Hi to all members,
8th Tee – The construction for this area is now complete, a little delay was had with weather and the findings of what was under the surface but it’s all been finished off with new irrigation, new drainage and most importantly for that tee, a laser level finish!! My last communication to you all was that we would be seeding this area with a quick germinating cool season grass (Rye grass) with a possible opening of 8-10 weeks, That has now changed as we were able to source couch stolon’s (Bermuda grass) which we put on top instead of the seed. Going forward this was always a plan to convert our tees (predominantly the par 3’s) to couch for a number of reasons,
- Couch is a warm season grass and will tolerate the heat stress, less irrigation and irrigation worries through summer.
- This breed of couch won’t lose its colour when dormant through the cool seasons.
- Just like Kikuyu grass it has a creeping growth pattern which acts well for self-curing, prefect for tees where divots are more concentrated.
- Disease and drought tolerant.
There is always going to be pros and cons, nothing more so than grass and some of the practices and processes we do out on the golf course. I have informed the Board that it is an unknown date for reopening at this stage due to its slow regrowth and establishment. This is very much a “short term pain for long term gain” scenario and I please ask for all your patience and understanding. To date we are seeing positive establishment with the stolon’s and we will be doing everything possible and technically to encourage it to grow, creep and cover.
You will also notice that we have levelled out an extra tee behind the new constructed one. This has now been turfed and dress finished; please stay off both area’s so we give them ultimate chance to grow and complete. The back tee was made to add some length to our short par 69 course but it won’t be used all the time; we are thinking Masters, Nobilo/Pennants, and a handful of Saturday comp’s (Blue Tees).
2nd Drainage – This has taken a long time to recover and I’m thankful for all your patience; the reason is because of the lack of water through the summer months. We tried with a hose and sprinkler which was plugged into our Q.C but the problem with this is that it takes all the pressure from the pump and doesn’t allow us to hand water and nightly irrigate. We were much dependant on rain. We finally got rain and the volume of it washed all the sand out. It has been re-sanded and seeded to tie in the wetter weather. We are expecting to see seed germination very soon with this weather and for the kikuyu to regenerate also. We have sand bags in place to help with the wash outs. This area is to remain G.U.R and I ask please to take care retrieving your ball if it is to land in this area, soft feet walking into the G.U.R. and please no carts and trundlers.
We are at the time of year when all golfers have to be mindful of the conditions out there on the course. It is your responsibility for extra course care and the conversation with pairs as you are playing! This time of year brings for damp surfaces; the greens will be a little softer making it easier to damage them with pitch marks!! Personally I think your mentality around pitch marks should start before hitting the shot that causes them. Next time you are all out playing give that a go? E.g. when you are hitting onto the green take note?! If you see your ball land on the green or near it you should have an idea where, and as you are approaching it take note to check!! A shot from 60-70m outwards is going to leave a mark and it’s your responsibility to fix it!!! Thank you to all members who are doing what’s needed for the health of the greens. Please keep using the sand and buckets that are supplied for your divots, we have the half barrels out there that are always fill!!
Cart use out on the course is still at it’s high. Extra care is needed now as we are starting to see marks with the softer surface; we aren’t at “NO CARTS” season just yet but your behaviour will be monitored. Stay on paths when you can; stay away from the greens and areas around them (e.g. 8th) !! Our new carts will have geo-fencing and will be GPS so it’ll be easier to control. I’ll be keep a close eye on the private carts that aren’t GPS and put measures in place to stop closure and boundary abuse!
Regards
Daniel Godek
Course Superintendent
|