We're all in the same boat!

 

Hi All,

 

I wanted to take a quick recap of recent developments out on the course, the changing weather patterns and an update on the reservoir project. 

 

As we all know the rain has been relentless and I can’t remember a wetter period in my career but there are signs things could change for the better soon as the high pressure pushes up from the south bringing warmer afternoons and hopefully less rain. It might even feel like spring has arrived… for now! 

 

It’s worth noting that with all of the modelling, things can change very quickly but this is the forecast right now and it’s the one we need, so I am sticking with it :-) 

 

So far in 2024 we have gone from brisk winds to heavy downpours, the climate has tested the resilience of the course and really highlighted where we can make improvements. 

It’s vital we have time this summer to make those improvements while the ground conditions are dry enough to withstand the heavy machinery.

 

The weather data for this winter looks like this.

 

 

As discussed before, you can see we finished up in 2023 at 1115mm of rain out wettest recorded yet but you can see the issue we have had when laid out against the averages.

 

2024 hasn’t eased up with 85mm of rain in January and 145mm in February and 49mm already recorded in March giving us a grand total of 277mm YTD. 

 

Coming off such a wet end to 2023 and then an awful start to 2024 has meant we have seen an increase in course closures caused by the weather. This is something we never want to do but with the water table being so high and the soils are at field capacity, meaning there is simply no room in the ground, causing any rainfall to just flood the course.

As we dry out going into spring the soils will dry down at a fairly quick rate as they can only ever hold the same amount of water, it’s just overflowing now but we will get a dry period of at least two weeks at some point!

 

A talking industry

As a greenkeeping industry we are all very open and very friendly, we spend our evenings still talking turf and other challenges with each other. 

I am very lucky that I can be speaking to up to 500+ golf clubs through various group chats each day. These range from as far north at Royal Dornoch to the South Coast in Devon, across to the Kent coast and everything in between. I also speak to Course Managers across Europe, Canada, the US, Asia and Australia regularly too. 

I also speak with most of local clubs at least weekly and have access to many of their weather stations. This allows us to compare closures, discuss and talk about the weather. If the rain is coming in from the west I would normally get a message from Parkstone to say they are getting it and it’s on its way to us. Same from the east with Hayling etc. These conversations help us plan when we can spray or fertilise. We all do the same for each other as we know how expensive applications to our turfs can be but it also allows us to compare course closures and trolley bans plus other things, so we know tend to know what is going on in most clubs.

 

One thing I can tell you from all of the conversations from the clubs in the U.K is, we have all found this a tough, tough winter. Even the courses on sand/chalk and not just the courses on clay like us.

The loss of golf is having a huge impact on many clubs not only the revenue streams, competition diaries, and construction/project works along with staff recruitment. The industry is really struggling to find good greenkeepers, especially ones that want to work in the dark all winter and never ending rain and this winter has been a really tough one. 

 

The good news is we are coming out the other side of this storm and we may have some waves of wet and cold but on a whole the weather should keep improving from now on.

 

Maintenance week 

As mentioned in the last blog we have moved the maintenance week in a hope to actually make an impact and to allow us a chance to get some much needed topdressing into the soil profile and to help dilute the thatch in the top 20mm.  Getting machinery around the course has been nearly impossible this winter, let alone tons of sand being driven around. 

 

It would be easy to say let’s not do any aeration after the winter we have just had with the amount of days lost on the course but we need to aerate now more than ever. If you were held underwater and with little no air you might struggle… the grass plant is the same. It needs air to keep healthy and to establish roots. Roots that will feed the plant throughout the season ahead. 

Roots are our insurance policy in a water-deficient period. They enable the grass plant to survive periods of drought more efficiently and with less stress. Less plant stress = less risk of plant diseases.  Aeration isn't just about the present, it is about heading off potential issues in the future. Issues that could impact the playing surface. 

Bunkers being renovated

 

Bunkers

One of the highlights out of the recent weather has been the completed renovation of sixteen bunkers by the skilled hands of the team. 

