FROM THE COURSERainfall for the week 33.0mm
Rainfall for the year 1125.5mm
A mixed bag for the course team this week with the laying of new turf around the course, aerating and topdressing of the 8th fairway, and the big clean-up after Wednesday's cyclonic storm. New turf was installed on Wednesday morning across several areas of the course, including the track between the 8th and 9th holes, the putting green, the trench area beside and in front of the 1st tee, and the end of the Geohex path through the 9th flyover. The course team did an excellent job laying all 800 m² of turf quickly, allowing us to begin irrigation immediately. Because the rolls were cut on the farm the previous afternoon, they arrived with a significant amount of heat trapped inside, so getting water on them straight away was essential. While some sections may look scorched at present, we will maintain consistent irrigation until the new roots establish firmly in the soil. The turf is expected to establish quite quickly. The 8th fairway was aerated this week and received a generous topdressing of sand, which will help several areas recover and knit together to achieve full, healthy coverage. Preferred lies will be available on this fairway for the next week. This topdressing also allowed us to clear one of the storage bays at the maintenance facility, making space for a new delivery of bunker sand so we can begin adding sand to bunkers as needed. As members are aware, Wednesday afternoon’s storm hit the course with significant force, bringing down numerous branches and snapping a large gum tree near the 2nd green. The fallen tree is now lodged in an adjacent tree, creating a highly unstable and dangerous situation. Our arborist has assessed the site and advised that this is as hazardous as storm-damaged trees get. A 65-tonne crane will be required to safely remove the hanging sections from both trees. The earliest availability for this work is early next week. Until the removal is complete, the 2nd and 17th holes will remain closed. Members are asked to stay well clear of this area when playing in the meantime for their safety. While the clean-up is still ongoing, the course staff have made every effort to remove the larger debris, which has now been stockpiled near the 15th tee area and on the mulch area below the 2nd tee. These stockpiles will need to be processed manually over the coming weeks. Leaf debris has been, and will continue to be, blown from fairways and tee complexes before being collected with the tractor vacuum. Our volunteers were on the course Monday morning performing a bunker run in front of the competition players, trimming and clearing drainage pits, trimming fairway sprinkler heads, and edging paths. This group of overachievers were again asked if they could help with the clean-up of the storm debris on Thursday, and many of them were only too happy to put their hand up to support the course staff and their golf club. Paula Skelton also volunteered several hours collecting and disposing of debris, and whilst not volunteering, Rob Blain, Grant Lomas, and Jeremy Ward also assisted all day on Thursday while the course was closed. Thank you to everyone who volunteered or assisted on the course this week; your help and support is very much appreciated. Greens will be cut on both mornings this weekend. I will be setting pins on Saturday morning, and Caleb will be setting them on Sunday morning. Happy Golfing
The Course Team. | 
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