The Duke’s Green Keeping

Hi All,

Its been a very busy few weeks getting lots of small jobs tied up before we get properly into the daily summer maintenance routine.

The drainage on the range has now been installed, the whole process was reasonably without drama! but did create a mess on some very wet areas where it was very difficult to get in and out from. Taking advantage of Austen’s agricultural knowledge, the entire range area has now been sprayed with total herbicide, mounds removed, ploughed, power harrowed, rotovated, rolled and seeded. Fingers crossed with some warm weather to encourage a quick grow in, it will be back in operation sooner rather than later. I have to admit it was strange seeing a plough on a golf course but the end result will be worth it.

Jon has now arrived back from New Zealand and has been thrust straight into completing the repair/drainage of the last few bunkers which had problems with wash outs. I am sure it wont take too long to get back into the swing of things and it definitely wont be too long to reinstate his Scottish milky white sun tan.

The greens are now being mown daily at 4.5mm and are starting to show some good signs of growth thanks to an application on 19-5-19 fertiliser,  followed by 18mm of rain on Friday and now some warm weather. They are in much better condition compared to this time last year as they have less disease scarring and better grass coverage.  At this time of year the different species of grass grow at different rates coming out of winter semi dormancy, the purple tinge to some areas is the sign that the Poa Annua(the stuff that produces seeds that annoy golfers for the non grass geeks) is starting to grow.  Also this past few weeks we have applied fertiliser to the tees, approaches and fairways to encourage some growth when the warmer weather eventually comes to Scotland for its 2 week holiday!.

A new acquisition  has been put to work this week, the Weidenmann Terrafloat which is a spiker/overseeder. We have overseeded the greens with  straight  browntop bentgrass at 5 grams per square metre. The plan is to do this 3-4 times throughout the season.

We have now welcomed 3 new seasonal staff with, Chris Dickson, John Reid and  Craig Snowdon joining us, along with Carmen Neives Busto, Steven Harris and Graeme Curran starting next week for the summer season.

That’s all for now.

Derek

The past few weeks we have been carrying out some sand-banding work. This is basically installing a secondary drainage system which links into the existing drains, So far the approaches on 1,2,11,12 and 16 have been done. Sand-Banding involves the Blec sand-master machine making a slit in the ground then installing sand into the slit. We have been aiming for a depth of between 6-10 inches depending on each hole. The job has been going extremely well with minimal disruption. We will also be aiming to continue this work over the next few weeks on more approaches as this is the start of a push to improve the approaches, which in the past few years have become infested with leggy rye grass which has enjoyed the wet surfaces. the plan is to follow up the sand-banding work with hollow tine aeration, scarify with a graden machine, an application of graminicide to remove the rye grass and then overseeding with fescue/bent.

Also in the past few weeks we have started the drainage project on the range. The back part of the range has now had the drains installed and the rain at the end of last week proved a good test for it where it appeared to be working well. Work on the front part of the range will resume this week. Once the snow lifts I will get some more pictures to keep everyone up to date on the project.

Not long now for Jon who is due back from New Zealand on the 1st April.  Don’t worry Jon, we have enough work to keep you going on your return.

Derek

As greenstaff around the world know, winter is a busy time of year. Not so long ago summer seemed a long way off but there is still lots to do to prepare for the golfing season.  We may not be mowing much grass but its all hands on deck.

We took advantage of the recent snow to rally the troops to assist Austen in the workshop where we carried out an oil/filter change on the fairway mowers and also the surprisingly pernickety task of changing the bearings and seals on the pedestrian greens mowers. This should allow the greens mowers  to perform as expected at least another few years as they already had the cutting cylinders replaced last year.

During periods of frosty weather we have been mowing down as much of the long rough as possible. We cut and collect the grass so that the nutrients are removed, which in time will see a thinning of the grass allowing everyone to find there balls a bit easier.  We have also been carrying out some gorse/tree  management on the 3rd hole where we have trimmed down as much gorse as possible allowing much better visibility of the green and bunkers from the tee. Also we have removed the sapling/weed silver birch trees which were growing on the bank of the pond at the right of the 3rd hole, you can now actually see the pond!. We have also removed some trees and gorse on the 12th hole around the pond as well as behind the green which exposes double dykes (two stone walls for the non scots!)

Following the snow melt we have had some disease on the greens (fusarium patch) this will get a fungicide application as soon as weather conditions allow as it has been either too wet or windy to spray over the past week.

