CELEBRATING THE EFFORTS OF AUSTRALIA’S TURF MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS ISSN 1442-2697 www.agcsa.com.au VOLUME 22.1 JAN-FEB 2020 A season like no other… From devastating bushfires and prolonged drought-like conditions, to freak storms and floods, the past couple of months have truly tested the mettle of not only turf managers but all Australians. ATM looks back at a season that none of us will forget… Photo: Thredbo Golf Club (NSW), 6.30pm, 4 January 2020 Photographer: ASTMA member Euan Diver (Thredbo Resort) The PROVAUNT Effect Knock Stem Weevils over Watch Stem Weevils topple like dominos when you hit them with PROVAUNT; a powerful new insecticide that directly targets and destroys Stem Weevil larvae AND adults, completely stopping the life-cycle. With PROVAUNT, efficient turf management just became a whole lot easier. And coming from a trusted company like Syngenta, you can be confident it works. Because we know that green keeping isn’t just a passion, it’s a science. For more information, please call Syngenta Customer Service on: 1800 022 035 or visit www.greencast.com.au Syngenta Australia Pty Ltd, Level 1, 2-4 Lyonpark Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ABN 33 002 933 717. ® Registered trademark of Syngenta Group Company. ™ Trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. All products written in uppercase are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. © 2019 Syngenta. AD18-321. JOURNAL Published by the Australian Sports Turf Managers Association (ASTMA) Editorial Brett Robinson Office: (03) 9548 8600 Mobile: 0434 144 779 Email: brett@agcsa.com.au Advertising Mark Unwin PREMIUM PARTNERS Office: (03) 9548 8600 Mobile: 0438 320 919 The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association is indebted to the Email: mark@agcsa.com.au support of the following premium partner companies Art Direction & Design Jo Corne Office: (03) 9548 8600 Email: jo@agcsa.com.au Printed By Southern Colour Pty Ltd PLATINUM Suite 1, Monash Corporate Centre 752 Blackburn Road, Clayton, VIC 3168 GOLD P: (03) 9548 8600 F: (03) 9548 8622 E: admin@agcsa.com.au W: www.agcsa.com.au ABN 96 053 205 888 ASTMA Board Brett Balloch (president), Chris Burgess, Peter Lonergan, David Thomson Chief Executive Officer Mark Unwin E: mark@agcsa.com.au Membership SILVER Allison Jenkins E: admin@agcsa.com.au Accounts Philip Horsburgh E: philip@agcsa.com.au Events and Education Simone Staples E: simone@agcsa.com.au Pam Irvine E: pam@agcsa.com.au AGCSATech Bruce Macphee (Senior Agronomist) E: bruce@agcsa.com.au Tim Fankhauser (Agronomist) BRONZE E: tim@agcsa.com.au Steve Tuckett E: steve@agcsa.com.au Social Media Keally Nankervis E: keally@agcsa.com.au www.facebook.com/TheASTMA www.linkedin.com www.instagram.com/the_astma @TheASTMA Copyright © 2020 The ASTMA believes that material sourced and produced for Australian Turfgrass Management is accurate, but gives no warranty in relation thereto, and disclaims liability for all claims against the ASTMA, its The Australian Sports Turf Managers Association encourages all members to support subsidiary companies, its employees, agents or any other person which may arise from any person acting on the materials contained these companies who support your association within. No portion, in whole or part, may be reproduced without the written permission of the ASTMA 1 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 21.5 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 1 CONTENTS 6 COVER STORY A SEASON LIKE NO OTHER 6 Where do you begin to describe the events of the past couple of months? After prolonged drought-like conditions, since last September bushfires ravaged huge tracts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia, creating one of the biggest natural disasters in the country’s history. Golf clubs and sports grounds throughout the bushfire affected zones became staging grounds and evacuation points, while many members of the turf industry were personally affected as friends, family and their local communities were impacted. In this edition we look back at a season that none of us will forget. 8 Cover: Thredbo Golf Club, NSW. Photo: Euan Diver. 16 FEATURES Beyond a dream 16 On the Mark 24 ALSO IN THIS EDITION… Hitting a home run 26 Foreword Thinking 4 From one Royal to another 30 Regional Profile – Leongatha GC 70 United Nations of The Australian 36 30 Around the Trade 76 Association Reports 78 Leading the way 42 Green on red 60 2 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 24 Lowlights and highlights T alk about being worlds apart. I’m sitting in the stands at the MCG with my boy (who’s now officially taller than me by the way – at just 13!) and his best mate watching the BBL derby between the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades when my phone goes off. It’s Brent Hull, superintendent at Moruya Golf Club. A few days earlier I had contacted Hully via Facebook to see how he and his crew were faring given the bushfire crisis that was enveloping the NSW South Coast. While I was sitting in the top tier of the Olympic Stand, Hully was sitting inside his horse transporter/truck that was parked up on the Moruya Showground, having a few days earlier evacuated his home at Bingie Point some 12km away. Hully and his wife Jean were among thousands of local residents from Moruya and the surrounding district who descended on the showground as the fire front descended. We laughed about it at the time, but looking back now it seems preposterous. There I was at the MCG watching Maxwell and Stoinis tonk balls over cow corner, while the likes of ASTMA members such as Hully were facing catastrophic conditions and living out a waking nightmare. Puts things into perspective doesn’t it… In this edition we recount Hully’s story and that of his South Coast counterpart and ASTMA Board member Dave Thomson who was also forced to evacuate his place at Bermagui. In doing so, he and his extended family had to drive through Cobargo which only a few days earlier had COLUMNS been razed to the ground, some of his close friends there losing everything. PETER MCMAUGH 48 While it has been a summer to forget on many fronts, there were also many highlights which JOHN NEYLAN 52 we cover in this edition, none more so than the 2019 Presidents Cup. The famed Composite JOHN FORREST 56 Course was at its very best last December and witnessed a slice of history as the US Team, captained by the GOAT, came from behind on Sunday to win by two points. The team that KATE TORGERSEN 64 director of courses Richard Forsyth had around him that week was top notch and