Another year gone

Well as i sit here thinking of the year past is has been a hectic 12 months, and the last 3 weeks with all the rain has had to be seen to be believed.
To all the Golfers and all those who have helped us out over the last year i hope you have had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and from all the groundstaff we wish you a happy new year.
Last Monday afternoon i came out to try to mow the greens got 3 done and 2 strips on the first when the storm hit that took me 90 minutes as getting the mower to the greens was nearly impossible. after the storm it was impossible, so we were in a situation where we could not get the mowers on to the greens to mow and the length of the leaf got too long to just mow it at the same height as we had been without causing damage to the plant, so we have had to raise the greens height and mow on Wednesday so that we are taking only a quarter of the leaf off and then each day slowly lower the height to get back to the height before all the rain.
This week we have just had to mow where we can and it has made a bit of a mess in some places but that has helped it to dry out and over the next 2 weeks we will get it mowed and tidied up hopefully we will not get to much rain over the new year break so we can get the tractor and trailer out to pick up branches and debris from the storm.
well that is all for now i'm off to jump on the rough cutter and try to mow some more rough, happy new year to all  and till next year keep swinging.....pete

fake snakes

You will have seen a few of these pieces of hose lying around near some of the greens. These are here to serve a purpose in that the birds that dig up the green think that it is a snake and keep well away.
I ask that if these are in your way of golf play, to just move them to another position that is out of you way of play. Please don't just fling them into the rough or creeks as then the birds will come back and dig holes in the green, feel free to move their position  from time to time so that different spots are used around the green to help keep birds away.
To those that have been startled and though they were actually snakes, sorry about that but that just shows how well the neapreen hose works in this task     till next time....keep swinging pete

Fairway Conversion program update

We have finally found time from mowing to continue with the next stage of our weed eradication program on the fairways.
You will notice in the 4th 5th and 6th fairways 95% of weeds gone and we have a good couch fairway.
we have done the other halves of green end of 7th and all of 8th fairway this week. with this weather and growth they should come back very quickly
as you can see from this photo of the green end of the 7th where the whole of the fairway from the bridge crossing the creek to the green has been sprayed, you notice a clear definition of the area sprayed last season and it gives a good indication of how successful the program has been with the removal of around 90-95% of all weeds on the left hand side of this area.
We hope to eventually do all the fairways, as in the long run it will be of great benefit, as maintaining a pure couch fairway (Cynodon dactylon) is much easier and more economical to us in the long term
compared to our current fairways which are 90% weeds
couch doesn't need as much water and has a deep root system
couch growth rate is less than our current mix of weeds so less mowing
couch provides a better smoother surface for a golf shot
couch will have quicker divot recovery
couch mow's up better thus better presentation
couch has much better heat and drought tolerance
couch in winter will provide a mat layer to hit off and wont go back to dirt
So as you can see the overall benefits are many also in there you could say that it also looks better. so for some inconvenience short term the long term benefits are definitely worth it. till next till (ill be mowing,mowing,mowing) keep swinging pete

Week 49 update

Well its all system go at the moment with the irrigation system mainline being put in on the 17th 14th and 15th, we have been very lucky with the weather and so far haven't had to get the hoses out.
Thanks to everyone for tolerating the inconvenience and shorter holes on occasion over the next few weeks we will start to put in the actual fairway sprinklers and tees and greens as we go they will be put onto the computer system.
We got the greens verti-cut on Monday and it will take a few days for them to recover, but the roll has definitely smoothed out and the greens are coping well with all the wet weather and disease around at the moment.
we hope to get on the the weeds (in green) that are just starting to germinate, we need a few dry days to put this spray out, so possibly the end of next week, and we are on top of the mole cricket this year so all good there.
The fairways weed program we started again for this growing season and the fairway areas that were sprayed last season were sprayed again to get rid of the last few stubborn weeds (mostly paspalem) and they are starting to turn yellow now.
Congratulations to Phil Boag and his wife Tak on the birth of their daughter in the early hours of Tuesday morning (12.20am and 8pounds) so if you see Phil around and he looks sleep deprived you'll  know why.
You may have also notice the bridge on the 9th has been replaced with new timber and the turf along the side of this path is taking nicely with all the rain.
well thats about it for this time so till next time keep swinging...pete

