FROM THE COURSERainfall for the week 0.0mm
Rainfall for the year 1125.5mm
Members had to contend with very strong winds last Saturday, which once again left the course covered in leaf debris across all playing surfaces. This is a particularly frustrating aspect of golf course management, as the team had made excellent progress tidying the course on Friday, only for the conditions on Saturday to undo much of that work. Despite this setback, the team hasn’t been deterred. The blowers and vacuum have been working tirelessly throughout the week to ensure the course was well presented for the members’ competition on Wednesday. Members may also have noticed some minor scalping on a couple of the fairways mown by the autonomous mowers. These units are designed to mow the fairways 2–3 times per week, so when we experience a weather event like last week’s storm—which left debris scattered across the entire property—it is only natural that their regular mowing height can remove more grass than usual, resulting in a scalped appearance. Recovery will occur over the coming days. Looking ahead, this will be factored into future wet-weather and storm responses, to ensure the turf isn’t affected in similar situations. Saturday’s winds brought another large tree down in the tip area beside the 16th hole, along with several larger branches that were likely damaged during Wednesday’s storm but had remained tangled in the canopy. Members are advised to remain cautious in windy conditions over the coming weeks, as additional branches may continue to fall. Course staff have removed as many hanging or damaged branches as possible, but some are either too high or difficult to detect. Please take care when out on the course. Our arborist contractors were on course on Tuesday to remove the tree that had become wedged against its neighbouring tree. With the assistance of the 65-tonne crane, they were able to bring it down safely and complete the clean-up. The two remaining stumps will be removed in the next few weeks, and they will also clear the fallen tree in the tip area and remove another tree along the roadway to this tip area, which has begun to lean following Saturday’s strong winds. The debris pile near the 15th tee will also be cleared during this next visit. While the clean-up continued, greens have been dusted, and tees have been sprayed with an insecticide and residual wetting agent to help retain moisture in the soil profile so it remains available to the turf as required. Hot weather is predicted leading into the weekend and for Saturday, so the focus will shift to monitoring moisture levels in the greens’ soil profiles. Moisture probing will be carried out to ensure we avoid any nasty surprises during the hot afternoons. Our volunteers were on the course Monday morning clearing debris and raking bunkers before continuing to install the green, yellow and white plate markers on the back nine tees. Thank you, gentlemen, for your continued support and assistance. Greens will be cut on both mornings this weekend. I will be setting pins on Saturday morning, and Joel will be setting them on Sunday morning. Happy Golfing
The Course Team. | 
