Course Update

Winter has struck with cold windy conditions and 24 mm of rain in the last couple of days. Let's hope that is it for now as the course is saturated and many bunkers are now full of water. The boys have completed a great job on the bunker on the 8th which is now back in play. The turf around the bunker will remain GUR until it has knitted in well. Black lines have been put around the greens to indicate where carts can drive. Can you all ensure that you advise any playing partners to stay outside these lines as carts will cause damage especially in these wet conditions.
The next project is the bunker on the left of the 9th green and the surrounding area between the 1st tee and the bunker. Below is a run down of the work to be done.

9th green area proposal

Green Tee

• Build new green tee in the same spot as the existing temporary tee – existing tee to be moved towards the dam in the interim.

Path

• Extend existing path closer to the first tee to stop carts driving close to the green and damaging turf areas – this will extend along the side of the concrete path and join the path from the 18th to the white teeing area of the 1st tee. These paths to be timber edged and filled with granite. There will be around a 3 metre gap between this path and the concrete path which will be planted with photinias with mulch at the base between both paths.

Mounds

• Mounds to be constructed between the edge of the bunker and the tree line to stop water run-off from the first tee entering the bunker on the left of the green. This will be constructed so that water will be diverted in-front and behind the green. Allowing a mower width between the edge of the bunker and the start of the mounding. Mounding to be around 600 mm at the highest point blending into the surrounding turf areas so that it can be mown easily with the rough mower without scalping. Mound at the front of the bunker to be reduced in height by around 300 mm to increase visibility of the bunker.
• Area between the mound and the new path to be topped up with fill and grassed.

Bunker

• Bunker to be renovated with new drainage and sand. Lip to be raised on the green side at the back of the bunker. Base to be levelled so that ball rolls to the base of the bunker. Edges to be angled so that shot can be played near the back edge of the bunker which is currently too steep.

Update

• Greens – greens are being mowed now around 3 times per week with limited growth at 3 mm. Mowers will be raised to 3.5 mm in the coming weeks when the temperatures fall.
• Bunker – work on the bunker on the 8th is near completion. Sand needs to be brought in and turf replaced around the edges.
• Fairways – currently being mown once per week at 14 mm. Growth has slowed considerably in the past month.
• Rough – the length of the rough was lowered slightly after the wet period around 6 weeks ago. With the slowing of growth and the rough now under control the rough mower has been raised back to the original height of cut.
• Sand drum on 17 – this has been repaired. Some handy brick work by Chris.
• Black line for carts – Cam has put the black line around the greens to keep carts away from the green surrounds. Other areas will be roped off to stop cart traffic. Can all carts keep outside the black lines, especially with the recent rain as many areas will be extremely wet. Pass the word around and encourage all members to try to preserve the course for the enjoyment of others.
• Paspalum – spot spraying of this on the fairways has continued and help reduce the weed. This is done each year to reduce the spread from the rough. This will cease soon with the colder weather.
• Grass behind 16th green - the long grass behind the 16th in being removed as it has become taken over by weed in recent years. Other areas of similar grass will also be removed.