August 2023 (Part 3 of 3)

 Welcome to the final winter update installment, spring is fast approaching so lets get cracking –

 As we head into the back end of winter, the course in general has held up well, certainly we have some wet areas and thin growth in various areas tee to green, this is an expected experience through the colder / wetter months of winter particularly in high wear areas and as always we are noting problem areas with the view of developing plans to address moving forward.

Through Winter it is critically important cart uses observe directional signs, stay well clear of greens and wet areas and if possible drive further away from high traffic areas than otherwise would.

The more cart users adhere to these simple requests, the higher chance of limiting adverse effects near greens and important turf areas while also reducing the requirements of putting ropes up and other barriers.  

We have been forced to install more ropes to preserve and force variation to cart driving habits, specifically on path exits and near greens to avoid bare area and tracking close to greens, we don't like doing this as it impacts everyone from maintenance to play so please be mindful when driving carts.

 Unfortunately we continue to experience the effects of cart misuse and urge any members who witness carts being driven in a reckless manner to immediately report it to the golf shop or office.

 

August / September is also Irrigation preparation time, this year no different, we recently installed extra irrigation lines and sprinklers to 2, 9 13 green surrounds,  4 and 6 tees. The initial irrigation installation was for basic coverage with the view to increase coverage where required annually to reduce up front cost at the time. 

 

During Summer with winds howling, coverage in these areas was less than adequate and should now see a much more consistent growth.


Other preparations have included a new water meter and bore header early Winter and will shortly commence trimming, cleaning and testing all sprinklers though the course some 700 odd. 

We are also updating our old Valve in head sprinklers around the front 9 greens as need be to new Infinity type sprinkler bodies .  

The major advantage these sprinklers have over our older DT series, is unlike our older sprinklers where critical components like decoders , coils and wire connections are buried outside but next to the sprinkler,  the new Infinity sprinklers have all components, Decoders, wire splices, coils and valves  located within the sprinkler body itself, with access a matter of simply removing the top cover,   making fault finding and maintenance more friendly and more productive with less turf disruption.

Unfortunately we experienced 2 main line ruptures on the 8th hole due to an electrical fault, these 2 ruptures required immediate repair to enable the system to run, now repaired but as it is unplanned has put us behind 2 days to where we wanted to be by the end of the week. 

As we start to see the light at the end of winter, plans are also well advanced for our spring maintenance and renovation period of which I will cover in next months news update. 

 


Finally just a reminder our annual Greenkeepers Revenge day is next Thursday, we hope to terrorise as many members on the course as possible with some unique novelty holes, and course care tips. 

Till Then 

Happy Hooking

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