25 Year service award
The Club are pleased to announce that Colin Powrie, Course Manager, achieved 25 years service on 1st December 2015. The Committee would like to congratulate Colin on his professional, conscientious and valued contribution to the development and management of green keeping activities over these years, resulting in his much deserved promotion to Course Manager last year.
The Club marked the occasion with a 25 year Service Award at a small presentation this Tuesday. On behalf of the Club Members may I wish Colin all the very best in his position for the next 25 years - congratulations and well done!
Bobby Robertson
Captain
Head Greenkeepers blog - David Gray
Apart from the snow flurry over the weekend it's hard to believe that it's December, it feels like it could be the end of September!
In my previous blog I touched on how dry a year it has been with below average rainfall, I think I jinxed things as we're just off the back of almost 140mm falling in a fortnight and a total 170mm for October.
Thankfully the course has still been relatively firm and dry which is testament to our excellent aeration and top dressing programmes.
On the subject of aeration, last week we began our scheduled verti-draining of greens. This is done using a tractor mounted Verti-Drain with 12mm diameter tines to a depth of around 8-9".
"What does this do"?
Well the clue is in the name - it aids vertical drainage by allowing any excess moisture to percolate downwards through the profile and relieves any unwanted deep compaction. This is an operation we try to do 2 - 3 times per season on greens and is complimented by our solid tining programme which relieves any surface tension to a depth of 2 - 3".
Over the years, we have removed a huge amount of broom and some carefully planned tree thinning has also taken place as part of our Broom & Tree management plan. It has taken some years to finally get the upper hand, as broom is such an invasive species with rapid growth. Most of these areas which have been cleared now have a full grass cover however some have a less desirable sward as a result of soil disturbance. So the next step is to implement rough management to eradicate the courser undesirable weed grasses and try to promote the finer wispy fescues typical of most of our long roughs.
In the last few weeks we have cut a lot of areas of rough and we had a demo of a cut and collect mower/scarifier machine. The idea is to remove as much nutrients as possible i.e. grass clippings which decompose and ultimately become food for the plant. By doing this the stronger grasses (fescue) will overpower the weaker ones (Yorkshire fog, cocks foot) and become the dominant sward. This will be lengthy process but our aim is to produce a consistent wispy fescue which creates beautiful definition but a ball can be easily found in it.
Bunker renovation started last week with the fairway bunkers on holes 1 and 2 well underway. These will gradually take shape once we transplant some finer grasses around then and we are also planning to experiment with some heather too. Our vision is to create a more naturalised heathland style bunker as opposed to a very neat revetted style we have at the moment - saving considerable cost on expensive revetting turf and the ongoing maintenance issues this involves. We are blessed with a unique and enviable heathland setting, it is what stands us out from the crowd and we feel retaining and further enhancing this is vitally important.
Please be aware the fairway mats will be in operation as of Monday, 7 December. Could anyone who has any spare mats in their lockers or at home..!! please return them to the Pro Shop so they can be re-issued.
Festive Opening Hours
Please note that the Clubhouse will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and New Year's Day and 2nd January - click here for details.
The January Medal (Gents) will be rescheduled to Saturday, 9 January.
Members wishing to play on Christmas Day/Boxing Day or New Year's Day/2nd January are reminded to please collect their clubs if required, before the Clubhouse closes on 24 & 31 December at 3.30pm
Christmas ideas at Ladybank
With Christmas just around the corner, we have done fantastic gift ideas and deals to tempt all you golfers!
One of our best deals at the moment is the Motocaddy lithium trollies. There is a £50 OFF offer on any lithium Motocaddy trolley. The S1 model with 18 hole lithium battery now comes down to only £399. The M1 & S3 models are down to £499. This is a one off opportunity pre Christmas to buy at their best ever price..
Titleist golf ball personalisation is also a great opportunity to get golf balls for a loved one.
Click here to get personalising and order now! There are just a matter of days left for this.
Scotty Cameron putter fitting vouchers with Sandy Smith, certified Cameron putter fitter. Get a Pro Shop voucher for a Scotty Cameron putter and Sandy will do a putter fitting for your special golfer of choice FREE of charge.
Fitting lasts 45 mins and can be done in doors in the Annsmuir Suite at the clubhouse.
Pro Shop vouchers are always a winner for that golfer who has everything! Golf coaching vouchers with Sandy or Gregor available in the Pro Shop. Please visit: www.sandysmithgolf.com or www.gregorwrightgolf.co.uk
FootJoy waterproofs/winter wear are available in all sizes and fittings. There are some great styles available this winter and well worth a look.
Great internet beating prices guaranteed too (please disregard prices in FJ catalogue as we are a minimum £10 cheaper than these RRPs in store when you order with us.
To see some of the items in this collection, click here.