Some of the planned work over the next few weeks include:

• Drainage (various bunkers and some wet spots on approaches)
• Solid tining the greens
• Continue with mowing the long rough
• Sandbanding approaches

A much awaited drainage project will begin towards the end of the month, where we will be installing a drainage system on the driving range. The past few years of wet weather has seen the area deteriorate to the point where it had become increasingly difficult to collect balls which is not ideal for a driving range. I will make sure to post some photos of the work when we start the project.

Derek

Today’s blog come courtesy of Jon who’s currently  working in New Zealand for 6 months.

Kia Ora (Hello) from Queenstown Golf Course in Central Otago, New Zealand. I arrived here in New Zealand in mid October and after a few days sightseeing in Auckland I made my way down to Queenstown. I had secured a job here after meeting the Superintendent, Ryan Irwin, at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. I have now been in Queenstown for about six weeks and in that time seen all sorts of weather from one day to the next; I really know what they mean by 4 seasons in one day now! Luckily things are starting to settle down now with most days being warm and sunny. My first week at the course was a case of learning how the green-keeping tasks are done at Queenstown whilst to getting my bearings on the new golf course. As the second week came around I became more familiar with the course and to date I have done most of the daily green-keeping duties that I have previously done while working at the Dukes. We have just had one of the biggest competitions for the club held last week, the Skyline Classic Open and this comprised of the usual tournament preparations that most courses would undertake for the week before a big event. I felt quite relaxed about this preparation as I have work at a number of different tournaments over the past few years.

Outside of work my girlfriend and I have been trying to do as much sightseeing as possible in and around the local area. We have had a weekend away to a place called Wanaka where we did some hill walking to a glacier and visited a local brewery. The whole area around Queenstown is very scenic with large snow-capped mountains and deep cold lakes. We traveled south this weekend to a place called Invercargill and had a day trip to Stewart Island which is just off the south coast of New Zealand. We were hoping to see the illusive Kiwi, but no such luck! All in all everything is “sweet” here and I have got “heaps” to do, so best get on. Good bye until next time!

This week we got the good news that we were successful in gaining certificates in environmental stewardship from the Scottish Golf Environment Group (SGEG).  There are several other certificates that we will be working towards from SGEG, initially we have received them for Turf and also Waste management.

TURF – Recognising and rewarding clubs that have demonstrated a good understanding of sustainable turf management across their course to produce quality playing surfaces while minimising the impact on the environment

WASTE – Recognising and rewarding clubs that have implemented waste management and pollution prevention practices and procedures to minimise reduce, reuse and recycle waste streams.

http://www.sgeg.org.uk/documents/Recognition/Certificates%20Nov%2012%20E-bulletin.pdf

Thanks to Carolyn and Lynn at SGEG for there help in gaining the certification.

Derek

Recently at The Duke’s we have been carrying out some aeration work by vertidraining the greens with 10mm solid tines down to a depth of 200mm before swapping the tines to do the fairways with 25mm solid tines to the same depth. Before the fairways get tined we have also applied a top dressing which will be brushed in. Other work at the moment includes installing some rubber mats onto walkways/heavy wear areas.

Last week I went down to Bingley in Yorkshire to the STRI (sports turf research institute) where we mainly were looking at options for seed and the trials that the STRI have carried out on the plots that they manage. Also an interesting talk by Dr Ruth Mann on disease management, showing the trials done and progress made on various options for controlling turfgrass disease.

On another note, we all know how poor our weather has been this year but we should spare a thought for those affected by the recent super storm, which caused severe damage to many golf courses in the New York area. Our bunkers have been washed out and greens flooded this year, but I have to admit that so far we have not had any boats washed onto the course!.

http://albums.phanfare.com/isolated/Rkdk9SST/1/5814014_6631862#imageID=172040643

Thanks

Derek

Although the nighttime temperatures have dropped and we are moving towards autumn, we have been experiencing a welcome dry spell and the course is looking great.

The past few weeks we have been getting the course fertilised. Due to the large amount of rainfall we have been experiencing, additional granular fertiliser applications have been required as the nutrients have leached from the soil faster than normal.The greens have had a 6-5-18, the tees and approaches a 23-2-10 and the fairways and rough a 12-6-6. Depending on the rainfall, this should last through till the end of the season with probably a small top up with liquid fertiliser if required.

