Rainfall/Weather
As everyone’s probably noticed, winter has been pretty kind to us so far. The average maximum temperature has been just over 18 degrees, and there’s barely been any frost to worry about. We had 31mm of rain early in the month, which slowed things down a bit, but the dry run since then has really topped off a great mid-winter stretch.
Greens
The greens are looking fantastic. They’re firm, which is normal for this time of year, rolling true, and in really healthy shape. Overall, I’m very happy with how they’ve performed over the past month. There are one or two small signs of Brown Patch showing up on a couple of greens, but these should clear up through our regular fungicide program. Green speed averaged 10’4 during July. The greens were verti-drained with solid tines at the start of the month. Major renovations are set to begin on Wednesday 19 August, with hollow coring using half-inch tines, soil amendments, and top dressing. Renovation week also marks the start of our growing season as we say goodbye to winter and get ready for what’s expected to be a hot, dry summer.
Tees
There’s not a huge amount to report on the tees. The couch is holding its colour and density well across most tees, but as expected, the par 3s and shaded tees are struggling a bit in the cold. Divot repair, especially on the 12th and 16th tees, has been almost non-existent, which is disappointing to see. Some tree work is planned around the 7th and 12th tees to help open those areas up to more light.
Fairways
The fairways have enjoyed a winter without flooding or waterlogging, which has made a big difference. Turf is in great condition across all areas outside the Ground Pearl (GP) affected patches. We’ve done some more turfing on GP areas on the 10th and 17th fairways, and that work will continue into the growing season. If conditions stay favourable, we’ll carry out a major fairway renovation in November. The 11th hole has also been closed for a few weeks to give that fairway time to recover.
Bunkers
Bunker work continued through July, this time on the bunkers around the 6th green. The sand was removed, drains were cleaned and/or replaced, and fresh sand was added. The front bunker will also be reshaped to include a sand face and gravel layer, like the bunkers on the 11th.
Shay Tasker
Course Manager