August 2022 Course Blog
Welcome to our latest course blog. Well, what a hot and dry summer we have had so far, with reports of this year being the driest for 50 years, ironically the year the golf course opened back in 1972. As we write this blog, some much awaited rain is falling along with slightly cooler conditions which will certainly assist the course over the coming weeks. In this blog, we will update you on general course conditions and an exciting project that we have lined up due to start in September.
Greens
The lack of rainfall has certainly put our greens under a high level of stress. Our irrigation system has relied heavily on ensuring our putting surfaces and tees have received an overnight watering programme. Generally, irrigation is used as a tool to supplement rainfall, but these last couple of months just simply haven’t allowed this. The next planned work for the greens will be to spike all surfaces to relieve compaction and get some much needed air into the soil profile. We will look to do this over the coming weeks and will then follow with a spray application to provide a feed to aid recovery. Our greens are generally very receptive to maintenance, so we look forward to the results of this process. The spiking of the greens isn’t a disruptive process, and as always, we will communicate when we plan to carry out this work.
Fairways / Rough
The cutting of our fairways and rough have reduced significantly. The extreme heat generally sends the grass into survival mode, so the need to cut decreases. Having said this, certain areas of the course have continued to grow, and the team have attended to these areas on an as and when basis. The stripes on our fairways are well and truly burnt in and retain the definition that we all like to see. Below is the 13th hole highlighting the effects of the hot weather. This picture was four weeks apart, mid June to mid July.
Tees
The tee areas have certainly been put to the test over the past few weeks with the high temperatures along with the high level of footfall. The team will continue to move the markers and divot mix areas to aid and assist with recovery. These areas will quickly recover on the back of some rainfall and cooler conditions. From a maintenance view, we will look to spike or hollow core the tees later in the season before we move to winter mats. This will allow them to regenerate over the colder months. In addition to this, we plan to level and re-turf more tee areas forming part of our winter project work which we will communicate with you all over the coming months.
Bunkers
With increased staffing levels, the team have made sure that raking has become much more frequent. We still see many golfers simply hitting their shots and just leaving the bunkers without raking them. If everyone could take a couple of minutes to rake after themselves, it would certainly assist. We still have stock of bunker sand in our compound and will continue to top up sand levels where required. A majority of this sand will be transported to hole 12a over the next week, where we will completely refresh the bunker areas.
Projects
As mentioned above, we have an exciting project lined up for September. With favourable ground conditions and historical issues with holes closing over the winter period, we will be attending to some drainage works throughout the month of September. Investment here will include clearing and deepening of ditches in need and exposing existing drainage outlets. We will then assess these areas and look to clear existing drainage piping on both the front and back nine. This will be a process of jetting and rodding to clear the pipework.
Following this, we will look to spike and aerate areas directly on top of the drainage channels to encourage the intake of water that may have previously just sat in the top layer of the soil. These exploratory works will cause little disruption, and we hope they will have a positive effect over the forthcoming winter. We’ll show our progress on our social media pages, so please keep an eye on these.
Other
Loyaltee™ Open – Keep an eye on your inbox over the coming weeks for our Loyalty Open event. A fun event open to all, which will be supported by Callaway Golf. Make sure you get your entry in early to avoid disappointment! The date is yet to be confirmed but will be towards the end of September.
Portsmouth Open – Congratulations to all of the winners of the recent Portsmouth Open, which was held last week. Over 300 rounds were played in very testing conditions over a five day period. Feedback was very positive and strengthened the future of the event in years to come. Also, don’t forget the Rowans Hospice Charity Day this Saturday, 27th of August. Thus far, an awesome sum of just over £97,000 has been raised since the first event. Can £100,000 be reached? More information on the event can be found HERE
As always, a very warm welcome to those who have recently joined us as Loyaltee 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.
Thanks for taking the time to read our latest blog; we look forward to updating you next time.
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