We certainly dodged a big bullet last Friday night on the eve of the Athena tournament with the rain that bucketed down just about anywhere south of Kingscliff.  Many locations recorded well in excess of 100mm in the storm that hit but we got by with just 18mm.  It did take us to 143mm for the week though which would see many other courses unplayable, especially the bunkers but I thought the course presented very well.  It would be nice if all tournaments were only five holes though!!

We had a great day on Tuesday to get the West greens hollow tine aerated which is the best process for removing unwanted organic matter and thatch.  We weren't able to do it at the recent renovation due to the weather so it was very important to get it done.  The machine only penetrated 25mm so only the thatch was removed as everything underneath that is in great shape.  The cores were then blown off the green and the green rolled and apart from the visible holes on the surface you would hardly know we had done anything.  Weather permitting the process will be repeated on March 9.

Hollow tining.

Blowing cores off.

 

Finished surface post rolling.

A wet week and it seems like two weeks since we have seen the sun.  125mm for the week wasn't really the type of preparation weather I would have liked for the Athena event starting tomorrow but fortunately they are on the River and only using six holes and they happen to be some of the driest golf holes you would see anywhere.  The lack of play due to the weather was a bonus but unfortunately the type of play we had from some people on Friday was disappointing to say the least.  The fairways in particular looked a treat but I counted twelve divots that had had no attempt to repair them.  And a ''lucky'' hydraulic leak if there is such a thing with a hose letting go on 5W fairway this week.  Normally Murphy's Law would have it happen on the tournament course.

All ready to go.

Thanks for nothing.  1 of 12 on the River course Friday.

Lucky.

 

The humidity has disease pressure at its limit so hopefully we get some respite from the rain next week to be able to attend to it. 

No ponies this week but some more rain and heat combining to keep the growth surging.  I mentioned last week about the growth regulator needing to be applied more often and this week we have actually had some clippings left on fairways after mowing which is very rare for us.  The 328 turf on the River greens has done what 328 is renowned for in these weather conditions and ''gone puffy'' which means we are getting some scalping on some of the slopes.

The Athena ladies golf event next week looks like a great initiative and there are some very good up and coming young players competing.  With three amateurs in the field it's a 9/1 chance of picking up $30K which is not to be sneezed at.  Unfortunately, seemingly as per usual, the weather looks as though it doesn't want to co-operate with some rain forecast in the lead up.  Hopefully they get it wrong and we can show off Cool Tweed in style.

 

 

1R green has finally started to send some runners out.  I had the soil tested just in case and it was fine so I have no explanation for the slow establishment.  It has certainly had enough fertiliser and irrigation and had its first mowing this week which will also help push the runners along.  We need to have almost a full cover before opening. 

30mm of rain earlier this week was very welcome but gee has it made the grass grow.  I haven't seen this level of growth for quite a few years and we are struggling to keep up with the mowing.  So much so that we basically never ''finish'' mowing, particularly the roughs.  Even the growth regulator on the fairways is not keeping pace.  Normally through summer we are on a four week application cycle but that is back to three at the moment.  So mowing has basically been the story for the week. 

We were able to get the West greens sanded on Tuesday despite the rain and let the rain wash the sand in.  There has been an explosion of weed growth (mainly Blue Couch) in the West greens over the past two weeks which is highlighted further by the greens not being mown due to the sand.  On a lot of the other main playing areas we can apply what is known as a pre emergent product which prevents the weeds from germinating.  But the product has a ''root shearing'' effect so it is not recommended to be used on greens as you need all the roots you can get when mowing so low. 

And a myriad of different looks at bird life on the courses the past week with several of the groups of Plovers (now known as Masked Lapwings) with chicks although Thursday morning, whilst humid, was obviously not warm enough for the recently hatched Plovers with Mum cuddling them to keep warm.  A family of Black Swans seem to have set up home on the dam at 4W and the rainbow lorikeets are in full song and busily nesting.  And there was a lone Bush Stone - curlew at the rear of 4W this afternoon and a lone Pelican surveying the Tweed River.

Lots of feet under there!!

 

The Black Swan

 

A family affair.

Rainbow Lorikeet outside its nest.

Looking for breakfast.

Bush Stone - curlew.

 

But the weirdest brush with wildlife this week came on Friday when a pony had been out on the courses most of the night by the look of the tracks in the morning dew.  It was certainly a first for me and fortunately he only walked across a few greens leaving just a small indentation behind.  He was returned to his owner who lives 7 km away from the course!!

I'm lost.

 

Luckily just a small hoof print.