Thursday 24 November 2016

5th Green Complete

Work on the 5th green is now complete. All green surrounds have been turfed and the fairway bunker has been completed to finish the project. The greens turf was rolled prior to a winter granule been applied which will encourage rooting and general plant health. The green complex and view from the fairway looks very good. The aim was to maintain the original shapes and approach to the green and this has been achieved with some subtle changes to the surrounds and  bunkers. The front left portion of the green has been flattened to give us scope for pin placement in this area that had been lost in the last few years. Martin Hawtree and Sol golf have done a very professional job throughout and have shown that it pays to get the best people available to carry out the changes to Balgownie. The green staff at RAGC have also done a tremendous job with the new bunkers and re-turfing work to the surrounds.

Wednesday 23 November 2016

5th Green Progress

This week the remaining greens turf has been laid and the green approach has been finished. New fescue turf was laid on the green surrounds and a fescue/ rye turf was laid on the walk off area and path from the 6th tee.



Thursday 17 November 2016

5th green update

Work continues on the 5th green. Martin Hawtree visited on Tuesday 15th to view the green site and was happy to pass the green for completion. The captain was also present to view the prepared surface and was happy with the green. Work has started to re-lay the existing turf back on the green. This will take 2-3 days to re-lay after which it will be lightly rolled and top dressed.

3rd hole Approach area

To allow a larger landing area in front of this green 300m2 of the approach was lifted so that we could re-contour this area. The mound where the old bunker used to sit was softened and some material was added on the right side to usher balls towards the middle of the green. The flat area in front of the green is now much larger than before and should make approach shots easier.



Wednesday 16 November 2016

4th Medal tee

The teeing platform has been moved to the left and lowered by 1 metre. This will hopefully allow us to stay on this side of the hole for a few more years. We were very close to the dune edge and were at the point of moving to the other side as it was becoming unsafe.



Thursday 10 November 2016

5th green update

The new root zone has been placed to a depth of 250mm. This will be firmed and final raking will be done before the existing turf is re-laid. Work has also started on the bunkers to revett the faces,


Wednesday 2 November 2016

5th green update

All greens turf has been removed and laid out on the fairway and rough area short of the green. Work has started to remove the old root zone which will be dumped as it is full of clay and silt. Having removed the old root zone it is clear to see where the problems lie with this green, The picture shows the layers of blue clay and silt material which inhibited the drainage from the surface. Also there is a large quantity of gravel and stones below the green that will need to be removed before we can add new sand and root zone. Drains were installed into the bunkers to remove water during the winter months.