New bunker rake

We are currently trialling a new method of raking the bunkers on the Pines course. Instead of using the traditional rake attachment we are using a brush which leaves a smooth finish with no teeth marks.

Pines greens

The Pines greens received their first verti-cut and dust at -2mm on Tuesday since the major renovations at the end of September. All the winter grass has now disappeared and the summer bermudagrass is growing well. Overnight temperatures are still in the low teens so the growth has not yet kicked in fully.

Pines

We are now 3 weeks after Renovations on the Pines and the course is starting to look fantastic. The rains have allowed all our fertilizer to kick in nicely and the greens have bounced back very well indeed. A light verti-cut and dust next Tuesday will smooth the greens out nicely.

There's always someone worse off......

The attached photo was sent to me by Stephen Gaze who is the Superintendent at Woollongong Golf Club and former assistant superintendent here at sanctuary cove. The picture is of his first fairway this morning and the worst of it is that they are hosting the NSW PGA in 2 weeks time. Good luck Stephen!

Another Wild Weekend

Storms over the weekend forced the closure of the golf courses on Saturday. Nearly 100mm of rain has fallen since Friday causing widespread flooding around both courses. Winds were so strong that they even managed to blow over one one of the large flagpoles at the entry to the Country Club. Additional staff have been drafted in to get the courses back in play today. We ask that all carts remain strictly on paths.

Dryject

Today we trialled a new machine called a Dryject on the small practice putting green. The machine is designed to blast small jets of water into the ground at high pressure to create air spaces. In addition to this, soil amendments can be added to the rootzone up to a depth of 150mm. The soil amendment that we used is a product called Profile which is a porous ceramic material. This material has the ability to hold onto nutrients and moisture but will not break down like traditional organic amendments. The major benefit of this process is that there is very minimal disruption to the putting surfaces and eliminates the need to carry out major hollow tining. After this very successful trial we will be looking to include the Dryject machine into our maintenance schedule next year.

Windy Weekend

We walked in to a bit of a mess this weekend after the cold and windy weekend that has just passed. Plenty of debris lying around so the blowers and vacs will be going all day to get the course tidy again.