These bunkers are all part of a rolling continuous improvement plan to help protect the members investment and to stand as a testament to the club's dedication to quality. The newly renovated bunkers are marked as GUR around the revetted edge and newly turfed areas. Please do not play from these until the GUR is removed.

Bunkers edged with irons for a clean fresh look

Most of the remaining bunkers that haven’t been renovated have now been freshly edged by the team with only a few remaining and these should be finished this week. Getting these areas of detail done while the weather in against us feels like a win and will improve us for the season ahead.

 

During the last days of January in the last dry period, we took the opportunity to start to top the bunkers with sand. Once the ground conditions improve the rest will be done as soon as the course is dry enough for us to be running sand about. 

 

Turfing

You also may have noticed the team have been turfing many of the weak areas around the course. These are GUR, please don’t play from any of these areas, they will be reinstated into play once they have rooted.  

 

Reservoir Project 

With the completion of the site clearing, the Heartwoods team attention turned to the extraction operations. It is hoped this will be completed this week and the repairs to the top car park can be started.

The site operations have been slowed by the recent weather but the impact of all the extraction has left some areas within the site area up to 4ft deep in un- walkable mud. Lots of work to establish firm roadways will be started in April while additional works with the second stage clearance works (tree stumps) starting in May. Our Ecologists will continue until July working on various wildlife mitigations. It is worth noting that although a great number of trees have been removed from site, these all had low ecological value and will be replaced as part of the planting scheme with much better species composition, we will also see some of these works on the course too.

I would like to thank the Heartwood team for their professionalism and dedication. We had a lot of ecological restraints, reduced timescales because of bird nesting season (with 56 days of work needed in 29 days) and high rainfall and they still managed to deliver what was required to allow us to continue this project.

I would also like to say ‘thank you’ to the Ecologists. We had seven different Ecologists involved over the last month all working with a Senior Ecologist, this included five Ecologists for Dormouse and two climber Ecologists for bats, all of them making sure we were doing everything set out by Natural England and lastly a ‘thank you’ for the greenstaff who have had to be adaptable and work within the site with a forestry team and being always guided by Ecologists, which is not their normal job but it meant we kept the project to the timescales with them being so flexible. 

 

We will keep you updated on the next phase of the Reservoir Project in the coming weeks and I will be doing site walks when dry enough to show you the members the project. Please do not try to enter the site at any point as this is a “live” site.   

 

Car Park Changes

In response to the evolving needs of the Reservoir project, we have implemented a new layout in both car parks.

The overflow car park has seen bays marked in it to maximise the space. The greenstaff installed a new fence along the bottom to try and hide our material bays but leaving enough room for our sand deliveries.

The roadway widths in between the newly marked bays have been measured correctly to allow cars to be able to leave each space. PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN ANY OF THESE AREAS as you will block someone in and maybe asked to leave the course to move the car (which has happened a few times already).

 

The main car park has seen a new layout which was approved by the planners during our planning application with the council and the clubs safety consultant. In the last two weeks the curb stones were taken away, it was then lowered and tarmacked to give us the second lane.

You will have noticed all the markings have been done apart from the top car park which will need to be added too once Heartwood leave site. 

 

The new two-way road layout through the middle of the car park has been implemented to allow two way access for you the members and for the delivery Lorries for the day to day business of the club.

The member car park will have the right of way over the Lorries and has been marked accordingly but please make sure the Lorries next to you on exit and entrance have stopped and seen you. Please use this two way road through the middle of the car park as the roadway will be out of action soon. We are looking at implementing a secure crash barrier type fencing between the member car parking spots and the road the Lorries will be using.

Yet again we will keep updated with developments on this and will let you know when we can open the top car park again.

 

BTME 2024 and Education

As part of our ongoing commitment to professional development, some of the team recently attended the BTME 2024 conference in Harrogate in January. The team attended courses on irrigation systems, plant soil microbe interactions, biodiversity, bio controls, the R&A vision of sustainable golf, the young

greenkeepers conference and many more.

 I was lucky enough to present a workshop and receive my 4^th Milestone Certificate for CPD.

