To view the latest update from the Chairman of Greens
Please click on the link below
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Own a Hole
The greens committee is continually looking at ways to improve our course to ensure we play on one of the best courses in the Perth metropolitan area.
GGC won Course of the year last year & we wish to maintain the standards achieved.
It is normal practice that all members are requested to repair their own divots, repair a minimum of two pitch marks & rake the bunker.
In an endeavor to enhance the course we are to implement the next strategy of each playing member “Owning a Hole”.
This in effect means that every playing member will be allocated a hole to maintain each & every time they participate in a round of golf. What we are looking at is that the “Hole you own” you take extra care of this hole by repairing three of four pitch marks on the green, repairing divots as you walk down the fairway, ensuring the bunker rakes are in the correct position & bunkers raked. Those members who are allocated a par three are to ensure divots on the tee are sanded. This does not mean you neglect the other 17 holes as you are still expected to repair your divots, pitch marks etc. At the same time you must maintain your position directly behind the group in front.
Allocation of holes has been based on an alphabetical basis with details as follows:
Alphabet Number of members Hole
A 25 1
B 62 2
C 52 3
D 30 4
E & F 32 5
G 33 6
H 45 7
I & J 27 8
K 21 9
L 32 10
M & N 59 11 & 12
O, P & Q 46 13 & 14
R 34 15
S 57 16
T 29 17
U – Z 48 18
As you can see some holes have larger number of members than others however there is no simple solution to rectify this anomaly. Due to only 24 members having surnames commencing with N & O they have been combined with the letters M & P to ensure sufficient numbers to cover two holes.
This new strategy will commence from the 1st July 2015.
I trust all members will embrace this initiative.
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July Greens update
Please click on the link below to view this months report
As you can see there are a number of projects underway which will enhance our course & improve the playing conditions. The greens staff will be extremely busy during this time ensuring all projects are completed on time.
There will be some disruption to the playing conditions however the end results will benefit all golfers.
With best wishes
Terry Gale
Chairman of Greens
June Greens Newsletter
Fellow Golfers,
During the month of June the following activities were undertaken:
- Rake holders were installed on the second fairway bunker & left hand green side bunker. We are trialing these to see if it makes it easier & cleaner to remove & replace the rakes & not leave an indentation in the bunker when the rakes are thrown / placed back into the middle of the bunker. Please provide feedback to anyone on Greens or Match in relation to this initiative.
- The cabling has been completed between the Sub Station & the pumping station however the Contractor has advised that the original set up to complete a live 440 voltage hook up is unsafe. We now require Western Power to disconnect the transformer feed. Completion date is unknown.
- We have now had three instances where someone has taken a divot out of the green in frustration. This is totally unacceptable. Someone has witnessed these events. This then impacts on other members who are yet to play the hole in question. Should that member / members be identified together with their playing partners, then they will face a suspension & possible cancellation of their playing rights.
- Trees & bushes in the lower car park have been trimmed. The three white gums next to the first tee have been removed in anticipation of concreting the path on the first.
- After the first heavy rains in June the greens were needle tyned to assist with drainage & aeration. This procedure is conducted annually & normally every 5 – 6 weeks during winter. In previous years members did not notice the impact this had on the greens as this procedure was completed on a Monday. The greens staff now work Tuesday to Saturday to ensure the course is in pristine condition for the main competition event held on Saturday. Therefore midweek members will now experience some form of disruption due to the change in the working week. This is most unfortunate however the best solution at the present time.
- We have implemented an “Own a hole” strategy whereby we request members to take Ownership of a hole based on your surname. Please refer to the website for the hole you have been allocated. We implore all members to endorse this strategy.
- Work has been completed in relation to improve the “Tongues in bunkers”. This should make it easier for members to access & exit bunkers.
- Blue lines have been painted around all greens. These lines mean that no motorised cart or push Golf buggies are permitted to enter this area. Please respect these lines.
- In early July I will update members on the planned activities to be undertaken on the course during the first 3 – 5 months of the new financial year.
Happy golfing
Terry Gale
Chairman of Greens
May Greens Newsletter
Fellow Golfers,
I wish to commence this newsletter by thanking Craig Grant for his sterling efforts & contribution to Greens over the past 4.8 years.
Craig has worked tirelessly to ensure there has been a marked improvement in the standard of our course & he is to be congratulated for his dedication & devotion to Greens over this period.
My views as the Chairman of Greens is to have open communication with all members. I am keen to keep members up to date with what has been approved & planned to occur on the course.
If members believe that certain areas of the course require improvement, please feel free to contact myself or any member of the Greens committee.
Conversely all members are expected to treat the course & their fellow members with respect. We have has several incidents recently where golfers have taken divots out of the green in frustration. This action will not be tolerated & I implore all golfers in the group to admonish the perpetrators.
All members can contribute to the continued improvement of the course by way of:
- Repairing divots
- Repairing a minimum of two pug marks on each green
- Rake bunkers & leave the rake handle facing the direction of play.
