Season openers

Last weekends opening matches got our season up and running on what turned out to be a fantastic day of sunshine. The results for the opening matches were as follows: 

- Ladies - Captain`s team won 
- Gents - Vice Captain`s team won. 

Thanks to all who took part and have a great season everyone.

 

Ladybank Ladies - 9 hole stableford 

- A Hay (18) 18 pts, E Steel (20) 16 pts 


Ladies Fashion afternoon with coffee and cakes

In attendance will be: Glenmuir & Sunderland.

- Thursday, 20 April from 1pm - 3pm. 

We hope to see you there.  


 

Head Greenkeepers Blog

With the season officially underway the greens staff would like to wish everyone a successful year, with the recent changes it is sure to a good one.

The recent spell of weather has been well received, this time of year can always go either way - typically March is a damp cold month with us struggling to get any growth, but to end it with a few days of glorious sunshine has been great in getting soil temperatures up a little.

We had a window a fortnight ago where conditions were going to be perfect to apply our spring granular fertiliser, and thankfully the forecast was correct and we have already seen a reaction from it. The worry in spring is that soil temperatures don't elevate enough to allow the plant to utilise the nutrients, which can then sit and do very little in the soil, or can even leach away during heavy rain.

This week we put our first application of wetting agent on greens which is an essential part of our soil moisture management. 

The product ensures that the soil retains the ideal level of moisture without holding too much; it also acts as a penetrant to drive unwanted moisture down through the profile. 

We apply this on a monthly basis from March until August and the product is irrigated in immediately to ensure contact with the soil.

We have successfully started up our irrigation system which is shut down every winter to reduce the chances of damage to pipework. 

As per usual with an old fashioned system we had some issues to contend with once we were up to full pressure, so there have been a few repairs required around the course to ensure the system works efficiently throughout the season when we require it. Last week we were busy putting all the new or refurbished course furniture back out including tee markers, tee signs, tee caddies, hole cups, pins, flags, divot boxes, bunker rakes. 

We also brought in most of the diversion fences which I know are a bit of a nuisance, but they are essential in resting, redirecting and limiting traffic during a dormant period where recovery is virtually non-existent.

A few things worth noting: 

- Light top dressing of greens scheduled for Wednesday 29th March 
- The gents and ladies toilets are now open and fully operational, as is the drinking fountain 
- Mats on Par 3s will come off Friday 31st March 
- Winter hotline will no longer be in use from Friday 31st March, course status on website will continue to be updated daily 

David Gray 
Head Greenkeeper


 

Why your putter lie angle is so important 

Back in the day there were a couple of players on tour that putted with the toe of the putter off the ground. Can you remember who they were? Ask yourself how many do it now? 

The answer is pretty much none and the reason is very simple. With every branded putter having between three and 4 degrees of loft on it, then if the toe of the putter sits off the ground, the part of the putter you use to strike the ball (sweet spot) points left of target, even if the aim line on the back is pointing at the target from your view. 

 

This is known to us as the face plain tilt theory and something you should be very wary of if your putter toe sits off the ground at address. I would encourage anyone who does this to give us a shout and with a quick ten/fifteen minute check and a bend in our putter lie machine, we can have you putting like a tour pro again.

The cost of this check is only £10 and should be booked in advance. Within this check we will also check the loft on your putter suits your game and that the grip on your putter is the right size for you.

You can book a putter check up by clicking here. 


  

Callaway Fitting Day

Exciting news as we have booked a Callaway fitting day here at Ladybank Golf Club. On Tuesday, 11 April, Callaway will be here with all their new products, including the much talked about new Epic range.

Running from 2pm through to 6pm, make sure you book your FREE slots now.

Click here to book.