Course Update
It has been a few weeks since the last update and the course is again coping with intense heat. Fortunately all the main playing areas are coping well and with the temperature set to reduce over the weekend grass will recover very quickly. A lot has happened around the course in June.
Clearance and drainage survey on the 4th hazard
Those of you who have played recently will have noticed changes to the hazard between the 4th and 8th holes. As previously shared, this work is a key part of the drainage plan for this section of the course.
Thanks to the efforts of our tree felling team and greenkeepers, our drainage contractors were able to complete a thorough inspection of the area. They successfully accessed the drainage cover in the middle of the fairway, which connects to the pipe running from the hazard under the fairway and into the 18th hole’s water feature.
Initial survey feedback is very encouraging, as water appears to be flowing well through the pipe. Based on these observations and measurements, the contractors are now finalising a formal renovation plan for the 4th/8th hazard. These plans will be shared with the Greens Committee upon completion toward the end of the season.
Astro in position ready for laying onto paths
With ground conditions so firm the greenkeepers have taken the opportunity to move over 20 rolls of astro into position ready to continue the paths on the back 9. You will notice these rolls over the next few weeks and the hope is to get some laid before the end of the summer.
The greenkeepers have also been using some trial equipment these past few weeks. Specifically a battery powered Toro greens mower, fairway brush and a dimple seeder. As we continue to try and have the best resources available for course maintenance and development the greenkeepers will often take the opportunity to trial and assess the effectiveness of the latest machinery. All of that tested these past couple of weeks has impressed, particularly the dimple seeder. As the name suggests this machine pushes a roller with metal dimples into the ground surface crate small pockets (5-10mm) deep into which seed is dropped. this process is less invasive than the sliiting used this season for the over seeding process. The trial of the dimple seeder suggests this process will be used for next season’s over seeding.
Planning for end of season. As ever the course planning process has to be done well in advance and some of the projects now earmarked include:
14th fairway bunkers
6th tee renovation
Irrigation on greens
Completing paths back 9
More details on this will be shared as the season progresses.