We are losing the first of our seasonal team this week, with David Dukelow leaving on Saturday to start a new position in New Zealand at Millbrook just outside Queenstown. He should not be lonely for too long as a familiar face will be joining him out there in a few weeks. My deputy, Jon Methven is taking some time out to work at Queenstown Golf Club for 6 months. While out at Whistling Straits for the 2010 USPGA, Jon met the Course Manager from Queenstown who was also volunteering and have kept in touch and as a result we have had a greenkeeper for there (Scott Wells) come to work here for a season and now Jon heading over there. With us and New Zealand having opposite summer seasons it has worked out really well for us to set up such great opportunities for guys to gain experience.

A couple of weeks ago we also had some involvement in yet another tournament with Jon Methven and Austen Cameron, assisting at the European Masters in Crans Montana, Switzerland. I met  the Course Manager, Hector Forcen, earlier in the year and discussed the possibility of volunteers for the tournament which ended up with 9 guys from Scotland assisting for the week. As well as our two guys, there was green keepers from G West, Cruden Bay, Brora, Skibo Castle and Royal Dornoch all had the chance to experience one of the most picturesque venues on the European tour. The tournament did have its share of rainfall which made it a challenge but with Scot Richie Ramsey winning was very apt considering the amount of Scots assisting prepare the course!. Thanks to Hector for reproving such a fantastic experience for all the guys involved.

Meanwhile here at The Duke’s we are very busy and with The Dunhill Links Championship coming up soon at The Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnourstie, there will be lots of excitement in the area. Good luck to all the courses involved in hosting the tournament where one of our guys Steven Horsburgh shall be assisting at Kingsbarns.

Derek

This week we have addressed a problem area to the right side of the 9th green. The area had become waterlogged and in very poor condition so we took the decision to repair the area. Upon inspection we discovered that the drains were not working correctly as during initial installation the  fall in the drain had been comprimised by a layer of rock resulting in water lying in the pipe and trench without draining away. To add to the problem an old land drain was also bubbling up to the surface like a spring. The task was to be completed in 2 days but due to needing to redo the drainage it took an additional day but is now complete Time will tell but we are confident that the area will be much improved, We took advantage of the work to also adjust the contours slightly which will now allow the area to be mown as approach. You should now be able to putt or chip from the area which has been a common comment from our members.

We also installed a gully pot drain to an area when water runs during heavy rainfall. We tapped into the bunker drain and to avoid disrupting the face of the bunker we tunnelled through the edge to make the connection.

Its been a busy week to get this completed and also keep everything mown as the grass is growing like mad with the warmth and rain at the moment but it will be a huge improvement to the side of the 9th green.

Derek

Following on from my last post, another one of the guys has been busy assisting at a tournament. This time for the European Ladies Amateur Championship at Diners Club in Ljubijana, Slovenia. Martin Brown who is working with us as a seasonal greenkeeper made the trip out to what proved to be an amazing experience for him. Slovenian native and previous seasonal with us at The Duke’s, Aljosa Golob looked after Martin for the week in which saw him getting involved in as much as he could to help out the Head Greenkeeper, Vanja Drasler and her team. Vanja came on a study tour to Scotland last year when she spent a day with us and visited various other courses in the area. Congratulations to her and the team for what was a successful tournament.

More info on the tournament can be found here

Meanwhile here at The Duke’s we have been dealing with the continued heavy rain by repairing bunkers and will be installing some additional drainage in some areas which have become a problem in the past few months. The greens have stood up really well to the rainfall and remain in good condition which has been a challenge this year so far. Maybe summer will arrive when the school holidays are over!.

Derek

Hi all,

Since I was last in touch most of my time has been taken up coaching at our academy. Everyone from complete beginners to students that hit it a country mile came to a large summer school that myself and Alan look after, a lot of fun was had by both coaches and golfers as they learned the game and new techniques to help them improve their Handicap!

In other news the Pro-shop is boasting new collections from our in house brands such as Galvin Green and Greg Norman, so if you are nearby please pop in and see us, even if just to catch our amazing view from our Club House Balcony!

If anyone needs any assistance with what the Duke’s Facility offers such as Green Fee’s, Tuition packages or a bit of Retail therapy please get in touch either by email or pop in and see us, it would be great to see you..

Speak to you all soon.

Best wishes,

Ayden