The weather is certainly starting to turn now with predicted highs only in the low 20's this coming week.  Some very helpful rain this week although we didn't need the 7.00 am electrical storm this morning as we tried to prep the courses in front of a capacity field corporate day.  The groundstaff were called back to the shed for safety purposes and the storm cleared by 7.50 am and out they came!!  But the warning signs were there with the "red sky in the morning being a shepherds warning"!!

 

A spectacular colored prelude to sunrise.

The week started with a mini renovation on the West greens after Monday's rain had cleared and it has been a great result for the greens especially after an application of fertiliser prior to the rain late in the week has them growing in nicely.  It was then a pretty uneventful week until one of the crew alerted me to a potential irrigation leak very close to the auxiliary pump shed on the dam at 4/9 West.  Whenever we see a leak we hope that it's town water which means that we don't need to shut the pumps down and it's generally an easy fix.  Unfortunately this was a doozie and I would love to meet the person who built the mound over the pipe which resulted in the problem being a 6 inch pipe 2.5 metres deep.  

Fortunately our contract backhoe operator Pete McConnell was available because we would still be there digging!!  Upon confirming the problem my Assistant Simon went to shut the pumps down and returned with - "Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the 6 inch main near 1st West has a leak as well"!!  Two 6 inch pipes in one day is a first that's for sure.  Despite the rain, I don't like not having water available so the necessary parts were air freighted in and repairs effected on Friday.  I am typing this at 5.30 pm with the sound of Pete McConnell loading his machine after returning to back fill the holes.  Thanks Pete and to my Assistant Simon and Irrigation Tech Dave for their work in the repairs.

Backhoe operator Pete Mc starting the dig.

The guilty pipe.