Wow, what a roller coaster of weather patterns we have faced since Christmas. With well in excess of 1500ml falling since December 24th, resulting in two major flood events and one minor flood.
As a result, the course suffered major damage to bridges, bunkers and cart paths. A massive cleanup was undertaken by staff, club members and volunteers to remove debris and make the course safe again.
One of the proudest moments of mine since taking on the role of Superintendent was to see 20 odd volunteers/members pile through the compound gates armed with rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows ready to clean up their golf course. To each and every one of you guys, I cannot thank you enough. Your club is very proud of your efforts.
Out of a very negative for the club came a huge positive for myself and the green staff.
With the course unfortunately being closed, we took advantage and renovated the greens. Scarifying, aerating, and topdressing was undertaken during this time. This process is normal operation procedure, however with the closure we were able to renovate more aggressively. The pictures on left show before renovation and on the right after renovation,
Removing a huge amount of thatch (a process essential to true healthy greens). This process aids in better root structure and density, enabling our greens to better handle the extremes mother nature throws at us and the ever-increasing amount of golf played at our course. A further dusting (light sanding) of the greens has occurred since, resulting in the true surface we are putting on at the moment.
I wish to thank you all for your patience during this process and understanding that our greens were a little slow for a week or two. Moving forward into the cooler months, regular spiking and rolling of the greens will be undertaken to ensure the surface will be maintained during this time of dormancy. This same aerating process will occur for the next four months on tees and fairways.
6th Bridge
Firstly, thank you all for your patience during this process. A pure inconvenience caused by the flood events. Myself and the newly formed works committee (Dennis Beckhaus, Peter Piggott, Grant Smallacombe, Wayne Patston, Terri Cairns) have worked tirelessly to source a permanent structure to be put in place to stop this from occurring again. A decision on this structure has been made and processes put in place to have the bridge structure in a soon as possible.
As well as this, a newly formed bridge structure will be installed on the right side of the 18th fairway.
Cart Paths
Due to the major flooding event, most paths were deemed unusable and required a massive amount of work. Special mention to Pete from Kennards Hire who came to the rescue with the dry hire of a Posi Trak and Roller. Thanks mate. A massive effort by my greens staff, manager Wayne Patston who sat on the roller, and of course Lumpy whose help is always invaluable, saw the repair of these paths using decomposed granite. As a result of this huge efforts, carts returned to the course sooner than expected.
Volunteers
What can I say but without these guys, our job as greens staff becomes much, much harder. Many thanks to Graham Lang and Peter Piggott for coordinating this band of merry men.
With the help of our volunteers, we are able to constantly be moving forward on the golf course. Not only do these guys pick up all the sticks and leaf litter on the course, they have also helped turf the mounds on the left side of the first fairway and mulch the waste area beside these mounds.
An exciting project we are currently working on is the Tee Identity Project. An example of this can be seen on the men’s 16th and the 8th tee (picture). New bin consoles, ball washers and adequate direction signage will be added to further enhance these tees.
I would also like to thank Ron Blount who paints the blue lines for us as well as unselfishly, every Tuesday, sifting through the bins to gather the recycling and make a bit of money for the club. Thanks Ron. Cart paths and garden projects are next on the list for this band of merry men.
Garden Ladies
What an exception job these ladies do!
Led admirably by Margie Lucas, the results to the gardens at the clubhouse and behind the first green are outstanding. These ladies, with the help of our volunteers, have also started to tackle the car park gardens. Take notice of the garden behind the 18th green, what a great transformation. Thank you, ladies.
Staff
What a great team we have assembled. In a results driven field, these boys can hold their heads high. Dale Scanlan, Nathan Richards, and new boy Doug McNamara all have a great passion for their course, their roles and most of all the culture we have in the shed. If you see these guys toiling away, say G’day. I know they will appreciate it.
Until next time, happy golfing.
Warren Smith
