Greens and Course Report

Welcome to the first of what we hope will be regular updates on maintenance and capital works being undertaken on the course. This will include responses to suggestions made, so please keep these coming in.

Trees

A lot of feedback has been received about trees on the course, including trimming, removal, re-siting, replacement and the like. For safety reasons, any above ground work is undertaken by a consultant arborist who is onsite for a day, usually once a month on a Monday. We have a schedule of trimming work we would like to progress, but again for safety reasons, priority is given to those trees the consultant deems a hazard. This month though we have managed to trim back over hanging branches adjacent to the 10th tee and 18th green, and to the left of the 5th tee.

Greens

We are now entering the critical phase of the annual cycle. The greens have been cored and sanded to open up the pore spaces in the soil allowing water and nutrients to infiltrate, and are growing back nicely. It would be much appreciated if members continue to repair divots during this time – every little bit helps. As most members are aware, out greens comprise mainly winter grass (Bent and Poa). As we enter the summer phase, growth will slow and stop, but temperatures continue to climb and rainfall lessen which stresses these grasses. Unfortunately, 2018 also saw the introduction of nematode worms to greens across the central coast and these little monsters are starting to become active again right now. They attack the roots of the grass, often with devasting effect. The greens are being treated regularly with chemicals to reduce this threat, but there is no silver bullet currently available. Hand watering is being undertaken on extreme days in order to cool the grasses, but excessive watering increases the risk of disease as well – it is a fine balancing act that is as much an art as it is a science.

Greens are currently cut at 5 mm, reducing to 4 mm in mid November. (FYI: Green surrounds are cut once a week at 15 mm, fairways once a week at 18 mm and tees twice a week at 15 mm). Greens will be vertidrained (spiked) in December to further aid subsoil access by water, nutrients and chemicals, and rolled twice a week.

Weather and water

Rainfall for October was 45 mm (average is 48 mm, last year was 149 mm), most delivered in three days, and we have had 14 mm of rain in the first half of November (average for all of November is 99 mm), so it looks like being another dry hot summer. On course water storage is pretty good (2nd/3rd dam is full, 13th/15th dam is ¾ full) at the moment, but will reduce rapidly without consistent rainfall. We are currently looking at the cost of dredging the dam on the 10th/18th, and building additional storage capacity on 2nd/3rd and 13th/15th. Additionally, we now have access to town water in dire circumstances, subject to water restrictions, but this does not come cheap.
We have received a number of comments about the sprinkler watering of greens and the adverse affect this has on the surrounds and bunkers adjacent to some greens. Our best advice is that the system was set up to provide 100% coverage of the greens, and because of the placing of some of the sprinkler heads, water also covers adjacent bunkers (think right side of 11th green). We are informed that the current system is not adjustable, so the options are either replace the heads with adjustable ones (which would reduce the coverage of the green, so is not preferred), or re-site/rebuild the irrigation system. Unfortunately, either option is not cheap. We are looking at replacing the worst offenders in the first instance.

Stage 3 of the irrigation works on 18th fairway will continue in November-December, with installation of 6 sprinklers.

Conditions of Play

A number of members have commented on the inconsistent conditions of play on the course – some areas of rough marked as GUR and other similar areas, not. This is, of course, not acceptable and we are looking for ways to improve the consistency of course playing conditions. A reminder first of all – all ground keepers refuse is to be considered GUR and subject to a free drop until further notice (although the rules of golf state this option is only available if the positioning of the refuse is temporary, we can and have invoked a local rule). We are looking improve the marking of GUR associated with irrigation and drainage works (mainly on the 10th and 18th fairways), but for some of the more persistent problem areas (bare patch between 6th fairway and 7th tee), consideration is being given to optional drop zones – play the ball as it lies, or a free drop in the drop zone. An alternative for summer as the course dries out, may be preferred lies in the general area of the course (i.e. through the green in the old parlance). So check the local rules board each time you play.

Suggestions have been received asking for complete returfing of some of the more persistent bare areas. This is not currently an affordable option, but we are developing a fairway nursery (between 16th tee and 17th green) and hopefully some remedial work will be possible in the first half of 2020.

Current/Imminent Works

A number of projects will be progressing over the next month or so that will be visible to all.

Bunkers

Probably the most commented issue currently. The correct sand has finally arrived in sufficient quantity to replenish most of the bunkers on the course, and this work will progress over the next month.

Additional remedial work will be undertaken on the bunker to the front left of the 11th green to remove the major tree roots before re-sanding, and this bunker may be out of play during the repairs. Some initial work has already been done in the area nearest to the large tree, but let us know if other problems are identified.

In the meantime, please as far as is possible, rake the bunkers towards the centre, rather than towards the edges.

Parramatta grass removal areas
The war on Parramatta grass continues, albeit with ever decreasing combatants, but the work commonly results in disrupted areas filled with dry dirt or sand, around the greens. Unless there is preferred lie through the general area of the course, we will attempt to mark these areas as GUR prior to competition, but in the absence of this, if a ball comes to rest in a dirt/sand filled hole in the rough as a result of this work, free relief can be taken, under the normal nearest point of relief rule.

Drain on 9th/8th Fairway

The work to restore this waterway is finally progressing and should be completed by late November. Large sandstone blocks and soil are onsite currently, and a large excavator will be onsite over the next week (mid November) to undertake the major landscaping work.

War on Parramatta Grass

There will be another battle with Parramatta grass on Monday 2nd December, starting 8:00, (and ending when it gets too hot). If you are planning to assist, please bring your own weapons (mattock or hoe – the weeders purchased by the club work ok, but are slow and back breaking).