Had a bit of a break last weekend and stayed four nights in a caravan park for some R & R which was very welcome.  I was BBQing dinner on Saturday night, as you do, and was having a chat with a fellow camper and he asked me what I did for a job.  After telling him he said ''oh you just mow the lawns'' to which I didn't bother replying as I had heard that many times before.  Then I reflected on it this week and just saw how much other ''stuff'' we do in a week, a lot of which is often unseen by players.

This week we have been having some serious issues with the transfer pumps at the treatment plant, so much so that probably sixty man hours have been spent over the week trying to rectify the situation by dis-mantling and re-connecting.  We also spent around thirty six man hours getting the renovation machinery ready for the West greens works next week.  Forty eight man hours were devoted to getting the collars on the West course greens scarified on Thursday, to save those hours next week.  (And thanks to the Vets for putting up with the disruption to their comp.)  Sixty man hours were used up edging, blowing and raking the River course bunkers on Monday and Tuesday.  Around seventy two man hours were spent aerating 2, 9, 11 and 15 River fairways over four days.  Recent soil tests showed up a deficiency in the West greens so a trip to the border at Bay Street to meet the delivery driver to pick up some fertiliser off him took up some time.  Oh and then we did some mowing in amongst several spray applications, edging the West greens, filling the sand bins, some general whipper snipping, a couple of small irrigation repairs, some hand watering on greens and hearing from a staff member that he has a torn Meniscus.  Just a normal week really!!

As mentioned above we started aerating the River course fairways and if they respond half as well as the West fairways, which they will, they will be looking great very quickly.  Unfortunately the lack of water for irrigation due to our transfer problems has set them back a little but now there is rain forecast for next week so they will lap that up.  The results from the aeration is well worth the man hour investment.

11 R fairway aerated.

 

And as also mentioned above the West course greens renovation is planned to start on Sunday afternoon and continue through Monday and Tuesday.  And as has been the case several times over the years the weather forecast doesn't look good.  The greens were renovated in January this year after being moved due to a tournament last November and we nearly got washed out then so it's nothing new.  Some sort of renovation will take place due to the course being closed but it will be a decision made literally as we start the machines up dependent on the weather outlook.

Not the greatest forecast for Monday.

 

One of the great things about being first out on the courses in the morning is some of the sites of Mother Nature that you get to see.  This week was no exception with some magnificent red sunrises and a spectacular moon set.

Not that good a photo but it was only 5am moonlight.

Red sky in the morning.......?

 

And finally we don't get many compliments but a long term member had this to say this week - ''fairways and greens on both courses as good as I can remember and a pleasure to view and play''.  Makes all the hours worth it.....Thanks.