Irrigation System update

Today we start to trench lines for the new irrigation mains which is the beginning of the irrigation installation  and so its all systems go for the completion of our irrigation system, With that in mind please help it to go smoothly, buy having patience and or giving  way to the irrigation crew whilst also keeping an eye out for them as you play your game of golf. We will try to keep disruptions to a minimum. If work is being carried out on a hole it is most probable that we will shorten the hole so that players can walk around the irrigation crew and continue on with their game with minimal interference.
When approaching a tee if there are no markers on the tee surface, where they normally would be, look for some writing on the tee for instructions and look down the fairway for the markers that will be grouped together.
We apologize in advance for any hassles we cause, but we have been waiting 6 years for this completion and i think the way the weather is shaping up it will be an ideal time for this to be done now, with the ground not so hard and the constant showers which will help in the recovery of the trench areas and also keeping the course green and not having to get the hoses out....heres hoping. we will update regularly till next time ...keep swinging pete

Week 46

Well its been busy,busy, busy this last two weeks,
The grass is growing at full speed , we have carted sand and turfed the edges of the path on the 9th, the greens height is down to 3.4mm and remaining healthy and if all is well we will get a verti-cut in on Monday.
The new irrigation system installation started today with ground work and setting out where we are going to take the main lines.Machinery will start arriving tomorrow and early next week, so when you see some trenches and pipe around the place that is what is happening, hopefully we keep getting showers regularly to keep the fairways going so we don't have to get the hoses out.
The fairway areas that we sprayed the weeds out of last growing season have been fertilized up to encourage the couch to send out runners which will help quicken recovery so that we can get the last bit of weed out of them, this will be done over the next few weeks.

well along with mowing and keeping the blades sharp thats about it ...till next time keep swinging pete

Week 44 update

http://www.mcleodgolf.com.au/

Well its been full time mowing, these last two weeks, with rain coming at the right times and the weather warming up the turf is growing quicker than we can mow it.

We have lowered the greens gradually over the last 3 weeks and we are now down to the height before
reno (3.5mm) so now we switch from lowering and concentrate on hardening the leaf up to get our pace of greens up.

The bindi sprayed in the fairways is starting to melt out , and we are in the process of feeding up the fairways in our weed eradication plan.

The greens have also been sprayed for black beetle. the way the weather is going I think we are in for some grub and disease problems this summer, all the more important to keep out thatch removal programs going with our verti-cutting and microbe (thatch eating) programs all running in top gear.

We still haven't had any luck on the 9th pathway as each Monday it has rained and is to wet for a bobcat to work without making more mess than what is already there ...we will try again this Monday...

Well just a quick up date today whilst in the middle of spraying greens, until next time  ....keep swinging  pete

week 42 update

Well week 42 here and gone thats only 10 weeks to week 52 where has the time gone ?
with all the rain we are behind with allot of our jobs, just getting out to mow has been.... well..... lets say interesting.......

The greens are coming along well they have had 4 mows now and the height is down to 5.5mm we will mow today then let them rest over the weekend as we are still bringing up allot of sand. Also with it being so wet we have to bring our heights down slower than normal as the turf is taking longer to recover from the stress of lowering the heights and the leaching of allot of nutrients from the soil from the excessive rain, but overall, things moving along nicely.

The path on the 9th didn't get a look in as it is way too wet, we will try again in a fortnight when we can hopefully organize a bobcat and if it is dry enough, get equipment in and around the site.

We are  concentrating on mowing as much as possible while we can, there is another storm front heading this way as I type, this possibly here by late this afternoon, hopefully not to much wind as the base of the trees is wet and that is primed for some falling over if the wind gets up at this stage.

We haven't bothered doing anything with the bunker bases this week, as we feel it more important to mow surrounds and fairways as there is nothing worse than getting a bunker right then down comes some rain and puts you back at square one again...all wasted man-hours that could have been better spent , so we will get stuck into them (bunkers) next week, although we have trimed some edges and sprayed weeds in the faces this week.

The other main problem green keeping wise when we get weather like this at renovation time is disease. So far we have managed to stop the pythium spp. from spreading, we really need a good dry week to get everything back on track.

Well to next time hopefully back to sunshine .... keep swinging pete.

Week 41 update

Always a big week, Reno week with so many man hours going into the greens nearly all other jobs we are behind on so for the next week we are in catch up mode.

The greens are coming along very well, and with the rain last night (22mm) that will only help in the recovery. We plan to mow (high at 6mm to nip the leaf) early next week, hopefully Monday.

There are a couple of reasons we leave the greens for a few days after renovation but the main one is that it gives the turf time to extend its root system. As with all grasses there is a ratio that goes, that the length of the leaf directly affects the length of the roots. Thus it is important to take advantage of this time after renovation and get the most out of the root growth as possible as this will put us in good stead during the summer where the plant is under great stress. So our efforts we put in now will be seen in the summer period.

The Bindi in most fairways has been sprayed, and we have mowed as much as possible with the remaining time available.

