Welcome to our latest course blog, we hope you all had an enjoyable Easter period and managed, at some point, to get the clubs out and enjoy the glorious sunshine.  Since our last report we’ve certainly had glimpses of warmer weather which we will welcome more of with open arms over the coming months.  

To supplement the Easter weekend we also had The Masters event to enjoy the week before which didn’t disappoint.  The return of Tiger and Rory’s surge on Sunday was pretty awesome ! Thanks to all of you that entered our Masters sweepstake and well done to those who picked out Scottie Scheffler.  We look forward to hosting the winner for their VIP fourball who we have notified and engaged with.  

The start of the month saw us return to 18 holes which was well received by everyone.  The month of March was frustrating for us as the first half of the month was very wet which delayed the reopening somewhat.  Since the start of April we’ve had some great feedback on the golf course and look forward to the course improving further still as we see the benefits of the warmer weather over the coming weeks.  Below you will find an update on various areas of the golf course so please do read on.      

Greens 

Following on from our last blog we are now in a phase of recovery from the recent verti drain spiking and deep scarification.  It’s always a frustrating time of year for golf course operators as we seem to disrupt the playing surface with lines, holes and sand as what most see as the start of the golfing season.  Why carry out maintenance now some think ? It’s an area where we could write a huge essay and still not cover everything relating to maintenance but in a nutshell it’s required for better greens in the months ahead and beyond.  Any golf course that doesn’t carry out maintenance on their greens will certainly encounter issues further down the line.  Although a bit bobbly and sandy right now we are in a good position for the season ahead.  The weather has certainly improved of late but it’s still cooler with frosts still present as recent as this week.  The real recovery will come over the next few weeks as we see temperatures rise and recovery rates increase.  To supplement the recent maintenance all greens will receive a granular feed and a wetting agent spray application to support the process.  We have also primed the irrigation system and have started to introduce a morning cycle to support us through this dry spell and wash the remaining sand into the putting surfaces.   

Fairways / Rough

Our cutting routines are now more frequent as we start to see growth rates increase.  You’ll notice that the grass in certain areas looks a little clumpy where different species are growing at different rates.  When the warmer temperatures consistently arrive this will become more uniform and consistent.  We’ll shortly be introducing the stripes back to our fairways and also apply a blanket spray application to remove weeds from our fairways and other playing areas.  We will look to carry out the application in the first half of May where we will get maximum effect from the product being used.  Our new extended rough deck has been busy and will continue to do an excellent job for us in keeping this area of the course tidy and at a consistent height.    

Tees

The teeing areas are all off grass now except holes 6,7,8 and 18 where we have projects yet to complete or are simply encouraging recovery.   You will have noticed on these holes that we have built temporary tees housing a mat for you all to play off.  These have gone down well and can serve as a solution over the winter months if these holes are to remain in play.  

The tee area on the 7th will shortly receive its first cut following the laying of fresh turf.  The project on the 8th tee will be returned to this week with a further rotavation of the soil and a plan to have the new turf down by the end of the month.  We still plan to have all tees off grass for the 50th Anniversary event scheduled for mid May.  

We’ll also be taking a delivery of divot mix in May and commence regular divoting of the tee areas, especially par 3 holes.  

Bunkers

We’ll be taking a further delivery of bunker sand in May which will go out to bunkers in need.  We also plan to repair the edge and bank of the bunker to the left of the 11th green and the same to the one to the right of the 13th.  These projects will be attended to once we have other higher priority jobs completed.   

Projects 

Some of our winter projects have taken a backseat whilst we prioritised the opening of the full course in early April.  Our efforts have been focused on course presentation and reintroducing our mowing routines.  A list of projects can be seen below of what we are yet to complete. 

8th Tee – As mentioned above we will look to revisit this project over the next two weeks.  This area will be levelled and fully re-turfed.   

Directional Signage – We’ve had all the signage delivered and will look to take this out onto the course in due course.  This will help those playing the course for the first time or those that aren’t particularly familiar with the layout.  

Hole 12a – We will reintroduce this as a practice facility for the summer and continue to use it as a par 3 throughout the winter. 

Bunkers – Again as mentioned above some tidying of edges and damage generally caused by burrowing animals.  

Path between 8th green / 9th tee – We will look to improve this area underfoot and bring in some suitable materials.  

Other 

A warm welcome to those who have recently joined us as members.  Our membership options are very flexible and offer great value if you’re a regular golfer.  Take a look at our membership options HERE.  For those wishing to play competitions and gain a handicap in addition to playing the golf course please visit the website of our friendly resident golf club www.portsmouthgc.com .  As always we are always here to answer any questions and provide support.  If you need assistance simply call us on 02392 372210.  

Our new electric buggy fleet has now arrived and are being put to good use.  These buggies are super quiet, brand new and available to book online as a tee time service.  These have been a great addition to the golf course and a huge improvement on our previous fleet.           

9 HOLE THURSDAY NIGHT GOLF – The popular Thursday night roll up restarted last week with a good turn out.  If you’re up for a fun 9 holes playing a different format each week then pop up.  The evening is opening to members and non members (£10 9 hole green fee).  The bar is open until 10pm for a refreshment and get together after.  Meet in the bar from 5.30pm.  If you’re interested in playing please call us on 02392 372210 and we can provide any answers to questions. 

Thanks for taking the time to read our latest blog, we look forward to updating you next time.  

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Team Portsmouth