they more than TERRY MUIR AND VICKI CROWE 66 deserved the plaudits that came their way. From the Men’s Australian Open (The Australian) and Australian PGA Championship (RACV Royal Pines), to the more recent tournaments such as the Vic Open (Thirteenth Beach), Women’s 36 Australian Open (Royal Adelaide) and Australian Ladies Classic (Bonville Golf Resort), tournament golf has never been better. And add to that the performance of our overseas professionals, six of whom have already collected major Tour titles in 2020. And speaking of plaudits, Royal Adelaide was again in exemplary condition in mid-February for the Women’s Australian Open. We will cover it in the next edition, but mention must be given to the fantastic photo that went out on Instagram in the hours after the tournament had concluded. American professional Christina Kim, one of the great characters of the LPGA Tour, was snapped with superintendent Nathan Bennett and crew inside the Royal Adelaide maintenance facility celebrating after a huge week. Although not winning – she finished tied for 10th – Kim made the effort to visit the crew and pass on her congratulations. Her Instagram post read… “So many thanks are in order for this week, but none greater to the staff at @royaladelaidegc. Your tireless hours spent preparing your national championship to be one of the finest courses Contributors to Australian Turfgrass Management in the world did not go unnoticed by the Moo (Kim’s boyfriend and caddie Duncan French) and Volume 22.1 (January-February 2020): Jared Armitage (Emerald GC); Phil Beal (The Australian GC); me. We cannot thank you enough from the bottom of our hearts for the week’s worth of 3am wake Beyond Blue; Martyn Black (Golf NSW); Lincoln Coombes up calls, hours of careful tending and nurturing of the golf course and for the rollicking great after (RACV Royal Pines); Jimmy Correll (STA ACT); Vicki Crowe (PGA of Australia); Euan Diver (Thredbo Resort); Idris Evans party that you all deserved!!! I hope you all get absolutely bladdered and keep being a source (Western Australian GC); John Forrest (Forrest and Forrest of inspiration for the rest of the world of work hard, work towards perfection, as well as party like Horticultural Consultancy Services); Richard Forsyth (Royal Melbourne GC); Andrew Glen (KDV Sports); Cameron Hall there’s no tomorrow!!! Thank you for letting the Moo and me crash your party! I’m sure the reason (Kew GC); Headsup.org.au; Kyle Hegland (Sand Hills, you guys had to get up at absurd hours every morning was the last thing you wanted to see at your US); Steve Hodson (NZGCSA); Brent Hull (Moruya GC); Blaine Knox (Beenleigh RSL &GC); Harley Kruse; Steve celebration but thank you for being so gracious to little ol me!!!! You all are amazing!” Lewis (Royal Hobart GC); Paul McLean (GCSAQ); Peter Now that’s what you call gratitude! Enjoy the read… McMaugh (Turfgrass Scientific Services); Dylan McMeekin (Leongatha GC); Terry Muir (epar); John Neylan (SportEng); Luke Partridge (Manly GC); Eva Ricci (TGA WA/STA WA); Albert Sherry (NTEWG); STA Victoria; Mark Stravato (Royal Melbourne GC); David Thomson (Bermagui CC); Kate Torgersen (Environmental Golf Solutions); Mark Unwin (AGCSA); Brad van Dam (Manuka Oval); 2020 Class of Brett Robinson, Editor FTMI. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 3 FOREWORD THINKING WITH MARK UNWIN, CEO Brutal summer a testing time for all sports turf managers S ummer in Australia. Without (see review on page 36). The following week doubt, the last few months have Richard Forsyth and his team presented a been a challenge for most in phenomenal Royal Melbourne Composite the industry, with many parts of Course for the Presidents Cup (see review Australia dealing with severe and starting page 16), with Lincoln Coombes and ongoing drought conditions, while other areas the RACV Royal Pines crew rounding off an are faced with floods. amazing three weeks by delivering the perfect And of course, the bushfires in the platform for the Australian PGA Championship almost all states, most significantly in the (pictured). That continued into February with eastern states, which have been among the Vic Open (Thirteenth Beach) and Women’s some of the worst the country has seen. Australian Open (Royal Adelaide). We have witnessed a number of golf clubs Spread throughout we have had the and sportsgrounds being used as relief BBL, international Tests and domestic centres, staging grounds and in some cases Golf Bushfire Appeal Fund to raise funds for cricket, A-League ramping up, as well as evacuation points for entire townships. Clubs impacted areas and clubs. the commencement of the NRL and AFLW and courses have been hit hard economically The industry has pledged to hand over pre-seasons, Olympic qualifying matches in over what is traditionally their busy summer 50 per cent of the total raised to the Disaster football and Super Rugby… the list goes on. tourism period. Relief Recovery Fund being run by the What should be taken from looking back Recent weeks have seen some very Australian Red Cross. The remaining funds over the last few months is that sport marches welcome rain fall in parts of NSW, Queensland raised will be distributed to bushfire-related on and despite the extreme challenges, and and Victoria, relieving some of the pressure on charities including wildlife funds and to any often against incredible odds, sports turf bushfires, aiding turf and raising dam levels, golf clubs impacted by the disaster. In addition, managers in this country continue to produce though a number of regions have seen this clubs and golf facilities throughout Australia outstanding surfaces for all levels of sport for rainfall turn into flood events, with creeks and are asked to dedicate their club competitions the community. waterways overflowing. All of this shows just for one week from now until the end of In what were months of truly international what incredible challenges turf managers face February 2020. events, all teams should be rightly proud of in this profession and how much resilience and their efforts in turning out exceptional stadiums support is needed in this industry. IN THE SPOTLIGHT and courses, and showcasing not only the On the subject of support, the Australian December saw several highlights on the talents of the team, but also showcasing the Golf Industry Council (AGIC) – the Australian sporting calendar and in this edition talent and professionalism of Australian turf collaboration of all golf industry bodies ATM editor Brett Robinson looks back at managers to the world. including the ASTMA, Golf Australia, PGA of