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.