12th Green Update – 27th May 2019
Unfortunately the 12th green putting surface just isn’t ready to open yet, I was hoping it would be open for the June medal this weekend, but the surface is still a few weeks away from being suitable for play. We had the obviously delay of a couple weeks after the march storm, then 8-10 days ago had an outbreak of a disease called Pythium, it is very damaging in young seed/turf, and is very common to get in new greens. Continue Reading…
Autumn Course Update – 21st May 2019
Greens
The greens have got through summer in good condition; no turf was lost and they are now starting to pick up speed. The greens are extremely healthy at the moment with no disease or issues. We will continue to verti-mow and apply a light dusting of sand to ensure an even and fast putting surface. The greens will remain quick and smooth for the winter months.
Fairways
The tees and surrounds are in great condition coming into winter, with very little wear. The fairways are slightly behind the standard I would normally produce, as they have been struggling with multiple outbreaks of disease during the summer months. Some of the fairways may thin out during the winter months. However, recovery will be quick once the weather improves and the fairways will return the pure surface we are used to.
The semi rough has been removed for winter to help protect it from wear and disease. It will be reduced again in September after fairway renovations.
Moving into next spring; I will look at increasing some of the fairways in width and shortening the carries from the teeing ground. This can only be done in spring and over a period of time, otherwise the grass dies and is reduced to dirt; similar to the start of the 4th and 5th fairways.
Rough
With the cooler weather, the rough is finally starting to slow down. Over the coming weeks you should see a drastic change in the length and thickness of the rough. It will only getting thinner from now until the warmer months.
The summer, which was encountered this year, was the perfect climate for fast growing turf with constant rainfall, warm overnight temperatures and high humidity. The rough at Mona Vale GC is extremely healthy and, combined with those conditions, it was difficult to stay on top of. That won’t be an issue going through winter.
Tree Work
We have continued pruning back tree lines on the worst affected holes. To date we have completed the:-
- left hand side of the 1st fairway, from the corner to the green;
- left hand side of the 2nd;
- right hand side of the 4th fairway from tee to green.
- left hand side of the 5th fairway from the tee to the corner; and
- left hand side of the 12th from the corner to the green.
This project helps the fairways with increased sunlight, along with giving golfers a fairer shot, when they are in or near the tree lines.
Winter Wear
With the cool season starting to settle in, I would just like to mention that wear does become a big issue, especially if we do have a wet winter. I will keep the ropes to a minimum, but any ropes that the members do see up, please understand they are essential. Please walk around them and, if you do need to take them down to play a shot, please put them back up again. This will only help keep grass on fairways, surrounds and collars and help me to produce better playing surfaces.
Winter works planned.
When the grass finally stops growing, we will move into some winter projects. These include and in order:
- filling and levelling all bunkers with sand;
- selective drainage;
- thinning out of tree lines;
- increasing the car park area on the 10th hole with a formalised surface (NSW Govt. grant);
- improve the 3rd green-side wetland (grant through the MVGC Foundation).
12th Green
The final stages on the 12th green are now being finished. The concrete in the bunkers, which was damaged during the storms, has now been replaced. The sand will be put into the bunkers on Monday 20th May.
We have installed drainage in front of the green’s approach and will do a something similar on the left hand side of the green surrounds. These areas have been identified during the recent wet weather. This work has to be done after the new turf is laid, otherwise the drains are capped by the soil on the new turf.
The green is progressing well and should be open for the June monthly medal. However, this is still an estimate and I will confirm nearer the time. We will not bring the green in to play if the surface is not ready.
It has been a pleasure trying to produce the best surfaces possible for the members at Mona Vale Golf Club and I look forward to plenty of challenging and rewarding summers ahead.
Please click on the Link below to view a step-by-step presentation of the 12th green reconstruction project. This presentation will be updated as the hole continues to improve.
12th Green Reconstruction Project
Sam Neylon
Course Superintendent
