Report by: Terry Gale, Chairman of Greens
Club and Senior Club championships have commenced with the course being presented in fine condition despite the amount of rain that fell in the week prior to the commencement of the CC. I am pleased to update members on what has occurred over the past month and what is proposed over the following months:
- 15th Lake – The area between the lake and tree line is narrow and one of the most traffic used areas on the course. The Council has been undergoing bus lane extensions along Ranford Road and surplus sand has been deposited inside the tradesman’s entrance. We saw this as an opportunity to utilise this sand to fill in a portion of the lake. Grass will eventually be grown in the new sanded area of the lake. This served the following purposes:
- Widening this area permits traffic to be spread over a larger area to reduce wear and tear.
- This area can also be used as a bail-out area.
- Tee signs – New tee signs have been installed on all holes. They are a step forward compared to the previous signs. If any member is keen to advertise on one of the signs, please contact the office. It is a great opportunity to advertise your business to around 800 – 900 members.
- Volunteers – The volunteers continue to improve the course by completing the following tasks:
Trimmed and removed a number of small gum trees and dead banksias along the LHS of the 18th hole to the green.
- Commenced removing most of the Melaleuca’s behind the 17th There will be a line of Melaleucas left near the driveway. The area directly behind the 17th green and to the right closer to the 15th tee box will be converted to a low grass mound. The grass will be left high to make the shot back onto the green more difficult. By clearing this area now means that when the Halfway house is constructed this area will be fully grassed. It will also speed up play.
- The fir trees behind the 2nd tee box have been removed. The melaleuca’s along the fence line will also be removed in due course. A Hibiscus hedge similar to the third will be grown in place of these trees. This will promote better grass growth on the tee box with more sunshine available.
- 9th green – The last time we renovated any greens was back in September 2019. When we reseeded the 4th, 5th and 8th We will resod the 9th green with grass from the nursery in October 2023 with details as follows:
- On Monday the 9th Oct the green will be taken out of play and sprayed with glyphosate. 13A will be in play for this day. The 9th will be back in play on the 10th Oct.
- Monday the 16th Oct the green will be out of play as the turf is cut and removed. 13A comes back into play.
- Tuesday the 17th Oct the green is sprayed for nematodes and soil amendments will be added and rotary hoed in with the green levelled for turf relaying.
- Turf from the nursery will be relayed on Wednesday the 18th Oct.
We expect the green to be out of action for around 8 weeks. Hole 13A will be in play during this time.
- 14th green –At the present time we expect to reseed, reshape and renovate the 14th green and a portion of the fairway in October 2024.
- Own a hole concept –The “Own a Hole” concept has commenced. I trust all members will embrace this concept as a way of continuing to ensure our course maintains its high standards. As an example of how quickly we can eradicate divots and pitch marks etc, there are 51 members with the surname commencing with the letter “B”. Assuming they play on average twice a week, then over a four-week period approximately 800 divots and 1200 pitch marks would have been repaired on the second hole. There should be very few divots or pitch marks remaining if everyone repairs 2 divots and 3 pitch marks every time they play. That is how quickly we can improve the course.
- Balls hitting houses or Roads. – We are looking at purchasing signs that will request any golfer who hits a ball onto any road [1st, 2nd & 3rd] or hits a house alongside the warmup range, 10th or 12th fairways to advise the office immediately so that we are aware of any complaints. All clubs have signage of this nature.
- Stump grinder – The club will be hiring a stump grinder during the renovation period with a view to grind out all roots and stumps at the back of the 2nd tee box and 6th green as well as holes 1 and 2 and 15 to 18. At the end of this period most roots and stumps on the course should have been removed.
- 6th path – When all stumps and roots have been removed, we shall then arrange for the new path to be constructed ASAP.
- Course renovations –The course will be closed from Monday the 11th September until 1pm on Friday the 15th September for coring, sanding and other repair work. Should there be wet weather or any form of machinery breakdown during this week then the course could be closed for all of Friday the 16th
- Women’s Garden –You would have noticed that an area in front of the hydrangeas to the left of the 9th tee box has been excavated. We intend to erect a Recognition for Women’s contribution to GGC Garden in this area. It will encompass a Birdbath, native plants, mulch, engraved stone pavers and pebbles. This will help to beautify this area and is a great initiative by the women’s committee.
- Bare areas –The bare area on the LH side of the first hole [Almost the full length of the hole] just off the fairway will be rotary hoed and cores added to enable this area to be covered with grass. The front of the 13th hole will also be rotary hoed, roots and parramatta removed and levelled followed by cores being added to assist with grass coverage similar to what was completed last year in front of the second tee box. We expect this to be completed during October.
Until next month happy golfing as the sunshine returns.
