Author archives: Stu Campbell

The course renovations went great despite the storm that rolled through on Monday afternoon which washed out our fairway coring and rubbing in for the rest of that day. Everything is starting to thrive under the weather conditions since and we are starting to get the course back into a bit of order with regards to bunkers and weeds. The surfaces will be back to what you are used to within a few weeks.

Green Staff had commenced monitoring the number and location of driving range balls coming to rest on the 9th fairway. During the process, Green Staff identified a large gap that is visible from the driving range tee that has no trees. This gap is also where a high percentage of golfers land their drives from the 9th tee which makes this a high risk area.

It’s now spring and as we warm up, the grass starts to come alive again and grow. Here are a couple of things to consider.

Work on the sandy waste is progressing. In time the sand will compact and become firm. I think it is an area that will aesthetically compliment the course once completed. Some of the undulations throughout the area will help catch some stray shots while hopefully giving you some better opportunities to recover.

As you are aware, rakes have been removed from the course. This came into being as a directive from Golf Australia since the Covid pandemic.

It is essential that all players are diligent in their repair of pitch marks on greens. A pitch mark that is repaired correctly and as soon as it happens will recover in 24 hours. A badly repaired or unrepaired one will take several weeks to heal. Unrepaired pitch marks also foster disease and infections in the green and can also create an ideal bed for weed seed.

As you will be aware the course renovations are scheduled for 7th – 9th February. The plan for this renovation is to be a little less disruptive by a solid tine on the fairways. The tees will be scarified, cored and rubbed as usual to help level out and promote the healthy growth in the newly mowed tee surrounds.

Most of time that you would ever see our spray unit on the course is for applications of fertilisers or soil conditioners to help maintain the health and appearance of the golf course and really poses no harm to players at all. A balanced nutrition program is the first step in reducing the need to apply any pesticides.

Following the course renovations, we have spread 12 tone of custom blend fertiliser over the fairways, tees, surrounds and rough. A little rain and some warmer overnight temperature will see all these areas pickup and the turf surfaces at Maroochy River return to normal.

Name: Jaiden Boyd Years with the Club (MRGC + HPGC): 2.5 Years Position: Apprentice Greenkeeper (3rd Year) Live at: Mooloolaba Previous employment: George Davidson Landscaping Sporting Team: Any Queensland team Interests: Four Wheel Driving, Surfing, Basketball, Swimming with Gators Favourite Meal: Pork Spare Ribs Name: Cameron Carlile AKA Biscuits Years…