Levi Pethick successfully completed the FTMI Class of 2023, further enriching his skills in the management side of the industry. This initiative is one of the most recognised in the industry with winners in the class attending weekly webinars, visits to Ipswich for training along with three intensive days at BTME followed by there graduation. A massive congratulations to Levi on completing FTMI.

We also have others in the team undertaking qualifications, Freddy Banks and Matthew Strutt Donnelly have started their Diploma in Greenkeeping Level 2 at Windsor College and Harry Horn going straight back after achieving his “Distinction” in all his Level 2 exams to complete his Level 3 in Sports Turf Management. This participation in further training and education underscores the club's dedication to staying at the forefront of excellence in golf course management.

 

Conclusion

Please do follow the new layouts in the car park, I understand that parking could become harder on busy days but this short-term pain will be worth it in the long run. Please think about car sharing if possible or feel free to come up on the bike if you are close enough and have a locker. Anything would be appreciated and would make a difference. We are only a few parking spaces down with the new layout as long as everyone parks within the bays.  

Despite the weather the team have been extremely busy with a lot being achieved in what will be our wettest period on record. I am proud with how the team have handled this winter and I appreciate the patience and understanding from the membership. I think we are all ready for the sunshine again and to get this season underway.

If only we already had the Reservoir built, it would have been filled by now.

Until the drier weather comes we are all literally in the same boat!

 See you soon

 Matt

 

 

 

Some changes to the schedule!

 

Hi All,

 

I thought I would give you an update on the plans this week regarding Maintenance Week and how we are going to move forward.

Due to the high levels of rainfall we are still experiencing we have decided to postpone this week’s Maintenance Week. The course is simply too wet for us to be able to drive around with large volumes of sand for topdressing.

It’s worth remembering we have a yearly target of 150 tons of sand on the greens to enable us to dilute the thatch levels/ organic matter along with improving the infiltration rates and to aid smoothness/firmness especially after a wet winter when the microbiology isn’t working as efficiently to be able to break down the thatch and OM. To achieve this level of sand we need to be using solid tines or hollow core tines that will allow sand to move down the tine hole into the profile.   

We plan to move the Maintenance Week in line with the Tees/ Aprons and Surrounds Maintenance week on the 11^th March 2024 . The March date was always our back up week in the club diary and we hope to get a dry spell leading up to this...

An updated program will be sent out nearer the time.

We like to carry out the greens maintenance earlier in the year to give us fully recovered greens by March giving us better playing surfaces for longer into the season. Unfortunately we will need to be a little more patient this year.

Although we are extremely frustrated by the current weather situation the requirements for the greens to get some air is still a major priority. It has been a long wet winter and we’ve kept the greens sealed up (low aeration) in attempt to keep the water out of the soil profile and running off the surface, this in turn to keeps play going but we are starting to see signs we need more aeration.  

Chisel Tines

We have taken the opportunity to change our plans this week and give the greens two types of aeration that is low impact to the surfaces. We plan to chisel tine greens, this is more of knife shape tine, or slit. This leaves the surface sealed with very little disturbance to the surface but creates openings within the soil profile for the greens to breath. This work will be carried on Monday and Tuesday. Today the Front 9 was closed to allow for some works to be done following the course inspection this morning. Tuesday morning the Back 9 will be closed but the Front 9 will be open. Please play from the 1st - 9th and then walk back up the 18th hole.  

Air2g2

From Tuesday we will be running the Air2g2 across greens and aprons to blow compressed air into the soil profile, again leaving the surface sealed but this will create fractures within the soil profile to help aid the drainage and to link up with the surface work completed on Monday and Tuesday.

We are also continuing our Verti-draining works as we have all winter on fairways to aid drainage and to give air to the roots. This machine will keep plodding around in areas that are dry enough as we aim to keep improving the fairways.

From Wednesday 21st February this week the course will return to open on all 18 holes as normal (subject to weather). Please check the Course Status each morning for updates.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused. Let’s hope for some drier weather soon!