Next week we will concentrate on the greens, 9th path, and weeds in bunker faces.
well till next time keep swinging....Pete

Spring Renovation update

Well on Sunday afternoon I must say I was very worried rain coming down, forecast looking like more of the same, the reno contractors ringing up to ask if we will be able to core on Monday or was it too wet to get the equipment on the greens, we have had a good run over the last 9 years so we are due for a bad one, things were looking bleak.

Monday morning .... clear blue sky ..happy days.

Well its early Tuesday morning we have scarified all the greens two ways, all the scarrifings have been broomed of the greens and all greens have been cored.

We have added our organic mix to all greens ( fertiliser, nutri-smart, organics, wetting agent) and rubbed this in with the drag-mats. we also managed to top-dress 10 greens and get them rubbed in and got it all done just as the rain started to fall (10mm)...not a bad 14 hour day.

Today we will top-dress the remaining greens and take all the scariffings to the heap and cores out to bare areas then hopefully get 2 rub ins on each green to work the sand down into the core holes. then water tonight.
Well thats were we are up to thanks to all golfers going around us during the day, well better go load the top-dresser and make a start..till next time keep swinging...Pete

week 40 update

Well this week has all been about getting the greens growing at optimal growth rate ready for Mondays renovations.

We need the growth rate as fast as possible to help the greens recover from coring as quickly as possible.
If you are wondering why we renovate the greens read the earlier blog on renovation.

The new roughcutter has arrived this is to replace the stealth slasher and just in the nick of time as with all the rain and heat we are having both machines are running flat out to try to keep up with it all.

Jon Boag our apprentice for the last 3 years has finished his trade course and qualified for his greenkeeping certificate and was signed off on Thursday so from all of us here good luck in your future endeavors.

Well to next time keep swinging...Pete

Golf Australia Thank you. September 2010



Opening Ceremony Australian Teams Golf 2010 @ McLeod Country Golf Club
The 2010 Australian teams event was great success. All the teams enjoyed playing at McLeod, Oxley and Wynnum Golf Clubs. Therese Ritter from Golf Australia wrote the following thankyou.
The Club would to thank the members for allowing the event to take place.



and so it begins

Well its finally here the Gladys Hay Event we have done all that we can to get the course up to a good standard , now we hope for no storms and not too much heat so the greens will be able to last to the end of the week.
Over the week we will be working split shifts so early starts to get everything ready in the morning i.e. mow greens (double cut) rake bunkers, mow tees, change holes, rubbish run ect.

Then we are all back in the afternoon to do as much mowing as possible on fairways and surrounds as well as bunker faces fixed up and any work on the green to keep them alive for the duration of the week. So far so good..... this is Adrian giving his approval that this bunker on the 3rd is right to go. pete.

week 37 and 7 days to go

Well last week was a busy one with lots of tiding up, and some bunker work, the greens were running nicely at around 9.2 to 9.4 speed all was going well.... then along came the rain.....back to square one.
Thats the way it goes sometimes we had 35mm last night so this week we will be pumping bunkers out ,  trying to get them back to good condition, and allot of work on the greens has to be done as when they are being quickened up they are put under extra stress, that then often means that if we get moisture or high humidity disease (fungi) can become a real problem and there is some (as seen on the 13th green) about so this week we will have to tackle that problem as well.
The area on the left hand side of 14th where the builders left tyre marks has been top-dressed and leveled as well as seeded and fertilized
This friday Earl Warmington (old 2ic) is to get married and we all here wish him and new bride (sue) all the best hope to catch up soon.

well to next time keep swinging pete

 

week 35 update

What a windy time we are having, the last 2 days have really dried things out after all the rain on Monday.
At this moment all our energies are going into getting the course ready for the Gladys Hey event so mainly keeping everything mown and tidy.
The 5th, 6th, and front of the 8th greens have been resown with seed.
The Poa annua (winter grass) has been sprayed on greens except 5 and 6 where the phantom sprayer caused much damage which is still struggeling to recover and blow me down in that we still have a problem in that our phantom sprayer has returned spraying patches on the 4th and 7th fairways.This is a very serious situation as we have had alot of problems with workplace health and saftey just recently and this person who is spraying without going through the right channells and fill ing the correct forms and recieving instruction is putting us at risk of recieving substansial fines.
all spraying of any product must come through myself so as the correct proceedures are followed so if you see anyone spraying on the course please let myself or the board know.
well to next time keep swinging pete

