GOLF COURSE POLICY
Bathgate Golf Club
Introduction:
The purpose of this policy is to set out the details agreed by the Council of management of Bathgate Golf Club on their objectives with golf course matters. It has been compiled with the agreement of the head greenkeeper. The policy will be kept under constant review and is at all times subject to change by the Council of management.
Bathgate Golf Club has a separate policy on the many aspects associated with the potential dangers whilst playing the game. These are listed on a separate policy titled “Health and Safety on the Golf Course”.
Background:
The course was formally opened for play as a nine hole course by Mr William Park in June 1892 before being extended to 18 holes in May 1907.
In 1935 Mr James Braid was invited to review the course and his recommendations led to improvements and changes which form part of our ongoing development of the club.
The course itself has many challenges with one being the varying types of soil found around the course with peat encasing a band of sand around the site of the old Bathgate Sand Quarry.
Roles and responsibilities:
The Council of management and head greenkeeper will be responsible for the policies put forward in this document. The head greenkeeper is responsible for the implementation of this policy document. A greens convenor will appointed by the club Council to laisse with the head greenkeeper on greens matters.The greens convenor will monitor that the course policies are being adhered to.
The head greenkeeper is responsible for course set up on competition days and will liaise with match and handicap regarding tee and pin positions. The weather forecast will also be a consideration.
The machinery replacement and maintenance programme is the responsibility of the head greenkeeper. Health and safety matters pertaining to course matters and staff are also the responsibility of the head green keeper. (Health and safety matters are currently examined and assessed annually by Xact)
The Council of management will encourage all greens staff to attend any appropriate training courses pertaining to their trade.
Resources:
Presently (2018) there are 5 full time greens staff working 40 hours per week. Some weekend work is required and this is carried out via a rota system. All staff are members of Bigga. The services of STRI are to be used to help the staff maintain the course to a high standard.
Objectives:
Bathgate is set up to please golfers of every ability, not too long yet long enough to be a good test of golf, fairways of generous width and well maintained semi rough which although fairly short is thick enough to punish a stray drive.
The long term objective is to provide a golf course that is well maintained and consistent with running a high level of competition. It is to provide a fair test for all ages and abilities. The course will at all times be compliant with the rules of golf and where appropriate local rules may be introduced.
Greens:
The greens are very traditional “push up” soil based greens with gentle slopes making for some tricky putting especially when the greens are on the quick side.
Make up of grass species is Poa/Bents and it is the intention to keep greens speed around 6-7 feet in winter and between 8-10 feet in the summer.
Cutting heights vary from 5.5mm during the winter months to 3mm through the summer.
Fertiliser inputs and maintenance schedules are carried out with careful consideration between our greens staff and our Agronomist from STRI with ample notice given to members.
The intention is to provide a putting surface of a high quality for as many months in the year as is possible.
Temporary Greens:
It is Bathgate’s expectation that ongoing work to relieve compaction and reduce organic matter will make the use of temporary greens less frequent. This will apply to some greens sooner than others. It is the responsibility of the Head Greenkeeper or, in his absence the senior Greenkeeper on duty to determine on a day to day basis the need for temporary greens to be in play. Consideration will include whether the main green is too soft to take foot traffic and in frosty conditions, whether footmarks could cause damage to the greens surface or rooting systems.
If intensive work is required to the main greens a temporary green may be brought into use in order to carry out the work efficiently and safely.
Tees:
Height of cut varies from 13mm in Spring/Autumn to 8mm throughout the summer months.
Tees are cut between once or twice per week depending on growth rates with all clippings boxed throughout the year.
Divoting of the tees is a daily task for the greens staff but seed boxes are provided on the Par 3 tees and members and guests must infill their own divots after play.
From November to April tees will revert to winter playing areas or areas of tees which are not in use during the playing season. Member’s personal mats must be used during this period on all Par 3 tees.
Aprons:
Height of cut varies from 13mm in Spring/Autumn to 8mm throughout the summer months.
Aprons are cut between once or twice per week depending on growth rates with all clippings boxed throughout the year.
The first band of Apron approx 6’ is seen as an extension of the green and will receive the same maintenance, coring, scarifying, top dressing and feeding as the greens.
Fairways:
The fairways are generous in width to encourage the enjoyment of the game for players of all abilities. Height of cut varies from 15mm in Spring/Autumn to 10mm throughout the summer months.
Fairways are cut twice per week in a “cross cut” manner to provide a visually appealing look, better definition and to deliver a better quality of cut through the many undulations we have.
