Greens Updates
March Greens Updates
Update on work since last newsletter and forthcoming projects
March 2025
The course winter programme is nearing completion:
Majority of ditches cleared. Ditch to right of 5th will be done when ground is much drier in summer months
Drainage work to 8th tee seems to be helping, perhaps a little early to say if problem has been resolved, longer term this will be kept under review
The lower tree limbs have been removed on 3rd, 4th, 5th, 13th & 14th holes
Initial 1st cuts to fairways & greens, with the greens being ironed, some rough has been cut, more to follow over the coming days and I’m pleased to have received positive feedback from some of you, thank you.
We have 16 machines in general use of which 13 have now been serviced & repaired in house by our course manager.
Greens Renovation
I am acutely aware that the question everyone is asking and wants answered is:
“When will the greens recover & return to an acceptable standard?”
Like all of you, I too am a member of Shipley and want exactly the same as you.
Realistically we need the overall temperatures, both air & ground to be above 10 degrees both day & night, otherwise whatever renovations we carry out prior to that would be futile.
Over the coming 4/5 weeks, weather permitting, the greens will be verti-cut, dressed, seeded & fed as necessary. The results from this renovation programme will take us much nearer our ultimate goal.
Bunkers & Paths
Although the greens are the top priority there are many other significant areas of the course that require attention.
Our bunkers are long overdue a repair & renovation programme.
This will commence within the next 2 weeks, removal of all old membranes, weeding the internal areas of the bunkers, then the addition of sand to approved levels.
The paths throughout the course require urgent attention as time & staff availability allow. They all need weeding, redefining & a general tidying of each area.
Both these projects are labour intensive therefore, I would like to invite members who feel fit enough and would like to help make our course a better place to play & promote more visitors to contact Malcolm Walsh either by mobile 07906 553449 or email malcawalsh@gmail.com
Supervision and guidance from our greens staff will be provided to ensure we have continuity of standards.
Once we have established the members Artisan Group, in addition to the bunkers and paths we will focus on the annual maintenance to course benches, ball washers and bins in time for the season commencement.
Your ideas in helping with some of the other course aesthetics/improvements that you would like to see made will be most welcome. Just some of the other items this group can help with are:
Paint course fencing
Clean/paint bins and place on course
Strim around tree bottoms
Paint course signage
Construct tee peg bins and place on each hole
Other things that will be happening include
Launching a 100 club to help raise some much needed funds for greens equipment - Dom Snee is heading up this project
Greens Fund Raiser Golf Day – Phil Dodsworth & Jane Cranston-Young
The details of these initiatives will be announced shortly.
Looking after our course
I appreciate that we employ greens staff to carry out all the necessary tasks to produce a golf course we all want play on and be proud of.
“A member” by definition is someone that is more than just a customer, someone you would hope is actually part of the club and proud of that fact.
I would ask that when you are out on the course please carry out the following etiquette:-
1.Repair your pitch marks
All courses require golfers to repair marks left on the green by their pitch shot.
2. Replace your divots
After taking a divot, please take the time to walk a few steps forward, pick it up, and replace it. If done immediately the recovery time is at a premium. I appreciate that we have many crows on the course that often lift the divot, but if gently tamped down by your foot there is a much better chance of recovery.
3. Trolley & Buggy
Please keep your trolley or buggy well away from tee’s, greens & green fringes.
4.Flags
Always remove the flag prior to retrieving your ball from the hole. This will avoid damaging the soft turf around the cup when the ball is squeezed between it & the flagstick.
To summarise:
If you see a pitch mark or divot, even if they are not yours, please repair or replace them, it only takes a few seconds but saves many hours of maintenance over the golfing year.
Thank you for your help
Russ Cranston
Greens Director
March 2025
The course winter programme is nearing completion:
Majority of ditches cleared. Ditch to right of 5th will be done when ground is much drier in summer months
Drainage work to 8th tee seems to be helping, perhaps a little early to say if problem has been resolved, longer term this will be kept under review
The lower tree limbs have been removed on 3rd, 4th, 5th, 13th & 14th holes
Initial 1st cuts to fairways & greens, with the greens being ironed, some rough has been cut, more to follow over the coming days and I’m pleased to have received positive feedback from some of you, thank you.
We have 16 machines in general use of which 13 have now been serviced & repaired in house by our course manager.
Greens Renovation
I am acutely aware that the question everyone is asking and wants answered is:
“When will the greens recover & return to an acceptable standard?”
Like all of you, I too am a member of Shipley and want exactly the same as you.
Realistically we need the overall temperatures, both air & ground to be above 10 degrees both day & night, otherwise whatever renovations we carry out prior to that would be futile.
Over the coming 4/5 weeks, weather permitting, the greens will be verti-cut, dressed, seeded & fed as necessary. The results from this renovation programme will take us much nearer our ultimate goal.
Bunkers & Paths
Although the greens are the top priority there are many other significant areas of the course that require attention.
Our bunkers are long overdue a repair & renovation programme.
This will commence within the next 2 weeks, removal of all old membranes, weeding the internal areas of the bunkers, then the addition of sand to approved levels.
The paths throughout the course require urgent attention as time & staff availability allow. They all need weeding, redefining & a general tidying of each area.
Both these projects are labour intensive therefore, I would like to invite members who feel fit enough and would like to help make our course a better place to play & promote more visitors to contact Malcolm Walsh either by mobile 07906 553449 or email malcawalsh@gmail.com
Supervision and guidance from our greens staff will be provided to ensure we have continuity of standards.
Once we have established the members Artisan Group, in addition to the bunkers and paths we will focus on the annual maintenance to course benches, ball washers and bins in time for the season commencement.
Your ideas in helping with some of the other course aesthetics/improvements that you would like to see made will be most welcome. Just some of the other items this group can help with are:
Paint course fencing
Clean/paint bins and place on course
Strim around tree bottoms
Paint course signage
Construct tee peg bins and place on each hole
Other things that will be happening include
Launching a 100 club to help raise some much needed funds for greens equipment - Dom Snee is heading up this project
Greens Fund Raiser Golf Day – Phil Dodsworth & Jane Cranston-Young
The details of these initiatives will be announced shortly.
Looking after our course
I appreciate that we employ greens staff to carry out all the necessary tasks to produce a golf course we all want play on and be proud of.
“A member” by definition is someone that is more than just a customer, someone you would hope is actually part of the club and proud of that fact.
I would ask that when you are out on the course please carry out the following etiquette:-
1.Repair your pitch marks
All courses require golfers to repair marks left on the green by their pitch shot.
2. Replace your divots
After taking a divot, please take the time to walk a few steps forward, pick it up, and replace it. If done immediately the recovery time is at a premium. I appreciate that we have many crows on the course that often lift the divot, but if gently tamped down by your foot there is a much better chance of recovery.
3. Trolley & Buggy
Please keep your trolley or buggy well away from tee’s, greens & green fringes.
4.Flags
Always remove the flag prior to retrieving your ball from the hole. This will avoid damaging the soft turf around the cup when the ball is squeezed between it & the flagstick.
To summarise:
If you see a pitch mark or divot, even if they are not yours, please repair or replace them, it only takes a few seconds but saves many hours of maintenance over the golfing year.
Thank you for your help
Russ Cranston
Greens Director