what was a busy schedule of major events. Australia, ALPG, GMA, Australian Sporting From a golf perspective, it kicked off in early CONFERENCE AND CERTIFICATION Goods Association, Society of Australian Golf December with Phil Beal and the team at In early February we opened up registration Course Architects and Public Golf Facilities The Australian turning out an outstanding for the 2020 Asia Pacific Turfgrass Conference. Australia, announced the 2020 Australian course for the 2019 Emirates Australian Open This year’s conference will again provide a 4 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 RACV Royal Pines hosted the Australian PGA Championship for the seventh consecutive year, one of a number of turf facilities to showcase the excellence of Australian sports turf management professionals over summer from 22-25 June and Early Bird registration website (www.agcsa.com.au). is now available until Friday 20 March. Early And on the topic of education, in the Bird prices represent a 30 per cent discount for coming months the ASTMA will launch a huge variety of education through the various Australian Sports Turf Managers Association revamped Sports Turf Manager Industry streams on offer. It is set to be an interesting members so I encourage all members to Certification Program. This is currently and engaging programme featuring keynote register early. being reviewed and tested by more than 25 addresses from Dr Frank Rossi (Cornell The conference is the premier event in members. As this feedback is received, the University), Dr Nathan Walker (professor of which sports turf managers from across an programme’s structure and components will IPM and turfgrass pathology, Oklahoma State array of disciplines, come together to network, be updated. We expect to launch the revised University) and Dr Andy Owen (international share best practices and develop strategies programme focusing on continual professional technical manager, turf and landscape at ICL). for improving their facilities. We know that it education and development in late February. Joining them will be a series of keynote can sometimes be difficult to obtain approval In closing, the next few weeks will see presentations from the likes of Jeremy from management to attend these events, but the ASTMA team preparing for the Future Turf Loeliger (CEO, National Basketball League), to assist in that the ASTMA has compiled a Managers Initiative, presented in conjunction Brendan Allen (general manager and former Conference Justification Toolkit to help define with Gold Partner Jacobsen. This outstanding superintendent, The Hills Golf Club, NZ) and and clearly communicate benefits of attending. programme is now in its fifth year and we Carla Armanet (director sport and recreation, All information pertaining to the conference look forward to welcoming the 18 successful Centennial Parklands, NSW) among others. – registration, education programme, trade applicants to Melbourne from 15-17 March. The conference will be held at the exhibition and accommodation – can be found You can read all about this year’s participants Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre under the ‘Conference’ tab on the ASTMA in this edition (page 42). PROUDLY AUSTRALIAN PROUDLY INDEPENDENT Tech Analytical, Diagnostic and Consultancy Services l GOLF COURSE, SPORTSFIELD AND RACETRACK ASSESSMENTS l CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS l SOIL, PLANT AND WATER ANALYSIS l DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND NEMATODE COUNTS l DRONE SERVICES (TURF HEALTH ASSESSMENT AND AERIAL IMAGERY) Senior agronomist - Bruce Macphee Agronomist - Tim Fankhauser Agronomist - Steve Tuckett bruce@agcsa.com.au 0409 183 710 tim@agcsa.com.au 0422 418 038 steve@agcsa.com.au 0419 328 809 www.agcsa.com.au/agcsatech (03) 9548 8600 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 5 SUMMER A season like no other Where do you begin to describe the events of the past couple of months? After prolonged drought- like conditions, since last September bushfires have ravaged huge tracts of NSW, Victoria and South Australia, creating one of the biggest natural disasters in the country’s history. Then, in a cruel bookend to it all, unprecedented storms lashed the eastern seaboard in February. ATM editor Brett Robinson looks back on a season that has tested the resilience and resolve of not only turf managers but all Australians. 6 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 ASTMA member Euan Diver took this incredible photo (which hasn’t been altered or Photoshopped) of the third hole at Thredbo Golf Club around 6.30pm on Saturday, 4 January 2020. The fire front of the Green Valley/ Talmalmo Fire, which ended up burning through more than 208,000 hectares of national park, was six kilometres away at the time. Thankfully fire didn’t impact the resort township, but 1500 people were evacuated over a couple of days and snowmaking machines employed to protect buildings and assets JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 7 SUMMER Golf club dams and water storages were called upon to assist in firefighting efforts. Pictured is Perth’s WA Golf Club where around 250,000 litres was siphoned to fight a bushfire two kilometres away PHOTO: IDRIS EVANS T he irony of it all wasn’t lost Before doing so he grabbed a couple Together with wife Jean, the three horses – on Moruya Golf Club course of crew and went back home. Together they Lucy, Amber and Dusty – as well as their eldest superintendent Brent Hull. knocked down a number of palm trees next daughter, her husband and kids, they packed Sitting in his 22-foot-long horse to Hull’s house and cleared out melaleuca to what they could into the truck and headed for transporter/truck parked up on the reduce any potential fuel load should it come the Moruya Showground. The showground, Moruya Showgrounds a few days into the New under ember attack. Being on tank water, Hull which is located right in the middle of Hull’s Year, a photo memory suddenly flashed up on chopped off all the downpipes feeding into the golf course, had been turned into the primary his Facebook feed. It was of four years earlier, tank, so as not to contaminate it, then blocked evacuation point for the district. Reaching on 4 January 2016, when much of the course up the gutters and filled them with water. capacity quickly, evacuees spilled over onto was under water thanks to nearly 300mm of As for the horses, Hull only had room for the golf course, with the 13th fairway ending rain. Looking at the ominous smoky orange- three in his truck which meant two had to stay. up