FAQ's

(Frequently asked questions)

How do we decide when to put a temporary green on?

All Greenstaff follow a procedure and guidelines which determines whether a temporary should be used. These are:

• Walk on and walk off areas (traffic management around greens and on greens)
• Standing water (localised flooding/surface water)
• Unstable putting surface (root shearing/compaction)
• The long term detrimental effects to the playing surface
• During a thaw following freezing conditions
• Light dusting of snow of thawing snow
• Undergoing maintenance 

Example: The 8^th green on the left is firm and dry but the green is on a temporary. The right side is soft and unstable underfoot. The main walk on, walk off area is from the right. Continued traffic will increase damage and worsen surface stability, which will impact on the long term recovery of the green. 

Do we need to take heavy machinery onto the course all the time?

No we do not, however it is impractical to carry out certain tasks without using certain machinery. Sometimes circumstances outside our control determines what machinery needs to be used and where it needs to be taken. Machinery where possible is driven clear of the main playing surfaces. During prolonged periods of poor weather machinery tracks away from the main playing areas can also become unusable, therefore alternative routes need to be taken to prevent machinery getting stuck or damaged.  

What is the policy regarding leaf clearing?

The leafing policy follows a set procedure. The first part of the policy is to identify the main playing surfaces and list them in priority for both the playing aspects and the area or access, in relation to any detrimental impact leaf clearing will or will not have.

1.    Greens

2.    Approaches

3.    Around greens

4.    Tees

5.    Fairways

6.    rough

The greens, approaches and collars are cleared using knapsack blowers. In ideal ground conditions the remainder is blown clear using a tractor mounted blower into woodland or piled for collection. This is the same process for tees. Fairways and rough are cleared using the tractor mounted blowers, again blown into woodland or piled for collection.

In poor ground conditions it is not always practical to follow these procedures.

During periods of high activity and limited resources involving a variety of others tasks (i.e. tree work, mowing), it is impractical to expect all areas to be cleared at any one time. If conditions are poor the leaf clearing process can become more time consuming as the larger machinery cannot be used.

Leaves that are piled are collected using a tractor pulled leaf collector/vacuum. Due to the weight and access required to areas using this particular machinery, some piles may remain static for prolonged periods of time. Priority of clearing these piles again focuses on location and ground stability.

Fallen Trees and Safety Management

Over the last couple of weeks following the storm and heavy rainfall, it is no surprise that their have been a few casualties. Some trees have been damaged from the storm, with broken limbs and some have been uprooted and fallen over. The large oak between the 6th green and 7th tee developed a huge crack through the centre of the main trunk/stem. This gave us no opportunity other than to remove it for safety reasons. The  old monolith tree stump between the 14th and 15th fairways has also become a casualty of the recent weather.

Luckily in each scenario no harm has come to any golfers, staff or members of the public. We must remember that this Golf Course is over one hundred years old with many old trees and these recent occurrences highlight just how important it is to maintain trees to a safe standard throughout.It also emphasises just how much skill, time and effort is required and the costs involved each year by both staff and contractors to maintain safety requirements.  It is therefore imperative that we continue to remove any trees or limbs that display specific signs of decay and major limb or stem failure. It's is far better to be safe rather than sorry.