AS the days shorten, the nights close in and the clocks go back, the golfing season slows down.

Well actually the slow down is barely noticeable, the calendar seems as full as ever in spite of changes in the weather and the shorter days.

Reflecting on the appearance of the course over the last couple of months, it is always a miracle how the grass recovers from the summer days when it looked so dead, dusty and dry.

Now it is flourishing again and looks amazing. The comment “I wish my lawn was as good as this” is often heard on the fairways.

A combination of the survival quality of grass, and the hard work of the grounds staff means we continue to enjoy our game at whatever level of skill we have.

The other striking feature at this time of year is the changing colours of the trees, making the course look even more beautiful, though there are occasional moments when a ball is hidden in the fallen leaves.

Yet another task for the staff, bringing out the leaf blowers and picking up the debris.

This time of year key maintenance is carried out on the greens.

An example of one of the many key procedures over the past few weeks is hollow tining and sanding.

For a week or so it can interfere with the putting, eliciting a few “tuts”, but this very necessary work and ensures the greens are maintained in good quality all year round.

Through the week the golf continues. One of the stranger competitions of the week was the “Gruesomes”.

True to its name this took place in quite gruesome weather, with an understandably small field.

Well done to the eventual winners Liz Guildford and Peter Woodger for overcoming the weather and the strange game!