Clover killing and bunker work on the course
The last few weeks we have been concentrating on getting the greens and tees in great shape for the summer, with various over seeding work, wetting agent spraying, application of slow release fertiliser and repairs to irrigation. This has made massive inroads to the way the course is playing, particularly on the greens which are looking very healthy and rolling extremely well. Tees are now growing aggressively and looking very lush so we will begin mowing twice a week to keep them looking tidy.
Now our attention turns to finishing the bunker renovations and also topping up a large number of bunkers that need more sand in, at the same time we are spraying a great deal of weedkiller to combat the influx of clover and lesser trefoil on the course.
We often get asked why we suffer so badly with clover in particular, and a big part of the reason is that we’re on ex-farm land, which has had decades of work which has taken out much of the natural nutrients from the soil, meaning that it is very susceptible to weeds spreading quickly.
To get an effective kill on the weeds they need to be in full growth, so that means leaving them for a week or two before spraying, which is what we have had to do, leading to the rough areas in particular looking scruffier than normal for a short time.
We have more than doubled our herbicide budget this year to do our upmost to rectify the issue. In a couple of weeks the weeds will have wilted and the course will be looking much healthier, so we can keep cutting the rough at a shorter height again, it’s unfortunately a process that we’ve had to be patient with in 2018.