Friday 16th May 2014.

The course is almost prepared for the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the Club Championships this weekend.

Putting green speeds have increased a little this week with the drier weather conditions jumping from low 11's to 11'8".

Good luck to all those playing this weekend.

Monday 12th May 2014.

With the Club Championships commencing last weekend the team have been very busy preparing the course.
Part of this preparation has involved the leveling of our bunker bases in order to present bunkers the best we can for play over the coming weeks.

With some bunkers this has involved the use of our skid steer loader to move sand off the face where it accumulates after the playing of bunker shots and returning it to the base of the bunker to fill the uneven floor and return the bunker to a more level state.

Members can help reduce the incidence of downhill stances in bunkers by always pushing away the sand when raking and not dragging back to the bunker edge. All bunker rakes are double-sided to allow you to turn it over and force sand away then rake.

We know this practice takes a little more labour but it will be a positive step forward in helping produce the best possible playing conditions.

Moving sand around in bunker to level base.

Hand working sand to blend even.

Final raking with bunker machine.

Finished product. A firm (but not too firm) bunker with a level base.

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.