Grass Clippings
Around our grounds
Apologies to any tennis-playing Members who have been disappointed not to be playing on our grass courts during the last few weeks of May. Let’s just say the reasons are beyond our control but we hope that normal service will resume shortly with some much-anticipated, prolonged sunshine. May has been one of those months of persistent showers and a fleeting day of sun that gives the impression that summer is on its way but not quite yet. The grass courts are in good order and looking splendid at the moment, but the wet conditions mean that they could be treacherous for play. We all hope that we have some consistently good weather, for the rest of the summer bringing better fortune to all tennis lovers. The courts will need a little more rolling and firming, which will also come with usage and play.
The weather in the last week also hampered croquet lawn renovations which had to be modified to accommodate the wet conditions. The main task of organic matter reduction, continuing with scarification and aeration will be going ahead but top dressing will have to wait for yet another day.
This week we have ear marked a little time for smash courts numbers four to six to be renovated with the main task of levelling the infill material on the ‘Advantage Red’ and ensure it is evenly distributed to the correct depth. Players may notice more material on the surface of the courts, which has been added by the contractor to the depth as defined by the installation company.
May has been a rather interesting month for keeping the schedule of getting the golf course ready for all the spring events. In areas of deepest Surrey, a number of courses have been closed this month, due to the rainstorms that have bubbled up off the coast and dumped large quantities of rain over parts of the southeast resulting in a flooded course or two.
It has been a cold, warm, wet, and dry month and this has sent the grass into overdrive with growth increasing faster than we can cut in a day. We have coped, just and have managed to keep all surfaces in check but it has been a bit of a mission as anyone with a lawn will sympathise. We are also seeing a good return on overseeding parts of the rough and tees which may have stressed out from last year’s heat wave. The ground temperatures are now at the ‘Goldilocks’ point of being warm enough to get the seed to break dormancy and strike but not so hot that it doesn’t over cook the grass while it is at the seedling stage. Fortunately, there is a plus side to this weather, more grass to cut in the near future!
Trials and Tribulations at Chelsea
Tales from behind the curtain of this year’s Chelsea Flower Show are that several designers of show gardens have got a little jumpy over the quality of plants that have been reared and produced by their suppliers. It seems that due to the strange spring we have been experiencing, some plants are not as advanced as they would like them to be for the show. Trees as well as pot plants have had to be substituted because they are not yet full in leaf or flower meaning a scrum of garden designers (the collective term?) have been scurrying around trade nurseries trying to buy up stock for their plots. The clock is ticking at the moment and so the pressure is on. One trade supplier has had to pull out of the show this year also. Due to the red tape involved in importing plants for their stand, despite having all the necessary paperwork and approvals, they have been unnecessarily held up by British border control staff who didn’t seem to comprehend all the conformity regulations and held up several trucks of material bound for the show, leading to material spoiling in transport. The trade supplier has decided to pull out of the show as the losses on getting material in on time were just too high a cost to bear. Chelsea is not all Pimm’s and canapes sadly.
Peter Bradburn, Course and Grounds Director