housing at least another 400-500. tinged sky above him at the time, he could To prepare them, their rugs and steel shoes For the next four days the Hulls remained only but give a wry smile and think, ‘Gee, what were removed and the paddock gates opened there as all around them the sky turned blood we would do for that 300mm right now!” in case they needed to flee. orange and water bombing helicopters and Along with about 4000 other locals from planes droned constantly overhead. Despite Moruya and the surrounding districts, Hull losing power for five days, the golf club had evacuated his home on New Year’s Eve opened up its doors, assisting evacuees and as bushfires bore down on the NSW South feeding the hard-working folk of the NSW Rural Coast. The previous day, fire authorities had Fire Service where it could. warned those outside of Moruya that the fire When power did come back on, Hull threat from the massive Badja Forest Rd, fired up the golf course’s irrigation system to Countegany Fire (which would end up burning wet down the showground and golf course through more than 350,000 hectares) was surrounds in case of ember attack. Seeing the imminent and that they couldn’t guarantee water also helped to make everyone there feel protection of those properties – their priority a little more at ease and gave kids a welcome was the township of Moruya. distraction from the hell that was going on Hull lives on five acres near Bingie Point, around them. Hull jokes he put so much water about 12 kilometres as the crow flies south out – about 3.2 megalitres – that he could have east of Moruya and about 5km north of Tuross grown rice on the fairways! Head. The property, which is also home to After four days camped at the Hull’s five prized show jumping and equestrian showground, Hull decided to return home. horses, backs on to 5km of bushland which Despite being covered in an inch of back leads all the way back to the A1 highway. With soot, ash and burnt leaves, the house was only one road in and out and with bushfires fully intact and the animals were safe. A few just the other side of the highway (about 6km weeks later, before and after the Australia Day away) being fanned by strong westerly winds, Bermagui CC Dave Thomson posted this photo on long weekend, two more calls were made for Hull made the agonising decision to leave. Facebook with the comment, “Bit hard to breathe.” people to evacuate. This time Hull decided to 8 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 stay put, albeit ready to leave in an instant if By this time Bermagui Country Club had needed. Embers did spark a fire less than a flung its doors open to those who had come kilometre away on his side of the highway, but from Cobargo and other fire-affected areas. it was brought under control quickly. Some Suzie was working at the club, helping out houses on the western fringe of the Moruya those people in need where she could, and township weren’t so lucky however. during a conversation with an SES officer was “Thank god for southerly wind changes,” told that Bermagui was going to be evacuated says Hull. “On those occasions where he the following day. She was told that if she were under threat, we had a southeasterly could go now to do so to avoid the rush. So wind change which stood the fires up against just after midnight, six car loads containing each other. I’d hate to think what would have Thomson, Suzie, the extended family and four happened if we didn’t get those changes. dogs, left Bermagui. Stopping by the golf club Another hour of westerly winds and it could maintenance facility, they all fuelled up and have been a lot different. made the dash to Bega. “I’ve never seen conditions like that in all “It was a very strange New Years,” reflects my 59 years. It was a pretty sketchy time and Thomson. “We had really good friends of ours PHOTO: JARED ARMITAGE I don’t want to have to go through anything in Cobargo who lost everything. They were like that again. And we were lucky. To speak to lucky to get out alive and turned up on our people who have lost everything, they will be doorstep in an emotional mess and stayed emotionally scarred forever. with us, but the next night they were having to “The fires have impacted a lot of people evacuate with us to Bega! We left about 1am and business and it could not have happened Intense heat and drought hit regional courses, like and drove back through Cobargo with fire still at a worse time for the golf club. I reckon Emerald Golf Club in Queensland, hard burning on the sides of the road. It was pretty we lost about $7K a day in green fees over eerie driving in the dark and seeing the fire the Christmas/New Year period and then to MIDNIGHT DASH burning on Mumbulla Mountain. The vision have the fires flare up again before the long An hour south of Moruya at Bermagui Country was pretty low due to the smoke and with ash weekend too. This is our busiest time of year Club, long-serving superintendent and ASTMA landing everywhere. and sets us up for the year. All clubs along Board member David Thomson had a start to “It’s normally about a 35-40-minute drive the coast have been affected and it will take a 2020 he would rather forget. Like Hull, he and to Bega, but it felt like two hours driving at that while for finances to get back on track, but we his partner Suzie, together with their extended time of night. We got to the showground and are remaining upbeat.” family, were forced to flee south to Bega where it was 50 per cent full. By the time we woke up Just to rub salt into the wounds and in an evacuation centre had been set up at the in the morning it was at capacity. There must another cruel twist of irony, as this edition local showground as well. have been about 4000 people there.” was going to print Hull was finding himself It had been only a matter of time before After spending a couple of days camping having to clean up the course after extensive the call came to evacuate. A few days earlier there, Thomson was desperate to get back to flooding. With the eastern seaboard lashed the township of Cobargo, 15 minutes inland Bermagui to check on their home and the golf by storms in early February, Moruya Golf Club from Bermagui, was razed to the ground, course. Despite initially being turned around at copped 220mm over a three-day period. While making headlines around the country. A a road block, he eventually made it through. the welcome rain effectively extinguished number of Thomson’s close friends lost “The greens had gone nine days without the remaining fires, it caused widespread everything and he heard firsthand their