Another busy week on the courses passes by with the beginning of sanding the recently turfed areas with a start being made on 13 West as a trial and the other areas being done this coming Thursday weather permitting.  The fairway extensions in these areas have also been mown out and as the areas are still quite uneven they will remain GUR for the time being.  It is not "compulsory" GUR so players can play if they so desire.

Sanding 13W

Works associated with the Course Improvement Plan are now on hold and as mentioned last week there will be some minor works carried out but nothing on the scale of the past six weeks.

The 26 bunkers that have been removed will certainly help spread the available labour on the courses although most of those removed were very low maintenance areas anyway and few had ever had any sand added to them in my time and most were just "leaf collectors".  The bunkers that do drain the man hours are the greenside bunkers and it has always amazed me just how many resources are allocated to golf course bunkers which are a hazard after all.  At many courses more resources are put toward bunker maintenance than greens.  I read the following in an article recently and it is so true;

However they are perceived, bunkers are areas that receive an inordinate amount of attention at most golf facilities. From their simple origins as hollows on the leeward sides of sand dunes that sheltered livestock from cold sea winds, bunkers have experienced considerable evolution of design, construction, and maintenance over the years. So, too, have golfers' expectations for playability and consistency.

The cold mornings earlier this week has seen the Couchgrass discolour in many areas of the course which is quite natural.  Fortunately we don't get frosts of any strength so the discolouring is only minor.  This turn in the weather will also slow up the growth of the turfed areas mentioned above.