Grass Clippings

Weather watch

It cannot escape anyone’s notice that this winter has been quite awful so far and continues to vex everyone who has any invested interest in venturing outdoors. So far on site, we have received double the amount of rain that we usually receive for the whole of the winter season and yet we still have February to get through.

During November 2022, there were only three consecutive days on site when rain didn’t fall and the rest of the month, we had a varying amount of rain from 2mm to over 20mm on a daily basis. December followed and the snow that fell stayed for the week before Christmas. It was followed by more rain that led to the greenkeeping crew lamenting ‘I’m dreaming of a dry Christmas’.

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the primary reason for the UK winter weather pattern and the changeability of what comes our way. In its positive phase, lower than normal sea-level pressure occurs near Iceland and higher than normal pressure over the Azores. This enhanced gradient in pressure strengthens the westerly winds from the Atlantic bringing milder maritime air to the UK but also increased rainfall and more windstorms.

Conversely, in a negative NAO phase, the pressure is higher than usual over Iceland and lower than usual over the Azores, weakening the pressure gradient and reducing the strength of the westerly winds. For the UK this means that more of our weather will come from the north or east which in winter means colder, drier, and potentially snowy conditions.

The effect on the ground as I write is two-fold, the water table has risen considerably, since the summer drought conditions, and months of rain means we are now at field capacity. The accumulative effect of months of rain are now having an effect. Any additional rain that falls will subsequently lead to standing water until the soil allows water to percolate. This is determined by the soil characteristics and physical properties to allow water to drain.

As Chief Executive Marc Newey indicated in the last Recorder, we are doing everything possible to enable Members access to the playing surfaces, be that tennis golf or croquet. But we also have a responsibility for Members’ safety, in general terms the prevention of serious accidents. In my working career, I have often seen people who have slipped on ice and slippery banks and broken limbs on golf courses. On several occasions this has been life changing for the individual.  Secondary we also have an obligation to conserve the integrity of the playing surfaces as directed by the relevant polices created by the Club. We are very conscious that the enjoyment of the playing facilities may be affected by the decisions that may be required to be adopted, at times, during the winter period. Equally it is important that we take the broader perspective to avoid permanent damage to the surfaces which would spoil the playability of the game for members for months or years to come. It is a balancing act that no course manager relishes but has to be managed to help maintain the quality of the surfaces from a long-term perspective.

Blue Mondays – mastermind marketing myth

Last Monday was the coldest day recorded so far this year (-6 C^o on site) which coincided with Blue Monday – supposedly the most depressing day of the year and not a commemoration day to the hit by New Order from 1983. The date coincides with the third Monday of January and was originally dreamed up by psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall in 2004. He devised a concept to mark the bleakest day of the year to help a travel company sell holidays. There was even a formula devised to give the theory some pseudoscientific credence: [W + (D-d)] x TQ M x NA

In this equation there are seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since failed quit attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take action.

It’s supposed to account for January’s weather conditions, the long stretch until payday underscored by festive debt, lapsed New Year’s resolutions and the joy of Christmas fading away from memory. It is a complete marketing stunt in that even the parameters of the formula are nonsensical measurements which tries to determine the motivation and mood aspect of the entire population.

As such it’s a pretty nifty piece of marketing which probably draws in the fact that many of us do feel the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) due to the loss of light levels and the varying weather conditions. The Samaritans has started a counter-campaign called Brew Monday, which labels Blue Monday a myth and encourages people to ‘make time for a cuppa and a catch-up’. ‘We all have our good days and our bad days, and those aren’t for the calendar to decide’, the charity says.

Recent research by the horticultural specialists Biotecture, a Mitie company, found that two thirds of people who live in urban environments want to see more botanical beauty where they live. Over a quarter (26%) feel demotivated by the lack of green space in their area and one in five (20%) feel isolated. More than half think there is not enough investment in urban greening.

Green spaces

As the Club is situated next door to London’s largest ‘green lung’, the 2,500 acres site of Richmond Park and a host of other public and private green spaces, we are blest by the options available in the area. Recognising that there is simply not enough horizontal space for parks and open areas, the majority (57%) of those surveyed would welcome more vertical greenery, such as living walls, to make up for the lack of ground level room in their city. Others want more trees (43%), flower beds (38%) and grass (36%) – as many (78%) say greenery improves their mental wellbeing.

A large number of city dwellers (79%) said they enjoy living in an urban place, thanks to the convenience, career opportunities and social life. Yet the research also found over two thirds (67%) would consider moving to a greener suburb or the countryside to be able to enjoy nature more. Those looking to move want cleaner air (40%), a calmer life (39%), more space (34%) and to be able to get outside more (32%). However, almost two thirds (62%) would consider staying in a metropolitan environment if there was more investment in urban greening, saying the key benefits of living around plenty of greenery include having cleaner air (47%) and more wildlife (45%).

Green spaces play a significant role in the environment whereby they filter pollutants, dust, and other harmful particles from the air. They also provide shade which lowers temperatures and waterways become better due to reduced soil erosion. Surprisingly, London is quite low down on the list of green space to population ratio, in the league of cities. Possibly as a result of the expansion of the city since WWII and a reduction in green space develop since this period.

 

Rank	City	Country	Greenspace (percentage)
1	Moscow	Russia	54%
2	Singapore	Singapore	47%
3	Sydney	Australia	46%
4	Vienna	Austria	45.5%
5	Shenzhen	China	45%
6	Hong Kong	Hong Kong	40%
7	Stockholm	Sweden	40%
8	Madrid	Spain	35%
9	Rome	Italy	34.8%
10	London	United Kingdom	33%

Peter Bradburn, Course and Grounds Director