Not really the day that you want an on course toilet block to have issues when you have 200 plus players in the veterans week of golf on the West Course today but unfortunately that's what happened.  The halfway West toilets empty into a pit and it is then pumped up to the rising main from the club house sewer pit that crosses the course and exits the course just near the sand bins on 9 West fairway.  Being Friday we were unable to get the pit pumped to locate the actual pump and so a couple of portables have been bought in until we can fix the issue next week.  Just out of interest the toilet block at 3 W Tee is just your normal septic tank.

The other major news this week was that of the retirement of our head mechanic Craig Plowman after 32½ years’ service to the club.  Craig started at the club in 1991 and worked as a groundsman until I arrived when I put him in the shed with then mechanic Norm Mavor as his assistant. At that time the machinery was in pretty ordinary condition and we needed two people working on the machinery full time.  Norm then retired in 2006 after 36 years at the club and Craig assumed the head mechanic role and has held it ever since.  He has done an enormous job for us and never complains (well to me anyway) about any of the dirty jobs that he has to do, and believe me there are plenty.  He has kept the machinery in tip top operating condition and will be a big loss to the crew and the club.  Craig is probably someone that not many people see as he generally helps us mow greens first up in the morning and then spends the rest of the day in the shed working on machinery.  If you do get to see him in the next two weeks please give him a thumbs up for his dedicated service.

So yes for the last fifty three years the club has had only two mechanics on crew !!  Amazing to say the least.