| TOO GOOD TO MISS |
An opportunity too good to miss
Despite the unpleasant weather, Andrew Hurley, our Director of Golf, is keen to see
our game improve and he writes:
"Now that the season is in full flow most of you will be working hard on trying to improve
on last year and lower those handicaps. Unfortunately hitting it as far a Bubba Watson
might be a big ask but all is not lost: 70 % of the game is played within 50 yards of the green. The quickest and easiest way to improve is by sharpening up your short game, but whilst technique is important equipment also plays a big part.
With the wrong tools in the bag it makes it much harder to execute the shot,
thus putting you at a serious disadvantage.
Cleveland Golf are promoting free short game assessments and a free lesson when you purchase a new 588 wedge; so pop into the shop and book your appointment now."
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| Arkley GC at The Spires |
Arkley on show in The Spires.
Despite the cold wind and the rain on Staurday 28th April the Membership Committee were once more in action at The Spires shopping centre in Barnet spreading the word that Arkley is the Club to join and promoting the various packages to encourage play on our unique course.
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Have you done your bit to recruit new members?
Don't forget there is a very generous incentive bonus if you sign up new members ( see the Fantastic Offer below).
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| Fantastic Offer to Members |
FANTASTIC OFFER FOR MEMBERS!
We are delighted to announce a fabulous Members’ Incentive Scheme worth up to £500 over two years for each and every new playing member you introduce.
Why not invite a friend or work colleague, or both, to play the course as your guest and maybe they will join in March earning you up to £500.
Look out for notices in the Clubhouse and changing rooms about this offer
Please contact the Office for full details of the Members’ Incentive Scheme.
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| The Ladies Section |
LADIES SECTION
April was a busy month for the Ladies’ Section. We played our last Pearson match against Harpenden and won 5 –2. Our overall performance this year was won 4, lost 4 and, whilst we have a slight chance of going through to the next round, this does depend on the performance of our opponents (a bit like West Ham’s battle for promotion to the Premier League!)
We played the fourth round of the Mail on Sunday Competition. at Brickendon Grange in unrelenting rain and lost 4 – 1, albeit to a club with about 5 times as many lady members as ourselves. (Excuses, excuses!)
In the National Nines, a competition for 9 hole courses in England and Scotland, our A team triumphed at home against Bushey Golf & Country Club whilst our B team lost away to Eltham Warren – a jewel of a course, designed by one James Braid, tucked away in South London and well worth a visit.
The ladies’ first major event of the year, the Spring Meeting, takes place on Tuesday May 1 – results in the next newsletter! |
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| Social Events News |
Arkley GC Diamond Jubilee Events 2012
Saturday 2nd June
AM v PM competition (7 day male members)
Sunday 3rd June
Diamond Jubilee Carvery Lunch
Monday 4th June
Texas Scramble competition (7 and 5 day, ladies and men) from 12 noon,
followed by a barbecue
Tuesday 5th June
Informal drinks from 1.30pm with a toast to the Queen
Look out for further details of the above in the clubhouse soon
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| Around the Greens |
AROUND THE GREENS
Q. How often are the greens cut and at what height and why do we cut the greens by hand sometimes and not others?
A. In the main growing season from April until the end of September they are cut every day unless weather conditions dictate otherwise. For the rest of the year, they are cut as necessary, generally every other day. In summertime the height of cut will go down to 4 millimetres rising to 6 millimetres during the winter.
During the winter period and early spring the greens are cut by hand to save the big machines driving around the green surrounds and to keep the weight off of the surfaces. Aesthetically they may look better but the quality of cut is identical. The hand machines have the same cutters as the large machines.
It takes two members of staff with hand mowers two and a half hours to cut the greens. With the ride on mower it takes one member of staff just over an hour to cut all greens. The ride on machines work faster than golfers can play so can easily stay ahead of early morning play.
Q: Why is it that when the greens start to grow, for a time, they become very uneven and bumpy?
A: This is because there are more than one species of grass within them, different species grow at different rates. Some start growing at slightly lower temperatures than others. Some species have deeper roots than others, so they are in soil that has not warmed yet and therefore do not start to grow until warmth gets down to that depth.
Here comes the science bit……….
The greens are predominately a mixture of fescue, bent and poa. Poa being the weed species that no one wants but a lot of courses end up with! This is the species that produces all the little seed heads in the spring which also causes unevenness. When these seed heads appear, we will verticut and aerate the greens and these measures, combined with regular cutting and rolling should keep the greens running and as true as possible.
Q: Why is it not possible to lower the height of cut on the greens to increase the speed?
A: It is, but it does not last very long. Too much leaf is removed and the plant can no longer produce enough food to live. Mowing at a height of 3 mm for any length of time measured in days rather than weeks creates excessive stress and the grass dies. Thus the age old term the quick and the dead. The recognised way to increase green speed is to increase the height of cut to encourage the finer species of grasses and to regularly roll the greens.
