Easter week delivered 23 mm of rain, with a further 7 mm late last Wednesday. The moisture was much needed; the recent gravel banding was starting to open up as the drying clay shrank, and there is a welcome flush of green across the course. It is definitely warming up, but growth is still far short of summer performance. The joint lines on the new turf on the tees have yet to close over, but that will come. The semi-rough was cut twice this week, helping bring out the definition.

The annual meadow grass seed heads are now quite visible on the fairways and tees, but not so on the greens. That’s due to them being sprayed with Attraxor, a growth regulator which suppresses poa annua seed heads which slows green speed and affects their trueness. The regulator’s primary affect is to cause the side shoots on (some) grass species to grow but not the leaders. The result is the grass sward thickens rather than lengthens.

A new triple waste bin is now positioned by the half-way house. We plan to locate others by the 6th, 11th and pro shop. In general there is an encouraging waste recycling response from members across the course, with less litter on the course, including less in the much-reduced number of bins. Players seem to be taking their rubbish off the course, which is good to see.

Course Committee