Thankfully, following negotiations led by the GUI, the government deemed Golf Course maintenance an essential service & four of our Greenkeeping staff have been allowed to continue working whilst following HSE guidelines and practising social distancing.
Another stroke of luck had been that most of the course requirements such as chemicals, seed, etc, had already been ordered or delivered and there is enough in stock to see us through until August. Suppliers have also been very accommodating by allowing staggered payments during this tough time.
The greens and the fairways are being cut as necessary and we can look forward to playing from the new revetted bunkers and the re-turfed area in front of the 7th green when we get back on the course. Some damaged areas on paths and fairways have been re-turfed and few dune slack Areas have been developed.
The new dune slack area to the back of the 16th green
Sanding & seeding of the greens has also been taking place during lockdown & as I type this (Wednesday 29th April) I can hear some much needed rain after the prolonged period of dry weather, which should help with growth over the coming weeks.
The 1st tee looking almost carpet like in the good weather
Back in February the Management Committee also agreed to a Greens proposal to provide new signage on the tee boxes to reduce items on the tees and tidy-up the general appearance of the tee. The Stone markers are to be promoted to the blue tees.
One of the new tee signs on the course
Other jobs have been going on off the course with the lines in the carpark getting a much needed coat of paint, a job that has always proved difficult to get done as when there is good weather the carpark is always full!
The freshening up of the carpark with the lines being repainted
We will post further updates from the course here in the coming days to show you the great work being done & we would also like to thank our greenkeeping team of Paul Travers, Conor O'Connor, Eamon Cleary & Billy McCrea for the trojan work they are doing in maintaining the golf course for us during this unprecedented time, so that we will be ready to welcome all you back safely in the not too distant future.