Poa dominated greens can be made very fast but unfortunately require massive inputs of water, fertiliser and chemicals.
Q: Why is it some greens are wetter than others?
A: As with most things there are a number of reasons for this, soil type, topography, shade and foot traffic. The greens are what are known as push up greens. This means they were made by pushing up together whatever soil was on the site of the green. Thus the soil type will vary from green to green with a differing infiltration rate. There is no topsoil as such just a very silty subsoil with about 25mm of accumulated top dressing on top. In fact when I have shown people what lies beneath the turf they are quite amazed that the grass grows at all. Any drainage is only as fast as the water can penetrate the underlying soil.
Where a green has bumps and hollows this again allows a build up of standing water. Foot traffic in the walk off areas causes compaction when wet which leads to surface puddling.
Q. At certain times of the year, particularly in the spring, the holes become crowned. What causes this?
A. Frankly, it is your feet! When the ground is soft which it is in the spring with virtually no growth and having had the winter rain and frost to contend with. The most used area of the green is obviously the hole with all feet headed in that direction. The bit that makes it worse is the leading foot 6 inches from the hole with all your body weight resting on it, pushing the surface down, as you retrieve your ball, causing the last 6 inches to be higher than the piece your foot is on.
Q. How often are the holes changed?
A. The holes are changed at least twice a week, more often if there is a major competition.
TOP DRESSING
Q. Why do you top dress? What does it consist of?
A. Top dressing is a way of smoothing the surface, this helps to make the greens true. Over a period of time it helps improve the quality of the topsoil. The top dressing used here consists of 80% sand and 20% topsoil.
Q. Why is it some times the greens are top dressed after spiking and not other times?
A. This depends on what type of spiking was carried out. If it is hollow tining, where a core of soil is removed then it is good practice to work some dressing down into the holes. When using solid tines however, the soil around the hole is displaced and has to be allowed to settle back. If the hole were to be filled this would not happen and the ground would remain compacted.
AERATION
Q. How often do you spike the greens and why is it necessary?
A. More often than you might think as some types of spiking will be virtually invisible after the greens have been cut. The aeration that produces the most disruption is the Vertidrain. This makes 300mm deep holes as well as lifting the whole surface shattering the soil underneath. The greens are usually done in September, and tees and fairways throughout the winter. Timing is critical,as the soil has to be firm but not too hard. The process where the holes remain open the most is hollow tining where a core of soil is removed. This allows an exchange of soil and to remove thatch. And the reason for doing all this? The roots of the grass live in the spaces between the soil particles. Your feet plus maintenance equipment compacts these spaces together not only stopping healthy growth of the grass but also reducing the drainage.
PESTS AND DISEASES
Q. What is Fusarium?
A. Fusarium patch is a disease which is becoming very widespread on sports turf particularly during the winter months. Its symptoms can be seen on fine turf areas, such as bowling and golf greens. The disease appears as small orange/brown colour circular dead patches/spots. The disease is always present in the soil and will attack the sward overnight if the conditions are right. Its spores are spread by wind, water and traffic. Whilst the grass is in its dormant state the only control is to remove the dew and spray with a .
contact fungicide
Q. Why do we see the crows pecking areas on the courses?
A. They are looking for the eggs/grubs of the Crane fly (Daddy Longlegs).
MACHINERY
Q. How much maintenance does the course machinery require?
A. The simple answer is a lot!.
During the winter each machine has to undergo a complete overhaul. All machinery is stripped to their component parts and checked for wear and tear. Cutting edges are reground accurately, parts are painted and worn items replaced. All fluids are checked and the machine is then reassembled.
All this work has to be fitted in with the day to day breakdowns, from a simple puncture repair to larger jobs such as replacing a head gasket or clutch.
WINTER WORK
Q. How much of the winter work programme was completed?
A. The short period of snow and prolonged frosts meant we were able to complete 90% of the programme. Some of the bridges and paths need finishing and I anticipate these will be completed by the end of spring.
BUNKERS
Q. Is there anything that can be done to improve the playability of the bunkers?
A. Our bunkers are over 100 years old and are showing their age. Lack of drainage and lining are perhaps the main reasons for their current condition but, unfortunately, it would be a major expense to install drainage and add lining.
The maintenance of bunkers is perhaps the most labour intensive activity that my team undertake. To rake, maintain and renovate the bunkers equates to almost 1 person working fulltime for 1 day each week. This is probably a good time to remind all members to leave a bunker as you found it. It is not unusual to spend up wards of 3 hours raking the bunkers and find footprints in them within an hour or two of completing them.
