Daves Diary – February 10th

Another few weeks have passed since the last installment as life has again been busy for us out on the course. The build up to the Bunbury Holden Australia day Classic went smoothly and we hope everyone who participated had an enjoyable weekend. I felt the course presented reasonably well and I’m proud of the efforts and attitude from the boys who continually want to improve and present the course to the best that we can.

Course Pumps

After seeing the course come up for the Australia Day weekend frustrations set in a week later after experiencing problems with one of our pumps down in the pump shed. Loosing a pump (Blown seal) created havoc out on the course for night time irrigation with us having to reroute our irrigation schedule to better suit our pressure needs whilst operating with one less pump. As a result of the poor pressure we have seen dry patch appear around the course particularly around sprinkler heads but this will quickly come back once we get back up and running. With the rain set to fall it has been good timing as we can shut the pumps down and do some mid summer servicing.

Clubhouse Surrounds

Work is well under way on upgrading the clubhouse surrounds, stage one is complete as we have turfed a path leading from the clubhouse area to both the driving range path and putting green. This area will become the only thoroughfare from the 9th and 18th greens once we begin to rope off and re-grass the remaining area. The turf used was from the back of the driving range was cut very thick( and heavy) to better withstand the amount of traffic it will receive. Next week we will begin stage 2 and we will be bringing the height of the surrounds up to match the existing level of the path alongside the 1st tee, from there that level will continue out and incorporate into the existing mounding surrounding the 9th. Once the area is shaped we will begin to plant sprigs and hopefully we can have the area grown in before the end of the warmer months.  Currently the top putting green has a large amount of kikuyu present in the surrounds as its far from ideal to be sodding bent at this time of year we will wait until the cooler weather sets in and we will spray the collar and reseed using a hardier rye and fine fescue mix.

Denis Jefferies

We have recently accepted the resignation of our course mechanic Denis Jefferies who had decided to put the feet up and enjoy the retired life after 20yrs of service to the Bunbury Golf Club. Denis was a vital member of the staff and his experience and expertise was second to none. As a 16 year old first starting out I remember the days when Denis (Cheech) worked out of the old shed and kept those machines running on the smell of an oily rag. 14 years later Denis continued to keep the machinery running well with little expense! Cheech often enjoyed getting out onto the course and spraying golfers with honky nuts but he always seemed his happiest when he went up to clean the dams even though he resembled and oompa loompa for days afterwards.

 

Summer Rain

As I sit here with that sweet sound of rain falling outside we are definitely lucky to receive a good drop at this time of the year. As it was a great feeling to power down the irrigation computer and walk out the door knowing I’m going to get a good nights sleep we also need to be cautious as to what summer rain can bring . With the increased moisture, high evening temperatures and humidity can create the perfect breeding ground for turf diseases in bent grass greens. To date we have applied  little to no nitrogen and have kept to a high magnesium and potassium fertiliser program which focuses on plant health and overall strength to withstand the stresses placed on the greens during the summer. Leading up to the rain the greens were dusted to assist in drying and protecting the crown of the plant from rot along with applying a sea weed based liquid based fertiliser to build up the immune system within the leaf. Over the coming days we will monitor the greens and if needed we will apply mancozeb for added protection. To date we have only applied fungicide on 2 occasions this summer with one being to protect the greens from fairy ring (soil borne) in October and the other was applied as a safe guard against pythium during the Christmas period. Constant applications of fungicide becomes extremely costly and also has an adverse effect on the soil biology. By limiting our nitrogen, focusing on plant strength and careful moisture management all play a part in combating turf diseases without the need to turn to chemicals.

Upcoming Maintenance

• Clubhouse Surrounds
• Apply granular gypsum to all greens
• Granular fertiliser to weak and new greens – 1, 6, 10, 12, 15, Putter, chipping
• Whip and spray bunker edges
• Kikuyu & Parramatta holes 1, 3, 5, 11, 14, 18
• course prep for summer cup and Leschenault Classic.