The major issue to address on the course this month was the loss of power between the Sub Station [Located between the 14th Green & 4th tee] & the pumping station [Located next to the lake between the 15th, 16th & 17th fairways].
The cables after 14 years failed & after receiving a number of quotes the club has engaged Hydroquip to rectify this problem. This will require fresh trenches to be dug & conduit & more powerful cable laid. Work is expected to commence on Tuesday the 2nd June with a planned completion date of Monday the 8th June.
We were fortunate that we had a very wet weekend two weeks ago & there has been no visible deterioration to the fairways or greens.
Enjoy your golf
Terry Gale
Acting Chairman of Greens
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April on course
Good Afternoon to all,
This month we started our preparations for winter with our 1st coring of the year.
The work was successfully completed on Wednesday and its golf as usual today.
Our first mowing should occur on Wednesday the 8th April and full recovery should be achieved in 4 weeks time.
The board has approved a course architect to design our new 16th tee complex and once the design has been accepted by the Board the designs will be available for members to view.
Our new nursery on the RHS 13th fairway is complete and seeding will commence shortly.
This new grass should give our superintendent a good start for our new greens which we are returfing early November ( 10th,11th,16th )
A successful trial to remove small amounts of kikuyu from our tees has recently been finalised with good results. This has prompted us to venture out onto other teeing areas on course which you will see as discolouring around and on some teeing surfaces. The second application will follow in the coming weeks with positive outcomes expected.
Happy Golfing
Craig
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March on course
Good Day to all,
March is a very exciting month for the course and this March is no exception with some scheduled works taking place and also some announcements to be shared for the rest of the year. Grass cover has returned to normal on the greens which have allowed Phil to reduce our mowing heights back to 3mm.
Over the coming two weeks a noticeable increase in speed will be apparent as we head towards our feature event for members and guests (Gosnells Open) to be staged the weekend of the 21st and 22nd March. The course will remain in this condition for 1 week for all member categories to challenge themselves prior to our Autumn Coring (Tuesday 31st and Wednesday 1st April)
As from Saturday 14th March our greens staff will alter their work rosters so that we have a full squad on deck to present the course in its best possible light. This is potentially a first in the industry and could set a standard that other clubs may pursue in the future.
My personal thanks to Superintendent Phil and Manager James for their hours working through the tireless process to make sure all parties were amicable to the changes.
Special news
1. For those with a keen eye you would have noticed some vacant land RHS of 13th fairway being cleared to make way for an extension to our greens nursery. This will increase our current nursery by a third and give the Club grass for our greens, which in Late October will see 3 new greens tops installed similar to the work carried out on the 4th.
The three greens identified at this stage are the 10th,11th and 16th due to their size, age and overall health over a calendar year; (TBC) All greens will remain the same shape however the front of the 11th will be lifted slightly to lessen the gradient from front to back. (TBC)
2. Last week Phil and myself met our course architect on site to discuss the redevelopment of our 16th tee precinct. Plans are now being drawn up and once approved by the board will be available for member viewing. This work will commence shortly after our Spring coring in September and along with new tee tops on the 1st,2nd,15th similar to the 4th we are sure all this work will meet with member approval once completed.
To further enhance our 1st tee work the new concrete path in front of the clubhouse will be extended to include the 1st tee construction including guttering and parking bays for buggies and carts.
I’m sure through the process some inconvenience will be brought upon us all but I know it will be all worth it and certainly works that are long overdue.
Happy Golfing
Craig
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February on course
Good Day to all,
-Some hot weather combined with some electrical fault issues have fallen upon us these last couple of days and you will notice some dry patches appearing in isolated areas.
-The fault has been fixed and combined with some above ground sprinklers we hope to be back to some normality ASAP.
-10th tee is coming back nicely however we will be playing from the forward tee this monthly mug.
-Putting some quotes together to have a large unseen drain installed on RHS of the 8th green to eliminate the tree root invasion that the area has suffered from over many years.
This will allow new grass to grow and make the area look a lot nicer and certainly more playable.
This time of the year we are prone to a common fungal disease and it takes on the form seen when we treated the chipping green.
Heat and humidity are its driver and we are currently treating the affected areas (mostly the 10th green)
The improvement process and time taken will be assisted by a break in the weather, chemical applications and mowing heights and regularity.
Mowers have been raised and mowing frequency is down to 3 a week , down from our normal 6 days until further notice.
Happy Golfing
Craig
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January On Course
Welcome to a new golfing year and hopefully some great golfing conditions ahead for our course.
Dry spots around the course may have been noticed which is a common occurrence this time of year and the boys are attending to these on a needs basis.
Water reserves are precious most months of the year as we plan forward for our water usage, thus the lake on the 18th has been let dry out as has been the practice in past years.
When conditions are favourable or a special event is upon us we will do everything within out tight restraints to get the lake back to its former beauty.
The 10th tee has been sprayed out today ready for returfing (same as 4th ) and once the Summer Cup is complete the turf will be removed.
