Changes!

Since last weeks post of short sleeved shirts things certainly have changed,this morning's shotgun start delayed by a very sharp frost is testament to that. The winds have certainly changed to a much more constant northerly direction with the temperature dropping to around 6oC winter certainly appears to be on the way. We are still currently enjoying a fantastic spell of dry weather,it's certainly been a bonus being able to work in dry conditions which has enabled us to carry on with our winter work programme. The links is still playing fantastically with the greens nice and firm and rolling well.
We do have to start on vertidraining the greens this next week with the seed having germinated fantastically it's time now to carry out one of the most important tasks that causes minimum surface opening with maximum sub-surface cultivation and heaving the soil after the seasons compaction as well as playing a vital role in improving drainage,therefore preventing flooding after heavy rain and keeping the environment dry that will favour the finer grasses of fescues and bents.

The walkway from the 3 rd green to the 4th tee is now complete, this included removal of the astroturf matt and the shell path towards the 4th tee replaced by turf and rubber matting.

The picture below shows the removal of the astroturf matt,the new turf and matt and the removal of the trees and bramble replaced by heather and marram on the sandy bank.

Also on the rear of the 3rd green was the change from the thick rough which has been replaced by lifting the enriched hollow and replacing it with a closely mown hollow which will now form part of the approach making this area much fairer and more playable whilst giving the golfer many shot options.

There is another busy week ahead of the links team this week with the replacement of the 4"pipe to a more effective 6" pipe that carries out the water from the drainage ditches on the 10th hole,we are hoping that we can complete this work whilst the weather is still favourable.

After the completion of the 3rd walkway our next project in the winter work programme is to renovate the walkway from the 5th green to the 6th tee,we have started on the side nearest the 6th tee already but with the 10th drainage taking priority it is hoped to get back to continue the project as soon as possible.

There is a lot of tree and scrub management to be carried out this winter with the aim of reducing the amount of trees in the dunes and bramble etc around the golf course. This work shows the commitment of Royal St Davids to enhance the golfing environment alongside Natural Resources Wales's help in carrying out these works.Below is a picture of the rear of the 9th green in which all the bramble,buckthorn etc was removed and the bank replanted with maram. The piece on the right will be scraped and cleaned out this winter which will return the dunes to their natural state.

 There are many signs giving valueable ecological information on the flora and fauna  on the site. Being a SSSI (Site of special scientific interest) also means we have great responsibility as custodians of the land to look after and enhance the environment.

On Friday saw the retirement of Head Greenkeeper Roger Kerry and his twin brother and Deputy Head John Kerry. There was a fabulous party on the friday night to celebrate their dedicated 35 years of service in which there were many excellent speeches outlining the outstanding work that they both have done for the club. True gentlemen and greenkeeping legends,it has been an honour and a privellage to work alongside you both and everyone wishes you both a very happy retirement.

Left to right ,Llion Kerry,(First assistant),Gareth Evans,(Assistant greenkeeper), Rhys Butler,(Links Manager),Owain Aeron,(Deputy Links Manager),John Kerry,(Retired Deputy Head Greenkeeper)

,Roger Kerry,(Retired Head Greenkeeper),Emyr Price,(Assistant Greenkeeper).

Time to get the winter mittens and bobble hat on to get golfing!

Regards,

Royal St Davids Links Team.

November?!

Yes amazingly the mild weather is still here and I heard most were in short sleeved t-shirts playing golf on Sunday in what was a glorious day,followed by a horrid day of rain for most of the day on Monday when we got a bit wet working would be an understatement!It was however a glorious day today with lots of golfers out in force enjoying the fine conditions and with a dry forecast now for a while which is most welcome for all.
The links is currently playing fantastic with the greens nice and firm and many comments of how quick they are!
We are seeing great results after the overseeding with the fescue seedlings germinating perfectly.An organic seaweed and a little potash was applied last week to aid this germination.

Last week saw the completion of the remodelling of the 17th hole.It was a tremendous effort by all the team in where we had rain preety much every single day whilst working on the project.It was a big area and a big project to undertake,(around 900 sq m ) to strip the turf, store the turf to be relaid,remove all the excess soil and shape and recontour the area,returf and complete the bunker renovations.

As you can see from these three pictures the hole itself for the average golfer was almost impossible with no possibility of making the green with the very penal cross bunker and was unfair and even for the better golfer with the severe contouring off the bank of the bunkers with any ball pitching on the downslopes facing a fierce kick to the back of the green or even beyond into the thick rough.

 The very penal cross bunker.

The recontoured and re modelled area before turfing.

Hey Presto! The lines on the picture below now show the gap which has also been contoured to slingshot any running balls to gather towards and even onto the green making the hole much more playable and fairer for all. The banks that were on the back of the old cross bunker were also lowered and re contoured resulting in a fairer result for any ball pitching in this area.
You may also notice the new bunker which is of more of a naturalised style. With the front sand face and sides compacted the ball will return to the centre of the bunker resulting in much fairer bunker playability.You will certainly see the bunker from the fairway as the main thought is that they are much more visually appealing.

This picture above is what we have moved onto in our next piece of winter work, this is the removal of the astroturf path and renovation of the worn traffic areas surrounding the path. This path will be turfed and matted from the 3 rd green to most of the way to the 4th tee.

There are many other little subtle changes happening around the course from signage to tee markers,let's see who has a keen eye to spot these and please give us your opinion. Please also feel free to ask any questions,the blog has had 1,090 views so somebody must have a question.

Get golfing whilst the weather's good!

Regards,

Royal St David's Links Team.