Course Update – Thursday, 2 April 2026
Fortnightly update for members — course conditions, maintenance, events, and highlights.
Lately, at BGC, we’ve seen great conditions for the new Greens to keep progressing in the right direction. Much needed as we head into the cooler months. Greens 14, 15, 16 and the Putter have great coverage for their infancy, and have begun to be incorporated into our Triflex (ride-on) mowing schedule. A heavy top-dress is scheduled next week for the Putting Green which will smooth the surface out nicely.
We are mindful at this time that fuel supply is an issue, and becoming increasingly more so for Golf Courses across SEQ. At this stage we currently have enough fuel and are still getting a supply which means we can continue maintenance as scheduled. We have procedures in place that we can implement if this does become an issue and will keep monitoring the situation.
Course Conditions
Greens: With the cooler nights, the Greens have started to hold back on their growth, providing us with a more consistent surface throughout the course. They are beginning to play quite firm, which is expected, and will continue to do so heading into the winter months. The newest Greens, 10, 17, 18 starting to roll around the 10ft mark on the Stimp which is closer to where we want to have them. Works have been done to remediate some edges of Greens that weren’t quite filling in, and we will continue to do this in areas that need it.
Once Greens 1-18 are back in play, we will target the encroachment on Holes 19, 20, 21. This will likely see us plug or remove portions of the perimeter of the green and re-turf areas as we see fit. These Greens, being the first three completed as a part of the trial process, were done slightly differently, and the extra width of Green that was created (the meter of Greens perimeter) wasn’t part of the initial excavation process. So, encroachment was always a risk. Once we rectify this, we will be able to manage it going forward, and ensure that the new TifEagle Greens are free from foreign grass in the future.
Fairways: Nutrition and plant growth regulator (PGR) has been applied this week to boost the colour of the plant and also buy as some leeway with mowing frequency. This application gives the fairways a great contrast, and will assist plant health. Select areas will receive extra attention and irrigation, now that the “wet” season might be past us, to ensure we don’t see too many dry zones and avoid areas getting too thin.
Tees: A herbicide application has been done on the Tees to assist in eliminating the foreign grass and weeds that are persistent in a lot of our Tees throughout the course. The Couch Grass (Wintergreen) which is the turf variety we have on course, can take a slight hit from this application as you would have noticed, and appear to yellow-off. This will rectify itself quickly as the plant metabolizes the herbicide and begins producing new growth. We have good coverage on a lot of our Tees and should expect them to bounce back within the next week or two.
Bunkers: Bunkers are continuing to be detailed and raked on a regular basis, and we are continuing our efforts to rectify drainage on problem bunkers. One of the challenges we face with Bunker consistency is that when they aren’t getting frequent moisture from rain, they can dry out quite quickly, but as you’re all aware, some of them don’t dry out! Which can give the illusion that the sand type is completely different. Always good to dig your feet in to assess how much moisture is in the bunkers so you know how much sand glide the club through. Remembering to rake your footprints and divots for the next group!
Rough: We will look to apply products that will regulate the growth on the rough to mitigate the need to mow it as frequent as we look to save on fuel consumption. This might show some discolouring but will play the same. Now that we’re getting past the warm season window, we won’t target the weeds as much, as we wait for turf recovery to kick back in once spring hits.
Maintenance Updates
- Dusting frequencies will start to back off now that clipping yields are down. This will likely be pushed back to a fortnightly dust.
- We are hoping to get some oxygen into the Greens in the coming weeks utilizing our Air2g2 machine. This will assist in the translocation of water through the plant. One of the downfalls of having a water source that can be high in salts is that the turf canopy (top layer) can get blocked up due to toxic ion accumulation and won’t let the good stuff, like water, nutrients and our topdressing sand pass through.
Upcoming Works
- We are still looking to improve the edge of the Greens and ensure we’ve got full coverage, which will see us do some more plugging work to eliminate the bare areas where possible.
- The Chipping Green surrounds will be extended next week to maximise short cut chipping space, whilst keeping some rough areas for practice, and we will mow a new shape into the 12th hill to match the two fairways back up again.
- Path works will be carried out to repair washouts and potholes on some of our decomposed granite paths.
Notes to Members
- A friendly reminder to always leave a bunker in better condition than when you entered it, and throw the rakes back into the bunker base.
- Tees will begin to recover much more slowly now that the weather is cooling down, so any divots that get filled by members will speed up recovery and ensure the Tees remain in top condition.
- Enjoy your Easter weekend, stay safe and happy golfing.
Alex Blakey
Assistant Course Superintendent
The Brisbane Golf Club
