Another year of the Mick Fanning Charity Golf Day and they really are blessed with the weather.  I have been dreading the week given how wet we have been and then we have a rare run of dry weather then a mid June day reaching into the mid 20's.  There are still quite a few areas that haven't dried on the fairways but for the most part the courses were in outstanding condition.  The size of the build for a one day event is extraordinary to say the least and logistically we were so lucky to have dried out enough.  This time last week would have been a different story.

The latest trend for activation's is to fit out a container then transport it to site.  Works well in a hardstand carpark or similar but not so much on a sodden golf course!  A couple of locations had to be changed such as Yeti who were originally allocated 9R but were moved to 16R where there is at least some handstand to get them there.  The sheer size of the containers mean a Franna crane truck or side loading semi trailer is required to put them in place.

"Yeti" being maneuvered into position.

 

"Balter's" bar being dropped on 18R fairway.

A look inside "Fatboy Bikes" container.

It is a logistical nightmare on many fronts and we needed to find somewhere for 4 semi trailers, including one oversize, to park and unload on Wednesday.  The cart shed carpark was the only choice to ensure the trucks had somewhere to park and unload safely so apologies to players trying to get a park for golf on Wednesday.

Just two of the trucks on Wednesday.

And some of the infrastructure required.

  

The nightmare on the courses continues with constant rain most of the week wetting both courses again.  We just can't get a chance to dry out even though the actual rainfall figures aren't that dramatic.  We are getting to the stage of needing to treat the tees for disease which I think I recall having to do once before in my entire career.  We are not alone with most courses in SE Qld affected and some actually closing.  Below is the latest long range forecast from the BoM so hopefully they get that highlighted first line right??

 The long-range forecast for July to September shows:
•    Rainfall is likely to be below average across parts of southern and eastern Australia.
•    Daytime temperatures are likely to be above average south of the tropics.
•    Overnight temperatures are likely to be above average for much of Australia.

Really not very much to report given the weather this week and next week all efforts move toward the Club hosting the Mick Fanning charity golf day on Friday.  A reminder that the course and practice facilities are closed on Thursday and Friday next week as we prepare to host the biggest one day golf event in Australia.

The US Open is to be played at Shinnecock Hills next week and it's extraordinary how much the course has morphed over the years.  I was lucky enough to play it in the early 90's when it was still fairly heavily treed and the difference to look at it now is amazing.  It is an all cool-season grass golf course and the greens are predominantly Poa annua and it is an extremely sandy (and windy) site so the greens dry out naturally very easily.  It is also extremely undulating and a very hard walk, especially if there is any heat about which is a big chance next week.  Shinnecock is where Phil Mickleson famously hit a moving ball that was going to get away from him in the 2018 US Open.  This is a good YouTube video that gives a recent update on the maintenance at the Club and also gives a good look at some of the undulations.

 

Seven days without rain has been a very welcome change although there are still some areas that are yet to dry out on the courses.  4 and 10W still have boggy areas on them and I can't recall that happening previously after such a dry run.  The general rule of thumb is that the West is about a day and a half behind the River course in drying out.  Some cooler overnight temperatures have really snapped the greens back with a loss of colour and growth.  We were able to get what maybe the final de-thatching of the season done on the West greens this week which really leveled the surface up nicely.

Whilst out on the West greens the number of unrepaired pitch marks was glaring and a blight on the putting surface. It is well documented that an unrepaired pitchmark takes weeks to recover whereas a properly repaired one can be instant.  The one in the photo below was one of about a dozen on 14W green and the arrows indicate the area that has been scalped by the mowers.  At this time of year that will be there for six weeks. 

 

We continued on with some more tree works this week opening up the playing corridor on 4W.  Unfortunately further tree work will be put on hold for a few weeks as we have some major amounts of golf coming up over the next month.  A week of shotguns next week followed by the Fanning charity golf day and then the senior matchplay.  Let's hope the rain stays away so we can get them all in.  And please remember to fix your pitchmarks!!