New bunker rake

We are currently trialling a new method of raking the bunkers on the Pines course. Instead of using the traditional rake attachment we are using a brush which leaves a smooth finish with no teeth marks.

Pines greens

The Pines greens received their first verti-cut and dust at -2mm on Tuesday since the major renovations at the end of September. All the winter grass has now disappeared and the summer bermudagrass is growing well. Overnight temperatures are still in the low teens so the growth has not yet kicked in fully.

Pines

We are now 3 weeks after Renovations on the Pines and the course is starting to look fantastic. The rains have allowed all our fertilizer to kick in nicely and the greens have bounced back very well indeed. A light verti-cut and dust next Tuesday will smooth the greens out nicely.

There's always someone worse off......

The attached photo was sent to me by Stephen Gaze who is the Superintendent at Woollongong Golf Club and former assistant superintendent here at sanctuary cove. The picture is of his first fairway this morning and the worst of it is that they are hosting the NSW PGA in 2 weeks time. Good luck Stephen!

Another Wild Weekend

Storms over the weekend forced the closure of the golf courses on Saturday. Nearly 100mm of rain has fallen since Friday causing widespread flooding around both courses. Winds were so strong that they even managed to blow over one one of the large flagpoles at the entry to the Country Club. Additional staff have been drafted in to get the courses back in play today. We ask that all carts remain strictly on paths.

Dryject

Today we trialled a new machine called a Dryject on the small practice putting green. The machine is designed to blast small jets of water into the ground at high pressure to create air spaces. In addition to this, soil amendments can be added to the rootzone up to a depth of 150mm. The soil amendment that we used is a product called Profile which is a porous ceramic material. This material has the ability to hold onto nutrients and moisture but will not break down like traditional organic amendments. The major benefit of this process is that there is very minimal disruption to the putting surfaces and eliminates the need to carry out major hollow tining. After this very successful trial we will be looking to include the Dryject machine into our maintenance schedule next year.

Windy Weekend

We walked in to a bit of a mess this weekend after the cold and windy weekend that has just passed. Plenty of debris lying around so the blowers and vacs will be going all day to get the course tidy again.

Job well done!

Renovations of the Pines golf course were successfully completed. The rain that we were hoping for came a few hours earlier than we would have liked but we managed to get all our tasks finished successfully. I would like to thank all my staff for the long, hard hours they have put in this week and also their diligence in making sure the job was done to the best possible standard. Thank you also to our members and neighbours for their patience while we carried out this vital maintenance.

Renovations - day 2

Another fine day allowed us to continue our steady progress from the previous day. All greens are now complete. Tees and surrounds have all been scarified and scalp cut. Scarifying and verti-draining of the fairways are both on schedule. The forecast for Thursday evening is for a possible thunderstorm which would suit us perfectly to wash in all the fertiliser that we will be applying this week.

Renovations under way

Renovations on the Pines course began yesterday. In spite of a few afternoon showers the weather was extremely kind with warm windy weather allowing the team to make great progress on day one. 15 greens have already been hollow tined and scarified and 9 of them have been top dressed. 14 tees have been scarified and scalp cut. 3 fairways have been verti-drained and 2 scarified and scalp cut. Spreading of amendments on greens has also begun. With fine weather forecast for the rest of the week the course will be back in fine condition for play on Friday.

Palms bunker edge maintenance

We are trialling a new method of maintaining the bunker edges on the Palms. Feedback from members has told us that golf balls are being lost in the Plateau Couch surrounding the bunkers. As a result we have come up with a novel method for dealing with this issues. Using a flame thrower we are burning the grass around the bunkers to remove the mat that has built up and reduce the spongy nature of the grass. The initial blackened look will disappear within a few days. This is an old technique used on the Links courses of Scotland in spring time.

Distance markers on Palms

Additional distance markers have been placed on the sprinkler heads on the Palms to assist in speeding up play. We have also painted arrows on the cart paths which indicate 200(blue), 150(white) and 100(red) metres from the green for days when it is carts on paths.

Spraying of outer roughs

We are continuing to spray areas of the outer roughs with herbicide to reduce the maintenance of these areas, control noxious weeds, improve the aesthetics and increase the speed of play as golf balls will be easier to find. This was an idea borrowed from Pinehurst #2 in North Carolina which i visited in February.

Clearing

Now that we are in the depths of winter our maintenance staff are concentrating on some of the out of play areas on the golf courses. The area behind the 1st green has been cleared of all noxious weeds and scrub which has opened up sensational views across the lake to the 8th hole.