OTHER
Q. What’s happening on the practice ground?
A. A lot of work has gone in to improving the practice facilities. Over on the practice ground now we have two teaching bays and seven practice mats. A new grass teeing area is under construction and we also have a short par 3 course, chipping area and practice bunkers. New practice nets have been installed behind the putting green so why not make use of these facilities and sharpen up your game for the new season.
Q. How has the hosepipe ban affected us?
A. So far, very little. The recent rainfall has been welcome and the short and medium term forecasts seem to indicate more of the same. To make best use of the rain on the greens, we have recently sprayed a wetting agent which, in simple terms, is a silicone gel which clings to the grass roots which, in turn, retains the moisture within the plant. As things stand, I do not anticipate any major disruption due to the hosepipe ban unless the water authorities impose further restrictions.
Jason Hatton
Course Manager |
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| The Kenneth Fox Mixed Foursomes |
KENNETH FOX
Despite the unpleasant weather on Monday 9 April sixteen intrepid competitors turned out for the Kenneth Fox mixed foursomes, A number of regulars were unfortunately away. The cup was won by the Lady Captain, Sylvia Smith, partnered by John Casalaspro, with Viv and Don Foster only a point behind.
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| England v The Rest |
England versus The Rest
The Annual England versus the Rest, played as near as possible to St George's Day, was again won by England (third time in a row).
John Jennings, who generously bought everyone a drink, is seen receiving the trophy from Ken Davies
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| Rules Corner |
RULES CORNER
Loose impediments - sand and loose soil on greens are loose impediments but not anywhere else including the fringes of greens (ask Mr R McIlroy!) - worm casts are loose impediments anywhere on the course.
Provisional ball not announced - if you put a second ball into play without declaring it as a 'provisional ball' it immediately becomes the ball in play, if the original ball is found it must be abandoned.
Change to Local Rule - the wooden drain covers at the rear of the 2nd and 6th greens are now treated like fixed sprinkler heads within 2 club lengths of the green and relief can be taken for interference with stance OR line of play. From the Rules of Golf - "In addition, if a ball lies through the green and an immovable obstruction on or within two club-lengths of the putting green and within two club-lengths of the ball intervenes on the line of play between the ball and the hole, the player may take relief as follows: The ball must be lifted and dropped at the nearest point to where the ball lay that (a) is not nearer the hole, (b) avoids intervention and (c) is not in a hazard or on a putting green."
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| Bar opening hours |
Bar opening hours
Monday to Wednesday: 11.30am – 9.00pm
Thursday: 11.30am – 11.00pm
Friday to Sunday: 11.30am – 9.00pm
Billy Ralph, Bar Manager
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| Support our Advertisers |
Support our advertisers
Slowly new advertisements are being placed on our website. The latest is Birkdale Promotions, the company that provides our club with it's trophies and updates the engraving on them. If you need a trophy or some engraving please consider supporting them as they are support us.
If you have any comments or suggestions about the website please contact Brian Porteous; he'll be glad to hear from you. |
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| Booking a function? |
Function and Dining Room Booking
Just a reminder that we hire out both the lounge and dining room for functions of all sorts, with preferential rates for members of course. We are the best value by far with the best caterer as well. We host a lot of events already so do not leave it too late to get your preferred date. If you, your family or friends are thinking of having a function make sure you think about the Club as your venue.
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| Important notice from the Board |
Golf Insurance and Health & Safety on the Course
You may be aware of the recent court case in Scotland concerning a golfer whose wayward shot hit another golfer in the eye, as a result he was ordered to pay compensation of over £277 000 to the injured person. This was despite shouting "Fore!" In light of this case and with the winter golf conditions now upon us there are number of matters that we all need to be aware of as members of AGC.
First, all members are reminded of the wisdom of having personal golf insurance or adequate equivalent liability cover should they injure someone or cause damage to property. Golf insurance can be arranged through Andrew Hurley in the Pro shop.
Secondly, our Fog Policy is very important at this time of year and members are requested to comply with it. For the avoidance of doubt, these are the procedures.:
In foggy conditions the green staff (and if not available, the Pro shop staff) will decide if the course is playable. The decision will be based on whether the 2nd bunker on the right of the first fairway is clearly visible from the 1st tee. If it is not, the course will be closed until such time as the fog clears and the bunker is visible. If play has already commenced and conditions deteriorate the klaxon will sound to suspend play. It is dangerous to golfers and to the green staff working on the course to continue to play when the course is closed.
If members encounter fog on other parts of the course they should cease play if their shot will travel further than they can see – members should always err on the side of caution in this respect.
Thirdly, members are reminded that they should not tee off from the 7th or 16th tee if there are people on the 17th tee about to play. Given the above mentioned court case it is clear that members themselves will be held liable should they injure someone and with the winter tee in play on 16 caution should be exercised at all times.
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