New 150 yard markers


The existing metal markers were not uniform in their appearance and many had begun to either fall over or had been left out and the socket they sat in couldn't be found.....

Their replacements are wooden stakes in larger sockets, these will hopefully be easier to replace after removal to play a shot.

They are not necessarily the finished article, opinion is to be canvassed...

DAILY UPDATE

Owing to this being the busiest time of year my blog can be a bit sporadic in updates hence I have decided to introduce a daily update-a brief explanation of course condition and any work carried out.

This I hope will help the members to understand better the reasons for any variations in the course and it's condition.

Day 1 May 6th

The greens and tees have been sprayed with weedkiller by the contractor we have previously used. He will do his utmost to carry out this operation without too much interruption to play.
Prior to spraying the greens have been verticut and mown as they won't be able to be mown for at least 48 hours. In the meantime they will be rolled to maintain the surface.

There is still a variation in the growth of the different species of grass with the meadow grass being dominant at this time. This results in a slower putting surface but a continuing program of verticutting will reduce the amount of meadow grass and allow the finer grasses to predominate.

The greens require another dressing of fendress top dressing as they are still a bit uneven but this cannot be done until the weedkiller has been fully integrated into the plant. Weather conditions permitting, this will be undertaken early next week.

Day 2 May 7th

Greens a bit lacking in pace today as we were only able to roll due to being unable to mow owing to the weedkiller treatment.

The bunker on the far right of the 11th green has been renovated. (the edges tidied up and new sand used to top up the level)

The new driving bays

To complement Tony's new studio facilities the greenstaff were commissioned to build some all-weather driving bays.....


The initial construction consisted of determining the lie of the land: this necessitated adopting a 3 tier, twin bay layout.
After excavating the site the sleeper surrounds were constructed and the bays filled with hardcore.
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This was then levelled and compacted to form a firm base for the top layer of sharp sand.







Quite possibly the most important part of the operation.
Great care was taken to ensure the sand was compacted and levelled to the exact requirements needed for the laying of the synthetic turf.

Synthetic turf laid, trimmed to exact size and nailed into place.











Bay dividers put in place, new studio signs and a gravel entrance and the job is complete.

We appear to have a comedian in our midst.....







The identity of the club clown has yet to be uncovered!!












The club clown strikes again!!!!!!!

April 21st 2014

Firstly, many apologies for being remiss in updating..

Secondly, I would like to thank both the board of directors and the membership who generously donated to this year's staff bonus-myself and the rest of the greenkeeping staff are very appreciative of the gesture.

 A tempestuous Valentine's night-the gale force winds and High Post's trees have a falling out!!!

Several of the course's evergreen trees, the alien pines and conifers, succumbed to the stormy weather on Valentine's night.
Although the initial impression is one of destruction, there is an upside to this...

These trees are not indigenous to the course and, as such, are not to be lamented-rather it is an opportunity to accelerate the under-planting policy by planting native species like ash, beech or possibly juniper.

A parting of the ways on the 13th.......

That must've made a sound?

One of the pines on the 18th tee resulting in the yellow tee being out of play!

Left of 16th fairway, the 2 larger trees causing the smaller one to come to earth.

There were several other casualties of the storm. The lleylandii situated on the 'garden' that leads to the practice area have had to be felled due to their roots having heaved from the previous storm, several of the lleylandii that act as a barrier twixt the 1st tee and the road have either come down of their own accord or had to be felled for the same heaving problem and a few hawthorn bushes in various locations have fallen.

The left of the 1st will have to be assessed as to whether similar trees should be planted to maintain the safety of users of the A345.









The 'barrier' as it now stands...

Although alien to the course and going against the course policy of only planting indigenous species, the Leylandii that are to be planted to restore the safety of road users,

6th February 2014

Another victim of the recent storm force winds, the aging hawthorn at the rear of the 9th green.

It's replacement, a 10 or so year old yew tree found struggling to compete with both a larger nearby specimen and the invasive hawthorn scrub just in front of the 14th tee.

High Post's fauna and flora

Here at High Post we are very privileged to have an environment that plays host to a varied and sometimes rare wildlife.

Although the primary purpose is obviously the playing of golf, we nevertheless are custodians of this downland tract of land and maintaining the ecologically sensitive landscape is a priority.

 

 

 

This post in the blog will feature both the flora and fauna we have and what we are doing to protect it and how to encourage it...

 

 

 

 

The iconic and symbolic hare.......

....getting themselves a little confused by the unseasonably warm conditions!!

Here seen indulging in their mating ritual, or 'boxing'

Our 'resident' photographer, Paul, eventually managed to track down our most recent visitor to the course and managed to take this splendid shot of a Muntjac deer.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous squall of the 25th January 2014!

A rather tempestuous evening resulted in several pine trees submitting to the high winds.

The 13th white tee where the large pine also took out one of the smaller ones on the opposite side.









In line with course policy these will be replaced with an indigenous species, as will the four that succumbed to the wind on the left of the 1st.

14th January 2014

Bunker renovation on the 4th.

The cross-bunker on the 4th, being the most 'popular' on the course, is in much need of renovation. The work undertaken will involve grading of the front face to a more acceptable incline and a minor reshaping of the bunker itself to accommodate the aforementioned.
This will result in a less penalising bunker shot and a more aesthetic appearance.

The Eiger-esque face of the bunker!!

The first stage, removal of sand, completed.






Phase 2 almost completed...

The removal of the excess sand/soil has highlighted an interesting shaping of the bunker. It has revealed the position where two bunkers originally lay.

The removal of further soil from the bank to necessitate a single bunker would result in a slope that would be too shallow and would detract from the bunker being the hazard that it should be.

The plan now is to reinstate the original two bunkers and to have a ridge running between them. This will be a continuation of the front face toward the centre meaning that any ball running up the middle would still find it's way into the sand.

The result will be that the hazard will be more in keeping with the traditional bunker style and more aesthetically appealing whilst still maintaining the current playability of the hole... no advantage will be gained by it not being a large, single bunker.

Landscaping complete.

Just needs a couple of weeks to settle and then, after a final rake over, the turf will be laid.

7th January 2014

more aeration.

This time with the shallower tines of the Procore....

.....and the green returned to a playable condition by rolling with a pedestrian mower!

Monday 6th January 2013

Not directly related to greenkeeping but I thought my invitation to play in Peter Hickling's 10th anniversary scramble worthy of a mention...

Despite the efforts of my team, (many thanks to Bryan and Ted for carrying me!!) in pushing the man of the day down into 3rd position, it was felt that my presence was most welcome!

I'd like to thank Peter for inviting me to play as it was a good opportunity for me to see the course through a golfer's perspective-this I feel is quite important as, not only does it cement relations between the members and the greenstaff, it also creates an opportunity for both sides to see the other's viewpoints and raises topics that may otherwise go unseen or unheard.