Its that time of year when we have to start controlling golf traffic around the course especially around the concentrated wear areas . To help protect these areas we dress with sharp sand to help firm the surfaces. It is a great help if golfers would keep there golf carts and when in use buggies on the paths around greens and tees as this prevents marking up the grass  into wet muddy areas. We are aiming to keep the course clean and mud free through the winter months so that by March-April time we can set up and be ready for maintaining and preparing  the course from a better position.

                                      These trolley lines wouldn't be there if the path was used

 As the weather allows we have continued with our aeration program  by solid tining the greens and slit tining fairways

We have cut down the hedge height on the 3rd Hawk as it was unmanageable  but as it is Hawthorn and Blackthorn it will grow back  and its now at a height that we can manage

As we are now into the autumn months our management of the fine turf areas is to prepare the surfaces to with stand the winter months when growth eventually slows down, and recovery from any damage either from disease or golf traffic is slow
The fairways were sprayed with soluble fertiliser, the tees had a slow release granular fertilise applied, and the green also had a granular feed. The  fertilisers used are low in nitrogen as lush growth is not required this time of year, but the potash and phosphates will in courage root development and harden up the plants .

Our Aeration programme continues with the greens and teetops being solid tined as well as slit tined

                                            Geoff Turner slit tining the 8th green Hawk

October is an ideal time to plant bulbs for the spring and this year we have added to those already planted previously with 1500 daffodil bulbs,500 crocus and 100 alliums planted around the clubhouse area.

                                        Sam Cooke planting Daffodils near the Putting green

 

We have been receiving free wood chip from a local arborist which has been used around the flower beds near the clubhouse, This acts as a weed suppressant ,soil improver and aids moisture  retention

 

October has proved to be a wet month especially the week 6th to 18th when we had 100mm of rain but the course is holding up well apart from some bunkers which are slow to drain.

 

There are those who are unaware that golf buggies should not be driven into bunkers

 

  This time of year autumn mists can often  change the views across the course

 

As the autumn months approach  we have now started to increase our aeration programme ,with 2 passes of slit tining and a single pass of solid tining  on the greens completed so far and a  pass on the fairways completed . This will continue as long as the weather conditions are favourable. It is hoped to solid tine the tees and aprons as well.

An end of season spray on the roughs using up our last supply of selective weed control will help to keep these areas cleaner when we reach spring.

The greens have been sprayed with a fungicide due to an out break of fusarium disease and with an application of soluble feed the scaring has grown out.

There was some damage to certain greens with a hydraulic oil leak from the greens mower  but the steady growth from the feed has allowed this to quickly grow out .

The fairways have all been sprayed with a combination of soluble fertilisers to encourage recovery of the turf going into the winter months.

I can now add to my CV  course presentation  of the Ryder cup achieved at very short notice when we hosted the Football Golf Ryder Cup shown on Sky TV.With Brad Freidal representing America and Jimmy Bullard representing England. America the winning team.

Brad Freidal and Jimmy Bullard

 

Sky Tv filming at South Essex on the Vixen

 

The weather this week has been dry with chill mornings and sunny spells during the day and it has provided good conditions for us to cut and collect the environmental rough.We have very wide fairways and cut rough, to accommodate the standard of golfer playing a pay and play golf course.
The environmental rough though out of direct line of play except for the very wayward golf shot provides good definition  to the holes as well as providing a very valuable habitat for small mammals,insects and birds.Its in this rough you are likely to see the pheasants,hares and  other small animals.
It is important that this management programme is carried out annually,by cutting and collecting we are removing nutrients held in the grass leaves,and this will help reduce the vigour of the plant.
By annually cutting these areas we prevent the natural ingress of coarse weeds and scrub which would quickly colonise in these areas and reduce the grass land.This natural process can be seen in different areas around the course where we have allowed the natural change of grass to scrub land, and this will further progess in time from scrubland to woodland.An example can be seen between the 5th and 6th holes of the Hawk course which was at one time all grassland but this is now changing as we allow scrub to develop and seperated the view between the 2 holes .
As part of our management programme we use selective herbicides on those areas were course weeds start to dominant especially creeping thistle and bristle ox tongue to keep the enviro rough clean and  aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
We will be using a product in certain areas called Rescue which helps to control and remove certain coarse species of grass and this will help us to produce a finer grass sward.which will be less vigorous in growth and easier to find balls in. This is an on going year by year programme which is now showing signs of improvement in the environmental rough .

