sevenyears,andChrisCalvin,theirrigationtechnicianwhohasenjoyedtwenty-twoyearsservice.

Thecourseemploysitsownmechanic,StevenWalker,whohasbeenwiththeclubforthirtyyears.

Graemeadded:"WeusetheSTRIforecologyandagronomyservicesandareintooursecondseasonofafiveyearecologyplan.Therearefiveseasonalstafffordivotingandbunkerrakingandwewilladdmorewhenneeded."

Continued>

‘Ireallyenjoyedworking

atCountySligo’

GRAEMEBEATT


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TheDunluceLinksatRoyalPortrushGolfClubranksamongsttheworld'sgreatestcourses.

Unimaginableroughandtestinggreens,combinedwiththeunpredictableweatheroftheroaringNorthAtlanticmakethiscourseanadmirabletestforeventhemostseasonedgolfaficionado.

AnotherlinkbetweenRossesPointandRoyalPortrushisthatthedesignofbothcourseswasmasteredbyoneofgolf'sgreatestcoursearchitects,HarryColt.Heusedthenaturalcontoursanddunesofthelinkslandatbothlocationsto

createalegacythatattractsgolfersfromallacrosstheglobe.

Portrush&CountySligoarebothColtdesignedcourses

The6,867yardDunlucecourse,whichhasbeenextendedtojustunder7,200yards,isroutedthroughruggedlinksland,andconstantlychangesinbothdirectionandelevation,whilstallthetimeprovidingsomeofthemostawe-inspiringscenerytobefoundinIreland.


Editor:VincentMcGee

TheCountySligoGolfClub2015©

TheviewsexpressedincontributedarticlesarenotnecessarilytheviewsoftheeditorofthispublicationorCoSligoGolfClub.Editorialcontentand

photographscannotbereproducedwithoutpriorpermissionfromtheeditor.

HOWTOREPAIRAPITCHMARK

CSGC Links News October 2015

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Transcript of CSGC Links News October 2015