WHAT'S GOING ON

Dear all , hope you are well?

I am glad everyone is enjoying the Golf Course, its been a very busy Summer and the compliments from our many visitors about our Course, our warm welcome from the Office and Proshop and our excellent Catering team has been lovely to hear. Hopefully all of you have also been pleased with you Course and Club. It's great to see the Car Park full most days.

I appreciate people often want to get out early to play, can I please just remind everyone that my staff have priority at all times and especially from 6.00am until 9.00am when we are busy setting up the Course for you all to enjoy. So please be understanding and patient if you have to wait while we are doing things .

Our Irrigation Lake has proved once again this year what a great investment it was and has enabled us to water the course all Summer with water still left in the Lake!

Water still left in the Irrigation lake

We are the envy of many Clubs throughout the Home counties, that we have made such a pro-active sustainable investment, especially as mains water becomes so precious and talks of water bans for golf clubs are being more and more spoken about . So roll on an Indian summer !

The course has remained lovely and green thanks to our pro-active sustainability investment

The recent damp humid weather has brought some dollar spot outbreaks on some fairways and approaches. You are all very aware by now that it does all recover.

On the subject of disease, none of us , certainly no one more than me! wants to have another Winter of disease scarred  greens. Yes I know we proved to the most cynic of Member that we can get things back to Abridge's high standards in the Spring, but like you all, I would rather not have to get them back in the Spring ! So as per previous updates we have changed Agronomists this year and trying a different approach. We are already spraying and feeding the greens with this new programme to hopefully harden them up and protect them from disease.

We are also now legally allowed to spray fairways with the pesticide that hopefully suppresses attacks from leatherjackets .

The Board have given me additional funds to do this so we will be throwing everything at the course to suppress leatherjacket infestations and Greens disease. 

AS YOU KNOW NONE OF THE CURRENT LEGAL CHEMICALS GUARANTEE NO DISEASE OR LEATHERJACKETS AND NATURE WILL ALWAYS WIN BUT WE WILL BE DOING OUR BEST TO LIMIT IT !

I have received nothing but positive feedback from all parts of the membership regarding the proposed new Bunker Sand! Thank you for all your feedback and I am reporting TO the Board this week.

The fairways have recovered nicely from the scarifying and have been overseeded where any areas needed it.

This coming week we will be overseeding, topdressing and feeding all tees

On Monday the 15th Sep we start the long awaited Development funded project, (thank you Dev. Fund members !), at the 13th Green. 

This will involve replacing the 2 left hand bunkers with 2 ponds, one of which will come partly in front of the green, and then removing the bunker on the right hand side and making a larger approach and run off.  There is no way of pleasing all of you as to how far or little the pond in front of the green comes across as we ALL have our own opinions. I'm guided by the Architect and thats where we will position it. 

A proper smaller temporary green has been prepared on the existing approach which will be used while the construction works are taking place. We will try to use the main green whenever possible.

We will be stripping the sand out of the 3 Bunkers @ 13th green this week so they will be GUR.

The next 6 weeks bring a busy Autumn programme of works, which if the weather plays ball will include further fairway drainage, clearing of leaves, Cherry picker Tree work, a further top change on the Greens, Path renovation works and some Bunker works.

Finally on behalf of my staff a very warm welcome to all of our new members.

If you see any of my staff please introduce yourself to them and ask any questions you may have.

Well that's it for now , I will bring you a further update in a few weeks

Enjoy your Course, enjoy your Club ...............it's yours remember !!!

Regards

Geoff

Course Manager

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