Elgin Golf Club Greenkeepers

It’s been a long few weeks with the Opens, the Five Day, and now our course maintenance, so we’d like to start by saying a huge thank you to all the volunteers who came in and helped us divot the fairways ahead of the Five Day. Your help was greatly appreciated.

Following the Senior Open on Sunday evening, we got straight into our hollow coring of the greens. All 18 greens were completed by 11:30am on Monday morning. We then followed up with the Verti-Cutters to break down the cores before blowing the fibre from the greens.

We applied just over 10 tonnes of sand across all 18 greens and the putting green, followed by a double pass overseeding with bent grass.

We’ll be adding a further 5 tonnes of sand to the greens on Monday to help return them to a smooth playing surface, while recovery is already progressing well.

The weather has also been playing its part, and with the irrigation system now working well, we’re able to get water onto the greens more regularly, which will help with the recovery.

Enjoy your weekend.

Greenkeepers

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been busy putting the finishing touches in place ahead of the 5 Day, while also making sure a couple of the team enjoyed some well earned time off.

Last week, we top dressed and sarel rolled the greens to open up the surface, before applying a second top dressing this week to continue improving playing conditions.

Our greens triple mowers were away this week being sharpened to ensure the best possible finish for the second half of the season. While they were away, the team switched to hand mowing to maintain the high standard of the greens.

On Wednesday morning, we applied a feed to the greens, with the tees and approaches scheduled for next week. Wednesday afternoon saw us apply a wetting agent to all fairways, helping the turf retain rainfall more effectively, reduce drying during warm spells, and improve recovery should extended dry conditions occur.

Work has also begun on the new fence at the 11th hole, thanks to Kian, and we're aiming to have that completed next week.

Over the coming week, our focus will be on the finer details as we get the course looking its very best ahead of our flagship 5 Day event.

Not much to update you on after the 2 weeks past as we have just been flat out with cutting and keeping everything looking as good as possible for our stretch of ladies club champs and now the scratch.

Some of the areas struggling for grass were seeded again last week when we got a chance.

Good luck to the remaining golfers over the weekend and as you can see Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 is out in force for the World Cup!

Enjoy the weekend

Lost going on this week.

Started the week by getting the mowing done across the course, with the rough now really starting to jump. It’s moved onto a weekly cut schedule to keep on top of growth.

On Tuesday, we got the greens mown before applying a light top dressing and overseeding with bent grass. This helps improve the playing surface, making it smoother and truer for golfers.

The fairways were then cut and followed up with another application of wetting agent, ammonium sulphate, and urea. This gives them a much needed boost, helping retain moisture when the rain arrives and aiding recovery when the warmer weather kicks in 🤞🏻

Lastly, we finally got some answers regarding the boreholes that supply water to our irrigation tank. We had Fillpumps carry out a yield test to see what a fully functioning pump could produce and how quickly the borehole could replenish itself. The results showed we could increase output from 30L per minute to 85L per minute with a new pump, an easy decision to make. The new pump has now been fitted and is ready to go.

Enjoy your weekend of golf ⛳️🏌🏻‍♀️🏌🏻‍♂️

Just a wee update this weekend.

Much the same as last week, with cutting and other small tasks taking place around the course.

We managed to get out on Monday and again on Tuesday to carry out a double verticut on the greens. This process helps remove unwanted lateral growth and break down the thatch layer. Looking ahead, the forecast shows some warmer weather next week, which should give the turf another good boost. Here’s what we removed from the greens on Monday and we collected a similar amount again on Tuesday!

Enjoy the weekend 🏌🏻‍♂️🏌🏻‍♀️⛳️

Another busy week out on the course for the team. Growth has slowed slightly in some areas, giving us a chance to catch up on others.

At the start of the week, we trialled a new hole-cutting tool designed to freshen the cup edge and reset it to the correct size. After a busy weekend of play, you can really see how much the hole can shrink over time.

We also treated all of last year’s burnt-out areas with sand before overseeding them. These spots will continue to be monitored closely, and we’ll reseed again where needed.

The greens have really surged with growth recently, so they are now being cut every day, with noticeable growth even throughout the day itself. Seed heads are also beginning to appear, meaning another verti-cutting treatment is planned for next week.

Thanks from your friendly greenkeeping team.
🫡⛳️🏌🏻‍♀️🏌🏻‍♂️

It’s been a busy few weeks, and we’re now in full swing with mowing across the course in this warm weather everything’s growing fast and it’s all go!

Last week, we sprayed all the fairways with a mix of wetting agent, ammonium sulphate, and magnesium, helping improve colour, growth, and moisture uptake.

We also tidied up several areas, clearing cones and debris to keep things neat.

New hole cups and flags have been placed out on the course to give everything a fresh look for the start of the season and a clean finish on the greens.

Earlier in the week, the greens were verti-cut, followed by a cut behind to even out growth rates and density. This will help improve green speed. We then applied a spray and finished with a topdressing which was watered in behind creating the smoother surfaces we’re aiming for.

The chipping area has also been upgraded, we’ve combined the two small greens into one larger area with three new holes, offering more variety and practice options from different spots.

Looking ahead to next week, we plan to get the seeder out across tees, approaches, and fairways. With the improved weather, we should see quick results and stronger coverage coming through soon.

Enjoy your golf this weekend! ⛳️🏌🏻‍♂️🏌🏻‍♀️

As we move into a spell of warmer weather, we’ve begun transitioning into our cutting programme. Throughout the week, most playing surfaces have been mown as we gradually reduce heights to their typical seasonal levels.

With the improved temperatures, we’ve also taken the opportunity to overseed several areas that struggled following last year’s dry conditions. This includes the medal tee on the 3rd and the area to the right of the 3rd green. We’re aiming to continue this work next week once the seeder is back up and running.

You may have noticed some significant changes around the course this week, particularly near the 14th green and 15th tee. The trees in this area had become problematic and posed a risk during high winds, so with the help of Wakeleys, they have been pollarded. They should regenerate quickly and return to a fuller shape in due course.

Additional work has been carried out on the beech tree by the 16th, focusing on deadwood removal and general tidying to maintain its health. This is one of the oldest trees on the course, and we’re planning further work around it next week to support its long term condition and the surrounding area.

Enjoy your golf this weekend, hopefully the pleasant weather continues!
🤞🏻⛳️🏌🏻‍♂️🏌🏻‍♀️

It’s been another busy week on the course.

We’ve applied a granular feed to the greens to help them cope with the recent fluctuating temperatures. As it’s a slow-release fertiliser, it will provide a steady supply of nutrients rather than a sudden surge of growth.

We also treated weaker areas around the greens and tees, including newly turfed sections with a slow release fertiliser to support their development as we head into the season.

In addition, the tees and approaches received a liquid feed, which is particularly beneficial following the work carried out on them and with play now back on the tees.

We wrapped up the week by cutting and rolling the greens, along with freshening up the bunkers. Some bunkers were also topped up where needed.

Enjoy the first medal this weekend, and fingers crossed the forecasted Storm Dave stays away 😳
⛳️🏌🏻‍♂️🏌🏻‍♀️