Course Super Report

Course Update

Welcome to 2023, we hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas period. Business for us was usual over the festive period with the strong easterly winds not only littering the course with debris but it also plays havoc with our irrigation coverage. As a result, there are a few dry areas here and there but nothing of concern. 

Throughout the seasons the golf course plays differently, through the summer months we have the ability to firm the putting surfaces up. By doing this we can maintain consistent putting speeds with minimal inputs. This does open you up to the odd dry patch here or there until the greens find their happy place so to speak. The last thing we want to do is add extra water, not only does this soften up the surface and loose the speed out of them it creates issues that can be detrimental to the health of the green. This time of year disease pressure is high with diseases such as pythium and rhizoctonia present so keeping moisture levels in check is one way of managing these diseases.

At times staff have been questioned as to why we are running out with hoses when we just put the sprinklers on? It’s because we are just hitting hot spots, concentrating that water onto the areas that need it as opposed to a 25m radius. The amount of water we can put out on that one 30cm² patch would equate to running the irrigation head for approximately 1hr which is a complete waste of water on areas that simply don’t need it.

Each night our irrigation run times change to suit the weather, ideally we want to put out the minimal amount of water needed and at times the forecasted temperature appears hotter or windier then predicted which keeps it a little interesting. Our water usage is monitored and not to mention a valuable resource, so we need to manage it carefully.

Golf is becoming a sustainable industry; in time our water allocations will be cut. Perth Metropolitan courses have already had their allocations reduced, our license is up for renewal this year and I am expecting to see our allocation reduced. Gone are the days of perfectly lush landscapes, If the 2022 British Open is anything to go by brown is the new green and I must admit I found it very difficult to sit through! The Augusta Syndrome, it’s a real thing – google it if need be!

Back to our course, the 13^th green is coming along, just really waiting on the surrounds to thicken up a little particularly on areas that will see the higher traffic. At this stage we are looking at a rough opening date around the week of the 16^th of January.

We are now operating out of the new maintenance facility with plans in place to host the grand opening soiree towards the end of the month. Notifications will go out once we have the date locked in and will be open for all members to attend.

Upcoming maintenance:

Our attention turns to course prep work for the upcoming Australia Day Classic which then leads into the Leschenault Classic in March.

Kikuyu spraying will commence again shortly, areas of focus will be around greens collars and surrounds.

On a final note: With the golf course getting busier and busier it’s becoming harder for us to complete the simplest of tasks without being held up or delayed. At times we need to do 9 hole closures to give ourselves gaps in the field to complete tasks in a safe and efficient manner. On a couple of occasions, we have had aggrieved members confront staff as to why they have to wait before teeing off as the other 9 is closed. Hole closures will be becoming more regular over time, these closures are scheduled outside of competition times and will only impact the social player and we cannot stress enough how important it is to book so we know you are coming – It’s very hard to plan around players when they just appear. 

Another worrying trend we are noticing is that we are now having a lot more cases of players hitting up on staff members. It’s not always the “green fee player or visitor” doing it but we do ask that players refrain from hitting until we are clear or you have been called upon by the operator. Generally ground staff have the right of way when conducting maintenance – believe it or not we also hate coming in contact with golfers, we don’t hold people up on purpose but sometimes its quicker for us to finish mowing a green or finishing what we are doing so we can move ahead otherwise we will be following you around the for the rest of the day and let’s be honest that is something neither of us want!!

Unfortunately, the times in which we can complete our tasks is getting smaller so there will be a lot more integration of course maintenance amongst play so we do ask for patience from golfers during these times.

All the best for a busy and exciting 2023!

 

Dave Brennan

Golf Course Superintendent.