A really productive day today with a lot of clean up achieved across both courses.  We started on the bunkers as well but they will be a long term project, particularly the West.  Almost 100% of the River bunkers will get raked tomorrow with some work needed on some of the washouts.  The West bunkers have done what they do and turned to mud.  We didn't get any fairways mown as they are generally too wet and as much rough got mown as the day allowed.  There is some extremely long grass out there and will take time to get to it all from both a time and wetness factor.  1R green will also come back in to play on Saturday.

We have had to cut a drain across 11W fairway in front of the green to drain the water from the green.  When the green was built we renewed the drainage outlet and ran a pipe down the front bunker and it has somehow become blocked at a point where it is about 2 metres deep.  I couldn't get a big enough machine there in the wet so made the decision to renew the pipe.  The green well was basically backing up with water as it couldn't drain out.

The River greens got some fertiliser yesterday and we are planning on sanding them next week.  328 doesn't like dull conditions and they have thinned considerably which is not ideal going in to winter, especially with the amount of golf we have coming up. Getting a full healthy sward is of critical importance and will be a focus over the next several weeks.  The West greens have fared much better and look as though they have enjoyed the break from traffic.  The fact that they are so much flatter helps spread the wear as well which is a great benefit.

So we finished with 461mm from Friday evening to Wednesday morning and have now had 760mm in March - Thats 30 inches in the old scale!!  YTD is 1130mm and since December 1 is a total of 1690mm.  Most people I quote those figures to don't believe it.

With no more rain overnight motorised buggies will be back on both courses on Saturday but there are still a lot of wet areas so please exercise extreme caution when driving.

And although we think we have it bad spare a thought for dozens of golf courses on the eastern seaboard that have been flooded this past week.  Yes we get wet and if the river does break its banks it is a ''clean flood'' with not much debris or silt coming in.  Pictured below is Nambucca Heads GC where they are pushing 6 inches of sludge off the fairways.  It's a common sight at most clubs that have flooded and greens cop the same amount of silt.  The best way to get it off the greens is to use high pressure water but most pump stations go under as well so it is all hand work.  The Glades has suffered its fifth flood in thirteen months and this one is one of the worst they have seen there.   Seriously heartbreaking for the crews.

Nambucca Heads GC.