                                                    6th heron before cutting and collecting

                                                  6th heron after cutting and collecting

                                                      cut and collecting in front of the 5th tee

This week we have hollow cored all the greens with mini tines in a close pattern to remove thatch from the soil profile.This will aid water and nutrient intake, improve root growth, relieve compaction and stimulate the soil micro organisms.The conditions to undertake this work were ideal,with the soil moist  but the surface dry  allowing good core removal,with little turf disturbance and a dry surface making core collection easier.The operation took four staff,one driving the tractor and aercore machine,three core collecting into gators and then mowing the green  twice to put the green back into play

                                           All finished and greens in play after nearly 2 days

The greens were recently solid tined  and then we sprayed them with a wetting agent to aid water penetration into the root zone and seaweed  was added to aid root growth. This was followed by a good drop  of rain to wash it all in to the soil profile.A few days later we applied a growth control  mixed with some fertiliser to keep  the growth  even.The tees have also been sprayed with a similar cocktail of products.Weed control has been mainly carried out with our knapsack sprayer to spot treat isolated weed areas around the surrounds of greens and tees as well as fairways and roughs.
The sprayer is an essential part of our equipment  in managing the turf areas with a variety of products all year round.

                                                    solid tining the 8th green Hawk

We have been registered with Operation Pollinator since late 2012.After the first full growing season of 2013 very little was seen in the way of wildflowers in the sown area between the 5th and 6th of the Heron and I was disappointed with the results.I put this down to the cold winter of 2012 and the wet 2013.However 2014 has proved me wrong  with a much improved showing especially the wild carrot,red clover and vetch.These are native perennials which are all good for pollinating insects.
   

                                            wild carrot with the 6th tee heron in background

The wildflower areas with there annual mix of species continue to provide a talking point in the carpark and the same mix was used near the 9th green Heron

                                                                wildflowers 9th Heron
Recently Sean my Deputy was very concerned about the health of the fish in the pond by the clubhouse (as this is very much his passion and hobby) so with his contacts specialist anglers came to remove some of them to another lake.

Fishing the Pond

Following our weed control spraying programme this is followed up by spot treating areas missed or new weeds growing in.A blue dye is added to the mix to aid visibility so the operator can see where the chemical has been applied.This keeps the playing areas clean and well presented.

                                            spot weed treatment 2nd fairway Hawk

 Summer is now in full swing with plenty of sport to watch,world cup football in Brazil, tennis at wimbledon, or playing golf or football golf at South Essex.We started to copy wimbledon  on one of greens as it looked very much as if we had lined it out for tennis very badly but we were adding sand to smooth out the burnt hydraulic oil lines and aid the recovery of the green, the sand was then luted in to smooth out the surface and the green has now nearly all recovered.

We know we've had a busy weekend by how much litter is in the bins around the course .

bin 6th Vixen tee

Work has begun on the renovating the path that was washed out and uneven from the 7th green to the 8th green on the Hawk course, road planings were added and wacker plated in to create a more even surface for traffic.

The wildflower area on the carpark banking is now in full flower and providing colour as well as nectar to insects

The money donated by the senior section for a hive of bees in October has now been delivered and are on site  busy setting up there hive.

I always find it  exciting to see wildlife on the course especially something I don't see often, and  a week ago I saw a grass snake sliding across the 6th vixen fairway just after a group of golfers walked passed towards the green.