Course Notes - 17.03.26

🌿 COURSE NOTES

🗓 17th March 2026

✍ From Tom, Course Manager

🌧️ Course Conditions

February marked the fourth consecutive month of particularly wet weather, with 162mm of rainfall recorded. To put this into context, we have seen as much rain in January and February this year as we did in the first six months of last year.

Encouragingly, recent conditions have been much drier. Ground temperatures are now rising and growth has begun to respond accordingly. As we move into Spring, we have been able to resume more regular maintenance and mowing operations across the course and lift trolley restrictions. 

⛳ Greens Update

The greens have recently received an application of granular fertiliser, resulting in a noticeable improvement in colour and, more importantly, supporting plant health. This will aid early-season growth and encourage stronger root development.

Weather permitting, we plan to carry out our Spring Greens Maintenance next week. As outlined previously, this will include targeted aeration, overseeding, topdressing and additional nutritional inputs to support recovery and performance heading into the main playing season.

🌳 Tree & Hedge Work

We recently hired a woodchipper for two days, allowing us to process a significant volume of tree and hedge cuttings accumulated over the winter. The resulting woodchip is being reused on-site for pathways or composted with sand to create rootzone material for future use.

Further clearance work has been completed behind the 4th green (laurel hedging) and near the 8th tee (‘red robin’). While these features have been part of the course for some time, they were no longer suited to their locations. Vegetation close to greens and tees restricts airflow and sunlight, both of which are essential for maintaining healthy turf and reducing disease pressure - particularly in warm, humid conditions.

Additionally, root encroachment from these plants can compete for moisture, which is especially problematic during drier periods.

To retain definition and visual interest, we will introduce subtle mounding in these areas, helping shape the holes while maintaining separation between neighbouring tees.

📝 Next Update: April (alongside our 2025 Course Report)

— TN