Basset Down Complex
Autumn Greenkeeper Update
Autumn Greenkeeper Update
2025 has been one of the most unusual years weather-wise we’ve experienced for course management. Wiltshire saw one of the driest springs and summers on record, with rainfall levels between April and August well below average (Met Office figures suggest the South West had up to 40% less rainfall than usual during this period). This created extremely challenging conditions for both course maintenance and the establishment of our new holes.
Thankfully, the welcome rainfall in September has transformed both the existing and new course - it’s incredible how quickly the grass has responded. That said, this recovery has only been possible thanks to the hard work, planning and quick decisions of our greenkeeping team, who have managed both the pressure of the dry conditions and the high levels of daily play across the course.
Course Works
- Hollow-coring: Unfortunately, we had to cancel this key piece of maintenance during the summer due to the dry conditions. With no rain forecast at the time, such intensive work would have risked long recovery times for the ground. Some members have asked whether this will now take place in spring (as seen at other clubs). For us, spring is not the best time as the risk of dry weather again would mean more harm than good. Instead, we will plan it for a time when conditions are right to ensure the course benefits fully
- New path on the 3rd hole: You may have noticed the new path near the left-hand tees, designed to reduce winter wear and tear on the walkways. Our team has also completed paths on the new holes to improve access and protect the playing surfaces
- 8th hole improvements: We have now built a new white, yellow and red tee. The existing tee will become a winter tee, and a new path is running through the area to make access easier for all players
- Sand application: Over the summer we had to hold off applying sand to the course, as it was simply too dry and would blow away and due to conditions, the grass wouldn’t have been able to grow through it. Now, thanks to the change in conditions, we’ve been able to sand first 4 fairways, 9th fairway, driving range to aid drainage. This will help protect grass health through the wetter winter months and give us a stronger start heading into spring
- Bunkers: Fresh sand added, started edging today, turfed around some edges – keep an eye out for GURs indicated with signs and paint
- Overseeded all tees on course, and around some bunkers
12 Hole Update
We’ll be sharing a dedicated update on the new 12-hole course via Intelligent Golf next week. We know it’s been a little while since our last update, but the prolonged dry weather and course conditions meant we weren’t in a position to provide meaningful news until things had progressed and the weather improved.
Thank you for your patience and we are excited to share this update with you soon.
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