ekka time - flu time

This picture is from 2008, since then we have been watering and applying fertiliser and it is really paying off as the area now is greener and healthier, shame we still have those hoses...(one day)
Well its that time of year again, the wind picks up, we have lots of visitors and in most times we all cop the flu.... well for this year we went a little early with trev myself and jon all having a touch of the flu so i sympathize with any one who is crook at the moment.
Well around the course a bit has been going on, with the massive Qpex days gone and ladies Championships on last weekend as well this week having the mens championships we have been concentrating on on the greens so as buy the weekend there will be some pace in them.
As you know last week we wettasoiled the greens to stop the dry-patch this requires alot of water wash in, usually around 14 to 20 mm so with the chemical holding the water it then hangs around the root zone, which softens the greens up, but also slows them down allot. so this week we have cut the water to minimum and increased our mowing frequency, the greens today were running at 8.9 and if all goes well and we get no rain they should be up around the 9.5 on Saturday morning.
this week we have also been painting our office and staff room area and we are in the middle of re-arranging our office space to make it more efficient- you have no idear how much parer work is involved and we have to get a bit more organised in this area
we have mowed most fairways this week and tidird up some areas of rough over all we are ontop of our core jobs, next week is country week and ekke wednesday so some buisy days there untill next time keep swinging and keep away from anyone with the flu....pete

week 29 update

Well back from holidays and the boys have done a great job keeping the course tidy. I took my holidays hoping that the cold weather would mostly be gone by the time i got back ... but no such luck this morning was down to 6.

we have wetta soiled the greens today as the dry patch was starting up, this is always a problem in winter as the greens surface is constructed on sand but the surrounds are not thus to give the greens the water they need the surrounds get really boggy and have lots of water laying around so we cut the amount of water to the greens and over time they get dry that eventually leeds to them getting dry patch , so with the wetting agent applied to the soil of the green this will let the water hang around the root system of the turf for a bit longer we usually get about three weeks out of this product. it is also a hassle to put out as it has to be washed in straight away thus we need a clear day with few golfers to put it out.

Today we also have the rating team out doing the course measurements and ratings so it will be interesting to see the results after they have done all there calculations a special thanks goes out to marg and julie from the board who have given up there day to help out in the rating process thanks guys well till next time keep swinging pete

Peter Goes On Holidays

Peter is taking a well earned rest and will be away for 3 weeks. Phil Boag will be looking after things on the course in Peter's absence.

Week 23 & 24 update

Well winter was definitely here this morning, with the boys all rugged up and that cool breeze still getting through our jumpers it makes for a few hours of unpleasant conditions, but those greens have to be mowed, the bunkers raked and fertilizer put out so we suck it up and continue on.
With the cooler weather and the Turf slowing down we will drop out a few mows on the greens and dew off instead, we will also only do the circle cut of the greens once a week as we don't want the ring cut stressed out and areas around the edges to retreat back to bare dirt.
The bunkers have been edged again and the faces sprayed for weeds, we will level out the bases and add some sand where needed over the next few weeks.
The bare patches on the fairways have been over-sown and some top-dressed with sand as well as continuing to fertilize them, they are slowly making progress, i know this (bare patches) annoyes some people but if you go to a fairway that we have sprayed the weeds out of and stand where you can see some original fairway and some that has been sprayed and is pure couch you can see that the effort is worth it, the 5th is pure couch and eventually the rest will also be pure couch. And this in the long term will be a huge benefit to the club as fairways without weeds will use less water, less fertilizer and less mowing, for at the moment we are really pouring in alot of resources into looking after and maintaining the weeds in the fairways to keep them green.
Till next time keep swinging pete

week 21 update

Week 21 hasn't been to bad, the mornings are fairly mild, and with the grass slowing down a bit we save some man-hours to do other jobs an example of just one area on the course is the mowing of the rough with the tractor and stealth mower, for the average week it takes about 33 man-hours so during the growing season we have one guy (usually Adrian ) tied up on the stealth mowing the rough, so this week,with the rough not growing much we decided not to put the stealth out. This enabled some free man-hours to do other things, like cut down the 4 dead trees on the left hand side of the 14th, trim some trees on 18th 2nd, do a path run , fix the ruts near the 11th tee, reface all the bunkers , wiper-snip the creek along the 6th and plant some more plants in the garden area,do a couple of jobs for the garden ladies and also to clean up after the rain last weekend.
We also got the greens sprayed this week, as it is important we get some potassium into the plant before that first frost comes along.This will strengthen the plant leaf and the cell walls in the plant, helping protect it against wear and stress and damage which is a important part of our management to keep the greens out of dormancy.
On the tees you will notice where we have been incorporating seed with our topdressing of divots, the seed is growing well, hopefully we won't have totally chopped up tees come July as we usually have, but so far with our plan of more regular fertilizing with less actual product(because if the fertilizer is too strong it will kill the young shoots of grass just germinating) and the addition of seed in the sand used for divots is going ok.
well thats about it for this week a special thanks to the garden ladies who have been very busy in the last few weeks, obviously been getting stuck into the weeding, as we took away six big trailer loads full of weeds well done the clubhouse and gardens are looking great.
well to next time keep swinging pete

