Update on course works
Fencing, boundaries, drainage, tees and aeration
*Fencing and Bounds*
You may have noticed the fencing work in progress between our Nature Reserve and the golf course. This is to allow Dexter cattle to roam on the fens during dryer months as part of our conservation grazing strategy being delivered through Freshwater Habitats Trust which owns the herd. One of the stretches of fencing runs to the left side of the 6th hole and round behind the 3rd green. Any balls leaving the golf course are out of bounds by definition, but the fence now gives us the need and opportunity to clarify that any ball coming to rest on the other side of the fence is out of bounds. We will shortly make this clearer with white-painted fence posts and a sign. It has a barb wire at the top and we would not recommend trying to climb over it anyway!
The eagle-eyed will have seen a 40m stretch of the fence running closer to the 6th fairway than the rest of the fence line. This is to go around a long-standing badger set and this is the closest we could come to it without creating disturbance. 30m is recommended, but along with our nature partners we are comfortable with the 15m we are allowing (particularly as 30m would have put the fence on the fairway!). One advantage we have already noticed is that the daily badger damage around the 3rd and 6th greens has stopped for now. We don’t expect this to be long-term, but it should certainly help. All this increases time available for more value-adding tasks.
*Drainage*
Our drainage works are aimed at improving the ground conditions in areas that have historically been wet for long periods during winter. When it pours with rain at an abnormal rate over a few hours there is normally an adverse impact for a couple of hours after it stops. We are not trying to alleviate this temporary waterlogging and flooding although some of the works may help to reduce it. Aeration and top-dressing greens and fairways improves percolation too and it is all part of our capacity to improve playing surfaces out of season. Localised standing water on greens after an intense rain event is often handled with squeegees, but this is not used until it stops raining.
9th Hole:
We have yet to complete the drain down the 9th fairway which will become a piped French drain down to the exist into the swale. It will be topped with soil and turf so will be a playable surface all the way down. The “groove” running down the slope will be removed to reduce the risk of twisted ankles and damaged machinery or buggies. Work to complete the ditch will continue as soon as possible, but the materials are all in. Some of the levels in the swale will be adjusted to avoid ponding of water, but this may be adjusted in the slightly dryer conditions of spring.
The positive news is that the drain is having a positive impact already and it is noticeable how the fairway to the left of the ditch is much firmer and that there is a marked worsening of ground conditions immediately above the top of the ditch. It may be that further branches become necessary, but if they do we know we will have a viable main drain to connect them into.
Note that in heavy downpours we will still get surface runoff which will run across the fairway and flow down the left side. The drain is not to deal with surface runoff but to handle the sub-surface flow particularly from the mounding on the right side which has been responsible for keeping the fairway wet on the first 150m every winter.
3rd Hole:
The wet area on the right of the final stretch of fairway of the 3rd hole has become increasingly wet, so work has started to manually dig drainage ditches in the GUR area. This will be extended along that edge of the lake by hand-digging trenches. This may also allow access for machinery to speed up the process as it dries out, and ultimately the trenches will be finished as piped French drains. Drainage work requires continuous learning as we try to understand the effect of each ditch before confirming the next step. Sadly, nature does not come with a user manual!
Other areas:
The 12th approach and 13th carry are also high on the priority list as well as the 8th approach, but with a limited resource we are trying not to be working on too many things at the same time.
*White Tees*
We left the white tee markers out for longer than normal this year to reduce wear on the yellow tees taking advantage of the drier conditions. Whilst the water-table is still quite low, we are now bringing them in to avoid any confusion for men playing in competitions which will now only be off the yellows until the white markers return. Some holes will have winter tee frames to protect the grass.
*Fairway Aeration*
With the addition of a larger tractor to our fleet, we will now be able to aerate the fairways using solid tines to reduce compaction and introduce more oxygen to the rootzone of the turf. This should have the benefit of improving surface percolation and improve ground conditions directly. It will also result in a thicker sward of grass over time and further improve the playing surface.
