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