Course Managers Report - Around the Greens in September 2023

In August the course received 39mm of rainfall taking our winter total to just 66mm and the average maximum temperature for the month was a very mild 20.9 degrees.

Although it was great to have a dry winter this was not ideal as we are heading into a very warm spring.

The greens were in fantastic condition right throughout winter and the scheduled renovations took place in August but were disrupted by rain. The rain made it difficult to get the soil out in the way we would have liked but we got through the renovation period, and we have just one soil amendment product still to be applied. The greens are recovering from the renovations well and will be ready for the Club Championships. Poa seed control began at the beginning of August and will conclude at the end of September.

Tees are beginning to show some growth with the warmer days. In spring a synthetic fertilizer will be applied to promote growth and recovery for Championships. The 3rd tee is showing signs of recovery since the tree work was carried out in August and an intense pesticide and nutrition program is in place to get the grass coverage back onto the tee. If this program doesn’t achieve the desired result over the next month or so we will look at re-surfacing the tee and replacing the geo-hex soil profile.

Summer mowing heights are now in place on the fairways. Some of the drier areas on the fairways had thatch build up during the winter. Thatch build up can be attributed to the warmer days and a solid nutrition program, as well as missing the core in August. These areas have been mown hard to remove thatch and will recover nicely in a couple of weeks. The new ‘Ventrac’ machine will mean we can core these areas on a regular basis to remove thatch.

In all, outside of tree root or iron stone soil affected areas, fairways are in tip top condition. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for regular rainfall during Spring and Summer to keep them this way. Ground Pearl control will take place when environmental conditions are suitable for the applications, but I expect to see an elevated amount of activity this year given the prediction of hot dry weather. 

Bunker work has been completed on the 1st and 5th bunkers to shorten and lower the faces respectively. The remaining bunkers have performed reasonably in the dry weather.

I would like to thank those members and visitors who are raking the bunkers after playing their shot. This is not only a courtesy to other players but also helps in keeping the surface playable.

The matting in the practice bunker has been repaired and more sand has been added to this bunker. 

Tree work was carried out as planned on the 3rd tee, 2nd tee and around the 1st green. Further work is planned for the removal of dead trees around the 10th green.

Shay Tasker
Course Manager