Dear Members,
It has been a cold and wet winter so far and we still have a month to go until Spring. The wet conditions obviously affect the golf course, and considering the amount of rain we have had, I think the golf course is standing up remarkably well.
I would like to thank the members for observing the cart signs and the rules we have put in place over winter. It really helps us protect the course at this time of the year. I realise some members may have issues with placement of signs in front of greens (especially if you have hit one) but they are there to protect the course and will only be in place during the winter. Unfortunately, we know without them people tend to drive carts in areas that lead to unacceptable wear on the course.
You may have noticed over the past few months we have been solid tining the greens on a more regular basis. This is to help drain the greens over the wet months and does not affect the playability of the greens greatly. We will continue this practice as long as the wet weather remains.
You no doubt have noticed the putting green has been closed often over the last few weeks. This is done to protect the green which can easily become muddy at this time of the year due to the amount of traffic it receives. Stewart is constantly monitoring the green so when it is closed, it is because it is needed to protect the surface. I thank everyone for their understanding.
As always, I would like to thank the ground staff for the presentation of the course. I hope you would agree with me that despite the rain the course is looking great. We have transitioned the Course Superintendent role from Neil to Stewart without incident which is a great result. I would like to thank Neil for his many years of service and congratulate Stewart on seamlessly taking over the role. Make sure you say hello to Stewart if you see him around the course.
Course Maintenance
We have taken the opportunity over the winter months (that are traditionally quieter for the ground staff) to undertake some maintenance on the course. You may have noticed some of the following taking place:
- Bunkers: We have edged all of the bunkers with the edger instead of the whipper snippers to provide a cleaner edge to the bunkers. We will need to do this a few more times to get the edges nice and clean and to re-shape the bunkers back to their original designs but I think the initial results look great.
- Tree Pruning: We have commenced pruning low hanging branches from trees and shrubs around the course. Our plan is to remove low hanging branches to around head height for a number of reasons, being:
- Aesthetics of the golf course
- Improve the speed of play
- Protection of golf carts and equipment.
It will take some time to complete the entire course but as an example if you look down the left-hand side of the 10th fairway, you will see the results.
Course Renovations
As per normal we will be undergoing course renovations in September with the course closed from Monday the 11th September. The current plan is to have the course re-opened for Saturday the 16th. We will be undertaking a more modest renovation this year with the current plan being:
- Tees, green surrounds and greens will be solid tined with 12mm tines.
- Greens will also be given a ninja tine. Ninja tining is a mild hollow tine that helps remove some of the thatch without affecting the playability of the surface.
- We will not be doing anything to the fairways this year.
As a result, I would expect the course to recover from the renovation a lot quicker than in previous years.
Master Plan Work
Due to the change in Course Superintendent, we had placed the remainder of the course modifications planned for this year on hold. However now that Stewart is in place, he is keen for us to complete this work which is great news. These works will probably commence the week after the course renovation and comprise of:
- Revamping the bunkers around the 13th green.
- Removal of the front tee on the 13th hole.
- Removal of the tongue in the fairway bunker on the 11th hole.
There may be a little bit of disruption while the work is undertaken but we think any disruption will be minimal.
Foreign Grasses
Our herbicide program to control foreign grasses will begin in October. Spot treatment of couch encroachment will take place on the greens as well as spaying for Kikuyu which obviously requires continual attention.
Where is the First Tee
We are currently considering swapping the nines so that the 10th hole will become the 1st and visa versa. I believe this change will have very little impact on members as the majority of competitions are a two-tee start. Competitions that are a one tee start alternate between starting on the front and back nine. Therefore, there will really be no impact on members competition, however there are operational benefits to the change. Given there are benefits to the change with no real downside for members, we are looking to progress this change later in the year, however it does require several other factors to align. Therefore, there is currently no firm commitment or timing for the change. I just wanted to flag the potential change so people could comment if they feel the need.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me when you see me around the club.
Dean Stewart
Greens Committee Chair.
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