Glen Gorse Greenkeepers

Course Update 🌿⛳

Today we sprayed the greens with a selected tank mix to improve overall turf health and playing quality.

The application included:

* Fiata Boost – to support healthy growth and improve nutrient uptake.
* Thatch-Zyme – helps break down organic matter and reduce thatch build-up.
* Ascoflex Plus – a seaweed-based biostimulant to help the plant cope with stress and promote stronger, healthier turf.
* TriCure – a penetrant wetting agent that improves water movement into the soil for more even moisture levels.
* Terrafirm – helps firm up the playing surface while encouraging better water infiltration.

The greens were not cut today to allow the products to be absorbed as effectively as possible. Once the spray application was complete, each green was irrigated for 4 minutes on each side (8 minutes per green) to wash the products into the rootzone where they can provide the greatest benefit.

These applications are all part of our ongoing maintenance programme to keep the greens healthy, resilient, and performing at their best throughout the season. 🌱⛳

5th Ditch Transformation ✅

The 5th ditch is now complete and looking much smarter. Around three trailer loads of vegetation were removed by hand using shovels, clearing the ditch and restoring its appearance.

Once cleared, the area was finished off by flymoing and strimming both inside the ditch and along the edges. Finally, everything was blown clean using the backpack blower, leaving a clean, tidy finish.

Another great improvement to the course, enhancing both its appearance and helping the ditch function more effectively.

And don’t worry… it’ll be much easier to find your golf ball now! 😄 Or, if you’re lucky, you might just get a nice bounce off the slabs instead! ⛳😂

Bunker Update

Many of you may have noticed that some of our bunkers are currently lower on sand than usual.

The recent spell of extreme weather has created some challenging conditions. With air temperatures reaching 35°C, the sand temperature within the bunkers becomes significantly higher. This intense heat causes the bunker bases to dry out and crack, allowing sand to migrate into these cracks. Coupled with the strong winds we have experienced, sand has also been displaced from the bunker faces and playing areas much more quickly than normal.

In fact, several bunkers that have only recently been topped up have already lost a significant amount of sand.

Once conditions become more favourable, we will begin topping up all bunkers to restore consistent sand depths across the course.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during these exceptional weather conditions.

🌳 We’re marking dead trees ready for removal this winter! 🌳

Winter is the right time to safely remove dead or unhealthy trees. Many of these trees have died or become rotten due to factors like disease, pests, warm weather, and lack of rain over the past months. Removing them now helps prevent hazards and stops disease from spreading to healthy trees nearby.

We’re working hard to keep the course safe, healthy, and beautiful for everyone to enjoy. Thanks for your support! ⛳️

18th Pond Restoration – A Huge Improvement 🌿🪚

The 18th pond has undergone a major transformation, and the before and after photos speak for themselves.

Over the years, self-seeded trees, shrubs and dense vegetation had gradually taken over the pond, restricting views and making the area look untidy. Our aim was to restore the pond, improve visibility and enhance the overall appearance of the 18th hole.

The team used saws 🪚 to remove self-seeded trees and overgrown vegetation, while also raising the canopy of the main tree. This has opened up the area significantly, allowing much clearer views across the pond from the fairway and surrounding areas.

With waders on, we entered the pond to remove built-up debris, weeds and unwanted vegetation by hand. This not only improves the appearance of the pond but also helps improve water quality and creates a healthier environment.

We flymoed and strimmed all around the pond, leaving the banks with a crisp, clean finish that really frames the feature.

This is only the first phase of our plans for the 18th pond. We are looking to install a fountain to improve water circulation, increase oxygen levels and create an eye-catching feature. We also plan to upgrade the pipework feeding the waterfall, allowing for a stronger, more attractive flow.

A great team effort and another step in our ongoing commitment to improving the course. We hope you enjoy the transformation, and there’s plenty more to come. ⛳👏 ゚

⛳️ The ponds on the left-hand side of the 6th green have received much-needed maintenance. The overgrown vegetation has been cut back using the Flymo, and the edges have been strimmed, giving the area a smart and tidy finish.

We have also strimmed around the first pond between the 6th and 7th holes on both sides, as well as the front of the second pond on the 7th hole. Finally, we used a backpack blower to clear away all grass clippings and debris, leaving the areas with a clean, smart, and tidy finish.

⛳️ Course Update ⛳️

Today, the tees have been brushed using the Ventrac with the light scarifying (verticutting) attachment. This was followed by the rough mower to chop down any remaining stalks, before the tees mower gave them a final cut. The tees were then sprayed.

We have also been around the course checking that the arcs on the greens are performing correctly and ensuring the sprinklers are providing full coverage of both the greens and the collars.

Course setup is all done for Lady Captains Day and the County First Team! ⛳🙌

The greens have been cut and rolled and are running at 9.5 on the Stimp. 👌

Wishing everyone the best of luck and a fantastic day. Enjoy! 👍☀️

Weekend ready 💪🏻 The course is in fantastic condition and waiting for you. Who’s teeing it up this weekend? ⛳️

⛳️ This week we hired an Air2G2 and completed a double pass on all of our greens before finishing with a roll to ensure a smooth, true putting surface.

The Air2G2 is a deep aeration machine that relieves compaction beneath the surface without disrupting play. By injecting compressed air into the rootzone, it improves oxygen levels, enhances water infiltration and drainage, encourages deeper, healthier root growth, and creates stronger, more resilient turf.

Rolling the greens after treatment helped restore surface smoothness and maintain consistent ball roll, allowing members to enjoy excellent playing conditions while the greens benefit from improved rootzone health below the surface.

Investing in practices like this helps keep our greens healthy, firm, and performing at their best throughout the season. ⛳️