Land for Wildlife

Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club last week signed a Conservation Partnership Agreement with Gold Coast City Council to become a Land for Wildlife which will ensure that our golf courses continue to develop in a sustainable manner which is both beneficial to the courses and the flora and fauna which inhabit them. One of the main challenges that faces the Pines golf course at the moment is the replacement of nearly 9000 radiata pines which are coming to the end of their lives. Together with Gold Coast City Council we will be selecting replacement trees which are both native to the area and will enhance the biodiversity of the golf courses. Click here to read more about the Land for Wildlife Program.

Pitch Marks

With winter well and truly upon us we are noticing that there is severe damage being caused by badly and unrepaired pitch marks. The attached photograph shows a picture of the 12th green on the Pines and each golf ball has been placed on top of a badly or unrepaired pitch mark. It is the responsibility of all members and their guests to ensure that they repair their own pitch mark plus one other each time they walk on to a green. Click here to watch a video of Open Champion Padraig Harrington explaining how to properly repair pitch marks as well as other ways that golfers can help to look after their course.

Weather Station

A weather station has been installed near the 11th tee of the Palms which will link to the irrigation system of both golf courses. This weather station will allow us to accurately record all on site weather conditions and will in turn control the irrigation system far more accurately saving both water and money.

Donate a Tree

The first 3 trees from our Donate a Tree program have been planted at the entry to the clubhouse. The 3 trees in question are Norfolk Pines which feature heavily around the Pines golf course. We thank all members who have donated so far and look forward to planting further trees around both golf courses.

Adopt a Hole - Focus Hole

As part of our efforts to get the members more involved in looking after their golf courses we will be introducing a "Focus Hole" on each golf course. We would ask members to take a little extra time on these holes to cut and fill divots and repair pitch marks. The "Focus Hole" will be indicated by the sign which is pictured. We appreciate your co-operation with this initiative.

New Fairway Profiles

You will notice as you play the Pines that some of the fairways are changing shape. This has been done to increase the strategic options and playability of the Pines golf course. This is a work in progress and will take a couple of weeks before the scalped areas recover fully. Once the new fairway profiles become established we will be introducing a strip of intermediate rough or "step cut" around all the fairways and bunkers to improve presentation and aid playability. Due to recent issues with slow play the height of the golf course rough has also been reduced to make finding golf balls that little bit easier.

Greens comparisons

The plugs in the attached photo shows a comparison in the root density and depth between the Pines and Palms greens. The Palms greens have been built to USGA specifications and although relatively immature are showing excellent root health and density. The Pines greens on the other hand were very poorly constructed over 20 years ago and in spite of our best efforts there are very few healthy roots that can be found even on the best greens.

Returfing of 3rd tees

The returfing of the 3rd tees will be completed today. These tees will be ready for play within 2 to 3 weeks.

Bunker Sand Replacement - The Pines

Work has started on the replacement of the bunker sand on the Pines. This will be a continuous process over the coming weeks and months as we aim to remove all the sand that has been contaminated with silt and rocks. This is an interim measure to provide the members with more playable bunkers with plans to rebuild all the bunkers on the Pines within the next few years.

Pines greens

As most members will be noticing the greens on the Pines appear to be struggling. Recent wet weather and more importantly prolonged periods of cloud cover make growing conditions particularly unfavourable. Since the start of November we have averaged less than 4 hours of sunlight per day, not great for growing turfgrass. It has long been recognised that the greens on the Pines are long past their use by date and this was outlined by John Neylan, head agronomist with the Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association, in the reports that he supplied to the club in both 2007 and 2010. John's most recent report can be viewed in the Course Maintenance section of the club website. Plans are now being put in place to rectify the issues with the greens on the Pines so that they meet the expectations of the members in the long term. In the short term we will be applying an application of granular fertiliser combined with light, regular top dressings to keep the surface smooth. At the end of March we will once again be overseeding the greens with Poa trivialis which has proved very successful in providing satisfactory surfaces over the winter months.

GCM staff muck in to help Qld Flood Relief

A number of golf course maintenance staff joined members of Sanctuary Cove Security to travel to Brisbane on Sunday to help with the clean up of areas affected by the recent floods. Along with thousands of other volunteers they assisted in cleaning up the badly damaged west end ferry terminal as well as a number of houses and gardens in the area.

Pictured: Glenn Gibson-Smith and Joe Crean from Golf Course Maintenance help to clear mud from the West End Ferry Terminal

Greens Aeration

All greens and surrounds on the Pines golf course are today being aerated using 13mm solid tines. This will assist in the surface drainage of the greens and encourage healthy root growth which has been limited in the recent wet conditions. Soil amendments will also be applied as per our most recent soil tests.

Putting green renovations

The putting greens are closed for renovations today. Both greens will be scarified, solid tined and top dressed. This will address the build up of thatch which has caused the greens to be relatively slow in recent weeks. The green on Practice hole 3 will be made available for practice putting until the putting greens are back in play. We appreciate your understanding whilst this important maintenance work is carried out.