Divoting of the landing areas is carried out on a weekly basis and seed boxes are provided in high traffic areas for players to repair their own divots.
Bunkers:
There are currently 53 bunkers on the course with every bunker consisting of Leavenseat Bunker Blend sand of various ages.
Bunkers will be raked on a regular basis and kept free of stones, weeds and other debris as much as possible and dependant on time of year.
Each bunker on the course shall have its own golfers rake provided and must be used after playing out of the bunkers.
Semi- rough:
The semi rough will be mown in a two tone manner with the first cut always being mown in the direction of play. Height of cut will vary slightly from 2” – 2.5” depending on weather and ground conditions.
Semi rough is a major part of the course and therefore requires regular mowing “usually daily” to help improve the overall playability of the course as well as encourage a quicker speed of play.
Burns/ditches:
These areas will be maintained as required by the removal of plant growth to allow free flowing water from the course. The main ditches will be cleaned out annually to maintain a clear flow of water from the golf course. Appropriate markings of these ditches will be carried out as required.
Periphery:
We will ensure that the extremes of the golf course are kept tidy and free from debris.
Course Closures:
The on duty greenkeeper has the authority to close the course, when unusual weather conditions have occurred and damage to the course would occur if play were permitted.
Such conditions would exist with water logging, flooding and severe frost or ice.
During a competition the course may be closed by the greenstaff in consultation with the Pro or any authorised member of the committee if he considers that the greens have become unsuitable for play.
Greenstaff and Members:
The green staff have priority on the course at all times. All players are expected to give consideration to the green staff, and the green staff will be vigilant so they do not delay play unreasonably throughout the day.
Extra consideration should be given to the greens staff prior to medal golf to allow the course to be set up to tournament specification.
The greens staff work from 6am in the summer months and depending on daylight no later than 8am in the winter months. Players starting before 8am should recognise that priority is given to the course maintenance and preparation program governed by the green staff. Players must obey any restrictions which apply at the time and take great care that they play without endangering green staff at all times.
Etiquette:
Bathgate golf club expects members and visitors to the club to :
- Start from the correct teeing position
- Repair pitch marks on the greens
- Replace all divots
- Rake the bunkers after play and reposition the rake in the centre of the bunker
- Use divot mixture where provided around the course
- Respect the condition of the course
Professional Advice:
Notwithstanding the complete confidence the council has in the competence and technical knowledge of the Head Greenkeeper, it is the policy of the club to seek opinions and advice from the outside bodies including STRI ( Sports Turf Research Institute) by means of two visits per annum. This is a standard practice recommended by the Royal and Ancient.
The Head Greenkeeper is also authorised to seek assistance from STRI for soil analysis or for any questions he may have of any abnormal happenings such as invasion of unusual diseases or pests.
Irrigation:
The overall policy is to use as little water as possible to encourage deeper rooting grasses to predominate. However, in almost every season there are times when rainfall is insufficient to sustain growth and needs to be supplemented. Water is also needed to wash in fertilisers and other treatments. Therefore a guaranteed water source is essential for the maintenance of a golf course.
The irrigation used is a RainBird system controlled by a Stratus LT controller located in the Head Greenkeepers office.
The system will be maintained and upgraded in accordance with recommendations made from Peter Easton irrigation and is on a contract service schedule.
General Items:
The head greenkeeper will keep the members updated on any planned works via notices around the clubhouse/greens notice board and club website. A monthly report will be compiled and made available to view. A monthly greens meeting will be held in conjunction with the match and handicap meeting where course matters can be discussed. There is a separate policy on Health and safety relating to the golf course, in principal from a playing perspective, which is available to view (on the website and a copy is held in the pro shop)
Health and safety:
Our staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Health and safety at work act. We employ a company (Xact) who attend annually and review /update risk assessments on our behalf. The head greenkeeper ensures that all our responsibilities to our staff and members are met.
Finance/budgets:
The greens budget will be discussed at the monthly meeting. The annual greens budget will be discussed in October before the finance meeting. The annual maintenance and machinery programme will also be discussed at this point.
Complaints procedure:
Any comments about the condition of the course or the behaviour of employees should be made in writing and addressed to the Secretary. No member of the club has the right to reprimand an employee of the golf club or enter into a discussion on any instructions given to an employee either by the Secretary or the Council of management.
Employees should report any concerns directly to the Secretary in the first instance.
In Conclusion:
Our aim is to always have the best course possible for the longest playing period within any given year that can be enjoyed by all our members.