Another beautiful week of weather and the turf is still trying to grow despite the ever shortening daylight hours. The lack of wind is also a bonus as the courses stay relatively clean and we save a huge amount of time not needing to clear the playing surfaces of leaf debris before mowing.  It also allowed us to get the necessary plant protectant products out on to the greens on both courses.  A range of diseases can impact warm season grasses and the worst of them occur in winter when the turf isn't growing as well.  There are a range of management practices that are used to help prevent the disease from developing but the most important is the application of a fungicide.  Two applications one month apart are required and the timing is based on soil temperatures when the disease is starting to manifest itself.  It is a disease complex that almost needs year round attention to ensure that it doesn't take hold coupled with the two autumn applications.  Environmental conditions also have an effect so this year maybe a little different to the last two years when we were a sodden mess going into winter.  It really is an unpredictable disease and can still have an effect despite the best preparations.

The mornings this week have been a pleasure to work in with the temperatures a good bit warmer and the sunrise colours amazing which make course preps that bit more enjoyable.

Perfect Friday morning mow on 13R.

Course preps can quickly go sour though when you see something like this first thing in the morning.....

At least twelve shots on 12R fairway.

And probably the same person - 10 shots greenside 12R.

 

A friend of mine's club in the USA sent a similar photo to their membership and posed the question -  '' Do you take care of the golf course like an owner or a renter?  This renter took these divots and did nothing.  Be an owner of your golf course.  Thank you.''

And just to finish there were some amazing cloud formations today but this one is one of the most peculiar - virtually a straight line.  Not sure what it is officially called but pretty impressive.

Last Friday we had an Arborist come in and do the annual assessment of the boundary trees at 7W.  As I was driving him back he said ''Ohh the Melaleucas are flowering which is always  a good sign of rain''.   We had a few showers on Saturday and Sunday but didn't really expect the 188mm that we got over Monday - Tuesday.  So another sign for impending rain to keep an eye out for perhaps?  Although some play was lost the rain was quite beneficial and the courses keep moving along with some very unseasonal growth for this time of year on fairways and tees.

Fortunately upstream didn't get as much rain so the river level stayed quite low which allowed the water to drain off the courses very quickly.  Coupled with the dry conditions we have been experiencing we have bounced back really well.  There was a lot of debris left behind which has largely been removed and the bunkers really took a hit but kudos to the bunker crew who have almost re-instated all bunkers.

We were able to take advantage of the rain day on Tuesday and got all greens on both courses solid tine aerated which allows for a huge amount of necessary air exchange and assists the greens health significantly.  Not a very pleasant duty in the pouring rain but a job very well done.

If you saw the state the property was in on Tuesday afternoon you wouldn't believe the turnaround in three day so hats off once again to the course crew members for a job incredibly well done.

 

 

Certainly a chill in the air this week with some very cold mornings and cold breezes throughout the day.  Despite that the tees and fairways are still putting on a little growth which as I said last week is excellent for this time of year.  We are drying out in areas and the water table is dropping as well which most certainly hasn't happened to this extent over the past three years.  The dams on 5, 7 and 8W are always a good indicator for where the water table is sitting and the pond on the corner of 5W hasn't been this dry for a long time.

Virtually dropping by the day.

Had a fellow Superintendent play the West course last Saturday and I wasn't aware he was playing and received a nice compliment for the crew from him - Good morning Peter, Just thought I'd let you know compliments to you and your staff.  I played the west course on Saturday morning, my first game there since you re-surfaced the greens and they were magnificent, held the ball and putted true and fast.  The whole course was in amazing condition so congratulations.

His comment about the greens holding well brings me to another topic as we are getting a lot of un-repaired pitch marks on both courses but more noticeably on the West greens.  Most un-repaired pitch marks on Couchgrass greens will get scalped by the mowers next time they are mown which injures the plant and opens up the scalped area to disease.  Please make an effort to look for and repair your pitchmark.  

3 untouched pitch marks @ 9W green.

And certainly not caused by a pitchmark and you would like to think not by a player but by a vandal last week end on 13R green.  The actual hole cup was still in the ground.

13R cup is there somewhere.

 

I think I counted 525 names on the timesheet for the Queensland public holiday last Monday and it didn't stop there with the rest of the week just crazy busy but the courses are still taking the wear very well.  The fertiliser we got out in late March / early April is certainly doing its thing and I am not sure I have seen this much growth for this time of year which is a great thing moving into winter.  Morning temperatures in the compound dropped below 20 degrees this week and a couple of mower operators donned their beanies for the first time this year!!

The ongoing fight against the Poa annua / wintergrass continues.  The photo below is of 13R green after a registered product was applied at label rates and caused a slight burn on the 328 which is noticeable across the treated area of the green.  Unfortunately the Poa in the green has not dis-coloured at all.  This is one of the reasons one needs to be extra careful when chasing Poa control as dis-colouration and therefore stress on the plant is the last thing you want heading towards winter.  Some of the application on the River greens surrounds has had an effect with the burn also noticeable and there has been some effect on the Poa annua as well in those areas which is ok off the putting surface.

Treated area to the right.

 

Some of the first resistant strains of Poa we experienced were on 5R green surround and samples of that have been sent away to be laboratory tested this week to see just what herbicides the strain is resistant to.  Clubs from all over Australia are doing the same thing and the results, although very slow coming, will be intriguing.