Greens & Facilities Report July 2025

As we moved into early June, rising temperatures and extended daylight hours resulted in a significant surge in grass growth. This required the team to be out continuously cutting all areas of the course on a rolling cycle throughout the week to keep up with the conditions.

As July has progressed, we've had to adjust our maintenance programme to prioritise the watering of greens and tees. Our irrigation system has a limited overnight capacity, meaning we are currently unable to apply the full amount of water needed through automated means alone. As a result, hand-watering has become a daily task to ensure these crucial playing surfaces are protected. Preserving the greens remains our top priority — they are the club’s most valuable asset, and ensuring their health during this prolonged dry spell is critical.

We’ve even received positive feedback following the St Austell Open Handicap Challenge Cup on Saturday, 5th July, with a number of visiting members from St Enodoc commenting that our greens and fairways are currently playing better than theirs. This is a real credit to the efforts of the greenkeeping team under challenging conditions.

Unfortunately, we do not have irrigation coverage on the fairways or in the rough, which limits what we can do for those areas during the current heatwave. While we are doing what we can, some signs of stress are unavoidable in these parts of the course. We are hopeful that the extreme conditions ease soon so that we can redirect more attention to general course recovery and development.

In addition to the core maintenance work, the team has been using any available time to carry out strimming around trees, steps, and other overgrown or hard-to-reach areas to maintain presentation standards.

Looking Ahead

We are keen to continue with our scheduled plan of micro-tining and topdressing the greens — essential processes that help keep the putting surfaces healthy and resilient. However, these tasks must be timed carefully; carrying them out during ongoing high temperatures would risk further drying and stress to the turf. We will be monitoring conditions closely and look to resume this work as soon as it is safe and beneficial to do so.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We’ll keep you updated with further developments as the summer progresses.

Happy Golfing!

Matt Lock
Head Greenkeeper

Member Reminders

As always, we ask for your support in helping us maintain the condition and atmosphere of the course. Please take a moment to consider the following important reminders:

• Pitch Marks: Please repair your own pitch marks — and one other if you can. Un repaired marks can damage the playing surface and take weeks to recover.
• Bunker Raking: After playing from a bunker, kindly rake the area thoroughly and leave the rake in the designated position.
• Dress Code: We ask all members and guests to observe the club’s dress code both on the course and in the clubhouse, helping to uphold the club’s standards and image.
• On-Course Behaviour & Etiquette: Please respect your fellow players by maintaining a good pace of play, keeping noise to a minimum, and being mindful of safety at all times. Respect for the course and others ensures an enjoyable experience for all.

Your cooperation with these simple actions makes a significant difference and is greatly appreciated by both the greenkeeping team and your fellow members.