See you soon

Matt

 

Reservoir Project Update February 2024

 

 

Hi All,

I hope this update finds you well.

 

Weather

February 2023 was, if not the driest February on record with only 9mm recorded and something we could have really done with this year but as the low rainfall figures in February only happen every 90 years or so we might have to wait a while for that to happen again!

We experienced a fantastic few days at the end of January, the course had dried out enough for us to be able to cut all areas and in some of the afternoon sun we felt like spring was just around the corner. That bubble has burst (literally) with 55mm of rain already registered this month following another 87mm in January.

It’s really important we remember that this winter is record breaking for all the wrong reasons and we will need a significant dry period with high evaporation rates (days of high winds or high temperatures) to bring the water table down. When driving around you will see the local fields are full of water, the rivers are bursting and the roads are flooded. The knock on effect of this weather with crop yield being down for the farmers could be quite an issue come spring. 

 

On a positive note, the weather bloggers I follow are all saying the same thing. When the rain stops this year, that could be it and they are expecting a very, very hot one!

Out on the course it only taking a few millimetres of rain to push the water table up and make areas unplayable and unsafe. The 41mm of rain from the 8^th February to the 10^th set us back. The greens performance was actually pretty good during this period but the walkways and roughs were awful and a real highlight we need to do some more work in the areas with drainage and aeration.

2nd Green 2015 

In 2015 we started working the green surfaces hard and we added the drainage in the last three years, the same level of aeration works was then taken out onto the aprons to see these areas improve, then we started doing more to the tee surfaces, then we moved the same process out on to the fairways and due to the 2018 drought we had to be even more aggressive on the fairways and all this work has been paying off.

Fairways after the 2018 drought 

This year following the EGM we had to make cut backs on the budget and some of the works on fairways had to be postponed let alone moving some of these works into the roughs but our long term goal has to be improving with both drainage and aeration these pinch points and rough that are closing the course due to the ground being saturated. We will get there but for now we have to deal with hand we are being given by Mother Nature.

That’s enough of the weather I wanted to share a brief overview of the progress on the Reservoir Project and with what else has been happening on the course. 

 

Reservoir Project  

 

Heartwood Tree Surgeons Ltd were appointed our site clearance contractors following years of work with our Arboriculturalist, planning permissions from Test Valley and England Forestry and Natural England. You would have probably seen the size and scale of the equipment on site. Heartwood have just come off the HS2 project and are specialists in site clearance.

Heartwood have been working closely with up to four Ecologists daily who are working on behalf of Natural England to minimise any impacts to wildlife with particular attention  focusing on finding any Dormouse nests, with hand searches of all the ground areas ahead of the machinery. As you can imagine this is back breaking work but worth it to minimise the impact.

As a greenstaff we have had two to four members of the team working within the site at any one time trying to help the Ecologists by brush cutting and clearing areas for inspection with the aim to speed up the process and to keep the Heartwood team moving to aid finishing on the end date.

 

The works are around 50% complete with the recent weather causing us some issues with extraction. All the timber has been sold as part of the project costs with most being sold for Biomass and most of the remaining for logs due to then low value wood and scrub of Silver birch and Rhododendrons. Our aim is that stage of the process will finish around mid-March with all the clearing works completed by the end of February and the final extraction done by mid-March subject to weather.

 

The Natural England license is for a two stage cut meaning we will revisit the site in May to remove the stumps with other works taking place in April for infrastructure.  

Site surveys have been fun since the rain started again 

Although this make look alarming we have a very healthy Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) from the project, meaning when the project is complete the benefits of the works will out way the impact we are making now with thousands of native trees to be planted back around the reservoir and some planting to offset around the course too. We are expecting a huge rise in wildlife and a natural, sustainable water source for the clubs future using recycled materials to engineer the reservoir banks.

We will be putting up various wildlife aids too with Bird boxes, Dormouse Boxes, Bat Boxes are all part of the plans.

