Well I didn't seem to miss much while I was away as the rain just kept on coming down for the entire month of May.  In the old terms of measurement 12 ½ inches of rain fell in May which takes the year to date total to 82 inches.  And if you go back to October 1 2021, we have had 102 inches of rain in those seven months.  It’s almost mind boggling and there is apparently the threat of another east coast low pressure system forming some time in mid – June.  Surely enough is enough.  And as the photo below shows there was plenty of water on the fairways last July that we tried to move off the surface by deep slicing the area to no avail.

July 1, 2021 on 18W.

  

Not that it’s very comforting but we are certainly not alone.  Speaking with a number of fellow Supers this week from Gympie all the way down the east coast to Sydney, the story is the same.  Water logged courses with water pooling in areas never seen before for extended periods such as the water sitting on 4R fairway.  It’s actually a high spot on the fairway just short of the bunker but is still pooling water.  There is a course on the Sunshine Coast that has full cart paths that have actually restricted even pull buggies to cart paths to prevent damage!!  But when you look at the damage caused by pull carts on our normally considered ''dry'' course, you can understand. Many courses are playing tee up or a majority of holes played as par 3’s to try and limit damage.

It seems hard to believe that this is what I wrote in a blog post in December 2019;

The need for rain gathers momentum every day now especially with the increasing temperatures.  The turf is under a lot more stress as the heat exacerbates the drying out of the rootzone.  The pond on the dogleg of 5W has dried up again which is the third time in eighteen months and I think it has only happened on three other occasions since I have been here.

 

5W dam November 2019.

 

And some good news yesterday with the delivery of six new course runabouts that are the main mode of transport for us around the courses.  As with all other industries there are lengthy wait times for delivery with these taking nearly twelve months to get here.  Our existing fleet were all but exhausted and these will be put to good use.

3 of the new ''Gators'' coming off the truck at last.