During the next few months, there will be a fair bit of activity on the course.
Hole 17 – As part of the ongoing Course Master Plan, the green complex is to be upgraded to eliminate the wear areas from continual traffic flow and redesign the greenside bunker. This will be done in 2 stages with stage 1 being the removal of the mounding and levelling of the greenside area to drain any water towards the 2nd fairway. This will give us some 12-15m from the green edge to spread the traffic and minimise wear. This work will commence very soon and is planned to be completed within 2 weeks. During this initial stage the hole will remain in play.
Stage 2 will be undertaken following the Reticulation project in the second half of the year. This will be to redesign the greenside bunker complex & surrounds. The existing bunker will be filled in and a smaller bunker installed closer to the green. The green itself will relayed & made slightly bigger to meet this new bunker. The mounding around the bunker will be redesigned to allow better traffic access and reduce the severity of the slope. All this will marry into the stage 1 work. While doing this, the path will be removed and a new one constructed connecting the newly levelled area to the back of the 18th tee.
Green Renovations – The course will be closed for renovations from 23rd-25th Feb where the greens will be cored as per the normal yearly program. This will be a medium coring and sanding and essential for salt control and general health of the grass.
8th Tee – Directly after renovations, the 8th tee complex will be redone. The tee will be widened to the RHS and the whole teeing area from black to red tees will be relayed to one level allowing for easier upkeep and giving a greater area for tee placements and spread of wear.
Reticulation Project– this project is our major one for the year and is planned to commence in April. During this time there will be some disruption to mid-week competitions, and this will be managed by Todd and the golf shop staff to minimise any disruption to play. The whole project is expected to take 14-16 weeks but considering the size of the task and the benefits from it, will be worth the wait.
Barry Price, Facilities Director