We will also end up with a pathway ‘Memory walk’ which lead down to the 10^th tee without having to go down the 18^th. This will allow staff to access the hut all year round, services like, cesspit emptying, defibrillator servicing and easier access for the cleaner along with a member route when finishing on the 9^th. This will also include benches for members to come and sit and overlook the Reservoir, allowing them to watch some golf and to see the wildlife.

Potential Car Park layout throughout the project

Car Park

As a large part of the project will be movement of lorries to help build the retaining banks of the Reservoir we will lose the roadway through the main car park and adjustments will need to be made to allow access to the car park for cars and delivery lorries.

 

We've appointed Authorn who carried out the tarmac work on the course to help us mark parking spaces within the overflow car park by concreting in blocks into the surface. They will also be making modifications to the main car park to allow the roadway to be built. Please start to park within the block worked T- shapes once they have been installed and opened. This will allow for more cars to get parked in the overflow car park. 

 

We will also be removing the old lines which you may have noticed the works have started but what we didn’t expect was the years and years of paint over the previous lines making a tougher job than previously thought. Once the car park is all cleared we will be relining with a new layout. The Committee bays will be greatly reduced with two disabled bays remaining. The lining works will be undertaken at night to minimise disruptions as much as possible to you the members.

The Nets 

Finally the new nets are Open. This was task we hadn't planned in undertaking this year but due to storm damage on the old ones we had no choice. This work had to fit in within the other works in the reservoir due to the restraints we had with the Natural England License, the bunker refurbishment program as we need to turf down and rooted by the end of February to allow for it to take ahead of the season and our staff being away at the greenkeepers conference for training. 

We had a couple of issues during the build as trying to use the existing foot print along with bigger, tougher timbers and because I wanted to use the same mats as we have on the range for consistency but these are bigger in size compared to the last ones gave us some challenges but we finally have overcome them. With other local clubs spending between 20-30k on new nets we felt that we could provide something just as good for nowhere near that price. 

Looking back I should have just started again in that area and built the entire area from scratch and not tried tying into the existing levels. I can only apologise for the delay, however I do think what we have now is far better than what we had and along with all the other things going on the team done a good job. We will give the frame and new screen another paint in the spring when the temperatures are warmer. 

Conclusion 

As you can see a lot of work is going in and around the club. All this work is essential to keep improving the club and to make us more sustainable. Water resources are going to be one of the biggest issues going forward and the work done by the club in the background to this is huge. For the club to be here in another 100 years we need to carry out the works today. If we lose a few parking spaces and have some inconvenience for a few months, its totally worth it. 

This is a great golf club and we should be proud we are investing in these sustainable projects and in the courses future.

Next blog I will have a catch up on the on course activities and I will keep you updated on the Reservoir project but that's enough from me. 

Keep the waterproofs out for now and I will see you all soon.

Matt  

 

A fresh start for 2024

 

Hi All,

 

Happy New Year to you! 

 

I wanted to do a quick blog on the various works that are being undertaken since the beginning of the year but before we do let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects… the weather! 

 

The Weather

The New Year started with a bang with one of the biggest flash floods we have experienced in Southampton with 34mm of rain coming down in a “violent” level rain rate (which if over 50+mm per hour) recorded on the 5th courtesy of the back end of Storm Henk. This combined with the already saturated ground and high tide caused areas to flash flood with cars left floating including Stoneham Lane. 

 

This created some challenges with 55mm of rain in the first five days of the year, on top of the wet year before. It’s worth remembering one good week isn’t enough to reduce the water table back to far and all eyes on the long distance forecasts to give us a glimmer of hope but it’s only going to take a small amount of rain to set us back again. 

 

For now this winter charm is embracing Stoneham with a mix of crisp mornings and mild afternoons thanks to an Omega Blocking Event. We are experiencing an El Nino (The boy) year. This can have a major effect on the worlds weather and is caused by rising temperatures in the central and pacific oceans. All the weather bloggers I follow are saying we are in for a very hot summer! For more information on El Nino’s see the link here:- What are El Niño and La Niña?

 

Looking ahead, the forecast predicts a week of intermittent sunshine, some clouds, and a chance of rain at the weekend but still very cold so make sure you wrap up warm. 

