February 2012
Firstly let me wish you all a very Happy New Year and may it be from a golfing point of view, very rewarding.
We have been very busy in the winter period with the majority of the work carried out on time or will be completed before the start of the season.
Work carried out so far includes drainage on the first green which considering the amount of rain we have had lately seems to be very successful, the green will be back in play the second week of January with the bunker a further couple of weeks later allowing the newly laid turfs to establish better.
The drainage carried out on the 17th and 15th fairways is also completed; drainage lines on these holes have been seeded and are already showing signs of growth. The drain lines have been carried out ‘in house’ and have also been completed in a new type of system that involves blocks rather than pipes and shingle so in theory no shrinkage.
Drain lines on other holes are still a problem in some areas but work will be ongoing to alleviate and solve the problems.
Two new bunkers have been installed on the first hole and in the majority of cases will not be a problem to the average golfer, more visual than a hazard. The greenside bunker has been reshaped as has the greenside bunker on the 17th both slightly smaller now.
All bunkers will have work carried out on them including some reshaping and drainage when time and weather conditions permit. When work is being carried out please allow greens staff to carry out their duties, any disruptions will always be kept to the bare minimum.
As most members are aware we have planted some young trees on the 6th & 8th fairways, these were taken from our extra trees along the side of the 8th which we are going to try to use as our tree nursery for the future. These will not be the only trees that we will be planting but of course the timing has to be right along with other commitments and work loads. We are continuing to remove dead wood and over grown areas on the seventh hole which will open the area out, making lost balls easier to find without taking the hazard away from the hole but should also make play quicker when poor shots are played, the trees have also been trimmed on the right of the hole.
I am looking forward to the coming season but I do know that some hard work will be needed to improve my chipping and putting since the purchase of the greens iron. Thank God for the pro’s who I am sure will be willing to help. This piece of machinery is most probably the best thing to have happened in improving the quality of the greens surfaces in many years.
The iron will allow any work that is carried out on the greens to recover more quickly and be less intrusive to the golfers putting. My personal opinion is that this piece of equipment will turn out to be one of the best investments this club has ever made.
Well done the Board for the purchase.
We are awaiting the arrival of our two new (leased) mowers in March which will be top of the range equipment, we had different types and brands of machinery on trial during 2011 and have chosen, in our minds, the best performance and value for our money.
During the year we will be looking at all aspects of the golf course including the flower beds, boundaries, lakes, ditches, bunkers, temporary greens etc, with the main aim of improving the course wherever we can.
Possible future work to be carried out during the year will include the bridge replacement on the 16th fairway left hand side and replacing the sprinkler system on some holes with the most up to date system available which will allow the correct amount of water to be given where and when needed especially with the continual yearly threat of drought conditions being imposed This will also give us the opportunity of putting in better temp-greens because we will have water to help with their upkeep which we did not have before.
This will be the start of a programme to replace all of the sprinkler systems, some of which dates from the early seventies. This will take a few years but will be completed.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Alan Smith and the rest of the greens staff for their hard work and commitment in 2011, and I am sure that they would agree with me that they will be trying their utmost in turning out a golf course worthy of the name Clacton on Sea.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Dave, our new gardener who has done a good job since joining the staff late last year.
Happy golfing.
Malcolm Taylor, Greens Director