Hollow Coring

This week the greens have been hollow cored down to approximately 3 inches. This operation is carried out so that we can perform a soil exchange. We take out thatchy organic matter, especially near the surface, and replace it with a more free draining topdressing material.

Toro Procore at first light

We use the Procore aerator to perform the coring and then topdress afterwards. Then the Sweep and Fill brush is dragged across the greens in order to sweep the sandy material into the holes.

This is a big task and the staff have worked very hard to carry out this renovation without hindering the golfer too much. The greens will not perform as best as they normally would do in the short term, however in the long run the greens will be much better off for it. This operation makes the greens firmer, they will drain better and therefore we will be able to provide a much better surface to putt on.

Sweep and Fill Brush

We have taken out tons of material which can be used to fill holes around the course. Around 60 tons of topdressing has been applied over all the greens. We appreciate that no one wants to putt on greens that are bumpy but this kind of work is essential if we are to realise our goal of having the best greens around.

The aeration policy is key to successfully improving our surfaces and this forms part of that. Regular micro spiking will be also carried out throughout the summer, along with very light dustings of dressing so that we can keep the surfaces healthy and smooth.

Now that this major aeration procedure is completed we can return our focus to the main golf course presentation. The approaches have had a granular feed put down, as will the tees next week. The cutting regime for all surfaces will increase and all the small jobs that have been neglected this last week (flymo, strimmer, bunkers etc etc) will become the priority.