Unsurprisingly, given the weather recently, there is very little to report - other, perhaps, than the weather itself. The lowest temperature recorded at the sheds was -6 C on Friday morning, which was pretty ordinary - our lowest ever was -19 C around 12 years ago. Last week we recorded 10 mm of ‘precipitation’ of any kind; the week before we had 37 mm. There has been little opportunity for the ground to dry before the recent cold snap; when the ground thaws (and the frost is quite deep) - it will still be quite saturated, so expect some ongoing restrictions for a few days. The good news is that this upcoming week is forecast to be near seasonal temperatures, and dry.

The greens are different. They will have frozen several inches down, creating a drainage barrier which will cause local ponding until it thaws. Traffic over the interface between soft and frozen ground can result in root shear, so the areas need protection until the frost has completely come out.

Elsewhere the team has been able to carry on with tree work - one positive from the recent frosts is we can at least run the trailer over the course. We’ve taken out approximately 20 dead or damaged trees and removed the stumps. For those interested there are logs available in the copse as you approach the sheds - help yourselves. The arboriculturalist has been in for his regular inspection and found no urgent work to be done. He will come back to carry out some other works including some shaping to the trees which affect the approach to the 12th green and frame the left side of the 13th culvert.

Gavin spends January servicing the machinery - changing oils and hydraulic fluids, gaskets and bearings. The mower cutters will be sent away for sharpening: although we have our own grinding equipment it’s more efficient to have them done professionally.

Course Committee