Portsmouth Golf Course Latest News
Welcome to our latest newsletter. We now find ourselves rapidly approaching the end of April which will complete our first month of trading since the reopening of golf on March 29th. It’s been a rewarding month seeing members and visitors enjoy the outside space we provide and the mental and physical health benefits that golf brings to us all. There’s been plenty of sunshine throughout April albeit a little chilly, but we mustn’t complain! Periods of warmth are arriving and it won’t be long until we can leave the jumper in the golf bag. As always the safety of our team and customers will be our top priority as restrictions continue to ease. The next step for us as a team will be the reopening of indoor hospitality on May 17th. Since the 12th April golfers have enjoyed the use of our outside terrace which continues to serve hot and cold drinks everyday.
A warm welcome must go to the new members that have joined us in April. We hope you are making the most of your membership and enjoying the golf course. If you have any questions, it doesn’t matter how small they are please call us on 02392 372210 or email portsmouthgolf@glendalegolf.co.uk where we will be only too happy to help. Don’t forget we offer all of our membership online now which can be found HERE. If you have joined recently and want to know more about competitions or gaining a handicap please visit www.portsmouthgc.co.uk. Portsmouth Golf Club has a comprehensive weekly competition schedule where you can test yourself against the course and others. It’s also a great opportunity to meet like minded golfers.
Newsflash!! Thursday Night Golf has just resumed. A fun, informal roll up followed by meeting on the terrace for a well earned drink. Each week a fun competition will be played, it’s a great way to meet others and have a good time. If this sounds of interest please call us on 02392 377210 where we will put you in contact with one of our friendly members. As we follow the road map there will be restrictions in place but it’s still a fun night! The event has been running for years and is always well supported.
Membership Renewals Please note that we will start to send out membership renewals to those who paid their membership in full in 2020. If you receive a renewal invite please read the email as it will explain how we will manage the lockdown period and the effect on your annual fee. Your fee will be reduced accordingly but do wait for the email before asking any questions as we are confident this will answer any potential query.
Onto the golf course….! It’s been a challenging month for the golf course and the greenkeeping team as the prolonged dry cold spell has delayed the recovery we tend to normally see this time of year.
The greens are improving week on week following maintenance in mid March. As temperatures start to rise we will increase the frequency of cutting and begin to lower the height of the cut. This will be a gradual process so that we don’t damage the integrity of the leaf. The greens are still showing scars in areas and imperfections following the scarification process. The team are repairing these areas in need on a regular basis. Once temperatures increase we will see some rapid growth which in itself will aid recovery. In addition to this all greens have received a granular fertiliser and will shortly have a spray application to again encourage recovery and prepare the surfaces for the summer season ahead.
Our fairways, like the greens will now be cut on a more regular basis as growth rates increase. You’ll notice we have a fair amount of daisies on various fairways which tend to show their faces each spring. As with previous years we will apply a blanket spray application to remove these but need to wait until conditions are right. If all goes to plan with the weather we should see this application being used within the next 3-4 weeks.
All teeing areas are now all on the irrigation system following repairs from the team. We are fully aware that some tees look a little worn following the high footfall the course has received. Each tee has had a granular feed to encourage growth and strengthen the leaf. We have also taken a delivery of top dress and seed which will be applied to the tees to repair divots on a regular basis. Again the prolonged dry period hasn’t helped us here and a drop of rain (hopefully overnight) would do us the world of good. Teeing areas on the 6th and 18th hole are currently being costed to potentially re turf. These two tees have really struggled hence keeping areas of them out of play.
Our bunkers were re-edged following reopening by the team to sharpen up their look and improve presentation. We have just taken a 20 tonne delivery of sand which the team are putting out to areas in need. This will improve levels of sand and overall playability. Without rakes we do ask for golfers to smooth out their footprints to the best of their ability. The team will continue to full rake on a weekly basis.
In summary like other courses it seems that nature is a little behind this year. The cold conditions and morning frosts are halting the growing season which we all need. Once the warmth officially arrives the course will really liven up and play at its best.
Thanks for taking the time to read our latest report. Once again we do hope you are enjoying the course again as we follow the road map set by the government.
See you on the fairways,
The team at Portsmouth Golf Course