On Course

A better golfing experience

Hello to all our Links Golfers,

On the course we are currently busy with a whole bunch of projects, all aimed at a better golfing experience every time you play. New distance markers on the sprinklers are being added for the golfers that prefer to walk and we will be starting to put in the new distance markers on the tees shortly.

I am sure this will be a huge improvement for proper shot making on the course.

New tee markers are in progress in the workshop and Eldrin Mabohlo is hard at work to get them finished for everyone to enjoy.

I am pleased to report that our vegetable garden for the staff is going on well and that we will be able to use the seedlings from the trays soon to plant in the prepared soil. The staff will be able to supply themselves with mielies, beans, carrots, spinach, cabbage and many more vegetables when this project is going full blast.

Vegetable trays to be replanted in the prepared soil

Grass Nursery

Our grass nursery at the back is coming along well. We have currently two blocks of rye grass that will be ready for harvest very soon. At the end of the day we will have three and a half blocks of rye grass, half a block of bent (green) nursery and one block of Fine fescue grass. All the grasses are germinating well and the weather looks great for some good growth.

Finally I must end my newsletter with some news from my last golf game. We played as a 3 ball - Jeff, Dr. Danie Cronje and I.

On the 3rd hole we all hit our drives down the middle of the fairway, for our second shots Jeff hits first and I start walking to the ball that is 30m past the other two thinking that I creamed that drive. Very calmly and with a lot of pride I hear Danie Cronje ask me “and where do you think you are going?” I felt the earth suck me in as I realised that youth does not always win on the golf course, we had a good laugh and I am looking forward to many more games with them.

The final smile wiper came on the same hole where I hit my 3rd stiff and Jeff gave me my birdie, thinking that I took one hole back from Jeff he proceeded to chip in for birdie from 30m off the green to half that hole.

"Sup"

I searched for a picture of a smile wiper and this is what I came up with. Thanks Jeff and Danie for showing me how golf should be played.

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I had the pleasure of playing Zwartenbosch...

perfect fairways and Greens

Hello everyone,

I had the pleasure of playing Zwartenbosch for the first time last Wednesday and I really enjoyed it.

It just always makes me realise that it is not where you play but what you make of the day. I had great company and my swing was on for the first 9...after that I just enjoyed the day and faced reality that golf always wins!

On the course last week we finished our last fertilising on the fairways for this year and I am sure we will have a nice lush course going through December, lets hope mother nature plays along and keep the heat down a bit for our cool season course.

The picture on the right illustrates the fertiliser granules at a rate of 200 kg/ha.

12 tee at the moment

The way we calibrate the fertiliser spreader is to add 20 kg of fertiliser to the spreader and apply this to the turf, we then measure the distance travelled and the width to determine how many square meters we do with 20kg. Then we take that info and work it to hectares and see if we get close to our desired application rate of 200kg/ha. We usually take about 3x20kg buckets to get the setting and the speed correct,but then we know after that we will be applying the correct amounts to the turf without wasting money on extra fertiliser if the setting is out.

Other projects on the course is the 12 tee that we will be seeding shortly with a bent grass to determine the way forward for our course with regards to playability. Our first step was to kill the existing grass and then we will do a shallow hollowtining on the tee top. We will then use the shallow holes to seed into and then topdress with a good growing medium.

We will show you the progress on this tee as we go along. I also sprayed the test blocks on the 15th fairway again with Nominee as part of our Poa control test.

To end my newsletter I remind you of MOVEMBER AND THE DONATION BOXES IN THE PRO SHOP…PLEASE SUPPORT THIS GREAT CAUSE.

Movember 2011
Movember is Changing the Face of Men's Health around the globe. Mo Bro's start the month with a clean-shaven face and for the rest of November (Movember), groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery.

They seek out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts, with the support of their Mo Sistas and at the end of the month, celebrate by hosting their own Movember party or attend one of Movember's Gala Partés held in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

All for a good cause of course. Movember strives to highlight the importance of Men's Health, especially with regards to prostrate and testicular cancers. All funds raised in South Africa go directly to CANSA's Men's Health Programmes for prostate and testicular cancers.