CAPEL GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE

With most pipes and fittings delivered, compound set up and 3 holes marked out for install, tomorrow (Wednesday 16th) mainline trenching and install will commence on the 11th hole. This hole WILL be closed for play.    MORE TO COME !!! Once the line is in and solenoid valves in place lateral pipe and sprinkler install will follow, likely to be  Thursday. The irony of installing irrigation when the 5th looked like this -

Evening folks  With the major works of the stage 2 Irrigation Upgrade set to commence on the back 9 next week I thought it was time to fire up this old chestnut to provide information updates and be the main source of my communication to members on the progress of this much needed and anticipated upgrade to our present manual irrigation system.  Total Eden will be onsite Monday 14th to commence preliminary works, and proposed mark out of lines and sprinklers. Full install will  not commence till Tuesday afternoon / Wednesday Morning when Main lines and laterals (laterals being installed by staff and volunteers) will commence on the 11th followed by the 10th.  Of course disruption will be significant during the works and we appreciate your understanding as always.  You will need to keep informed of hole closures and other temporary play conditions by the clubs notice board and facebook page prior to playing. My thanks in advance to members who have volu...

I would like the thank the volunteers who turned out Sunday morning to assist with the greens renovation clean up prior to the Corer breaking down, delaying our work for up to 2 hours. Your assistance and willingness to help was appreciated.  For the few who came back to continue on after the repairs were complete we are indebted to you and a huge thank you to you for without your help we would have been here that much longer. Graham Mick, Rod the two Peters and Big Red, Troy, I cant say how appreciative we are that you did so.  Thanks again.    4 days since the Greens were renovated, verti - cut for thatch, hallow cored and sanded and I am happy with the recovery and where they are at present. The recovery of some greens maybe inconsistent specially in the early stages depending on the amount and type of grass weed control undertaken prior to renovations as explained in a previous post. Some greens will be slower and / or have larger areas or patches within re...

We have a guest blogger for this weeks Course Update, Ben reporting on his experience at Lake Karrinyup Country Club for the World Super 6"s.  Pour a cuppa, pull up a chair and enjoy the read ....  ............................................................................................................................................................ First of all, I would like to thank Superintendent Max Suckling and The Capel Golf Club for allowing me the opportunity to volunteer as part of the Course Maintenance Crew for the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 tournament at Lake Karrinyup Country Club. I would also like to thank Fraser Brown, Superintendent of Lake Karrinyup, for taking me on board and giving me the opportunity to work alongside his staff for the week. This was a great experience from day one all the way through to day 8, and I would definitely do this over again if the opportunity arises. Volunteering at Lake Karrinyup for such a major tournament was...

Greens Renovations are less than 2 weeks away and I would like to take this opportunity to inform members of some important pre renovation practices and the temporary impact these practices will have on the greens appearance.   Twice yearly in Spring and Autumn prior to greens renovations we commence product applications for the suppression / control of certain grass weeds in the greens, namely Saltene and Couch encroachment, both grasses being extremely difficult to control in Bent grass greens and we do historically have a large amount. Unfortunately one product does not control / suppress both weed grasses so there is a need to apply different products multiple times during the control periods prior to renovations.   The application of these products will lead to a sharp down turn in the appearance of the greens. Discolouration and some thin weak areas will result in the lead up to renovations.     The degree and type of discolouration will vary green ...

With what is a fantastic opportunity for Ben to gain invaluable experience working on a "top 20" Golf Course helping prepare for a World Class major event, Ben will, from Sunday spend 8 days as part of the Lake Karrinyup Course Maintenance team preparing the course for the new World Super 6 Tournament to be held from next Thursday.   I put forth Ben's name in recognition for his outstanding contribution and achievements this year both on course and in his studies, and I am sure he will make the most of this exciting opportunity which will only benefit his professional progression and in turn also benefit Capel Golf Club through the knowledge and experience he will gain. Ben will also have the opportunity to follow the field during his time off between course maintenance hours, I look forward to sharing with you his experiences on his return.  In other course news we have been busy preparing the course for our own Ladies Major event of the year the 2017 Summer Cup....

When you know it takes 27 hours to manually irrigate the back 9 from Tee to Green just once, and you need to do this at least twice in a week plus extra for Tees and Greens, When you know the weather forecast is for temperatures above 30 degrees for most of the week, you have a public holiday and three competition days to work around, the last thing you want to see on the first manual shift of the week is this .... Fortunately we were able to plug the leak temporarily keeping the irrigation running for the complete first cycle then made the permanent repair without too much disruption or delay to irrigation before the competition players came through. Just another week in the irrigation season. Between other must do maintenance works during the week we recommenced work on the 6 th tee, all going well we hope to have all the amendments added and levels complete this time next week.   During the peak season with our very small staff, extra mowing demands...