Course Update 15/04/20
Course update
April 15th 2020
I need not tell you since the last report of 14th March that many parts of our everyday lives have literally ground to a resounding halt. The greatest game ever is sorely missed by all golfers and we eagerly anticipate the relaxing of restrictions which will allow us to return to some form of golf. The communication throughout from England Golf has been timely and excellent with absolute clarity around green keeping and course maintenance. The club has mirrored this level of communication and responded quickly in a rapidly changing situation. We can only thank the officers of the club together with Ian Cassap for their hard work. He won’t thank me for it, but a special mention must go to our Secretary Bernie Munroe who has worked tirelessly to keep the club’s affairs in order throughout this difficult time.
In the absence of golfers, the Greens Team have been able to make excellent progress with the planned maintenance. Prior to the thankless decision to furlough Sean and Jack the team worked exceptionally hard to get the planned maintenance on the course completed. Wayne has said that the course has an eerie feel to it without players and him more than anyone else wants people back out there playing. I suppose if we were to have an enforced layoff then straight after the maintenance of the greens would be a good time to choose it. The greens are recovering well from the work however, as always we pray for good weather to help us along. We are 14 days on from the treatment and the greens will require some top dressing and growth in the coming weeks to ensure great surfaces for our return.
Tuesday 31st March 2020
Thursday 2nd April 2020
Thursday 9th April 2020
The grass is starting to grow and Wayne and Dip will have their work cut out maintaining the course as best they can until the return of Sean and Jack. The course is taking shape and the definition of fairways is becoming more evident each day. No doubt when we return there will be claims of narrower fairways and thicker rough however you can rest assured that the our cutting heights have and will remain the same at; fairways (19mm), semi rough (31mm) and rough at 60mm for the season 2020. The fairway has been moved closer to the tee on the 9th and 14th holes and the deeper rough to the right of the 10th has been moved closer to the hazard with the intention of using the yellow tee behind the ninth green more often.
Some drone shots of the course courtesy of Gary Coombs
The course is obviously benefiting from having no traffic over it however growth is not consistent yet and we must remember that it is only the 15th April. Our competitive season was not due to start fully for another week or so. Fingers crossed because it looks promising for a good golfing summer. Hopefully we will be back soon and thankfully we will have a full run through without disruption for maintenance this year.
The Greens Team always have one eye on the budget and unfortunately have had to shelve a few outgoings until the current situation changes. The purchase of a much needed fairway cutter will be put on hold and Dip will have to try and work his fitting magic again to keep the current one moving. Thankfully a payment schedule for the greens cutter has recently ended. The feasibility of employing a summer worker is also under review. The course is due to be sprayed for weeds and the decision to purchase our own equipment at a discounted price from Whickham Golf Club last year has looked prudent. Hopefully Wayne and Dip will find time in their busy cutting schedule to spray the course so we return to daisy-free fairways.
Finally, have a read of this story and remember that at the moment we are all “playing the ball from where the monkey has dropped it”.
Hoping to see you soon all fit and back on the course
The Greens Team
Play the ball where the monkey drops it
BY GREGORY K. JONES
The story is told of a golf course in India. Apparently, once the English had colonized the country and established their businesses, they yearned for recreation and decided to build a golf course in Calcutta. Golf in Calcutta presented a unique obstacle. Monkeys would drop out of the trees, scurry across the course, and seize the golf balls. The monkeys would play with the balls, tossing them here and there.
At first, the golfers tried to control the monkeys. Their first strategy was to build high fences around the fairways and greens. This approach, which seemed initially to hold much promise, was abandoned when the golfers discovered that a fence is no challenge to an ambitious monkey. Next, the golfers tried luring the monkeys away from the course. But the monkeys found nothing as amusing as watching humans go wild whenever their little white balls were disturbed. In desperation, the British began trapping the monkeys. But for every monkey they carted off, another would appear. Finally, the golfers gave in to reality and developed a rather novel ground rule: Play the ball where the monkey drops it.
As you can imagine, playing this unique way could be maddening. A beautiful drive down the centre of the fairway might be picked up by a monkey and then dropped in the rough. Or the opposite could happen. A hook or slice that had produced a miserable lie might be flung onto the fairway. It did not take long before the golfers realized that golf on this particular course was very similar to our experience of life. There are good breaks, and there are bad breaks. We cannot entirely control the outcome of the game.
Some mornings you climb out of bed and everything seems perfect. You pull on the right clothes, breakfast tastes delicious, and the children are pleasant. Driving to work, you hit all the green lights, hear an inspiring story on the radio, and accomplish more than anticipated at work, The monkey drops the ball a few inches from the cup.
Other days are not nearly as kind. These are the ones people generally remember (and usually share with others). Despite a packed closet, there seems to be nothing to wear. The only item in the refrigerator is a shrivelled piece of fruit, and you are forced to go without breakfast.
You cannot find your car keys, but once you do, you’re stopped by every red light on the way to work. Once you arrive, the computers go down. The monkey has tossed the ball from the green into a thicket.
Sometimes there are good breaks, and sometimes there are bad breaks. They are not all beyond our control. How we apply ourselves has an impact on our lives. However, some of the breaks in life — both good and bad — are beyond our control.
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