Course Condition
Over the past month, the primary focus has been improving the quality of the putting surfaces. This has involved bi-weekly turf and soil tests & regular inspections by the Club’s consultant Agronomist. Under direction, several applications of both fertilisers & disease protection have been applied, inclusive of topdressing via sand dusting. It was also decided that the putting surfaces would be oversewn with Pos Trivialis to expedite turf coverage & support the existing 328 turf throughout the cooler months of Winter. Although rainfall over the Labour Day weekend was a little more than desired, there is encouraging evidence that the Poa is striking. Unfortunately, the grow-in period requires mowing practices to stop for 7-10 days. Greens 1-18 will be mown in advance of Saturday, with holes 19-27 next week subject to suitable plant growth being evident.
Encouragingly we have had some good progress with the improvements to Hole 22. The new concrete path has been completed, additional drainage installed & the main irrigation line upgraded. Work has commenced on installing dual fairway irrigation lines & turf works is programmed for mid-May.
Assistant Course & Facilities Superintendent
The Club would like to welcome Tim Inglis, who recently commenced as the Assistant Course Facilities Superintendent. As previously communicated, Tim joins Keperra from Cronulla Golf Club in Sydney & has been quick to familiarise himself with the Course. If you see Tim on the Course, please make him feel welcome by saying hello.
Maintenance Shed – Update
The Maintenance Shed Replacement project will kick up a gear in the latter part of May with the dismantling of the existing Shed. Although every effort will be made to minimise disruption, movement between the 27th green & the Clubhouse will need to be periodically re-routed. As these changes are required, they will be well communicated and direction signage added. The Grassed area at the rear of the Clubhouse will serve as a temporary “home” for the maintenance team whilst construction is underway. Further updates will be provided as this project advances.
COVID restrictions on Course
Effective from the 7th of May, the Local rule regarding touching the Flagstick will be removed – The Club’s recommendation is Members/guests do not touch the flags in line with COVID precautions. However, if it is your preference to remove the flag, you can do so. In respect to Bunker Rakes/NTP’s, the Club is continuing to assess best practice options. Mindful that the last enforced lockdown was only five weeks ago, the Club considers a safety-first approach imperative.
Geofencing / Carts
The Club will be activating the GEOFENCING on the Course for the new Golf Carts from May 10th. The Geofencing is an invisible barrier that allows the Club to actively control where carts are driven by stopping them automatically when they encroach upon greens/bunkers/tees/water hazards. The Club’s Golf Operations team has been busy erecting physical cart directional signs to display whereby the geofencing (invisible) barriers are. In time these signs will be removed; however, Members must progressively familiarise themselves with where the geofences are to avoid the need to reverse their carts. For any assistance while using the Carts, please see staff in the Golf Shop.
Filed under: Course Updates