horror water because we lost power and five days inundation of the golf course and showground. stories of the sheer ferocity and speed at which without any mowing,” explains Thomson. “I “It has been unbelievable this season – just the firestorm moved. One of those couples tried to get back to the course on Sunday but one thing after another,” says Hull. “Now we ended up staying with them, but as the fires got turned back the first time. I went back later can’t even keep up with cutting the grass – it’s kept progressing towards Bermagui, it was around 7pm and they must have been having going ballistic.” soon their turn to evacuate as well. a dinner break as no one was manning it and I AHC51016 Diploma of Sports Turf Management Delivered on-campus or by correspondence - intakes any time of the year. Will Koopmans - Gordon Turf Student and AGCSA Apprentice Of The Year 2016 Real skills. Real experience. Real outcomes. thegordon.edu.au | 8373 9193 Government funding for eligible students. TAFE 3044. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 9 SUMMER PHOTO: CAMERON HALL Air quality issues were widespread across many townships and cities, making working conditions hazardous. Pictured is Kew Golf Club in Melbourne was able to sneak through. When I got back to “The surf lifesaving club ended up being STAYING PUT Bermagui it was like a ghost town. the registered evacuation centre, so a lot of While Hull and Thomson evacuated, for fellow “I got onto the course the next morning people started filing in there, but many stayed ASTMA member Euan Diver it was a very and lifted all the cutting heights and just started on at the country club. People were sleeping nervous wait as he, along with key staff and cutting – there was grass everywhere! The on the restaurant floor and in between the RFS crews, rode out the fire threat at Thredbo course was awesome considering we hadn’t pokies machines.” Resort in Kosciuszko National Park. been on it for a couple of days. I water roughly After a week of being closed, the club As the incredible photo on the cover of this every four days and was planning to water on reopened for normal trading but Thomson edition and on the opening pages of this article New Year’s Day, but then we lost power so says the place was dead. All the tourists had graphically illustrate, the sky above Thredbo they ended up going without for nine days. gone, as they had been told to leave, while a Golf Course turned apocalyptic. Those photos, “The colour of the grass was unbelievable. lot of Bermagui’s regular golfers and bowlers taken by Diver, were snapped at 6.30pm on It was like everything had been fertilised – the had also departed. Bermagui is a big retiree Saturday 4 January with the front of the huge turf was bright green from all the carbon and township and as many of them are ‘grey Green Valley/Talmalmo fire about 6km away ash that had landed on it. It was like I had nomads’ and have caravans or trailers, rather at the time. That fire would end up burning sprayed it with a colourant! Thankfully we’ve than staying there they upped and went for a through more than 208,000ha of national park. got a good root system in the greens, so they holiday elsewhere. “That Saturday was pretty eerie,” admits were strong and got through well. I was still “The club has certainly taken a hit Diver, who is the environmental services amazed that we didn’t lose areas though.” financially, but we will hopefully get some manager for Kosciuszko Thredbo P/L which Like Moruya and many other golf and government rebates and if we have a good oversees the resort, including the township’s sporting clubs along the NSW South Coast, Easter trading period that will get us back on nine-hole golf course. “We spent a fair bit of Bermagui Country Club played a key role track,” says Thomson. “All clubs up and down time and resources preparing for it, including during and after the fires, acting as a safe the coast, and small businesses, have been evacuating the entire resort on the Friday, haven and shelter for those fleeing the fire hit hard. Hopefully now that the fires are out, leaving only a core group of staff and NSW grounds. Along with the local surf lifesaving thanks to all this rain, people from Canberra fire and rescue personnel. We had about club, which was the official evacuation point and Sydney can start to come back down this 1500 people in town at the time, but as it was for the area, the country club also became the way to show their support and spend some an organised and staged evacuation over a makeshift headquarters for the NSW Rural Fire money to help get these businesses back up couple of days, it pretty much ran itself. Service as they coordinated firefighting efforts. and running. “While we ended up with burnt leaves and “The club was amazing,” says Thomson. “The community has been shaken up bark falling in the resort from early evening “When the fires hit the surrounding area, we big time, but the resilience of the people and into the night on the Saturday, they were had people coming in from everywhere. Aside the help that everyone is giving each other originating from fires that a were a bit further from the local supermarket, we were the only has been amazing. It has brought the best away from Thredbo, a result of the formation of business to have a generator, so we had out of people. Every weekend people are pyrocumulus clouds over those fires, so they power. Our manager Robert Buezeveille closed volunteering to help rebuild – it has been weren’t embers when they arrived in Thredbo. the club in terms of trading and opened it up awesome to see. The whole district was “We gradually opened the resort over to everyone who needed to use it. His wife already a tight community before the fires, but I the following week, starting with residents, ran the kitchen and they were pumping out think it will be even closer now after what it has day staff, contractors and then finally guests hundreds of meals a day to feed everyone. been through.” a week later. There was a bit of clean up and 10 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Jacobsen machinery maintains the high standards expected by our membership michael dennis, course manager Royal PeRth Golf Club Jacobsen. Built for your success From breathtaking performance and a drive to innovate, to people and support you know you can trust, everything we do is built for your success. experience what complete dedication feels like. experience Jacobsen. > Book a test drive now at: jacobsenbuilt.com SUMMER Smoke, storms and shootings… but the show still goes on B rad van Dam has