Quite an exciting week just gone with the delivery of a new tractor / front end loader.  Our old tractor was good but this is a more versatile unit that will be put to use with a number of implements.  One of those implememnts was delivered with the tractor and that is a root pruner.  The machine is actually an aerator but its action allows it to serve as a root pruner as well.  I have hired one before that had two blades and this has been on the blog before but this new unit can have up to six blades which means more cuts through the roots resulting in a better result.  It can cut to about 250mm deep which means that we may encounter some of the hydraulic tubes that feed our irrigation system as a lot of these are very shallow.  The tractor also has a low centre of gravity which assists greatly in safe operation which is paramount with a tractor.  It is planned to cut down the side of every fairway and around all greens and tees over the coming winter.  A trial was carried out down the left side of 4R this week with just four blades operating and surface disruption is minimal.

Surface 2 days after being root pruned with 4 blades.

There is a little discoloration in some of the fairways that has been caused by a herbicide application.  We normally apply a pre-emergent product to the fairways that stops the weeds from germinating but one of the problems with this is that the weeds can become resistant to the product.  So this year we have opted to apply another product that controls the weeds after they have germinated.

Slight discoloration on 9W fway.

And as seen on the main club website and on the various noticeboards, the match committee have decided that rakes will be put back in to bunkers starting Saturday May 4.  This does conform with the R & A and also Golf Australia's recommendation that for general member play rakes should be placed in the bunker.  It is still important that the rake is placed on the flat surface of the bunker in direction of play.

Rake placement from Saturday May 4..