Oatlands Golf Club Enews – Friday 18th September 2020
Content
This week’s Enews covers the following topics:
- From the Course
- Director Nominations 2020-21
- QPC&C Renew Tiger Tee Challenge Naming Rights Sponsorship
- Five after Five – The Doer Cup
- Golf Tips with Jason Park – Connection
- Thank a Superintendent Day – Wednesday 23rd September
- Cancer Council’s Longest Day Charity Challenge
- Smoothing Bunkers Prior to Playing a Shot – Not Allowed
- Upcoming Clubhouse Events
From the Course
Rainfall for the Week: 0.0mm Rainfall for 2020: 984.5mm Dam: 95% Green Speed: 8.5 feet
Our bunker rejuvenation program has been in full swing this week, with the team making great progress on the 2 bunkers on the 4th hole. We started the week off with laying 100sqm of the Shade Tuff Zoysia turf around the perimeter of these 2 bunkers (see images below). The quality of these turf rolls was exceptional which made the installation down the face of the bunkers easier than expected. It has been a good week weather wise for establishing this turf, with the daily temperatures not too hot meaning we have been able to keep the turf moist without too much interference to play or washing too much soil into the bunkers.
The next part of the process was the installation of bidim cloth on the bunker bases and drainage lines. Agi pipe is then placed in the drainage trenches and covered with gravel. To stop the gravel mixing up through the sand over time, a covering of shade cloth is installed which allows any water to pass through but stops the sand and gravel mixing. Once this is completed bunker mat material is installed up the steep faces of the bunker to again stop the base clay material contaminating the sand. The bunker mat material helps the sand to stay in place on the steep walls of the bunkers.
To keep these different cloth linings in place, we are using around 1500 steel pins per bunker. This part of the process can be very time consuming but we have purchased a gun which punches each pin in, instead of staff members having to hammer in every individual pin.
The installation of the sand is next with staff members being very careful not to damage the edges of the bunkers as they tip the sand in. The sand in the RHS bunker was completed on Thursday afternoon, with the LHS bunker to be completed on Friday. This has been a great achievement for the course team this week and educational as well.
Our bunker rejuvenation program has been in full swing this week, with the team making great progress on the 2 bunkers on the 4th hole. We started the week off with laying 100m2 of the Shade Tuff Zoysia turf around the perimeter of these 2 bunkers. The quality of these turf rolls was exceptional which made the installation down the face of the bunkers easier than expected. It has been a good week weather wise for establishing this turf, with the daily temperatures not too hot meaning we have been able to keep the turf moist without too much interference to play or washing too much soil into the bunkers.
The next part of the process was the installation of bidim cloth on the bunker bases and drainage lines. Agi pipe is then placed in the drainage trenches and covered with gravel. To stop the gravel mixing up through the sand over time, a covering of shade cloth is installed which allows any water to pass through but stops the sand and gravel mixing. Once this is completed bunker mat material is installed up the steep faces of the bunker to again stop the base clay material contaminating the sand. The bunker mat material helps the sand to stay in place on the steep walls of the bunkers.
To keep these different cloth linings in place, we are using around 1500 steel pins per bunker. This part of the process can be very time consuming but we have purchased a gun which punches each pin in, instead of staff members having to hammer in every individual pin.
The installation of the sand is next with staff members being very careful not to damage the edges of the bunkers as they tip the sand in. The sand in the RHS bunker was completed on Thursday afternoon, with the LHS bunker to be completed on Friday. This has been a great achievement for the course team this week and educational as well.
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As well as the above bunker works, we have also been preparing the course as usual with fairways being double cut this week as a result of increased growth on these surfaces following their renovations. The growth is so good we are planning to start growth regulator applications on selected fairways which will enhance the quality of these surfaces. Green surrounds have been mown this week with plenty of grass being cut on these areas as well.
Our volunteers were back on course Monday morning, raking bunkers before the member’s competition, tree guards were repaired, drainage pits trimmed and cleaned, and they helped with the clean-up after course staff performed some low limbing of trees, as well as replacing a section of the floor in front of the main bar. Thank you gentlemen once again for your assistance this week!
Director Nominations 2020-21
Nominations for the 2021 Board of Directors have now closed and the Club are pleased to advise that the following nominations have been received;
President – George Isaac
Vice President – William (Bill) Mitchell
Captain – Matthew Seamons
Vice Captain – Colin McRae
Treasurer – Tony Groth
Director – Colin Skelton
Director – James Coates
Director – Mark Clout
Director – Amanda Walkerden
Current Directors Rodney Walsh and Linda Gyzen are not standing for re-election in 2020-21. The Club would like to thank both Rodney and Linda for their valuable contribution over the years.
