Hopefully we will get back to normal staffing levels next week with the opening up of the border which will be good because we are getting very busy.  The fairway aeration continued this week and the fairways are coming up really well.  We don't always aerate out to the fairway edge so as to avoid coming in contact with tree roots which can smash the tines and given that each tine is worth $18 and there are 48 on the machine it is also economically responsible as well.

The River greens got a sanding on Tuesday which really helps the surface but the sand was quite badly contaminated with some stones and coagulated fertiliser which needed to be blown off the greens which cost time that we could ill afford.  For the first time in my career the sand supply company admitted fault and are going to replace the sand mix.  Once we had blown the greens off the result was as per normal.

The contaminated particles on the green.

We had to put out the first application of growth regulator on the fairways this week as the couchgrass had started to seed.  Apart from being unsightly the seedhead is also very difficult to mow with our reel mowers and at the appropriate rate the growth regulator prevents the formation of the seedhead.  The timing of the seedhead appearing at the start of the season varies from year to year and this is fairly early.  Last year it was September 25 and in 2019 it was the same as this year.  I generally associate it with a change in the weather so hopefully we are in for an early spring.

Seedhead evident in light rough.

And it doesn't look like there will be much social distancing going on at Whistling Straits for the Ryder Cup in a couple of weeks.  The first hole has been shortened to allow for more grandstands to accommodate the hordes of expected spectators.

Stadium golf that's for sure!!

And I doubt there were any grandstands at Moortown GC in Leeds for the 1929 Ryder Cup which was the first ever held on British soil.  It is a gem of a course and was designed by the famous Alister MacKenzie in his home town of Leeds.  I got the chance to play it back in 2014 and it was the first time that I had ever carried a mat to play off due to the winter conditions.

A great Mackenzie course.

First time for everything!