Links Team News

Hi all,

 Apologies for the gap in between blogs, now i will tend to get as much information as i can out there via our Facebook page at Royal St Davids Links Team, this from my angle is far quicker as i try and spend all my time on the golf course getting as much work done out there as possible that will improve the links even further.

Unfortunately another wet spell has hit us,course is holding up well but bunkers are very wet due to the high water table,we have had 149mm in June with the average being 73mm, 119 with the average being 76mm in July, 103 mm in August with the average being 95,September we had 193 with the average being 96mm, and already up at 51mm and counting for October and a total so far this year being 940mm.

Lets pray for some dry weather!😎🏜🤞Feedback this year has been very good and the move to hand mowing has improved the presentation of the playing surfaces without question.
The addition of ilan Hughes as an apprentice greenkeeper has been of great value to the team giving us the additional resources to hand cut and it has certainly made a difference.

We have been working hard on improving the botanical content of the finer grasses in the greens and have overseeded 8 times this year, im delighted with this and there is without question an improvement in the percentage of finer grasses within the sward, this will give better playing qualities, better disease resistance and more sustainable golf greens.

Our aeration has again this year been good with monthly pro core aeration and we have just started vertidrained last week and we will again now before christmas and will be slitting weekly until christmas as well as other forms of aeration. The aim is to keep the greens as dry as possible to aid the finer grasses and their development.

Our problematic issues on the course this year have been much the same as usual, high water table which we have had much discussion with Natural Resources Wales about and there is now an agreement that the ditches will be cleared earlier to keep the course as dry as possible.

Also the penal rough is also to be managed more which will enable the course to be more playable and less time looking for golf balls.

                                The Amazon flail mower cutting and collecting the roughs.

The vredo Overseeder in action

We have had some damage on some holes from chafer grubs and all things associated with this grub, now with the chemical withdrawl of Merit Turf (imidacloprid) there is no chemical control to tackle these, a few people try nematodes but their efficacy is questionable and getting them into the ground and into the grub is also difficult as well as being extremely expensive.

We have been applying iron at a high rate to try and deter and badger activity and this seems to of worked well.

Chafer grubs are the larvae of the Chafer Beetle. There are six species in the UK: the Welsh Chafer, Summer Chafer, Brown Chafer, Cock Chafer, Garden Chafer and Rose Chafer. The most familiar being the Cock Chafer or "May bug" a large beetle that can be heard as a low droning noise on pleasant spring evenings. Though commonly the main problems on lawns are caused by just two species: the Garden Chafer and the Welsh Chafer. The grubs feed on the roots of grasses and other plants, their presence can be detected by the yellowing patches that it creates in turf. Chafer grubs can be found in the soil under the loose turf. They live within the soil for up to 3-4 years going through various "instars" as they develop. Significant damage to turf can be done by predators such as starlings, rooks, crows, jackdaws, magpies, foxes and badgers that make the most of an abundant high protein feed lying just beneath the surface.

They have stout white bodies curved in a C shape, light brown heads, with three pairs of legs and darker patches at the base of the abdomen. They are bigger than the adult beetles although their size varies according to species, 8-35mm; typically the Garden Chafer and Welsh Chafer are between 10mm and 15mm long. The head and thorax are metallic blue-green on the Garden Chafer and black on the Welsh Chafer. The grubs eat the roots and damage and eventually kill the plant. The first symptoms are yellowing patches that eventually turn brown, particularly in dry weather. These areas are then pecked at or dug up by predators. In severe infestations the turf can be pulled back to reveal as many as 100 grubs per square metre.

The Links Team will be starting on the winter work programme very soon with the aim of trying to improve the condition and playability of the links top priorities.

Regards

Rhys Butler, Links Manager, Royal St David's Golf Club.

Winter work update.

This last year has seen a relatively dry winter period so far with only 85mm of rain in November compared to 235 the previous year.
It has enabled us to make great strides in the winter work programme and the changes on the golf course.
From an agronomy point of view we have increased our population of bent and fescue fine grasses, and with a purchase of a Vredo Disc overseeder this will enable us to overseed when the weather and golfing calendar is in our favour.
I see a lot more fine grasses in the sward at the end of this year and firmly believe we are on the right track to produce top class , smooth, firm,true putting surfaces.
We have already vertidrained the greens twice and require another two passes in the new year. This is an essential part of our greens maintenance to relieve compaction, help water movement and provide air in the root zone.
On the golf course we have seen many positive changes ,mostly relating to tackling the ever changing climate and tackling the high water table which has caused many problems with flooded bunkers, areas with poor grass coverage following repeated flooding.

The Winter work programme changes that have been carried out so far.
Hole 1-
Raised wet hollow area at end of path/ start of fairway

Hole 2-
Raised and create undulation’s on the low lying wet areas on the fairway/approach so that they are above the water table

Lowered left hand approach to accommodate approach mower

Hole 3 –

Raised hollow on fairway which was low in water table and struggled for grass coverage.
Raised the rear hollow
Thinned out rough at the rear of the green and create small sand scrape similar to rear of the 18th
Re shaped humps and hollows on right side of the green to be cut as approach and offer more shot variety options

Hole 4 –
Raised and created undulation’s on the low lying wet areas on the approach so that they are above the water table and reshape greenside bunkers to blend in seamlessly with raised approach

Hole 5 –
Raised path level between matt and roadway out of water table.

Hole 6 - Fairway bunkers reshaped

Hole 7 –
Thinned out rough in front of sandy waste area.

Hole 8-
Filled in greenside bunkers on the left hand side and reshape area surrounding bunkers to make into approach with humps and hollows to offer a variety of shot options.
Raise path before fairway out of the water table.
Sandy waste area to be done on the right side of the green

Fairway bunkers reshaped

Hole 9 –

Filled in front greenside bunker,and created mound to be cut as approach.

Reshaped and raised greenside bunkers.

To be done in the new year.
Raise the wet area of reeds etc approximately 50 yards short of the green and translocate turf from the 8th sandy waste area and the agreed turf from by the pond in front of the 9th tee and use to form an area of sandy waste area with a little marram and chunks of turf on the border.

Hole 10 –
To be done in the new year
Widen cross ditch
Renew drainage on fairway
Install new drainage on fairway
Hole 11 –
Closed path on right side of green and build new path on left

Hole 13 –
Gently reshaped left hand side approach/semi rough to accommodate approach height cut

Hole 14 –
To be done in new year.
Raise path at rear of green

Hole 15-
To be done in new year.
Thin out burnett rose,Yorkshire fog at rear/right hand side of green.
Lower left hand approach traffic route to flatten walkway to improve grass
coverage.

Hole 16-
Hopefully to be done in new year.
Build new championship tee 30 yards back in dune ( on approval and NRW consent)

Hole 17 –

Sand scrape in rear humps similar to 18.
To be done in new year. Plastic matting and sleepers to improve pathway by widening and levelling.

Also included in the Winter work will be
-Rabbit hole patching
-Scrub Clearence
-Rough Management

We have also been reshaping the bunkers as agreed and raising the levels where we can.
This is making a big difference already with many positive comments about the increased visual appeal and also better and fairer playability of the bunkers

I feel we are making great strides in the condition and playability of the golf course as well as providing the member and visitor with a links experience they will enjoy.
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year.

Rhys Butler, Links Manager, Royal St Davi