Friday 28th March 2014.

This week we have upgraded the surface of the Practice 2 green (chipping green) on the south side of the clubhouse.

A week ago couch that had invaded the surface over an extended period of time was treated with a herbicide prior to removal to reduce the risk of re-infestation.

The entire surface including the treated zones was removed right back to the base construction sand and re-leveled in preparation for the new surface to be laid.

Extra soil on the perimeter of the green/collar area was removed to increase the size of the practice surface back to its original size before encroachment occurred.

A pre plant fertiliser was then applied, and then turf laid from our bentgrass nursery near the 5th hole. The surface was then watered and compacted and is now in the grow-in stage.

I am expecting the green to be out of play for approx 3-4 weeks.

Removal of old turf including couch infested areas.

Re-turfing of the practice green site.

Final watering and compaction.

Friday 21st March 2014.

Groundstaff had the unenviable this week of cleaning out our lower irrigation dam.

The automatic valve that allows water from the top dam to the lower dam was shut off and an irrigation programme set up overnight to lower the water level of this lower dam.

When we arrived for work in the morning the water level had subsided enough to allow staff to enter the dam and manually clean out the organic material (leaves, sticks etc) that had accumulated in the dam in particular at the eastern edge near the 15th green.

This work has presented the dam in much better condition especially in the shallow areas.

In the coming weeks we shall be conducting some repairs to the dam wall on the 14th (North) side as a section is tending to collapse towards the water.

Friday 7th March 2014.

Our putting surfaces are continuing to recover well from recent renovation.

Greens had a second application of sand this week and will continue to receive light applications on a regular basis over the coming weeks without effecting our ability to maintain the lower cutting heights.

We have just towards the end of this week lowered these cutting heights to our normal maintenance levels. We should see an increase in green speeds once the strong leaf growth, currently being experienced as a result of the renovation fertiliser, subsides somewhat and turf density improves.

Members are reminded to check the Local Rule Board periodically to make themselves aware of what Local Rules are current. As of Saturday 8th March 2014 there will no longer be a Preferred Lie ruling for the putting surfaces due to adequate recovery of our turf surfaces.

Local rules covering the cored/scarified areas of semi-roughs and green surrounds have also been deleted.

On a final note, we hope all members enjoy the golfing season ahead.

Wednesday 19th February 2014.

With greens renovation now complete I thought I would take the opportunity to show the reason why we core and topdress greens.

Coring is important to reduce the degree of thatch that we have in the greens as a product of growth. This organic layer holds up water infiltration, reduces the amount of oxygen available for the root system and can cause an increase in the risk of disease pathogens affecting the turf.

By coring and topdressing we allow for good water movement, encourage roots to go deeper in search of water and increase levels of oxygen in the subsoil to help develop a strong root system. A strong root system leads to a strong turf surface.

We undertake these practices at both Spring and late Summer/early Autumn to encourage root growth before periods of stress. The Spring renovation encourages strong growth and the Autumn renovation helps to allow good drainage before the wet period.

This renovation is particularly important for are older greens some of which are approaching 30 years of age. The reason we are still able to play on these greens is because we have had a stringent regime of renovation for the duration of the life.

Below are photographs of one of our oldest greens. You will notice a very dark brown organic layer about 100mm deep, just below the turf level of thatch/mat. This is the layer we attempt to remove and replace with free-draining sand.

Down through this layer you will see a vertical channel filled with yellow sand from our Spring renovation and some strong roots that have developed down this channel since this time.

Recovery of these greens should be relatively quick and be in sound health for the winter months.

Layer of thatch / mat with last Springs core hole filled with topdressing sand.

Notice core hole from last Spring renovation with strong root growth developed over the past 4 months.

Tuesday 18th February 2014.

All greens have been cored and topdressed over the past couple of days in what has proven to be a relatively smooth exercise.

With good weather forecast for the next few days recovery should be quick. A follow-up light topdressing may be required next week once irrigation and brushing has been conducted over the coming days.

Greens will be fertilised later in the week once this brushing has been completed.

Members are reminded that a 'Preferred Lie' within 6 inches (150mm) may be taken on cored greens and collars until further notice. Please monitor the Local Rule Board to find out when this local rule ceases to apply.

Friday 24th January 2014.

We have been busy this week working on the verti-cutting of our green surrounds.

We have been lent a demo verti-mower unit to trial and have taken the opportunity to verti-cut our surrounds to remove excessive grass density and thatch. This was not a planned exercise but when the opportunity arose it was too good to pass.

The verti-mower heads retro-fit onto our fairway mower and as they are narrower than other verti-cutting heads they work well on undulating ground as we have on green surrounds. The total width of the unit is approx 3 metres, so large areas can be renovated very quickly.

Once verti-cut, the surround is broomed to remove grass clippings, mown and finally blown down to disperse finer grass material.

Removal of the excess grass and thatch will firm up surround and reduce the occurrence of mower ridging that can be seen from time to time on the sloped sections of the surrounds.

Recovery from this practice will be very quick.

Fairway mower with the fitted verti-cutting heads.

Verti-cutting removing excess grass and thatch.

Surround before clipping removal.

Clippings are removed by power broom.

The cleaned up surround is then mown.

Excess clippings are blown off with power blower after mowing.

The finished result is a firmer, smoother surface for play. 

 

Friday 18th January 2014.

Members will be pleased to know that a problem experienced with our #2 bore pump late last week was remedied on Monday of this week.

The failure of this bore pump last week mean't that we had access to a reduced quantity of water and this had to be rationed over the course for the four nights so that we could recharge our dams for the following night. Unfortunately the timing was poor with the hottest weekend we had for a while with temperatures in the low to mid 40's for both days.

Most of areas that suffered from this rationing were carry zones and semi-rough areas with some middle sections of fairway also being affected. Watering of tees, greens and green surrounds was not compromised.

Though signs are still evident with drying of these areas, we have been in normal programming since Monday night and we will see a dramatic improvement over the coming week.

Staff have also been busy this week with the removal of the fairway bunker on the right-hand side of the 12th hole.

This bunker had become a unnecessary maintenance item with leaf litter continually impacting on the ability for staff to present the bunker as best we can. The area surrounding the bunker was also invaded by tree roots and this was restricting grass growth.

We have now rotary hoed the site, ground away tree surface roots and shaped the area to include some mounding and followed with the turfing of the site.

We feel this will better suit the location and present the area in better condition for play.