QPC&C Renew Tiger Tee Challenge Naming Rights Sponsorship
QPC&C has recently renewed their Naming Rights Sponsorship of the Club’s popular Tiger Tee Challenge.
This is an outstanding commitment to the event and the Club from QPC&C and the Board would like to thank QPC&C and their company Director and OGC member, Tony Sassine for this ongoing support.
QPC&C specialise in Construction Cost Planning and Project Management, a business model that sets them apart from traditional Quantity Surveyors.
With over 35 years of experience QPC&C specialises in Depreciation Schedules, Council Cost Reports, Feasibility Studies, Bank Funding Reports and Construction Project Management.
QPC&C has been a long time supporter of the Club over the years and is located within Oatlands.
For more information on QPC&C, please visit their website by clicking on the link below.
Click here for the QPC&C website.
Oatlands run approximately 25 – 35 QPC&C Tiger Tee Challenge events per year which are open to members and guests and sees the golf setup at its most difficult with golfers rewarded for scoring 36 points or more with a dozen Titleist ProV1 golf balls, along with the regular prize winners and ball rundown.
Bookings can be made through the Club’s website timesheets.
Five after Five – The Doer Cup
The Clubs popular Five after Five series will return on Friday 23rd October 2020 and run fortnightly until Friday 18th December.
This popular series is hosted by Rodney (Doer) Walsh and is a great way for members who don’t play regular competition golf to play a short form competition without the pressure of a full 18 holes and alongside members who play regular competition golf. Each event includes a 5 hole stableford (scoring is optional) followed by a casual dinner and presentation of prizes (a fabulous array of whatever Rodney can beg, borrow and steal from around the Club, with the tackiest prizes also the most prestigious to win).
Timesheets for all Five after Five fixtures are now open on the following dates;
- Friday 23d October
- Friday 6th November
- Friday 20th November
- Friday 4th December
- Friday 18th December
Spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.
Golf Tips with Jason Park – Connection
Oatlands PGA Professional Jason Park talks about connection in this latest coaching video.
To book a lesson with Jason please contact the Pro Shop or email Jason directly at golfcoordinator@oatlandsgolf.com.au.
Thank a Superintendent Day
Wednesday 23rd September is “Thank a Superintendent Day”. Our Course Super Dom Yates is an incredible asset to Oatlands Golf Club both in regard to his knowledge, work ethic, and passion for the Club.
Since this article was posted in last weeks Enews a number of emails have been received thanking Dom for his ongoing effort. The email below is from a member who wishes to remain anonymous however is an appropriate message ahead of the upcoming Thank a Superintendent Day on Wednesday.
Dear Sam,
Many of our members have not had the opportunity to meet Dom and it is their loss for not having done so. But then Dom is busy working in his quiet, focused and decisive manner, not socialising, but working with the team to improve our golf course. On the few occasions I have been in the vicinity of Dom when he is occupied on tasks, I notice he thinks carefully before taking action. We are also fortunate to have Martyna and the team supporting Dom and working for the continual improvement of Oatlands. They too deserve credit. I can imagine though, Dom has disappointments when he sees some members course care sadly lacking and we must remember to lessen the burden of repair and maintenance for the team and give them the support they deserve. Our golf course has never looked better, thank you Dom, your support team and all the volunteers.
Cancer Councils Longest Day Charity Challenge
Oatlands Golf Club would like to encourage all members to support the Cancer Councils Longest Day Charity in December.
The challenge…complete 72 holes of golf in one day and raise vital funds for people impacted by cancer.
Did you know, Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world?
- Two in three Australians are diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70.
- Men over 40 are 1.5 times more likely than women to be diagnosed with melanoma and twice as likely to die from it.
To help change these statistics, we have signed up as a Promoter Club for The Longest Day to help create awareness of this campaign.
It’s easy to get involved, follow these three easy steps:
- Register your team, select a club during registration, and get your mates together
- Pick your date from the list below (Spots are limited!) and book your tee times
Click here for venues and dates
- Share your page with friends and family, tell them why you are taking on this challenge and why it’s so important!
Let’s all do our bit to end cancer, together.
Smoothing Bunker Prior to Playing a Shot – Not Allowed
Members are reminded that while preferred lies are in play in bunkers to avoid the necessity for rakes, it is a breach of the Rules of Golf to smooth out the surface of the bunker prior to taking a preferred lie.
Upcoming Member and Guests Events
The Club has a range of Member Events planned for the month ahead that we hope you will join us for and bring along friends and family;
September – October Bistro on Bettington
Friday 16th October – Korean BBQ Night (filling fast)
