Date Posted: 10th November 2020
As I write this I am looking forward to the Masters. Most golfers would be dusting the clubs in anticipation of summer golf at this time. However, 2020 has been a strange year in many ways, not just for golf.
The year started with both January and February being washed out. The course was closed on numerous occasions, not for frost as per normal, but for excessive rain making it unplayable. And when the rain stopped Covid arrived resulting in no golf for several months. We finally started playing in June. In fact, there were more rounds of golf played per week during the summer than ever before.
It seems a long time ago but the works on the 5th/14th were completed and opened for play just before the first lockdown. This has improved the consistency of the bunkers, allowed for wider traffic areas, and has, I feel improved the appearance of these two greens.
The large trees to the right of the sixth green were removed earlier in the year. These trees were beginning to encroach onto the green and as they were not needed to protect a tee or separate holes, removing them was felt to be the best option. It will take a little while for the grass to fill in here but will in time.
Also, on the sixth we allowed the rough to grow across the front of the green and changed the course of the fairway up to the right at 100 yards from the green. The idea here was if one is not able to reach the green in two shots you should play up to this area where the ground is flat and gives a nice approach to the green.
We crowned the trees left and right of the 7th green. This has enabled us to get grass to grow between the bunker and the tee on the left and remove the unsightly green mat that was there. Please obey the ropes as it is still a challenge keeping grass here and needs to be roped off to traffic on occasions.
This year was the first time we used a product called ‘Purity’ on our fairways to reduce worm casting. Casting increases as the ground softens due to increased moisture while it is still warm. This product is a natural by-product of a Tea Tree Oil production and is not a poison, though is an irritant to the casting worms resulting in them exiting the ground. This reduces the population of casting worms and allows the fairways to be summer playable for longer. It had the added benefit of releasing carbon and nutrients that are trapped in the soil which gave a boost to the grass plant allowing for good growth at a time when growth reduces. We had tested this product on our tees and although we knew there would be worms on the ground after it is applied, we were surprised at how effective it was on the fairways. This may have been due to an excessive high worm population due to exponential growth over the last few years when we had no applications occurred.
Over the last number of years, we did hollow coring and scarifying of our greens in early January. However, as the course is closed, we brought this forward and completed the works last week. Hopefully, with favourable weather, they will recover quickly and will be in good shape when golf is permitted again in these Covid times.
Our fairway mower is nearing its life end. The purchase of a new mower has been approved and will be delivered soon.
It took a while (due to supply difficulties), but we now have plenty of sandbags so there is no excuse to not have one during your round. Please pick one up from the Pro shop (€5 deposit) when golf returns. Please leave the course as you would like to find it-repair your divots, fix your pitch marks and when we are allowed again rake the bunker.
Finally, I want to congratulate Michael Browne and his team for their dedication in constantly presenting the course in excellent condition, allowing us to enjoy the surroundings even if the golf is not up to standard.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the course soon
Paddy May
Course Convenor
