Greens had their first cut yesterday afternoon at a height of 4.5mm. They will be cut again tomorrow morning and rolled on Sunday morning. On Monday we will lower the height of cut to 4mm and by the end of the week down to 3.5mm.
Aeration of immediate roughs has started and we will continue next week before we return the machine to Oatlands GC. Repair work on the 7th, 11th,15th and 18th surrounds has taken place. Old stumps have been repaired on the 3rd and 4th holes. The area off the path leading from the 14th tee has been leveled and some turf laid. Greens were aerated with 12mm hollow tines, top dressed and fertilised. Forecast rain would be ideal. We will rub them in further if the rain does not arrive. They will not be mown until next week. They will be rolled as soon as possible, again whether dependent.
We will continue on fairway aeration tomorrow with all par 4 and 5's completed by Friday. Surrounds will be hollow tined using the 12mm times as per the greens. Turf will be replaced in worn areas. A pre emergent herbicide for Crab grass was applied to fairways whilst the course was closed. Course fixtures around tees are being painted and look neat and fresh. A big thanks to our Garden club members, especially these three Associate members Tracey, Barb and Di who have spent many hours removing weeds from our gardens on these beautiful winters days. If you have a little spare time on a Friday morning Greg Smith and his men and Barb and her team of ladies would love to see you. Again many thanks
Today the 150m markers to the side of the fairways were replaced by these discs in the middle of all par 4 and par 5 holes.
Just a quick update on course current course conditions.
During the month of March we received a total of 277.5 mm of rain. Fortunately while many other courses have been closed during this time we have continued to operate at all times. This week we have had the mowers over all surfaces as growth is at a high. Fairways were raised last week to 25mm to help stop the mud from coming to the surface. This week we lowered the mower to 23mm and cut in the opposite direction. Going into the cooler months with a longer leaf blade is not a bad process. We dropped the height of the greens mower by .25mm and cut today and we will look to cut and roll tomorrow morning. We were not able to top dress greens after the hollow core and with them being so wet it has been important to lower the height gradually. We will continue to lower the height next week and a light dusting will take place as soon as weather permits. Bunkers are always an issue during prolonged bouts of rain. We have continually pumped and raked them to keep them in play as much as possible. Last night another 30mm of rain meant 7 hours of pumping today. We are doing our best during these times and i guess they are a hazard. We will continue to basically concentrate on course preparation and hope that the weather gods can give us all a break. Enjoy your weekend and good golfing. The front entrance got a makeover this week with turf laid in front of the garden, an irrigation system installed, fresh mulch and plants replaced. The other side also had a irrigation system installed, plants and mulch added and timbers freshly painted.
What a week. 55 mm of rain Tuesday, Wednesday followed by 43 degrees yesterday and 44 today. A green keepers life is always on call. I'm sure most people are enjoying a nice cold bevvy in the air conditioning. Think of us while you are and thanks to Lewie and Troy for helping me out this afternoon.
The greens staff would like to wish all other staff members and Cumberland members a very merry Christmas. We hope santa is kind to you all.
Not a very clear photo but the lads were out finishing the path on the 5th and doing our best to rake bunkers during at times heavy rain.
Thanks to Greystanes High School for the recognition of our participation in the work experience program. The staff get a real buzz being able to help the children of our local community.
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