Dear Member
Members will be noticing that the course is drier than it was through summer and may be questioning why we are not watering as much as we have been. There is a good reason for this and it will benefit the course condition through winter.
As we move out of summer into autumn a decision has to be made regarding when we should reduce the amount of water that is put on the fairways to make sure that we don’t over water them going into winter. The level of the water table is critical in late autumn / early winter as we want to make sure the course is drier for longer going into winter.
The condition of the turf is still excellent even though the colour has changed in areas. We have also had a warm spell of weather which is unseasonable and we have started watering a bit more this last week. It is a bit of a balancing act and there is no exact science to it.
Members have enjoyed an excellent conditioned course through summer and it is important that they realise why the course is drier than we would like through autumn. The benefits of this will be seen through early winter.
A couple of years ago we were watering a lot through autumn and then following the first heavy winter rains the course got extremely wet very quickly and this was due to the higher than normal water table in autumn.
I hope this explanation will help members understand why the course is looking a bit drier and what our autumn watering process is.
If any members have any questions regarding this please do not hesitate to contact me.
Craig Murdoch
GENERAL MANAGER