week 21 update

Well you can tell then the winter is nearly upon us the boys are rugged up in the mornings as can be seen here Trev and Phil with there jackets on.
This is a interesting time for us as the grass growth rate slows down it is important that we keep the turf as healthy as possible and try to reduce the amount of stress placed upon it as much as we can, all whilst keeping the putting surface smooth and at a fair pace.
The big concern for us is if the greens go into dormancy there is no getting them back out of dormancy until spring.
so with the pennants over and with the leaf laying over as there isn't as much sun to stand it upright we will mow the greens less often , we will still dew off for comps , and we have lifted the height by 1mm this will strengthen the plant up while maintaining a good roll
a good example of a green in dormancy is if you look at the back of the first green it has just started to head towards dormancy if let keep going the plant will retract and leaf will disappear then all that is left is the thatch layer , which in our greens there isn't much of.
Well around the course you will notice the right hand side of the 14th has been tidied up at this stage we will let this grow over and now it has been shaped we will be able to mow it
we have also started to plant out the garden on the 4th i'm still waiting to receive my main plants from our nursery
well to next time keep swinging pete

week 19 update

This week was mostly taken up with fixing water main pipes that have broken, the major ones were on the 1st,11th and 18th with the colder weather the ground contracts more putting pressure on the old pipe system thus in some cases where there was a small crack it breaks, we usually try to do several at a time as the cost of getting in the excavator and hire of it is very costly so if a leak is not too bad and out of the way of play we will often let it go until we have three such areas to fix
On the new automatic side we have gone through the system and fixed all the faults in the decoders so it is operating properly and we have just got three leaks on that side one on the 5th one on the 6th and the one on the 8th we have got the parts on the way to attend those problems so all should be good in a week or two....for a while anyway
till next time keep swinging pete

week 18 update

well another short week and our two apprentices away at TAFE for two week giving us a shortfall of 132 manhours thus only the core jobs got done this week, you will notice some areas of the rough are long these areas will have to wait to next week so keep on the mowed areas.
The areas on the 5th and 6th green where the phantom sprayer has struck, we have changed our plan of attack, originally we were going to sod cut and re-turf the area, but a big concern was getting it back into play and smooth by the 11th of Sept, we have opted to try using a type of grass (Poa trivialis) ,we will verti-cut around the collar and over the sprayed areas, then over-sow with the poa triv and this way we will keep the levels of the surface and have it back in play sooner.
Finally around a few greens you will see some pieces of black hose this is to keep the birds away from the greens and from digging holes in the turf so far is is working, so if you land near it just move it out of the way don't fling it into the rough as we need to keep around the surrounds area of the greens.
well that's all for this week till next time keep swinging pete

who is the phantom sprayer ?

WHO is the Sprayer ???

Unfortunantly some people trying to help out by spot spraying weeds have sprayed round up on the green surface on the 5th and 6th greens, unfortunantly this area will not recover until next summer which is a shame as the weeds sprayed would have disappeared as soon as we get a cold morning as they are a annual type of plant.
This area is now a major problem with some big tournaments comming up we are forced to sod cut the area, level it as best we can and turf out the area. But to get it back as part of the green it will take a complete growing season to topdress out. thus it will be this time next year before the area is back to normal
As a consequence, we are now enforcing that no spraying be done on the course proper unless you are on my spray persons list, these positions will only be available to those doing the mounds and some gardens.
The cost of turf alone to repair the 5th is just over $1000.00 then we have hire of sod cutters and for the 6th a excavator so possible costing of well over $6000.00 and time and labour of fixing this up so other jobs on the course will have to be droped to accommodate the time put into fixing the 5th and 6th greens
So if you see anyone spraying weeds please ask them to stop or report them to management or commitee we have to stop this before any more damage is done. thanks peter Daly

Week 17 Update

Well another short week, and some beautiful weather, great for golfing and judging by the number of golfers out this morning (Friday) plenty of people taking full advantage of it.
Well we got a verti-cut in on the greens on Tuesday but i don't like our chances of getting another verti - cut in as the mornings are getting a bit chilly around the 11 to 13 degrees, we will have to see how the greens recover and take it from there.
The garden bed on the 4th has been mulched we will let it settle then start planting it out over the next few weeks.
The dangerous tree on the 12th near the green has been trimmed and some dead trees have also been removed near the 3rd green.
The bunkers on 2nd, 14th and 15th have been topped up with sand and weeds in the faces have been sprayed.
the fairways have been fertilised along with the tees to try to get as much growth before the winter temperatures slow things right down.
well that's about it for this week till next time keep swinging pete