been in the curating business long enough to know to expect the unexpected. But even he can’t recall a season like the one he and his arena crew at Manuka Oval in Canberra have just experienced. The highlight reel began back on 9 August 2019. Entertaining the Round 21 clash between the GWS Giants and Hawthorn, towards the end of the first quarter it started snowing, the first time ever an AFL Premiership match has been played in such conditions. Fast forward to the cricket season and things became even more bizarre. On the day of the scheduled T20 International between Australia and Pakistan PHOTOS: BRAD VAN DAM (22 November), Manuka Oval was forced into lockdown after a woman was shot nearby while sitting in her car. The match went ahead but security was heightened as a result. Closer to Christmas and with bushfires raging across NSW, the nation’s capital was It was winter in the middle of summer at Manuka Oval constantly blanketed in thick smoke. On after a destructive hail storm smashed Canberra multiple days, Canberra’s air quality was rated as the worst in the world. The smoke wreaked it in the other direction. We decided that the havoc, with grade cricket fixtures cancelled surface was safe enough to be played on and the abandonment of the BBL clash which gave us enough time to put together a between the Sydney Thunder and Adelaide plan to fix the surface.” Strikers on 22 December. In addition to the surface and wicket block, In addition to the choking smoke, massive some 500 grandstand seats were damaged, winds whipped up dust storms before trees stripped of foliage – four 15m3 skips Christmas, while on 4 January 2020, at the were filled with debris – while a few cars and height of the bushfire crisis on the NSW South venue signage were also affected. And to Coast, Canberra recorded its hottest day on add insult to injury, a few days later Canberra record – 44 degrees – surpassing the previous was buffeted by extremely strong winds, with high mark of 42.2 degrees set back in 1968. gusts in excess of 85kph. Those winds caused And then, just to ensure that Canberra had a large tree at the scoreboard end of the experienced the full gamut, it was smashed ground to come crashing down, taking out all by a violent hailstorm just after lunchtime on the venue’s AFL goalposts which were being 20 January, leaving Manuka Oval completely housed upright next to it. blanketed in hailstones that ranged in size from Van Dam’s counterpart at the Sydney peas to snooker balls. Cricket Ground, Adam Lewis, also had his The storm only lasted 20 minutes but it work cut out thanks to the weather. Hosting was one of the most intense that van Dam has the BBL final between the Sydney Sixers and Days after the hailstorm hit Manuka Oval, high winds witnessed in his time at the venue. The wicket Melbourne Stars on 8 February, it coincided brought down a tree, taking out the venue’s AFL goal block and outfield were covered in hail up to with huge storms which lashed the east coast, posts stationed outside the ground 75mm deep with indentations everywhere up with many pundits predicting a washout. to a depth of 5cm. However, despite copping 180mm of rain “Our first concern was the wicket cover,” leading up to the final, a fortuitous break in the explains van Dam. “It was extremely hard to weather, plus some good old curator nous, see if there was any damage, so we had to meant a rain-reduced, 12-over-a-side final was wait about an hour until the hail was partially able to be contested. Lewis and his SCG team gone. We were then able to see a significant were hailed as heroes in getting the wicket up number of holes in the cover, so we swept it for the final, with cricket.com.au journalist Louis and removed it straight away. We found quite a Cameron penning an article detailing their few wet spots but they weren’t too bad. behind-the-scenes efforts. Under the headline “We had WNCL cricket over the next “Miracle man! How the SCG curator saved PHOTO: SCG three days and at that stage the first match the BBL final”, Lewis told Cameron they had was in limbo. We waited until all the hail had prepared the wicket earlier than normal due completely melted (approx. 2.5 hours) and we to the weather and vertidrained the outfield to The Sydney Cricket Ground crew performed a miracle rolled it with a tractor-drawn roller then mowed assist getting water through the profile quicker. to get the wicket ready for a rain-affected BBL final 12 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 pack up to do as we utilised our snowmaking systems to provide protection to key assets on the mountain. The golf course, which is located at the western end and provides a fire break for the village, was prepared for quick access by the emergency services as well. “We were extremely grateful that we were not impacted by fire and our thoughts remain with those that were actually impacted.” RECORDS BROKEN As if there was any doubt, the fires which wreaked havoc were as a result of what was Australia’s warmest and driest year on PHOTO: STEVE LEWIS record, a fact that the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed in its Annual Climate Statement released on 9 January 2020. Australia’s area- averaged mean temperature for 2019 was 1.52°C above the 1961–1990 average, making it the warmest year on record. Mean maximum Royal Hobart Golf Club totalled just 345mm for 2019 putting the cool-season turf under considerable stress. Daily rainfall totals only reached double figures on four occasions for the year temperatures were the warmest on record at 2.09°C above average. 2019 was also the spending $2000 a week to keep greens and MT WARREN PARK GC, QLD driest year on record for Australia at 277.6mm, tees alive. Fairways were that parched that Blaine Knox has certainly had a testing well below the previous record in 1902 members were forced to play off synthetic turf introduction to his career as a course (previous lowest was 314.5mm). mats in order to protect the course. superintendent. Taking the reins at Mt Warren The second half of the year was How all that changed in the first two Park Golf Club last July, the course, which particularly dry across most of the southern months of 2020. A total of 317mm fell in relies solely on catchment for irrigation, half of Australia, and followed several years January, while a further 396mm has fallen in recorded 172.5mm of rain from June to of below average rainfall over parts of February (to the 18th), taking the year-to-date December as opposed to its historical average Queensland and New South Wales. Warm tally to more than 700mm. That is nearly