We are always looking at ways of improving the experience at Ombersley for year round play ability. Andrew Halfpenny and his team don’t hang about. They hit the ground running at the start of January and we have several new drains around the course. We have received lots of really positive feedback from everyone, which is really appreciated.

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As this news item is published the weather has put a stop to this work. All that is needed is a soak away in the rough.

The team have already started laying fresh turf on top of the channels to start and tidy up, as much as they can with the recent wet weather.

The work that has been going on has been listed below.

. 2nd hole -New drain on the right hand side

· 7th hole – New drainage channels on the right hand side which again flow into the rough.Also new drain on left hand corner which flows into existing drainage

· 13th hole -New drainage channels on left hand side of approach which flow into existing drainage

· 14th hole – New drain running all the way across the approach to the 14th which runs into the rough by the 15th tee.

The last few months since around November have been the wettest in the 35 year history of the golf course (Andrew has recorded this over all this time!!). The last wettest year was in 2011.

Work in progress

2nd and 14th holes still need a soakaway to connect the drain .The team have already started laying fresh turf on top of the trenches to start and tidy up, making as much progress as they can with the recent wet weather.

As soon as the weather dries up the team will finish the drainage work and continue working on improving the bunkers.

At this time of year we are always asked why haven’t the greens been heavily cored and the holes filled with sand.

At Ombersley we are blessed with land that drains well. In addition to the regular deep aeration work, the greens maintenance program relies heavily on a liquid feed program to minimise disruption to the greens and to achieve maximum playability.