January 2024

On behalf the Course Staff we hope all our members enjoyed their festive season and wish everyone a healthy and fantastic New Year.
 As many members are aware the ongoing saga of the submersible pumps dominated the past 4 to 5 weeks, a simple replacement turned into a logistical nightmare. With the older pump no longer manufactured, the original quoted like for like flow rate replacement being to large a dimension for our bore, and, unusually, very difficult sourcing a pump that both matches our duty requirements ( flow rates and pressure ) and actually fits in our bore hole. 
 Interestingly through all this I was given some very old documents from 1970’s which made mention of limited pump size availability for our bore hole... Go figure.
 These delays in sourcing a compatible pump led to some serious concerns with the pressure being applied to our other pump, turf health deteriorating, and with the Xmas /New Year shut down fast approaching, I made the decision to have the original pump serviced as best can with a new motor attached. Unexpected courier delays meant it wasn’t till the afternoon Friday 22nd Dec to get it operational. Cutting it fine to say the least and I have no doubt had we not went down this path, the course would have suffered permanent injury. 

 This would not have been possible without the co-operation of Jandco Electrics and particular Joel, They were incredible to work with, having closed the shop for the 3 week Xmas break the Tuesday prior, they, on very short notice and on their way to play golf themselves, organised to hook up the electrics to get us out of trouble, without of which we would have a pump but no power !!! A massive Thank you To Jandco and Joel.
 Special mention also to Thinkwater Bunbury for also performing works outside of planned opening times due to the delay in receiving the motor from the courier, Daryl was great to work with as well coming in specially to perform the work after his planned finish date. 

 While the pump was out Australind Bore and Civil undertook a clean and flush of the screens and were equally fantastic to work with, my thanks to Paul for his onsite work.
 Cutting it fine but we were back in full operation by Xmas and since then we have implemented recovery measures and the course is responding and continues to improve in condition. 

 We will still require a new replacement pump, to be worked on during winter but it does give is some breathing space to better source an appropriate more suitable pump ( the new motor can be interchanged) whilst getting us back into operation as soon as possible. 
 We will also be looking at the F9 bore and pump, planning a course of action for its service and possible replacement in due course. 

 The other major issue we have been dealing with is the constant E winds howling 24/7 over the past 2 months, this causes a huge mess on the course with a great deal many hours spent attempting to clear debris from play areas. It isn’t just an aesthetic issue, we need to clear these areas for maintenance so not to damage sensitive cutting implements or turf damage. 
 The wind also severely impacts on irrigation uniformity with extra time being spent watering impacted. 
 The winds seem to come earlier, be stronger and more consistent each passing year, or maybe its just me getting older and less tolerant, actually that maybe true to some degree, however my records show it is indeed commencing earlier, lasting longer and more persistent with less lull periods than ever before, we have only had 3 dews on the course since October this season, mainly as the winds have been that persistent this year, it does keep diseases in check with less surface moisture about but brings with it plenty of other issues to deal with. 
 We will definitely be looking at better debris clearing options than we have at present. 

 Till Next Time 
 Happy Hooking

Popular posts from this blog

Saltene and Couch Grass

Image
I thought I would talk about this subject instead of what has been run of the mill course work updates lately, nothing like a bit of variety to keep it fresh... It is this time of year (summer if you didn't know better) the couch and saltene in the greens become more visible and start to out compete the bent grass. If you have been good students and followed the turf 101's on this blog you would know Bent is a cool season grass preferring cooler temps, Couch and Saltene both warm season grasses preferring hotter temps for optimum growth. So what happens when the two compete against each other year round ?   During the cooler months,  April through October the Bent grass out competes the Couch and Saltene, the Couch and Saltene are still there just not as pronounced as during the warmer months, thanks to their vigorous rhizomes even tho the bent has control of the top, the couch and saltene are waiting to pounce when warmer temps arrive due to their extensive rhizome syste
Read more

Hydraulic Oil Leak

Image
Over the weekend we had a Hydraulic Oil leak under the mower when mowing greens, unfortunately as it was pre-dawn mowing with a heavy dew, the operator only detected it when the sun came up after he was halfway through.   Of 13 greens mowed, 8 are effected of which 4 are cause for the most concern. Wishful thinking, I am wondering, and will find out soon enough, with the greens renovations only just completed whether the vigorous growth we have encourage to recover from Reno's and the higher cut we were mowing at will lessen the impact and we may be able to cut out most of it....Experience tells me IT IS wishful thinking. With this type of oil leak, it isn't so much the oil but the temperature of the oil that causes most of the damage, instantly killing the grass it contacts. We have applied Activated Charcoal, and a dilute detergent to deactivate and dilute the oil, there isn't much more we can do I am afraid.  We have sanded the 15th to see if that helps, unfo
Read more

Fairways, Saltine and Merry...Xmas

Image
The front 9  fairway renovation went well with strong growth occurring, alleviating some compaction and more importantly allowing the gases exchange from the root-zone,  this should hold them in good position for summer. You would have noticed the yellowing saltine in the greens I have taken advantage of the mild weather conditions being more aggressive with measures for Saltine and Crab grass in the greens than previous years. The Saltine will stand out more so than normal as it discolours with the herbicide effect, as a result it may appear there is more than usual in the greens, there isn't it just seems that way with the discolouration making it stand out more. Unfortunately due to the vigorous nature of the grass, control measures are more for   suppression and long term control than immediate eradication. Further due to the high risks of photo-toxicity to the bent grass in warmer weather, product applications are ceased during summer. The initial treatment a
Read more