From The Shed – April/May 2019

The last two months have been overwhelming with the amount of rain received.  Course Superintendent Todd advises the total this year has reached 716mm.  Our greens have handled the wet conditions so far, but we will need to keep monitoring on a daily basis. Fairways not so good and it is desirable to keep carts off the course until it dries out – cart damage this time of the year can be hard to repair.

VOLUNTEERS

We need more volunteers for working bees on the course.

Wet conditions mean it has not been possible to get vehicles on course nor move debris to dump sites etc.  One working bee was held on Monday 8th April and the objective of this working bee was to clear the line of sight between the 7th tee and green and to clear the underbrush near creek between 6th and 7th fairways.  Attendance was disappointing as only 6 turned up and included regular Tuesday volunteers Doug Pearce, Jim Henderson and Ron Blount as well as Greg Michael and Peter Piggott.

Working bees on golf courses are called to assist Greens Staff do tasks that they do not have time to do themselves, particularly regional golf courses like Cooroy.  We have only four permanent greens staff yet when you consider the work they have to do to keep this course in good condition, one could argue they have more to do then other more affluent clubs on the coast that have double (or more) permanent staff members.  We don’t have well established desirable grasses on our fairways and rough, especially the rough, which means “weeds” grow at faster rates so more mowing is required.  We have to physically move large hoses around the course to supply water for any improvements we do, and maintenance around trees and creek banks have always been time consuming for our staff. 

We want to run working bees on a monthly basis as was successful last year.  We want to target Mondays to encourage ladies to attend.  The next working bee will be in June and we will be spreading mulch around the new rock garden on the 4th as well as the tops of creek banks.  If numbers are good several dead trees and branches will be taken down, as identified by the Greens Committee.

Please help.  Information on upcoming working bees will be on the notice board on the veranda of the clubhouse, as well as through newsletters etc.                

17th BRIDGE

Bob (The Builder) Read and Rex Williams repaired the walking bridge that spans the creek on the 17th.  Using barriers, walkers will be encouraged to traverse the new section down the middle of the bridgeThank you again to Bob and Rex.  

Bob and John Cairns, another builder, consider the walking bridge at the back of the 12th green remains structurally sound. 

Branches overhanging 2nd fairway

Tony Bernhagen arranged for his mate Nigel to bring in a “Cherry Picker” to do the same on the 2nd fairway as was done earlier on both sides of the 18thThis happened on Monday 15th April.  Volunteers who helped move branches away from fairways and  sawing them into manageable sizes from 4pm, were Tony, Greg Michael, Doug Pearce and Dave Lyons.  Another group next morning continued cutting up debris and moving it to the dump site, included Jim Henderson, Peter Piggott, Paul O’Hare, Rex Williams, Doug Pearce, Dave Lyons with assistance from Greens staff members Todd, Paul and Alex. 

GENERAL MAINTENANCE TASK COMPLETED by Greens Staff:

  • Staff training and record keeping implemented
  • Greens verti-groomed
  • New blades fitted to greens mower and surrounds mower
  • Drainage pit installed 16th green.
  • Slicing fairways with Groundhog aerator
  • Crowsfoot control greens & surrounds
  • Greens 8mm solid tyne and topdressed
  • Tree pruning 10th tee and pruning of lomandra 6th tee
  • Weeds along creek banks – brush cut around lomandra.
  • “Winter” fertiliser applied to Greens, surrounds and tees
  • Round up sprayed around trees and garden beds.
  • Machinery shed security fence repaired and painted.
  • Bunkers edged