week 16 update

Week 16 update
well a bit of a wet one this morning with 35mm falling yesterday and last night, great for the course as we were just having to gear up the watering to maximum so with this rain we will be able to put the hoses away for a week or 2 which is a huge time saver for us as it ties up 42 man-hours just setting up then moving irrigation for the week, this will free up some time to get into our job list
This week we got a verti-cut in on the greens we haven't been able to do this any sooner as each time we tried we bought up to much sand, we will try to get in as many verti - cuts as possible before the nighttime temperature drops this will smooth out the greens, rip out the older leaf of the turf and thus encourage new leaf which is stronger and more healthy thus getting the golf-ball up on the turf instead of in it ( if we are lucky we may get one or two in)
The garden area on the left side of the 4th has had its topsoil added and we have resprayed the area which because of the rain will have to do again next week, the 4th path has had a topper on it we will let this pack down then do(top with crusher dust) again in a few weeks
Lots of mowing done this week especially the rough which we deliberately left long for the Mcleod cup which seemed to tighten up the course going on the scores of the day.
The walkway between the 2 bunkers on the 8th has been opened up we still have a little bit of work mainly on the edges but for now it will be good to get some weight on the area and see how it goes. well till next week keep swinging pete

week 15 Update

Week 15 Update
Well another busy week, our main focus for this week has been getting everything ready for the McLeod Cup this Saturday, and getting some pace on the greens after last Sundays result where the greens speed got slower, this actually happens a lot as when you cut the turf at a lower height (remember last week we went from 3.75 down to 3.5mm) it will stress out the plant and the golf ball instead of running along the top of the leaf will actually nestle down in the leaf thus creating more friction on the ball thus slowing it down. (you can usually tell when this is happening, buy looking behind the ball on a straight putt, the ball will wobble from side to side instead of running straight a bit like a pinball machine) The topic of greens speed is a huge subject with many factors affecting the end results so over the next few months ill try to explain some of the main considerations we look at regarding greens speed so stay tuned
Back to this week, we changed up our mowing schedule and got in some double cuts, we also made the plant use up some of its nitrogen stores thus helping slow the growth rate and along with the plant getting used to its new cutting height (it usually takes 4 to 6 mows to achieve this properly) thus the ball is now up on the leaf instead of in it, so the overall result is we have quickened the greens up, they are running at 9.2 on the stimpmeter. We have also for this weekend left the rough long this is to tighten up the course proper
We have also had a fair few irrigation breaks, these always seem to happen at the most inconvenient time, the 2 main ones were the top bank on the 4th fairway and the other at the green end of the 9th this one required the replacement of the actual solenoid thus the main pipes had to be dug up and flexed to enable us to fit another in the problem with poly pipe is that everything must be exact as there is no room for error if it goes back and its not spot on it wont hold and you will have to do the whole thing again.(for the record all went well first time)
Unfortunately irrigation leaks are a regular occurrence especially on the old system as the pipes are very old and in some spots are wearing down the wall of the pipe so making it thin and thus easier to blow out, and with the colder weather the brittle pipe is more prone to break
The area on the 4th where the garden- screen is going has been shaped and sprayed, we have let it settle down this week and then will add our topsoil and mulch next week.
The 8th crossing is growing in well we gave it a light top dress in the joins this week and next week will peg any areas that require it we should be on it very soon
well thats about it for this week till next time keep swinging pete

week 14 update

Well another short week and lots of fog about this morning as i write this. The greens this week have had a lot of work done on them we have sprayed the weeds, treated the dry-patch, lowered the height and pumped some water into them with pennants and the McLeod cup and plate next weekend we want to get the greens a bit quicker for these events, so our mowing schedule will change to give us more pace and we have lowered the height of the cut from 3.75mm to 3.5mm
the big problem around this time of year is that the turf is in a transition period, as the night temps get cooler and less daylight for the plant to photosynthesize so the turf is trying to adjust to these new conditions thus it is easy to put the plant under stress which is a real problem.
turf is a funny creature a lot of what we do now only shows up several months later,for example at this time of year we must increase our potassium levels in the plant and also get as much root growth as possible to ensure that coming out of winter we don't get spring dead spot. a lot of people often wonder, why don't they(ground staff) just do this or just do that and get a bit upset when we don't go along with some suggestions, the fact is that without seeing the big picture and looking long term down the track, the actions we take now which possibly could be a quick fix to a minor problem at the present moment could actually lead to a major problem down the track so for this time of year our priority is keeping the turf healthy and as stress free as possible in to the winter proper as we don't want problems with the turf during winter or even worse coming out of winter in the spring transition stage.
well to all the pennant players good luck and to everyone else keep swinging pete

