Honey Suckle Creek Dam
The water level in the Honey Suckle Creek Dam at the 8th is currently low. This is due to an issue with the pumping system, not because of any leaks or structural problems with the dam itself. Water that is transferred from Lane Cover River to Killara GC relies on a two-pump system. Currently the booster pump which moves the water to Killara has failed. We have ordered a new pump which is due to arrive and be installed in the next week or so. Course management is comfortable with the current amount of water that we have in storage and that we can maintain our course water management without putting any of the turf surfaces at risk.
Poacure
The green speeds have been on the slightly slower side over the past few weeks which has been due to the need to have an extremely healthy grass surface on the greens as we work to remove Poa from our putting surfaces. To remove Poa from our surfaces we started a herbicide (‘Poacure’) application program earlier this year, the program runs over a four-month period. Additionally, to ensure a healthy surface the greens have also been treated with a significant amount of nutrients.
Poacure is a selective pre-emergent (stop the weed forming) and post-emergent (the weed has formed, and you can see it) herbicide to control grassy weeds, particularly Poa Annua in bent grass. Poacure is specifically designed for turf management on golf courses. Any herbicide on bent grass (Pure Distinction) does come with risks attached.
In a standard bent grass maintenance program, a growth regulator is applied to minimise the grass growth at this time of year. We are now comfortable with the Poacure application risk therefore we have applied some growth regulator to the putting surfaces. This will improve the speed of the greens imminently.
Growth regulators are used across all golf playing surfaces primarily to:
- Reduce mowing frequency – slows down the vertical growth of grass which reduces the frequency of mowing. (Growth regulators often shift the plants energy from vertical growth to lateral spreading which helps in recovery and a smooth playing surface).
- Improve turf quality – slower and controlled growth will help produce smoother and more uniform playing surfaces.
Currently the greens are being cut at 3mm. With the excessive growth we are cutting greens daily and trying to roll as well where possible. As our major golf events have been completed for the year we will commence small coring on the greens to continue the work we have been doing to reduce the thatch levels and help with water and oxygen movement below the grass surface.
Mark Ward