You may have noticed the fencing work in progress between our Nature Reserve and the golf course. This is to allow Dexter cattle to roam on the fens during dryer months as part of our conservation grazing strategy being delivered through Freshwater Habitats Trust which owns the herd. One of the stretches of fencing runs to the left side of the 6th hole and round behind the 3rd green. Any balls leaving the golf course are out of bounds by definition, but the fence now gives us the need and opportunity to clarify that any ball coming to rest on the other side of the fence is out of bounds. We will shortly make this clearer with white-painted fence posts and a sign. It has a barb wire at the top and we would not recommend trying to climb over it anyway!
The eagle-eyed will have seen a 40m stretch of the fence running closer to the 6th fairway than the rest of the fence line. This is to go around a long-standing badger set and this is the closest we could come to it without creating disturbance. 30m is recommended, but along with our nature partners we are comfortable with the 15m we are allowing (particularly as 30m would have put the fence on the fairway!). One advantage we have already noticed is that the daily badger damage around the 3rd and 6th greens has stopped for now. We don’t expect this to be long-term, but it should certainly help. All this increases time available for more value-adding tasks.
*Drainage*
Our drainage works are aimed at improving the ground conditions in areas that have historically been wet for long periods during winter. When it pours with rain at an abnormal rate over a few hours there is normally an adverse impact for a couple of hours after it stops. We are not trying to alleviate this temporary waterlogging and flooding although some of the works may help to reduce it. Aeration and top-dressing greens and fairways improves percolation too and it is all part of our capacity to improve playing surfaces out of season. Localised standing water on greens after an intense rain event is often handled with squeegees, but this is not used until it stops raining.
9th Hole:
We have yet to complete the drain down the 9th fairway which will become a piped French drain down to the exist into the swale. It will be topped with soil and turf so will be a playable surface all the way down. The “groove” running down the slope will be removed to reduce the risk of twisted ankles and damaged machinery or buggies. Work to complete the ditch will continue as soon as possible, but the materials are all in. Some of the levels in the swale will be adjusted to avoid ponding of water, but this may be adjusted in the slightly dryer conditions of spring.
The positive news is that the drain is having a positive impact already and it is noticeable how the fairway to the left of the ditch is much firmer and that there is a marked worsening of ground conditions immediately above the top of the ditch. It may be that further branches become necessary, but if they do we know we will have a viable main drain to connect them into.
Note that in heavy downpours we will still get surface runoff which will run across the fairway and flow down the left side. The drain is not to deal with surface runoff but to handle the sub-surface flow particularly from the mounding on the right side which has been responsible for keeping the fairway wet on the first 150m every winter.
3rd Hole:
The wet area on the right of the final stretch of fairway of the 3rd hole has become increasingly wet, so work has started to manually dig drainage ditches in the GUR area. This will be extended along that edge of the lake by hand-digging trenches. This may also allow access for machinery to speed up the process as it dries out, and ultimately the trenches will be finished as piped French drains. Drainage work requires continuous learning as we try to understand the effect of each ditch before confirming the next step. Sadly, nature does not come with a user manual!
Other areas:
The 12th approach and 13th carry are also high on the priority list as well as the 8th approach, but with a limited resource we are trying not to be working on too many things at the same time.
*White Tees*
We left the white tee markers out for longer than normal this year to reduce wear on the yellow tees taking advantage of the drier conditions. Whilst the water-table is still quite low, we are now bringing them in to avoid any confusion for men playing in competitions which will now only be off the yellows until the white markers return. Some holes will have winter tee frames to protect the grass.
*Fairway Aeration*
With the addition of a larger tractor to our fleet, we will now be able to aerate the fairways using solid tines to reduce compaction and introduce more oxygen to the rootzone of the turf. This should have the benefit of improving surface percolation and improve ground conditions directly. It will also result in a thicker sward of grass over time and further improve the playing surface.