twice of 410mm for that six-month period. and windy conditions during spring to early as much as what the course received in 2019, The course got extremely close to summer led to repeated periods of severe and it’s just seven weeks into the new year. running out of water before some welcome fire weather, which started in September “It has gone from famine to feast,” says respite came in January thanks to 120mm. and continued through with devastating Nelson. “The January rains all but filled our Knox turned off all fairway irrigation in early consequences until the end of the year. dams and turned the course from brown to November as well as tees a few weeks later to NSWGCSA life member and former Castle green in a matter of days. All dams are now conserve every last drop for the greens. Hill Country Club superintendent Martyn Black overflowing and we have really good ground “The committee and entire membership can certainly attest to it being dry. For the moisture. We have been able to aerate our was very understanding and completely past 31 years he has kept meticulous rainfall poorest fairways and fertilise them all. You can agreed with us making the tough call records for the north west of Sydney and the hear the grass growing!” to prioritise the greens,” says Knox. past summer was, well, in his words “scary”. “Communication was definitely key, reassuring “We are in uncharted territory,” says Black. them that everything else wouldn’t take long to “Only once in the 31 years that I’ve been recover once we had water again.” keeping records did we have a full month when not a full millimetre of rain fell on Castle ROYAL HOBART GC, TAS Hill. That was a November over 10 years ago! You rarely associate Tasmania with heat and On 7 January 2020, I tipped 2.5mm out of drought, but as ASTMA Board member Steve my rain gauge! That was 42 days since the Lewis will tell you, 2019 was one for the books. previous drop of 3mm in late November.” Rainfall for the year was well below average Black wasn’t the only turf manager to with a total of 345mm compared to the long- raise the eyebrows over the recent conditions, term average of 488mm. Remarkably, daily in what were challenging times for all. ATM totals only reached double figures on four canvassed a number of supers around the occasions for the entire year. country and what follows is a snapshot of Spring 2019, especially November, some of the conditions they had to face. was extremely windy. Northwesterly winds dominated the month with gusts getting up to GRAFTON GC, NSW 91kph. These unusually windy conditions dried PHOTO: BLAINE KNOX Famine to feast. That’s how long-serving the golf course out very quickly and Lewis was Grafton District Golf Club superintendent into full irrigation a lot earlier than normal due John Nelson describes the conditions at to high evaporation rates. Rainfall in December the northern NSW course over the past few was below average (15.4mm) and on the months. Grafton’s rainfall tally for 2019 was Water storages at or near empty were common for penultimate day of 2019 Hobart tipped the just 380mm and by December the club was many clubs who rely on stormwater or run off mercury at 40.8. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 13 SUMMER “The cool season fairways have suffered January also started to reduce the amount of KDV SPORT, QLD fairly badly with limited irrigation water,” reports water going on tees. As a result, large cracks KDV Sport, located adjacent to Metricon Lewis. “We had to turn off rough sprinklers and opened up in some fairways. Stadium on the Gold Coast and which tee to green carries to conserve recycled water incorporates the old Carrara Gardens golf through until March. We have applied a lot KEW GC, VIC course, suffered severe drought like conditions more wetting agents to the tees, greens and Cameron Hall has had a pretty good summer for the last six months of 2019. Sports turf surrounds this summer which has help keep to date and after Kew’s driest December on manager Andrew Glen reports they ran out of the priority areas in pretty good order.” record (just 6.5mm) some good January water and for a period of almost three months rains have aided in the management of the and were unable to irrigate tees, fairways and EMERALD GC, QLD Melbourne course. rough, while barely keeping greens alive. Jared Armitage has welcomed some much- Kew staff have been carrying out injection Despite these tough conditions, the course needed rain in recent weeks, but the end to of wetting agent into the profile using a hand managed very well with Glen putting it down 2019 was certainly a trying one for the regional injection gun which has proven great for to a 100 per cent organic programme that he Queensland course. Emerald received just high traffic areas. This year Hall is also boom implemented more than two years ago. 288.5mm of rain for the year, compared to spraying wetting agent onto fairways whereas “We are now into our third year of this the 462mm it recorded in 2018. December in previous years he used the injection system. programme and we have found that our was particularly brutal. The average maximum This has ensured the product is getting into the course has become more drought tolerant temperature for that month was 38.5oC and desired areas. and our watering requirements have become the minimum averaged 23oC. The course Although not impacted by bushfires, less,” says Glen. “With this programme I copped 32 days in a row where the maximum smoke haze across Melbourne meant air have re-established the natural biology back temperature was above 36oC. quality was very poor. Hall had to adjust staff into the soil. It has taken time to develop the Due to the Fairbairn Dam being so low, the jobs and limit the amount of time staff spent programme and I am continually improving on club had its water allocation out of the Nogoa outside, instructing them to wear face masks it, but as of now the results are very impressive River severely cut. Emerald turned off its if they did when air quality was at hazardous both with the condition of the course and the fairway irrigation back on 1 September and in levels. cost savings.” From one extreme to the other L uke Partridge knows all about extremes. The present-day Manly Golf Club course superintendent has plied his trade in China and the Middle East and therefore has had plenty of experience battling the PHOTOS: LUKE PARTRIDGE elements. But since arriving at Manly in mid- 2017, he hasn’t had his skills tested quite like they have over the past summer. After experiencing above average rainfall in September 