18th fairway

Just a quick note to let you know that the couch seed is starting to germinate in the patches on the 18th fairway, if you look closely you will see many little plants at the 4 leaf stage, we will feed this with starter fertilizer in the next few weeks to encourage it to grow, the 4th and 7th are about 2 weeks behind the 18th as this is the first one we seeded. i just hope the cold weather stays away for a while as the couch doesn't particularly like mornings below 8 degrees (a bit like me really).
You will also have noticed that soil has been placed down on the 4th fairway where the old social tee was, this is to make a tree bed to plant out with dense trees to make a barrier to stop balls going into the houses along the left hand side of the 4th.
we are using the same procedure used to make the garden behind the 16th green, and as you can see from that garden bed the plants love it and are growing well.
speaking of gardens a big thanks to all those involved with weeding the mounds , spraying weeds, and helping us out over the course, it is a massive job and we don't have enough man-hours available to do everything each week, so to get some help is great as it takes a job off the list thus enabling us to tackle another problem area, so again a big thanks too all.
till tomorrow keep swinging pete

8th crossing trial

For a while the crossing between the bunkers on the 8th has been a major problem
It is a high traffic area that funnels the traffic through a narrow pathway consequently any work done would soon be pounded into the ground.
We have had the idea of widening the crossing for a while but still believed that a track would be created as everyone tends to walk on the same line.
Just recently, Geofabrics have made a new product called Grassprotecta. It is a grass protection mesh that is heavy duty and UV stabilized, the idea is that it is laid on top of the turf surface thus allowing the turf to grow up through the mat creating a very strong stable surface. The mesh is designed so you can play a golf shot off it, and it will distribute the wear of the high amounts of foot traffic over the whole of the grid, sounds good, so we thought it worth a try in this area.
The original path was dug away with all turf and topsoil removed, we shaped the sub soil surface to distribute any water into both bunkers to use that as drainage
We then bought in sand to widen and lift the crossing, this was put down in layers and packed tight then another layer put on and packed and so on to the right height and width was achieved.
We then repacked the bunker faces and topped with bunker sand and packed this as well thus helping support the actual crossing, this was also done in layers. the area was watered and turf laid over the crossing then the grassprotecta laid out and cut to shape then pegged down that is where we are at now.
we will leave the area to settle down and let the turf take root and grow through the grid, we ask that the crossing not be used to the edges stabilize thanks pete

Week 13 Update

well a short week this week, that means we have to keep moving to get all the weeks general golfcourse maintenance jobs done and then try to fit in the special projects (13th fairway turfing patches and 8th bunkers walkway) as well as some tree planting to boot, this means that we all get in and attack the projects as a group thus allowing us to do it quickly and properly and get back to our regular maintenance jobs as soon as possible, its a shame that we cop some criticism on the Tuesday when we were all getting in and fixing the pathway on the 8th, that some recon that we had too many staff there helping.
to that i say that it was a very labor intensive job, all work had to be done by hand and we are using new materials and different methods(see next blog) than have been used in the past, thus it was a good opportunity to show all the staff how i want this type of project done in the future, so my main message is that unless you know all the facts don't criticize on what you know nothing about.
The weeds in the greens have been spot sprayed, and will be followed up over the next few weeks as the chemical we use is slow acting thus giving the couch time to fill in underneath the weed and not leave a hole in the turf
The mole cricket have had a second dose of bait thus most of these are gone and we have also sprayed the greens with Neem oil thus making the area unattractive to these pests.
we attempted to verti-cut the greens on Monday (back of 1st green 4 runs of mower) but we were still bringing up to much sand so we till try again next week, as i would like to get 2 verti-cuts in before winter this will smooth the roll of the ball and give us a little more pace on the greens.
You'll notice a few new palms on the 2nd hole i plan to make this a feature of the 2nd so if you have any palms in pots that you would like to donate they would be most appreciated thanks and until next time keep swinging pete

Week 12 update
you by now will have noticed the three bad water holding holes on the 13th fairway have been filled with sand and leveled we have left this for a few days to settle down and compact a bit as sand will compact around 40 to 60 percent next week we will level the surface again and lay turf over the sand
The Greens this week have also had a lot of work done on them as with all the overcast weather the last few weeks and with the high levels of nitrogen after renovation we have had some disease (Pythium spp.)which has been sprayed also the mole cricket has been tended too.
Our new mechanic is going well its great having the mowers all sharp and running well this saves us lots of time and lets the machines run at maximum efficiency
The bare areas on the sprayed fairways have all been sanded and seeded with a common couch we are already seeing a strike on the 4th so over the next few weeks these areas will fill in and be pure couch fairway.
well thats all for now the ladies pennants are all away so i better go and prepare for the weekend comp till next time keep swinging pete

Course Renovations Article.

