Palms Construction Update - Hole 5 complete

Grassing of the new 5th hole of the Palms was completed yesterday leaving only holes 6 - 9 left for completion. This 175m par 3 over water is bound to serve as a great challenge to all who play it. The remaining few holes are due to be finished within the next 3 weeks.

Renovations - Laser levelling of Tees

During renovations we will be carrying out laser levelling of the tees. Over the years due to wear, settlement and top dressing some of the tees on the Pines course have become rather uneven. We have employed a contractor to come in this week to screed sand over the tees using a laser level which determines the high and low points and corrects them accordingly. As a result there will be a thick layer of sand in some areas of the tees which will disappear within a couple of weeks as the grass grows through. Once fully recovered members will be able to enjoy a much better set of level tees.

Renovations - Fairway scarification & aeration

During renovations all fairways will be scarified twice to remove the thatch and dead organic matter which builds up over the year. Our fairway mowers are fitted with special dethatching reels which are a series of vertical blades which rip the thatch out of the ground ready for collection and disposal. After scarification has taken place all fairways will be slit tined before an application of slow release fertiliser is made to all fairways and roughs. In conjunction with the showers that are predicted over the next couple of weeks the fairways will be looking fantastic for summer.

Renovations - Hollow tining

The single most important process which will be carried out during renovations is the hollow tining of the greens. This involves mechanically removing 8mm plugs from the greens then replacing them with sand, calcium, magnesium and organic matter. This helps remove large amounts of thatch and allows us to introduce large amounts of much needed nutrients to the soil profiles of our greens. The greens are also scarified twice prior to hollow tining to remove additional thatch. This will help us maintain healthy greens throughout the warm summer by improving the surface drainage and gaseous exchange in the greens.

Amenities Block

The amenities block on the 12th hole received an upgrade this week with the old hedges removed, irrigation system installed and new native plants put in. We look forward to seeing these gardens mature giving a fresh new look to the area.

4th hole of the Palms

The 4th hole of the new Palms was officially completed today with grassing taking place and the irrigation system being commissioned. This is the first of the back 6 holes to be completed with the remainder set to come on line in the coming weeks.

Golf Australia Magazine

Brendan James, Editor of Golf Australia magazine visited the club today to take some photographs for an article that he is writing on golf courses on the Gold Coast. Brendan spent time on both the Pines and Palms courses and was impressed with the changes that have been made since his last visit in 2007. The article will appear in the November issue of Golf Australia.

Palms renovations

Although the course is yet to open we have begun turf renovations on the fully established holes on the Palms. The fairways and tees on holes 1- 3, 10, 17 and 18 shall all be scarified and aerated to reduce thatch levels and promote healthy turf growth. The greens shall all be hollow tined and top dressed with soil amendments also being added.

Greens Aeration

The greens are being aerated on the Pines golf course today using 8mm solid tines. This helps to improve the surface drainage of the greens, promotes root growth and relieves compaction. All greens shall be rolled afterwards so there should be little or no disruption to the playing surfaces.

Palms Grow In

Grow in of the new Palms golf course is going very well. We now have 12 holes under maintenance with about 8 of these holes now fully established. Herbicide applications have been made to all established fairways over the past couple of weeks and recent fertiliser applications to the greens have them looking in excellent condition. Construction of the back 6 holes is nearing completion with grassing due to commence within the next couple of weeks.

Pictured: The new 10th green on the Palms