Dear Members,
I thought I would provide a course update so you are aware of both the work that will be undertaken on the course over the coming months as well as some operational issues we are currently working through.
Master Plan Work
Last year the Greens Committee prioritised all the activities listed in the master plan to give us a starting point for selecting projects for this year. The projects to be undertaken this year have been endorsed by the Course Advisory Group and approved by both the Greens Committee and the Management Committee. Work will start on these projects in the next couple of weeks and while we will look to minimise disruption to members there may be the need to periodically use a few temporary greens/tees to ensure the safety of the ground staff while undertaking the work. The work earmarked for this year is as follows:
- Upgrade reticulation between 13th green and 15th fairway to allow the area to be re-turfed.
- Returf area between the 13th green and 15th
- Modify both greenside bunkers on the 13th green in line with the Master Plan. The front bunker will be reduced in size and entry made easier. The rear bunker is reduced in size to eliminate the steep face at the back of the bunker.
- Modify the bunker short left on the 12th hole in line with the master plan. This bunker will be reduced in size and entry made easier. The reduced size will allow better access between the 12th fairway and the 13th
- Remove the first bunker on the right of the 12th green as per the master plan. This modification includes shaping that will result in balls missing the green to the right rolling towards the 5th
- Remove the fairway bunker on the 11th hole (just past the dam). It has been decided that due to the location of the fig tree there is a double penalty when missing the fairway to the left, that being a bunker shot and still needing to negotiate the fig tree. As a result, the bunker will be removed.
- If time and budget allow, we will upgrade the 13th This will result in one long tee that will be approximately twice as wide as the current tee and will see the remove of the current white tee (mound).
Foreign Grass Encroachment
You probably remember that last year we undertook a treatment to curb the encroachment of couch into the greens. The program was successful and alleviated the requirement to replace the green collars which had been planned. Like most treatments for invasive grasses this treatment needs to be regularly applied to maintain control over the encroachment. This treatment is currently underway with all collars being treated and spot applications being made on the greens. Like last year we will see some browning of the grass where the chemical is applied but it should not affect playing conditions.
Green Renovations
Traditionally we have undertaken a mini coring towards the end of summer. Last year for a number of reasons this was not done, and the result was increased flooding on the greens during the winter months, having a detrimental effect on play. To ensure we do not have the same issue this year we will be undertaking a small core towards the middle of February. This will be a 10mm core and the greens should recover to normal standards within one to two weeks.
Practice Range
With maintenance issues of the old safety net and the increasing use of the range and potential safety hazards, the Management Committee has endorsed the erection of a new safety net.
We have had a company that specialise in design and engineering of safety screens review the practice range and they have submitted a proposal to minimise the risk, around twice the height and length of the current net. This company has installed safety nets at many other golf clubs across Australia. The proposal has been approved by both the Greens Committee and the Management Committee and is required to reduce risk and therefore potential liability to both the club and members. The cost of the net is budgeted at $100,000 and been approved by the Finance Committee.
We remind all members that if they use the range and hit a ball over the fence, then please report it to the Golf Shop. The Golf Club does not insure the actions of individual people however members have their own liability insurance through their affiliation fees.
Water Issue
You may have noticed recently that the greens have been running a bit slower than normal. The reason for this is that we have had an issue resulting in a white substance accumulating on some of our greens. The issues appears to be more prevalent on areas where the greens are stressed so as a precaution the mower heights have been raised until we fully understand the issue.
We have identified that the issues have arisen from the water supply and have undertaken treatment to help alleviate this. We have also sent samples to the states leading agronomists so we can formulate a specific plan to treat the issue and then put preventive measures in place. Already, the strategies the Course Staff have undertaken are working with improvements in the putting surfaces where the issues have been seen.
I personally think this example is a great reflection on Neil and the ground staff. Although we have many programs to prevent and mitigate issues on the golf course there is always times where issues arise out of our controls. In this case the problem was identified very early, mitigations were put in place, we engaged with leading experts in the state and the issue looks like it will be resolved with minimal impact on the members. This is a great endorsement of our course team and highlights the requirement from time to time to change the set-up of the course to protect the long-term health.
It is also important we understand that any golf green is vulnerable, and you only have to look at some of WA’s leading golf courses and all their issues over the last 5 or so years to see that maintaining greens to perfection all year round is near impossible. We appreciate some players always want greens to play hard and fast however, maintaining greens to this level all the time puts a huge stress on the surfaces. When disease, water or any other issues arise, stressed greens do not cope and the club is at great risk of major loss to greens. This instance highlights that our greens were able to respond to this water issue and shows the good health of them and we continue to entrust the course staff to find the difficult balance of consistent good playing surfaces and excellent health of the soils and greens.
Pins
I have had many people comment recently on the lack of sharpness on the edges of the holes. We have ensured that the hole cutter is sharp and ensured that holes are being cut as per procedure, but it has not resolved the issue. We believe the issue is to do with the ball retrievers on the bottom of the pins. It is believed that these catch the edge of the holes leading to the damage. As a result, we will be removing these from the pins.
I would also like to request that people that use ball removers attached to the end of a putter take care when retrieving their ball so as not to hit and therefore damage the edge of the cups.
Moisture Monitoring
We have been using volunteers for a number of months now to perform daily moisture monitoring on the greens. Not only does this free up a significant amount of time for the ground staff but also ensures Neil has the daily information he required to maintain the greens to the highest standard. I realise occasionally members may have to wait a few minutes for the volunteers to complete testing on a green, but this is a relatively minor inconvenience compared to the benefits of collecting the data daily. Please show the volunteers the respect they deserve and remember not to hit up to the green if ground staff or volunteers have the flag removed.
As always feel free to have a chat to me about any issues on the course.
Dean Stewart, Greens Committee Chair
