Course Update – Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Some reprieve finally from mother nature the last couple of weeks meant that we could get the course in better condition to begin the Club Championship season and the maintenance team sends their gratitude for allowing the course to come first over the last couple of months, and at the moment it seems to have paid dividends. We are delighted to see minimal damage from the excessive water levels, largely due to allowing the course to dry out sufficiently before permitting carts back onto the course. This has put us in good stead compared to other courses across SEQ who are still reeling from the weather events earlier in the year.

Last week also saw us stolonize Greens 11, 12 & 13 with our new Tif Eagle grass. A timely and delicate process. Once the stolons were spread, we then track rolled them in with our bunker rake which has perfect wheels for helping embed the stolons into the sand profile, allowing for good contact so the stolons can grow.

Turf has been laid on the 13^th Tee batter, and we look to stolonize the Tee top this week. Further turf works have begun on the 4^th Hole, as we look to remove the gravel pathway to the right of the fairway, and fill with grass (this will vastly improve the aesthetic of the hole). We also took this time to dig some trenches from the side of the green to allow water to move more quickly into a pit that we will put beside the creek bed.

The 11^th Tee will also have some work done whilst it is out of action, as we look to extend the Teeing areas on course, creating more positions for markers and spreading the wear.

• Back on course and we can appreciate that the Tees, Fairways and Roughs are almost enjoyable to walk over again. A few more good weeks and a couple more frequent cuts will start to have the place in really good shape.
• The Greens were cut and rolled for the qualifying rounds of Club Champs, which put them close to 11ft on the Stimp. The last couple of Monday’s have seen us back out dusting again which has really helped us gain some speed and smoothness on the Greens.
• The new Tif Eagle Greens are performing really well, and look to be providing enough feedback from good golf shots, whilst still being quite firm. Which is hard to argue with from an agronomic point of view.
• A couple of warmer days saw a small spike in growth rate on the greens, which is never a bad thing as the temperature starts to drop. But it looks like we should really begin to see the days cool down come June.
• Fairways were double cut last week, as it felt like the first time in a while that we had a good run at them, and are presenting nicely, with a few bare areas here and there that we will hopefully manage with nutrition over the next period. If we need to turf certain areas to improve coverage, we will look to do that also.
• The Tees are finally dry enough that you shouldn’t slip and slide your way through the downswing, and the areas that received seed are shining through nicely. It will be good to see how they hold up with the traffic come July.
• The rough is nearly there, a few wet patches still but the majority is dry enough that we can now get our mower through to tidy it all up. We have noticed a difference in the turf quality in the first few metres of rough after multiple herbicide treatments over the summer months, which means with enough time and patience, we should be able to eliminate a fair amount of the weed infestation, in turn, giving us a cleaner surface to maintain and play out of.
• Bunkers are being maintained much more frequently, and we are taking note of some that are desperate for additional sand so that we can start to top them up.
• Regular maintenance on bunker edges and cart paths is being done to improve the overall aesthetic of the course, as well as garden bed detailing. Certain areas are being looked at to improve airflow, as well as sunlight on some of our Tee’s to improve turf health all round.
• The Tee plaques on course are also beginning to get some maintenance, Fern, who is a qualified carpenter doing some return to work duties is out helping us a few days a week get our Plaques and Course furniture back in respectable conditions. If you see Fern attending to the plaques, don’t be shy and say g’day.
• A huge thankyou to our volunteer group who got stuck in to the 10^th hole again this Monday. Clearing out lots of the overgrown vegetation that lies between 10 / 18 and 19. Eight tractor loads of debris and branches were removed in a 2-hour time period. Quite the feat and we look forward to the next meet in June.
• A gentle reminder, albeit general course etiquette, bunkers must be raked after playing your shot out of them. Not only does it help the maintenance team, to ensure less footprints are having to be raked and smoothed, but it is also courteous for the groups that follow behind you. Whilst we would love to rake the bunkers every day, we do look for your help in maintaining them to a better standard, general rule of thumb is to try and make it a better bunker to play out of for the next person.

Good luck to all those competing in the club champs in the coming weeks. We look forward to seeing you out on the course.

Alex Blakey
Assistant Course Superintendent
The Brisbane Golf Club