At the same time we will be doing some maintenance work on the 9th tee.
New areas at the back of 14th green ( bunker ) and front of 15th tee are now complete and are taking on their normal look and should be back in operation late January.
Although not visible , we have had the tree root pruning team down both sides of the 12th fairway to cut roots invading a fairway areas.
This will improve the overall performance and appearance of the area along with some patching up of stubborn bare areas.
Final note for those who have asked about the unsightly box sticking out of our front lawn.
This box is owned by Telstra and we are in dialogue with them to see if we can’t make it look a sight better.
If you have any quires or questions please contact me via greens@gosnellsgc.com.au or just see me at the club.
Good golfing.
Craig Grant
Chairman of Greens
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December on course
Winter grass trial is now complete on the chipping green with excellent results.
The green will now be over sown and be back to its new improved best before the end of the growing season.
Due to the clubs staging of the WA state junior championships on Friday 19th December our parramatta grass eradication program has been delayed but will ramp up Monday,22nd with the focus on the 5th and 18th rough areas.
Signs will be on the tees as a reminder.
With the success of our new 4th tee we will be duplicating the concept on the 10th tee and it’s hoped to have works completed shortly after Xmas.
Merry Xmas to all.
Craig Grant
Chairmen of Greens
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As members will be aware both the fairways and the tees have been cored over the last two weeks. The resulting cores have been spread on various areas of the course to facilitate growth. As a consequence the watering system has been programmed to water these areas 3 times a day for 10 minutes. The watering will take place at 10am, 12 noon and 3 pm on holes 2,3,7,8, 11, 13 and 15.
Chairmen of Greens
Craig Grant
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Supplementary to the November update we are pleased to advise the following:
- The greens are currently being groomed three times per week to combat winter grass seed head.
- The initial spraying in POA trial on the chipping green has caused the green to turn slightly yellow and a second application will be applied next week.
- Although the 4th green is back in play there will be a need for two more good sand topdressings to level the surface.
- Tees will be renovated starting next week, with nine tees completed each week over the next two weeks.
- With the renovation of the fairways completed the fairways will be groomed before end November. The fairways will be groomed monthly during the growing season also combining the use of primo growth retardant that will tighten the fairways to produce more roll.
- There will be a small change to the rear bunker on the 14th green to stop rain water erosion. Three extra sprinklers will be installed to maximize water coverage during windy periods.
If you have any quires or questions please contact me via greens@gosnellsgc.com.au or just see me at the club.
Good golfing.
Craig Grant
Chairman of Greens
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GREENS COMMITTEE UPDATE NOVEMBER 2014
As mentioned in the October Report there was a number of projects underway on the course.
The Board is pleased with the return of the 4th hole and it will be re-opened on Tuesday the 4th November. The greens committee are very pleased with the quality of the refurbishment carried out by our Course Superintendent (Phil Moylan) and green staff.
The refurbishment of the 15th tee and surrounds has been completed. Exiting from the tee will continue via the right hand side of tee and right of the water feature / pond, until the top dressed area grows.
Coring of the fairways is now complete (cores were used to top dress the 15th tee). well done, again to the green staff.
The eradication trial of POA ANNUA is underway. The chipping practice green has been sprayed and will be closely monitored by the Course Superintendent for any adverse consequences.
As we are now entering what is generally termed “the growing season” there will be no new projects over the coming months. The green staff will be fully occupied with cutting grass, which grows as fast as they cut it.
If you have any queries or questions please contact me via greens@gosnellsgc.com.au or just see me at the club.
Good golfing.
Craig Grant
Chairman of Greens
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Greens Committee Update October 2014
In coming weeks members will see a number activities starting on the Course.
Firstly the 4th tee and green will come back into play on Melbourne Cup Day, 4th November.
Commencing 20th October the refurbishment of the 15th tee and surrounds will commence. Members will be asked to exit the 15th tee via the right hand side of tee and right of the water feature / pond. There is plenty of room for carts, bikes and buggies, as long as people pay attention – we wonder who will be the first swimmer??? Work in this area should take 6 -10 weeks.
Fairway coring will be undertaken on 27th and 28th October. The coring residue will be utilised to encourage growth in the refurbished area of the 15th tee.
An eradication trial of POA ANNUA will be carried out on the chipping practice green. This trial is to determine the best way to reduce POA in our greens and the trial will be carried out over the next 12 months. There may be consequences resulting from the trial, potential browning in colour of the green and or a bumpy surface – that is why we won’t take any action on the greens until we are sure the process will work.
If you have any quires or questions please call or email me.
Until next time
Craig Grant
Chairman of Greens
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With the coring of the greens scheduled for Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st April the attached video will give insight into why the greens are cored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=863Ix8czcoY&list=PLnU5qUEfww3cOAU8iTQTUpF5S4UqhXJka
Following the removal of the trees on the 15th this video will give you an insight into why we need to remove and trim trees.
