The end of the back nine West greens Tifeagle conversion has now been reached with the planting of 12W and a nursery green area today.  Most of this week was spent on tidying up the construction areas while we waited for the stolons to arrive for 12W.  The bunker at the front of 17W was also filled slightly on the LHS to allow players to run the ball up and on to the green.

It has been an exhausting 8 week construction period and we are slightly ahead of schedule and most importantly on budget.  A project like this is not possible without the approval and support of the Club's Board and then the support of the members which has been nothing short of amazing.  I have only heard positive comments from players which given the disruption to the course is very encouraging.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the following people;

• The Club's ground staff who have put in an enormous effort over the period with some very long hot laborious days.
• The machinery operators which are the father and son combination of Trevor and Chicka King.  Probably the best operators I have ever seen on golf course construction and they are a pleasure to work with, let alone the excellent product they produce as a result of their talent.
• Action Sands at Chinderah who supplied the sand and expertly blended the top growing medium for us.  Whenever I called there was never a problem for Phil as far as loading the trucks to get the sand here was concerned.
• Brims Transport who got the sand to site and in particular their operations manager Tony who juggled the trucks around to ensure that we were never waiting for sand.  "Righto Pete I'll see what I can do" was his usual response to my up to six times a day calls.  He never missed once with getting the trucks here on time and even jumped in a truck himself on a few occasions.
• Twin View Turf who are the licensed Australian suppliers of TifEagle and John Shaw in particular for ensuring the stolons and turf all arrived on time and in excellent health.  Also to their turf laying crews whose work is of a very high standard and they are always co-operative.
• And the various suppliers of fertilisers, soil testing, irrigation equipment, drainage materials and the growth blanket. 

So now the growing in period really starts and all the greens have had a tremendous strike rate and are filling in very quickly.  I am very confident that we will get them back in to play ahead of schedule.

Planting 12W at last.

Alterations to 17W bunker

Elsewhere on the courses we are starting to dry out again and on the lookout for some much needed rainfall.  A couple of trees were removed this week including one that had died on the RHS of 2R and the large tree on the LHS 14W which had been struck by lightning last week and had quite a dangerous split down the middle and was potentially very dangerous.  That reminds me of a former Course Super who called his chainsaws "thunder and lightning".  When he would remove a tree and have a member query its removal he would reply " ahh thunder and lightning got it'!!

Dead tree now gone RHS 2R.

LHS 14W tree on the way down.

And there is no rest in sight with the River course greens renovation taking place next Monday and Tuesday.  Always two long days and not the days that any rainfall is required.  About 20mm at 7pm on Tuesday night would be ideal!!