Why Greens have to be renovated!

Renovations Love it or Hate it ……. actually I haven’t found anyone in my 27 years green-keeping who love it but each year, on or around the third Monday in February and on the first Monday in October, the greens are renovated. This happens each year and the dates are always in the fixture book. No doubt members think that this happens every year just when the greens are at their best. The reason that they are at their best is because they were renovated the previous year.

Greens face two major problems, one compaction and the other thatch. Compaction is caused by foot traffic, machinery, irrigation and rainfall. Thatch is a layer of organic matter between the top of the grass and the soil, it is naturally occurring in that the older leaves lay over and die as new leaves grow up through the turf surface.

Compacted greens do not allow water to get down to the roots. This will result in greens drying out and eventually dying back. If die back occurs greens may never recover or at best take many years to recover. To stop die back occurring it is necessary to core the greens. This involves the use of a machine, which takes out a large number of pencil shaped pieces of the green. These holes, so created, allow the oxygen, nutrients and water to get down to the root zone. As we do not have our own renovation equipment we have to employ outside expertise.

Thatch is removed during the October renovation, by a special machine, operated also by an outside expert who is booked from year to year by a number of courses. The material that the machine removes is actually large amounts of thatch. Thatch that is not controlled can cause the greens to become soft and spongy, roll inconsistently and be much more likely susceptible to disease spreading through them.

Unless renovations are carried out the greens can become diseased, play inconsistently or even die back which then to make right becomes costly and time consuming Thus it is important these renovations are carried out at the optimum time for turf recovery so that for most months of the year we have greens that run true and are in good health..

Peter Daly

Why Greens have to be renovated.

Why Greens have to be renovated!


Renovations Love it or Hate it ……. actually I haven’t found anyone in my 27 years green-keeping who love it but each year, on or around the third Monday in February and on the first Monday in October, the greens are renovated. This happens each year and the dates are always in the fixture book. No doubt members think that this happens every year just when the greens are at their best. The reason that they are at their best is because they were renovated the previous year.

Greens face two major problems, one compaction and the other thatch. Compaction is caused by foot traffic, machinery, irrigation and rainfall. Thatch is a layer of organic matter between the top of the grass and the soil, it is naturally occurring in that the older leaves lay over and die as new leaves grow up through the turf surface.

Compacted greens do not allow water to get down to the roots. This will result in greens drying out and eventually dying back. If die back occurs greens may never recover or at best take many years to recover. To stop die back occurring it is necessary to core the greens. This involves the use of a machine, which takes out a large number of pencil shaped pieces of the green. These holes, so created, allow the oxygen, nutrients and water to get down to the root zone. As we do not have our own renovation equipment we have to employ outside expertise.

Thatch is removed during the October renovation, by a special machine, operated also by an outside expert who is booked from year to year by a number of courses. The material that the machine removes is actually large amounts of thatch. Thatch that is not controlled can cause the greens to become soft and spongy, roll inconsistently and be much more likely susceptible to disease spreading through them.

Unless renovations are carried out the greens can become diseased, play inconsistently or even die back which then to make right becomes costly and time consuming Thus it is important these renovations are carried out at the optimum time for turf recovery so that for most months of the year we have greens that run true and are in good health..
to next time keep swinging....pete

week 11 update

hi all
what a week we have had with the grass growing at full pace after all the rain (over 150mm over 2 weeks)we are slowly catching up with it.
we have started back in the bunkers to get them into decent condition, we always fall behind with bunker maintenance when we renovate the greens as all our manpower goes into getting the renovation done as quickly as possible thus all other schedualed jobs on the course get backlogged and it usually takes us 3 to 4 weeks to catch up
The Fairway upgrades are going along well we have got rid of the paspalem and other weeds from the 4th and 5th as well as halves of 7th 8th and 18th we have been encouraging the turf (winter green couch) to creep into these bare areas, alot of the smaller patches have grown in and now with the weather starting to cool down we will oversow these areas with a seeded common couch to give us cover throughout the winter season
please note that we leave this sowing to the last minute as we want the wintergreen to have as much advantage and to get the most growth as possible
you will notice that the 4th and 18th have been oversown there is plenty of seed and the birds will get a good feed but that is one of the things we cant stop.
well to next timekeep swinging pete

The first Blogg

Welcome to the first blogg for Peter Daly your Course Super. Over the following months Peter will endeavour to answer your questions and help explain the reasons behind the way we do on things the course, to help the members get a better understanding of Course procedures etc.

If there are any questions you have please don't hesitate to post a blogg and Peter or Phil Boag will do their best to help you.

The Board is very keen to improve communications between all areas.

We hope this is on more step to achieving this goal

Regards Michael Richards