Staff from Myerscough college recently held an away day at Forrest Hills which included a morning of fly fishing with instruction by Margaret Forrest (who often teaches at Forrest Hills) followed by an afternoon of golf.

Saturday’s mist provided some wonderful views over the course, towards the university. Plenty of golfers turned out to take advantage of the sun when it did break through.

BTCV’s work has now moved onto coppicing in one of the areas of woodland planted on the golf course around 1997. This ash (Fraxinus excelsior) tree stump clearly shows its growth rings. A part of the woodland has been cleared. This provides timber  fuel for next year and lets in more light to allow the stumps to regrow and encourage wildlife diversity.

The recent icy weather conditions made both playing golf and managing the course impossible.  The recent thaw and sunshine has allowed us to cut the greens  and has encouraged many golfers to get their clubs out. General comments received were on how well the course has withstood the weather.

All of the golf course is lying under 3 to 4 inches of snow. It all looks very attractive but not ideal for golfing!

As part of our trials of organic greens’ managment we are using a microbial solution to prevent fusarium, a fungal disease which can affect greens, particularly in humid weather. Fusarium is always present but in stressed conditions can spread and get out of control, killing patches of grass and leaving brown marks. As we are only working on one green we made the application by hand. We are working with Simon Brockholes who provides the ‘effective microbes’ solution.

A new concrete path is making access to the 6th tee easier both for walking and for motorised trolleys.

The new greens are growing well particularly with this current mix of sunshine and showers. They should be ready for the end of year.

We try to manage the golf course as sustainably as possibe. As part of this, on a cold day in April, greenkeeper Steve began a new organic treatment to control moss on the greens. This involves spreading Vulcamin as supplied by Simon Brockholes.

The crisp and cold weather has been good news for golfers. The course is dry underfoot and balls run well on the fairways.

Not as good for fly fishing as the lake has been frozen for several days now. We stocked just before the freeze, so conditions should be ideal when the thaw does occur. Even a small amount of sun produces a hatch for buzzer imitations. Check the fishing or home page for details of any change to lake conditions.