Dear Members,
By July standards, rainfall has still been well below average, which has allowed course conditions to continue to be very good as we head into the latter half of winter. Although it’s highly unusual to be wanting rain this time of year, we are in need of some good falls to get our main irrigation dam back to full capacity before the watering season begins, and to ensure we have enough of our own water to get us through the summer period.
Greens
As is always the case through winter, our main goal is to try and keep the green surfaces as dry and firm as possible to aid in plant health and to maintain smooth rolling surfaces. The main ways we are able to achieve this are by punching holes into the surface and applying water penetrants, both of which greatly assist in getting the water to infiltrate down into the soil and away from the surface and root zone.
Due to our continued diligence with these important practices, we find our greens are performing extremely well. I’m delighted with how smooth the surfaces have been over the past month, especially considering it’s the middle of winter. When you also take into account the increase in golfing numbers and foot traffic — far greater than anything we’ve seen in the past — which contributes to stress and bumpiness, the performance and playability of the greens have remained at a very pleasing standard.
Fairways, Tees, and Surrounds
Things have now slowed down considerably with fairways entering full winter dormancy, and other surfaces only requiring one cut per week. We applied one round of herbicide to target winter grass, and we should begin to see these areas yellow off slightly over the coming weeks as the “poa” starts to die.
We also applied a water penetrant to a number of tee and surround areas that typically get wet during these months, to help keep the surfaces as dry as possible. With course conditions still very dry, we are seeing a nice, dense coverage of grass throughout the course. Another positive from the dry weather is the lack of worm castings, which helps keep both the playability and presentation of the course to a higher standard.
17th Green
We’ve been spending much of our additional time on maintenance tasks for the new 17th green, as we prepare for its opening sometime in mid to late spring. Over the past four weeks, we’ve verti-drained the entire green twice and applied a mix of sand and porous ceramic soil conditioners to help with water infiltration and to continually improve the soil structure.
Being the middle of winter, grass growth is at a minimum, and I’m looking forward to spring when we can initiate more growth and help the last few weaker areas fully establish.
Corella Damage
We’ve had a major influx of Corellas entering the course, often during the evening hours, over the past two months. Unfortunately, this has resulted in damage to our greens — particularly the third, first, and eighth. Corellas feed mostly on nuts, grass seed, and roots. The roots of the grass in our greens are particularly nutritious, making these areas highly attractive to them.
This is a common issue faced by many golf courses, and one we also experienced several years ago when growing in our two new holes. Although we’ve attempted many deterrents — including fake predatory animals, air guns, and even chilli powder on the greens — nothing has proven successful so far.
Capital Works Update
Some exciting projects have now been approved at board level to go ahead this coming spring, including line planting our remaining non–Santa Ana fairways and an upgrade to our 5th tee. The fairways still to be completed are the 4th, 12th, the first 150 metres of the 13th, and the last 150 metres of the 16th. Provided the course is dry enough, these works are planned to begin in early October.
The 5th tee is one of the poorer tees on the course, due to being very uneven and not yet converted to Santa Ana. Removing the existing turf, levelling the surface, and replacing it with Santa Ana grass will also take place in early October. Additionally, we will convert the 9th tee to Santa Ana. As this tee is already nice and flat, it will not require as much work.
Kind regards,
Ryan Hammond
Course Superintendent – Drouin Golf & Country Club
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