It’s been a successful week on the course for the team and our ever-willing group of fantastic volunteers. Our greens renovations have been completed and the team is well into fairway renovations, all on the back of some glorious early Spring weather being provided by Mother Nature!

The biggest impact on greens renovations is weather, and having nice sunny days is critical to ensure that the sand that is spread over the greens can dry so that it will fall into the open holes left behind by the solid tines. Our Sweep-n-Fill has two rotating brushes which flick the sand along in front of the machine and into the open holes. If the sand is too wet, it simple smears across the top of the hole, capping it off and not letting the open hole fill with sand.

If the open holes on the green are left unfilled, these hollows will dry out very quickly in Summer as there isn’t anything to hold moisture for the turf’s roots to use when under heat stress. The team has done an excellent job filling all the holes up on the greens these renovations, which sets us up for a good Spring/Summer season ahead.

Mowing of greens will resume on Monday at 5mm and gradually reduce in height until we are back at our required height of 3mm. The dusting of greens will increase in frequency from now and into the Summer, with our old bunker bike set up with the brooms, a new addition which should settle this sand into the putting surfaces much quicker.

We have topdressed and aerated 9 fairways this week with including the 8^th and 15^th, meaning we are well over halfway through this long process. With all going to plan we should complete all the fairways next week and have them all rubbed in with the Sweep-n-Fill machine. The following week, fertiliser, pre-emergent herbicide, and residual insecticide applications will start on fairways, rough lines out to tree bases, and green surrounds.

Nearly all tee pads have been given a light scarifying this week to remove unwanted thatch build-up in these surfaces. Whilst looking messy this week, the team will mow these surfaces next week which will tidy up their appearance. It is still a little early for couch turf growth so the tees won’t be fertilised just yet, but when the time is right, all tees will be verti drained with hollow tines, given another scarifying with our Ventrac broom attachment, and then fertilised.

Volunteers were on course over the three days of the renovations. They completed the following:

• Concrete paths gurney
• Install new EconoGrid path around the rear of the 4^th green surrounds, and edge of the 5^th tee pathway.
• Internal demolish work of proshop for new Simulator Studios
• Cleaning of tee markers
• Removal of dead trees
• Painting of car park lines and speed humps at 9^th tee

Thanks to David Gaffaney, Joe Wahbe, John Carey, Col McRae, Corey Fernandez, David Pickering, Rod Bowyer, Peter Bowyer, Mike McFarland, Neil Vale, John Mitchell, and Peter Baker for a tremendous effort over the three days. It’s a great example of how much passion you have for your golf club. Your fellow members should be very appreciative of everything you do!

There are a number of videos in the Members Facebook Group for those interested in the amount of work carried out by staff and volunteers during the renovation closure. Click on the following link to join the Members Only Facebook Group – www.facebook.com/groups/870087546972166/

With the greens renovated this week, the team will be cleaning greens and checking bunkers both mornings.

Happy Golfing!