Course Update – Tuesday, 12 November 2024

The following course update has been prepared by our Course Superintendent, Marcus Hartup and Assistant Course Superintendent, Alex Blakey.

Course Update – Tuesday, 12 November 2024

• The last couple of weeks have seen the course suffer from both weather extremities, and with one of our irrigation pumps being down, keeping water up to the Tees & Fairways has been tricky, (hence the dry lines).
• This week already, we have received over 60mm of rain, and with more on the way. The waterways are certainly flowing, and with the 8^th Stormwater pipe feeding from Fairfield Road working correctly, it means we are currently getting more water into the 2^nd Creek catchment more effectively.
• Greens got up to 10 ft on the Stimp, before slowing down last week due to the warm conditions and extra growth. Going off our Growing Degree Days schedule, which we use to determine when to apply our Plant Growth Regulator, we currently only get roughly 10 days out of an application at this time of year.
• Greens have received a dust the last 3 weeks in a row, and the sand is nestling into the canopy really well which will improve consistency and ball roll going forward.
• We have seen an increase in weed germination in some of the greens, and they are currently being pulled by hand and backfilled with sand.
• The Greens have also been receiving a roll two times a week; to help with green firmness and ball roll and we aim to keep this in our schedule maintenance program.
• The Turf went down on the 3^rd Hole & 19^th Hole, where it looks like it’s settling in quite quickly. The extra rain hasn’t dampened its spirits, and the surface water looks to be getting away and not pooling on the majority of the turf. At the Green end, the overflow effect from the creek means the fairway sits underwater for quite some time, but the turf seems to be holding on for the moment.
• The new workshop Grinders arrived and training has begun. It won’t be long until the cut on our mowers is at the highest quality more consistently.
• Mulch has been spread along the RHS of 8^th Fairway, and alongside the creek between 2/8 which we will look to organise a time for the volunteers to assist with planting.
• The Pro Shop opening is upon us, and it’s all hands-on deck to ensure a smooth transition. We will be working with the landscapers to get the final touches done.
• Lots on in the next few weeks; the PGA qualifier should hopefully see the greens rolling back up around 10ft if not quicker.
• The Greens will receive an insecticide treatment which will cover us over the next couple of months, and regular scheduled foliar applications to greens, tees and fairways over the next two weeks.
• Strong focus on weed eradication continues when possible. Wet weather obviously limiting our spray windows, but we aim to get ourselves in a good position heading into summer.
• We will also be turfing the remaining parts on the 9^th hole, and looking at re-surfacing the 9^th Tee walk-off which will require a bit of earthworks to eliminate the clay/rock nature of that area.

Lastly, Marcus and I returned safely from the Troon International Conference in Prague, where we were privileged to listen in on, and join in a lot of thought-provoking discussions; from Troon Agronomy standards from the founding Troon Superintendent Jeff Spangler, to weed resistance from Dr. Bill Kreuser from Simplot and Dr. Katie Dodson from Syngenta, and environmentally sustainable practices moving forward from Troon’s own Brianne Kenny.

If you have any questions or feedback on the course, please forward it to our CEO, Geoff Kuehner via geoff@brisbanegolfclub.com.au. He will forwarded it to Marcus and Alex for a response.

Marcus, Alex and David attended the Troon International Conference in Prague last week.