The Course

The course team have worked hard this season to make continual improvements to the course and its condition. So far, the mid-season drainage seems to be paying off. Summer renovations have recovered well and the range has progressed to schedule. We have a lot of improvement initiatives for this winter which we hope will improve your winter playing experience, reduce damage and promote effective recovery for next season.

Greens *
We have been happy with the general performance and health of the greens this summer and we hope to continue the improvement over winter and into next season. We have started to raise the height to protect the surface through the colder months.
We have purchased a Verti drain machine which will arrive after a full manufacturer’s refurbishment to continue the process of improving rooting and grass condition while fitting in with daily play as proved by the hire machine we used in August. This along with other aeration methods will help maintain water infiltration over winter.
The next phase of the year is the most tricky as disease pressure starts to ramp up.
We have now moved to our autumn program using a combination of fungicides wetting agents and fertilisers all designed to reduce the occurrence of disease and insect damage.

Tees*
We are going to try some new systems for the tees this winter using unisex forward (blue) and back (orange) tees which can be played by anyone except when designated in competition. We hope this will allow for quicker speeds of play, introduce new landing and traffic areas to spread wear and to make winter golf fairer and more enjoyable for all. Mats on high wear tees will also be reintroduced.
We will do a full divot and fertiliser to aid recovery of the main tees for spring.
Around the 12th and 15th tees we are looking into using a mesh style grass coving to aid wear and to grow the grass better and to stop the rabbits from tearing it up!

Fairways *
Again, we have worked to improve general condition and drainage. We have started to slit the fairways to help water infiltration and rooting. 150-yard posts are all now at fixed measured points. We ask people to return them to the socket when removed for play.

Rough*
The Ventrac is back working, and we continue to manage a full cut each week. Hopefully the growth will slow down soon. Leaves will also be entering the equation as they begin to fall. We have the 2 blowers this year and hopefully this will help keep the main playing areas as clear as possible.

Bunkers *
We’ve put over 40 tonnes into the old bunkers over the summer. The new bunkers are all filled with new sand to a final depth of around 5”. The lining in the 8th and 12th is beginning to rise. We have spoken to the installer, and they are going to fix the issue when they are back to fit the liners on the new bunkers early next year. We will look to rebuild at least 5 more bunkers this winter and hope to do more depending on weather conditions.
We also have the edges to finish on the short game area bunkers ready for opening in spring. To reduce damage, we have planned renovations around the new pathways.

Drains*
We have been putting some new drains on 18, 15 & 5, along with a new drainage ditch on 17. Potential additional drainage will be on 16 carry and the 4/5 footpath area.
We have also been clearing the old gully’s and drains in readiness for the wetter weather.
We have cleaned out most of the silt from the 18th ditch and repaired the solid outfall.

Irrigation *
We have several issues on the irrigation system to be resolved over the winter.

Trees*
We have started to trim all the hedges and trim up the tree bases. We will look to remove the rest of the conifers by the 4th tee, 16th tee and 1 or 2 behind the 2nd green. We hope to drop a few more poplars and do lots more general thinning to let other trees healthily mature. We will also assess the memorial tree we moved last year and replace if necessary.

GUR *
We aim to address some of long-term GUR areas over the winter. Mainly with seed and soil but in some areas we will re-level and turf.

Winter policies. *
We will look to go in early again with roping. Where we have paths or walkways, we ask everyone to stick to traffic routes. We will also look to allow buggies out more this year, but this may be restricted to the current back 9/10 holes which we have worked hard this summer to provide. Again, stick to the routes to reduce damage.
Winter golf course arrangements are also detailed within the newsletter and have been circulated separately.

Ecology
This is a new section to my report and one we hope members will support as sustainability of the golf club will become an increasingly important factor in the club’s future. Most of you are aware of the kind donation from Helen Coan for the re-construction of a wildlife area in place of the old pond next to 16 green. We have applied for a wildlife grant to hopefully
enhance the project further and the design will provide additional benefits of an extra 17th teeing area and drainage for the 16 fairway and 17th carry along with significant aesthetic and ecological benefits to the area. Thanks, Helen, for all your hard work and kind donation. Watch this space! We have 3 wildflower projects on the go at the 2nd tee, 4th tee, and 10th tee. The seed has been donated by collier turf (10000ha for pollinators project), DLF seeds (trail mix), and Jenny Hunt (member). We have cut down as much as possible of the native rough to allow better growth next year.
Anyone wishing to learn more or get involved a with the ecology at Vicars Cross please let me know.

We hope you all continue to enjoy the course. Thanks.

Richie Stephens
Course Manager