Thursday night roll up is back, new menu launch, course updates and more…
Welcome to our latest course blog. We hope everyone had a great Easter in April and enjoyed the Masters’ coverage which saw Jon Rahm secure his first green jacket. After four putting his first hole we saw an incredible performance throughout the four days in another brilliant major tournament.
This update sees us sandwiched in between two bank holidays, Mayday and the celebration of the King’s Coronation. At the golf course it’s been a testing start to 2023 with the weather but we now seem to see a little more stabilisation as we move into May. Opening the golf course fully in February with buggies in use seems a distant memory. Since then we had the wettest March in 40 years and April hasn’t been that much better either. Every 24 to 72 hour dry spell seemed to be sandwiched in between heavy rain that just kept setting us back. These conditions have set us back a little so it’s a busy period ahead playing catch up to get the course where we want it to be.
We have now returned to the full course with 18 holes in play. The transpiration rate is hopefully now in our favour where we see the ground conditions dry at a quicker rate opposed to remaining wet. With the course fully open and better weather ahead, we look forward to being busy and getting our fleet of machines back out for frequent use.
Greens
Over the coming weeks, we will see a lot of change to our putting surfaces as we see a surge in growth and associated recovery. Similar to last year the colder weather has stayed around longer which delays this process. The greens are now going through a stage where different grass species are growing at different rates as temperatures start to climb. This can make them a little bumpy but the incoming warmer weather will align this growth rate and bring with it more consistency to the surfaces. We have just applied a granular fertiliser which acts as a feed to give them a kick start before the warmer weather officially arrives and will follow this up with a spray application to supplement this. We have also lowered the height of our greens mower and reattached groomers that assist with a finer, truer cut. The frequency of cut increases significantly now as we step into May and the summer months. Away from the course, we will shortly prime our irrigation system in preparation for use.
Fairways / Rough
Our efforts of late have been getting the out of play fairways and rough cut following the reopening of the golf course. The frustration here was even though the holes were drying we had to wait for them to be suitable to take the weight of a heavy machine. We will now move back into a routine of weekly cutting of all areas.
As with previous years, we see an influx of daisies around this time of year. We will attend to these in May when the temperatures are more suitable for a spray application. This application will remove these along with other weeds.
As mentioned, over the following weeks we will see ourselves move back into our routines ensuring all areas of the course are cut on a frequent basis. Our striped fairways will return before we know it!
Tees
The grass tees are now back in play after being rested over the winter period. The tee areas are in much better condition although some require some intensive soil and seeding to encourage grass growth. Tee areas that have struggled to recover more so than others may require a hollow core to break down compaction. We will monitor this and core if deemed necessary in the month of May. To assist with ongoing tee recovery in 2023 we will shortly be taking a large delivery of divot mix that we will apply to the tee areas, especially on par 3 holes on a frequent basis.
We have also stripped off the turf on the 2nd and 4th hole medal tee, levelled and laid fresh turf to improve these two areas. The areas will remain roped off to allow the turf to bed in and mature. Once we are happy with this we will open for use.
Notables
- Over the winter period we have added more bins and ball washers that were requested frequently in 2022. There are only a few holes without bins now so a bin should always be close by if required.
- Bunkers will be strimmed and treated for any stubborn weeds that appear. We will also take a delivery of sand and refresh the bunkers in need. Fresh rakes have been ordered to supplement what we have ensuring that all bunkers have one for golfers to tidy up after themselves.
- New hole cups, flag sticks and flags have been put out by the team. We do have embroidered flags due that are a little late from our supplier. These will be put out once we receive them.
- Our fleet of electric buggies are now back in action and ready for hire. These can be added to your online booking if required.
- Our bar area is in its final stage of decoration. Over the past 4 weeks we have freshened up painted areas and have modernised the bar section of the bar. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate everyone’s patience.
Other
MEMBERSHIP 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. We pride ourselves on being friendly and inclusive so if you’re slightly hesitant about membership, there really is no need. 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.
9 HOLE THURSDAY NIGHT GOLF The popular Thursday night roll up has restarted with a good turn out over the first few of weeks. 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 food, drink 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.
NEW MENU Our new menu is now live and being well received. It’s a huge improvement on our previous offering with more variety across a breakfast, lunch and snack range. The Pizza’s in particular have been very popular. The kitchen is open 8am – 4pm and is open to all, there’s no need to be a member. Relax, unwind and enjoy the views!
Thanks for taking the time to read our latest blog, we look forward to seeing you out on the fairways.