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