Course Update by Superintendent Michael Calvey
Our key performance indicators (KPI’s) remained consistently high throughout the summer and autumn seasons. Skerries has maintained its position as the highest-scoring club on Carr’s profile for several months, with our scores consistently outperforming the average across all Carr clubs by 10-14%.
Staff shortages left us operating with only 3 staff for the past month. This led to incomplete tasks, including delayed leaf clearing. We’ve now hired an experienced greenkeeper to help catch up on overdue work.
GREENS UPDATE
A sudden outbreak of fusarium hit our greens between Nov. 2nd and 3rd, affecting many parkland courses in the area. This outbreak was primarily due to abnormal weather conditions caused by climate change, with high humidity, unseasonal temperatures, and constant drizzle creating the perfect environment for fungal growth.
Despite our preventive measures, including our Integrated Pest Management program and fungicide applications, the extreme weather conditions proved too challenging. The EU’s sustainability directive has limited our fungicide options, making it increasingly difficult to manage such outbreaks. Our course also faces additional challenges due to its composition and layout, including annual meadow grass susceptibility and areas with poor air flow and sunlight exposure.
While the fusarium is no longer active, we’re left with significant scarring on some greens. We’re working closely with Carr Golf to develop a recovery program.
Our winter greens maintenance plan includes several key adjustments to protect the turf and ensure playability during the colder months. We’ve increased the cutting height to 4mm (potentially 5mm in wet conditions) and reduced mowing to 2-3 times weekly, soon transitioning to once weekly.
To support turf health, we’ve implemented bi- weekly liquid feeds, an IPM programme, and monthly fungicide treatments. Additionally, we’ve completed verti-draining to enhance drainage.
While these measures may temporarily affect green speed, they are essential for maintaining the overall health and playability of our greens throughout the winter season. We appreciate your patience as we work to restore our greens to their best condition.
FAIRWAYS AND SEMI-ROUGH
The fairways have also been affected by Fusarium, but it is not noticeable to the untrained eye. They’re now prone to small, mucky bare patches caused by casting worms – an issue we can no longer treat due to the removal of effective chemicals from the market.
The fairways’ cutting height has been increased from 12mm to 16mm for the winter season. Currently, we’re mowing twice weekly, but this will reduce to once per week. The semi- rough is maintained at 25mm and will stay at this height throughout winter. Due to the increased fairway height, there will be less visual distinction between the fairways and semi-rough areas.
Fairways and semi-rough continue to receive monthly applications of liquid fertiliser to maintain their health and appearance. This year, we’re also applying Humic acid, a product supplied by Carr Golf, which has notably enhanced the colour of the sward on both fairways and semi-rough, resulting in a visually appealing landscape.
ROUGH
Due to recent staff shortages, the rough has not been cut as frequently and has been partially maintained on a rotational basis. With our team now back to full strength, we aim to cut the rough bi-weekly, weather and ground conditions permitting. This regular cutting not only maintains the rough but also helps reduce leaf litter on the course, as the mower mulches the fallen leaves during the process.
BUNKERS
The bunkers are maintained weekly to keep the sand loose. We aim to perform a thorough loosening and redistribution of sand monthly.
TEES/APPROACHES
Fusarium has also affected our tees and approaches, though again it’s less noticeable than on the greens due to the longer grass. The worst-affected areas show patchy dead grass resembling large wormcast patches.
We’ve aerated all tees using 16mm solid tines to relieve compaction, improve surface drainage, and create pore spaces in the soil profile. This process enhances oxygen flow to grass roots and beneficial soil microbes, promoting healthier turf. For the autumn/winter season, we’ve adjusted our maintenance routine – increased cutting height from 8mm to 11mm and reduced cutting frequency to once per week.
We’re continuing monthly applications of liquid fertiliser and iron to maintain the appearance and health of tees and approaches throughout autumn. These measures aim to ensure optimal playing conditions while preparing the course for the cooler months ahead.
Unfortunately, the tees and approaches are now prone to small, mucky bare patches caused by casting worms. The removal of Carbendazim from the market has left us without an effective treatment for this issue. These steps aim to maintain the health of our tees and approaches through the colder months while adapting to current challenges.
DRAINAGE AND IRRIGATION
The backfilling of the drain lines went well but was quite slow to germinate the grass seeds due to the abnormal dry weather in September.The drainage areas have been trimmed to 25mm and are now being maintained with the semi-rough mower. We’ll continue this until the grass adapts to the lower height. Once established, these areas will be further reduced to match the fairway cutting height, ensuring a smooth transition and optimal drainage performance.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
A comprehensive winter works plan has been developed in collaboration with Aindriu, pending approval. A key focus will be crown raising of low-hanging tree branches, scheduled to begin in January after leaf clearance. However, please note that autumn and winter storms may impact our planned works, as resources may need to be redirected to clear damaged or fallen trees.