Lots of rain and even snow and frost for a long period of January. What a winter. Club and course have been almost empty since New Year. Only the bridge club has kept things going. There have been a total of 38 closure days this side of New Year. We have never had that many before. It is not something we want too much of, but we can see that it spares the course when we keep it closed when the weather conditions are too much against us.
A change in the weather away from the perpetual rain has got the greenkeepers started on one of the spring tasks we love the most, namely the first cut of the greens. Flags on the greens also appeared one day. Whether there are flags on the greens or not depends on a combination of good weather conditions and activity in the golf box. But of course there are more and more of those days. We work on the bunkers continuously. They always get a lot of wear and tear during the winter and it is a painstaking job to renovate them and bring them out of their misery. We tear them down once a week now.
The spring mood that has hit the greenkeepers has also hit you golfers, but just some harder than others. Turf is being taken from the tees and it is forbidden. The mat requirement also applies to tees and applies to all players, guests and members. What we have also experienced is that winter-closed tees have been used and even without a mat. Unbelievable.
Planned work on the track in March:
Week 10: Tees are pricked, dressed and reseeded. Expect slightly abnormal surfaces.
Week 11: Green surroundings and foregreens are pricked, dressed and reseeded. Expect abnormal surfaces.
Week 12: Excavation work along the 18th hole, 2nd hole and across the 9th hole. Power cable is being laid from the clubhouse to the pump well. Expect one hole to be closed to play during work hours.
Week 13: Fairways topdresses. Expect slightly unusual surfaces
We reserve the right to make changes due to weather, illness and machine breakdowns.
A great news from the staff at the greenkeeper farm. We have a new colleague. On March 1st, Jarno Fisker started as a permanent greenkeeper. Jarno is 52 years old, lives in Frederiksberg and has worked as a greenkeeper since 2013 at Hillerød and Mølleåen respectively. He loves all work on a golf course, but is particularly skilled at irrigation systems, construction work, mechanics and grinding, and we look forward to bringing all these skills to bear on the course. Welcome Jarno out on the course.
As always:
Use your mat all the way around
Straighten up the impact marks.
Let faster “balls” pass through.
Enjoy.
Martin Nilsson, Chief Greenkeeper