It’s made all the difference seeing the sunshine again though! 

I think we can all agree this weather is so much better than last few months of 2023’s rain. Our record breaking wettest year since records began with 2023 finishing at 1115mm of rain. 

Enough of the weather let’s have a look at the ongoing enhancements on the course.

 

Greens

We have managed to get the greens cut while holding back when too wet and delaying the cuts when the course is frozen but they are still in good condition for the time of year.

Our disease management strategies will continue as a priority until the good growth kicks in. For now the growth will be very limited and will come in waves between now and May. Having the right feeding program to take advantage of those waves will be as important as it is every year.

This week we started to slit tine greens. The knife type action will help move water and air down the profile without opening the surface to more rain. This will aid natures own aeration with the frosts! As the moisture in the soil expands and retracts between the frost and thaw this will help get air into the soil and this should link nicely with the slit tine.

You may have noticed we have added our second (frost holes as we call them) on the greens. This will allow us to move the flags between the different holes and to spread the wear during these frozen periods. This is all part of that disease management strategy. Weak and worn plants are more at risk of disease and giving areas a rest can make all the difference especially as we play on main greens all year round.

 

Wooden Nets Construction

Following the damaged sustained to our old nets making them unsafe we have been working with Steve White from Driveways a local landscape gardener on the construction of new nets made of wood. This is a popular golf club trend, using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials. We have used the same mats used on the driving range bays to give a consistent surface for you the members to practice on. We hope to open these as soon as possible.

Brush Cutting and Clearing Areas:

The team have been busy doing some extensive brush cutting and clearing activities during the frost. These efforts aim to enhance the visual appeal of the course, tidying up some of those out of reach areas but also saving others for ecology purposes. 

After

 

Debris Removal from High Winds

The aftermath of high winds has been addressed, with the club's team working tirelessly to collect and remove the debris. It always amazes me how many man hours we spend on this type of work following high winds.

 

Bunker Renovations at 2^nd, 5th and 9^th Holes

Bunker renovations continue at the 2nd and 5th holes. New revet turfs are being meticulously installed by the team as we look towards the 2024 season in good condition. The plan is to finish the 9^th fairway bunker in the coming days when our next turf deliveries arrive. Please don’t play from or against the newly laid turfs. All of these are GUR.

 

Bunkers

The team have been very busy working on the bunkers. Firstly, to repair the damage sustained following the flooding, pushing up the washdowns and then turning the sand over to help bulk this back up. Secondly, we have started edging these with edging irons to improve the aesthetics going into the new year.

We are aware that the sand levels in a few bunkers need to be addressed. We spent a lot of time last year looking at compatible sands as our current quarry had run out. Something we will be seeing more of as industry and something that will need to be addressed in the future by all golf clubs. Its more complicated than “just sand” and a whole different blog when we can look at particle size distribution, gradation testing, drainage and stability but we have found a new source and we will be topping up the bunkers when the course is dry enough for high volumes of weight to be driven around the course… watch this space.

 

Reservoir Project Commencement

A significant milestone for Stoneham Golf Club is the commencement of the Reservoir Project on January 22^nd with the ecologists and greenstaff starting to work in this area. The clearing company will mobilise on the following week, marking the beginning of a six-week period during which the top-end car park behind the clubhouse will be temporarily closed from the January 29^{th .}

Area of car park to be closed above

This project has taken years to pull together from an idea to having the amphibian digger clearing the rhododendrons for surveys to take place in 2019 and the bon fire crews help in removing them to all the planning and ecology work, the hydrology teams, Natural England and the Council.

I would like to thank TJ Transport for all their support and Mr Trant for aiding the club in making a water resource for the club’s future a viable objective.

Further updates will be made as further works progress.

 

Conclusion:

As we start the New Year the club continues its improvement works on and off the course. The mix of nature, sport, and sustainability makes it an exciting time for members. I am proud of what we are achieving and I am looking forward to a great 2024.

 

See you all soon.

 

Matt