March 10th Update
Fortunately over the past week, we have only received one storm on Sunday which delivered a further 20mm of rain. The course maintenance team have continued to mow all greens and tees where possible and some fairways have also received a cut. Many areas still remain too wet to access/mow.
The volunteers have been excellent in working with the Team leaders Macca; Dashy; Zeals; Simmo; and Jake. The tasks to clear mud and whatever else was dumped on the golf course were executed with enthusiasm and a smile. It was well organised and excellent results were achieved. Many thanks to ladies who helped out with the morning teas.
What is required now is fine weather and some wind to help dry out the course so heavy machinery can remove the many areas of washed in sand, soil, bricks and rocks. Special sweeping equipment to clean fairways and other selected areas will then follow.
In a video made to highlight the efforts of our Volunteer team (which can be viewed by clicking here) I was asked when we hoped to open the course. I mentioned Saturday 19th. Should this eventuate, the course will be far from what we have been playing on. No doubt there will be many “no go areas”, preferred lies, bunkers out of play and possibly only 17 holes on the Old and West course.
There are still a lot to areas that need special attention, and we just have to accept this will not happen in the short term.
I ask that as a Club, we keep our heads up and I’m sure we will get through this together and if you are able to help out with volunteering where and when it’s required, your course will come back to play a little quicker.
Kind regards,
Rod Rhodes
Club President
March 3rd Update
It is pleasing to report that over the past 24 hours, the Maintenance Team have completed several vital tasks to improve accessibility to the course and ultimately aid its long-term recovery. I can confirm that all course bridges are still in sound condition, albeit some remedial work will be required. Except for a slight 4m stretch of concrete adjacent to the 21st Tee block, I can confirm that all pathways are intact. This essential infrastructure has significantly improved our ability to remediate the course. Presently we have two Bobcats pushing and stockpiling debris to the sides of fairways, and up until this morning, we are also sweeping these areas in an effort to remove the gravel and rock. Unfortunately, the storms we experienced this morning which delivered a further 20mm of rain, have hindered these activities. The course team has mown all greens and tees (with the exception of Green 8 and Tee 11). Where possible, tee and green surrounds have also been mown. In the main, the course remains exceptionally wet, and for the safety and wellbeing of those working on the course, this has been carefully monitored. Whilst these conditions remain, a decision to defer a wide-scale volunteer working bee has been made. Initially, we were hoping for this to take place tomorrow (Friday 4th); however, based on current weather predictions, we are now hoping to run this activity on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday of next week (8th/9th/10th) between the hours of 6 am to 10 am. This will be confirmed via email and the member home page on Monday AM.
Yesterday, the Club did invite members to inspect the Course and several of those that attended expressed how overwhelming it was to see the damage. We are fortunate to have an extremely experienced management team and course superintendent who possess first-hand experience managing events of this nature. Although the task will be significant, I have complete confidence in the Team and the quality decisions which have already been made only further support this belief.
It is unfortunate that the severe weather conditions have caused wide-scale damage and create significant disruption and inconvenience. Regretfully a decision has been made to defer the Gent’s Club Championships scheduled to commence on March 12th. New dates will be communicated in due course.
It remains challenging to predict when the Course will be re-opened, but it is still expected to be several weeks. Needless to say, the goal is for the Golf Course to be reopened as soon as possible.
Again, my thoughts and prayers are with those members and staff who have had their homes impacted by the flooding.
Kind regards,
Rod Rhodes
Club President
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