Thunder & Lightening....

There's an old Greenkeeping tradition of naming the chainsaw's used at each club 'Thunder & Lightening'. The reason for which was long forgotten....

This next post is to offer an explanation of some of the Woodland Management work that has been going on these past eight weeks. I always think the key to Woodland Management work is to go unnoticed, where possible, and judging by the lack of people trying to knock my door down I'd say we have been relatively successful.

Muswell Hill Golf Club is a traditional, classic example of a parkland golf course and long may it remain so. Woodland's, like grasses, require management, planning & maintenance to ensure healthy, sustainable & desirable species.

The first works we have carried out have been the lifting of low lying limbs and branches around the course boundary's. These works serve a number of positive purposes. Firstly it helps the tree retain its natural shape and balance, helping the tree focus more energy into healthy new vertical growth. Secondly it allows us greater access with our mowing equipment and thirdly it also opens up more of the golf course to play. Once these areas have been lifted we can start to manage these areas as long rough  habitats, both improving the visual & ecological aspects of the golf course.

Some of our other woodland management works have focused on reducing the height of some of the gorse we have around the course. Other the years some of the gorse has become tall, leggy, very woody & very unattractive. By drastically reducing both the height & volume of the gorse we are allowing for a more natural shape to develop and one that will also serve as a better feature on the golf course.

The next chapter....

So at last as I sit down to write my first blog post as Course Manager of Muswell Hill Golf Club I'm struggling to remember where the last 8 weeks have gone. I had to count them a few times just to check that it was indeed 8 weeks that had passed. As the old adage goes, Time does fly when you're having fun...

I'd like to begin my first post by wishing Matt all the best with his new challenge at Stoneham Golf Club. Matt not only has been my boss for the previous seven years but also a good friend. His enthusiasm & drive for everything he did whilst at Muswell Hill have moved the golf course on to new higher standards and it is my aim to continue and raise the standards we have set for Muswell Hill Golf Club.

It is my intention to keep the blog updated with the works that are being both carried out on the course and hopefully give an insight into some of the challenges we face  maintaining and improving the golf course.

So lets begin with the previous eight weeks. Hot is a word that would probably explain how things have been. Dry, arid & drought could all be used in equal measure. Some of the temperatures we have experienced have been nearly record breaking. Day highs of 38C and only 10mm of recorded rainfall have made for different challenges as we look to produce fine turf surfaces for golf to be played on.
It has been a balance of protecting the turf whilst providing surfaces which allow for good golf.
A lot of the work which we do in managing the golf course surfaces is aimed at creating conditions that allow us to push the surfaces to high performance levels whilst protecting them from the stresses that turf suffers from. So a lot of the work which we carry out, aeration, in it's many varied forms, topdressing, cutting, watering & feeding is planned with a long term strategy of producing fine turf surfaces.

This brings me onto the work we completed on the greens during maintenance week. Now this week is one of the most important in the golfing calendar for me as it allows us to really work the surfaces. It's important to carry out the work during the season as the recovery time is significantly quicker whilst the grass is still growing. 

So last week we hollow cored the greens, removing a 4 inch core, we then verti-drained to a depth of 7 inches, then using a machine called the DryJect we injected nearly 30 tonnes of sand into the greens profile. This was followed up by two further top dressings. The aim of all this work is to improve the way both the soil & grass plant interact and ultimately healthier turfgrass.

A little explanation.....

Explaining the relationship between a healtyh functioning soil & healthy turfgrass

The DryJect machine

Hollow coring greens

Hollow core, thatch layer visible at top of core

Verti-draining to help improve rooting

Sand being applied to greens

Filling the holes with sand helps drainage of the greens

So as the August rains arrive, eventually, although being a Greenkeeper I'm never completely happy with the weather, it could do to stop for a couple of days so I can dress the greens again, myself and the team will continue to work hard and continue to raise standards at Muswell Hill Golf Club. It would be remiss of me not too mention the Greenkeeping team that I'm working with at the club, their dedication & professionalism both before I took over and since have been first rate and without their continued dedication, support and hard work none of the work we do would be possible.

So as we move forwards I will keep the blog updated of any works we carry out and hopefully give an insight into the wonderful world of Golf Course Management.......