West Kilbride July Links Report 2022
July has been a reasonable month weather wise with warm temperatures and between 50-60mm of rainfall. The average for this time of year is between 80-90mm. We have been short-staffed for all of July due to Covid outbreaks, illness and planned holidays
The Greenstaff have been busy preparing the course for July’s fixtures and carrying out some preparation work for the PGA championship in August.
The following work has been carried out on the course:
· Day to day general cutting and maintenance
· Irrigation burst was repaired on the main pipe at the 11th hole.
· Several repairs and adjustments have been carried out on the irrigation system.
· Hand-watering and nightly irrigation programmes have been carried as required.
· The bunkers have been fly-mowed, edged and strimmed.
· All strimming has been carried out throughout the course.
· All ditches and burns have been strimmed, mown and tidied out.
· The hedge at the 9th toilets has been trimmed.
· The gorse and banking on the 13th championship tee has been trimmed and tidied.
· Ragwort has been removed from the course.
· All fairways have been divoted with additional help from some of the junior members. The tees are still being divoted on a regular basis.
· All cutting units have been back-lapped and sharpened.
· The two Toro’s that are under contract hire have been fully serviced.
· The rose bed and club-house area has been tidied.
ON THE GREENS
· The greens have been cut daily at 3.5mm. Rolling has been reduced due to the warm dry weather.
· Verti-cutting has been carried out as well as over-seeding and a further application of top-dressing.
· The greens have been fed at the start of July using an organic 8-0-0 granular fertiliser.
· Monthly wetting agent and seaweed has been applied.
· The chemical Attraxor has also been applied to control excessive annual meadow grass growth.
Richard Fulton
Head Greenkeeper.