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GORSE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME |
| History
Nairn Dunbar has had an active gorse management programme for a considerable number of years. Gorse, or ulex europeaus to give its proper name, is a weed and is native to the UK. It is extremely hardy and fast growing, and young shoots resprout from stumps and sticks that remain in the soil. A mature infestation can produce a considerable number of seeds each year which allows the coverage to spread rapidly. In addition seeds can be spread up to 5m away from the parent plant. Gorse can spread into new areas from seed movement in water, soil, machinery and footwear. Birds and ants are also known to spread the seeds, which can remain dormant in the soil for up to 30 years. If left undisturbed it will grow to a height of over 3m. Lifespan can be anything from 15 to 30 years, with dead or dying bushes become brittle and unsightly. Gorse management is a long term process and if it is not carried out on a regular basis will quickly become unmanageable. |
| Current Position
We have received quite a bit of negative feedback on this years management programme. Whilst the majority of the areas cleared do not really affect play, we thought that it was appropriate to provide you with the rationale for the work carried out. There is no doubt that the areas cleared look unsightly as manual removal of the entire root system greatly disturbs the soil. However as we have seen in previous years this will settle down quite quickly. Much of the removal has revealed natural dunes which should give the course more of a links feel. Partial removal of plants is extremely difficult and can reveal unsightly bushes, with the longer plants liable to breakage and collapse. Ideally we are aiming to stop cutting in a natural break. It should also be borne in mind that should you go back over the years then there is certainly more gorse on the course now than say 70 years ago. |
| Winter 2011/12
1st Hole RH Side of Fairway – Removed as a safety feature. To give a clear view of R/H side of 2nd fairway and rough from 2nd tee. Initial plan was to remove only a portion of the gorse, however this was not practical and we had to remove all of this. It has revealed a natural dune. 2nd Hole LH at yellow/red tees – removal of dead bushes 2nd Hole Behind Green – Tidy up of area that look unsightly from Lochloy Road 6th Hole LH Greenside – This area was overgrown with the gorse overgrowing on the green. There was a danger that we could start losing some of the green to gorse. The removal has revealed a deep hollow and opened the area up. 11th Hole Behind Green – Much of this area behind green and along the path was dead or dying. Opens up green and reveal dunes and gullies. Area between 17th / 18th fairway and RH of 17th Green – removal of dead and overgrown bushes. |
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A couple of areas of gorse which are reaching the end of their natural lifespan
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Winter Programme 2011
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We had our annual course inspection carried out by Jay Dobson of STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) on Tuesday 16th August. Jay’s report was very complimentary particularly given both the harsh winter with long periods of lying snow, followed by a very wet summer and the heavy amount of play with 3 major tournaments in one season. The purchase of the greens iron in May seems to have been a success with general agreement that the greens have been quicker this season.
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Jay favours spraying for snow mould as a precaution and this will be done before winter. The main thrust of the work over the winter period will be the revetting of the following bunkers:-
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1st Hole Both greenside bunkers
2nd Hole Both greenside bunkers
5th Hole Both greenside bunkers
7th Hole Both greenside bunkers
8th Hole Inside right bunker
10th Hole Fairway bunker
14th Hole Front right bunker
15th Hole Far right bunker
17th Hole Left side of green
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In addition all 3 bunkers at the Practice Area will also be revetted.
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We will peg out 2 bunkers on the left hand side of the 12th fairway to seek members’ opinions but these will only be carried out this winter if time and finance permit.
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We will re-lay the medal tee at the 3rd hole.
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The rough has been a particular problem this season not just at Nairn Dunbar but also throughout Scotland. We are going to cut and remove some of the thickest areas but we have also been trial-ling a chemical spray that has had some success although it is very expensive.
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We will only be coring 3 greens this winter, 9, 10 and 11 and under advice from STRI we intend to carry out our main coring and top dressing next season in August immediately after the 5 Day Tournament. The reason for this is that the greens will recover much more quickly at that time of year and any over seeding will germinate much better due to the higher temperatures.
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We will build a new temporary medal tee at the 9th to see if this gives a better angle by being able to see straight down the fairway.
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We will trim some of the trees at the right hand side of the 8th hole.
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We would welcome members’ comments on the possibility of removing the gorse between the 1st and 2nd fairways, which would improve visibility, and safety.
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A Finlay
Greens Convenor
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