Course Update

We have now finished the vertidraining of all fairways and are in a bit better position as far as drainage goes if we start getting more frequent rainfall. I have recently checked the water table level on the 17th fairway to see how we are looking compared to this time last year. The water table at the moment is about 500mm below the fairway surface (this time last year it was at 300mm below the surface) so we have more chance of the fairway draining in the event of a large amount of rain falling.

One thing to point out at the moment is the continual loss of gum trees around the course. For no particular reason, large well established gum trees are dying in random places around the course. The latest gum tree to die is between the 2nd fairway and 17th tee and is the fifth large gum tree to die within the last 2-3 months.

Dead gum near the 17th tee 

With the onset of cooler, damper conditions we are always on the lookout for diseases that can occur this time of year. The main disease we get this time of year is Fusarium and mainly affects the greens. We normally have a couple of areas that tend to show signs of disease and these indicator greens guide us on when or if we spray to treat the problem. Recently these hot spots increased in activity so we decided to get a fungicide out on all greens to protect them from major damage as the environmental conditions were very favourable for the spread of Fusarium.

Typical signs of Fusarium

Another recent irrigation repair was made to the control cable near the back of the 11th green. A fault appeared and we had no communication to any sprinklers down the 10th and 11th fairways so I knew that a cable was severed. As we had recently finished vertidraining I suspected a shallow cable was cut. Knowing roughly the position of the cable and what sprinklers were affected I worked out that the damage was done in an area not recently vertidrained. It turns out that it was old damage from vertidraining surrounds that suddenly gave out.

Cable damage near the 11th green (note the burnt ends of the cable totally separating the wire)

Recently we had a heavy morning fog which closed in suddenly leaving the golf course looking very eerie. Below are some photos from the 10th fairway.