Course Notes - 22.08.2026

🌿 COURSE NOTES 

🗓 August 2026 

✍ From Tom, Course Manager

☀️ Course Conditions & Weather

It has been an exceptionally challenging period for golf course maintenance. July brought just 1mm of rainfall at Whitley, making it the driest month in our eight years of rainfall records and reflecting the wider drought conditions experienced across much of England this summer. 

The prolonged hot, dry weather has placed significant stress on all areas of the course. Fairways and rough have understandably browned off, while tees and surrounds have also struggled in the absence of meaningful rainfall. Encouragingly, we finally received our first spell of precipitation this week and are optimistic that, as temperatures begin to ease and rainfall becomes more regular, the course will recover well heading into autumn.

⛳ Greens Update

Our priority throughout the drought has been protecting the greens, and I'd like to say a huge thank you to Sam for his dedication with the morning watering programme. We have managed to keep the greens in the best condition possible during an extremely difficult spell.

We have also faced a frustrating increase in rook damage, particularly where birds have been pecking the greens in search of leatherjacket larvae. Whilst the damage has been unsightly in places, we continue to use deterrents and repair affected areas as quickly as possible.

On a more positive note, we have been able to keep on top of this summer's Dollar Spot outbreak. Any disease scarring, while never welcome, provides an opportunity to introduce fresh sand and high-quality bent grass seed into the sward, helping us continue the long-term improvement of the greens and gradually increase bent grass populations.

🌱 Course Projects

The drought has inevitably delayed some of our improvement projects.

Construction work on the 5th tee and the reseeding work behind the 4th and 7th greens has been paused while conditions have been too dry for successful establishment. Rather than risk wasting seed and irrigation, we have waited for a change in the weather.

With rainfall now arriving and autumn approaching, we plan to resume these projects next week, giving the new turf the best possible opportunity to establish before winter.

🍂 Looking Ahead

As we move towards autumn, our focus will be on helping the course recover from one of the driest summers in recent memory. This will include continued aeration, over-seeding, topdressing and nutrition where required, along with completing several of the tee and landscaping projects that have been on hold during the drought.

Thank you, as always, for your patience and support during what has been a particularly challenging summer for the greenkeeping team.

— TN