2019, the dry period at Manly began in October when it recorded 58mm for the month, 23mm below the monthly The Manly Golf Club dam ran dry in December, but come February the course was submerged and trees were average. November saw a cumulative total downed when Sydney was smashed by storms of 31mm, 50mm below average, while in of rain on the weekend of 18 January which Then, of course, came the east coast December not a single drop of rain was replenished the dam and built some much- storms of mid-February. While certainly recorded in a month where the average needed moisture into the soil profile. not recording the biggest rainfall tally of rainfall is 85.4mm. Course renovations at the A full-time team of four staff were the Sydney-based courses, Manly did cop end of November were scaled back from dedicated solely to the hand-watering of nearly 400mm over a 96-hour period which, heavy scarifying and coring fairways to light fairways for that 40-day period. This put combined with a king tide, saw large parts grooming and solid tining to accommodate pressure on resources and limited the ability of the course fully submerged course. The a limited water supply as the forecast dry to undertake other projects and scheduled course was closed for four days as the clean- conditions loomed. maintenance on the course. Though the up ensued, which included the removal of Manly was particularly affected by team did a great job of hand-watering a large fig tree on the 12th which had been Sydney’s Level 2 water restrictions. With the over 12 hectares of turf, the demand was uprooted by the strong winds. capability to harvest only six megalitres, it is ultimately too high and as a result some turf Partridge says that throughout all these heavily reliant on town water, an issue the loss was observed in isolated areas. extreme conditions, the board, greens club is working hard behind the scenes to Partridge implemented a programme committee and membership at Manly Golf resolve. On 8 December Manly’s dam ran of topdressing, solid tine aerification and Club have been extremely supportive. dry, meaning irrigation was limited to tees fertilising/applying wetting agents to generate Regular communication through newsletter and greens automatically with town water, recovery on the worst affected fairways. updates, social media posts and videos have while, in accordance with its Sydney Water The objective being to ensure a dense turf played an integral role in building a level exemption, fairways received only hand water canopy was restored before scheduled of understanding with all of stakeholders until 17 January. The course received 60mm applications of pre-emergent in February. through this challenging period. 14 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 PRESIDENTS CUP Beyond a dream Royal Melbourne Golf Club again proved why it is one of the best tournament venues in world golf when it hosted the Presidents Cup for a third time last December. ATM editor Brett Robinson looks back at a special week for director of courses Richard Forsyth and his tournament crew, one in which victorious US Team captain Tiger Woods gave the club and the Melbourne Sandbelt the ultimate of accolades. 16 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Royal Melbourne again showed its tournament calibre during the 2019 Presidents Cup, with its famed Suttons Mix greens complexes and fescue surrounds something to behold. Pictured is Composite 14 (16 East) }I think what Royal Melbourne has displayed this entire week is beyond a dream. This is how golf should be played. It should be set up this way – hard, fast, difficult, but extremely fair, and that’s what the Aussie Sandbelt courses have historically done. We wish there were more events on venues like this.~ - Tiger Woods PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 17 PRESIDENTS CUP The Presidents Cup tournament crew totalled 90, with 45 volunteers slotting in seamlessly alongside the 45-strong Royal Melbourne crew W hen the GOAT speaks, course set up and how it has played. We wish the cake to a phenomenal week – one of the you listen. Following the there were more events on venues like this.” biggest and best Forsyth has had in a four- announcement of Sunday’s Director of courses Richard Forsyth was decade career – and encapsulated perfectly singles match-ups late sitting alone in his office when the video clip of why Royal Melbourne’s Composite Course is on Saturday of the 2019 that press conference dropped into his email and always will be one of the great tournament Presidents Cup last December, Tiger Woods inbox later that evening. The compound was venues in world golf. clinically answers questions from the media quiet, the tournament crew having long since “To get that feedback from perhaps the throng covering the tournament. Most are dispersed after completing their afternoon greatest golfer of all time summed up a pretty interested in how the US Team is going to preparations. Forsyth indulged for a few successful week,” reflects Forsyth. “Overall, bridge a two-match deficit heading into the 12 minutes, watching the clip a couple of times to I was delighted with the way everything singles encounters and the strategy behind the take it all in. Each time he heard Tiger’s words, went and the way the whole crew performed various match-ups that have been named. there was an air of modest contentment. during the week. The accolades the course As the press conference draws to a close, Not surprisingly, when he addressed the received were great for the staff, especially one journalist changes tack and with the very crew for the final time the following morning, those comments from Tiger. You don’t do it last question enquires of Woods, “You’ve often that clip was front and centre, highlighting to for those reasons, but it was nice that what we spoken of your admiration for Royal Melbourne his staff and tournament volunteers – all 90 of do and the way we manage the turf here got as a golf course. Has it delivered as a test them – what they had managed to deliver that that recognition from someone like him. It’s an so far this week?” His response, considered week. Enough said really. It was the icing on endorsement I suppose of what we do here. and to the point as always, would reverberate throughout the world of golf and especially the office of one particular golf course superintendent. “It’s a dream to be able to play (Royal Melbourne),” Woods began. “It’s how a golf course should be set up. It should be set up this way – hard, fast, difficult, but extremely fair, and that’s what the Aussie Sandbelt golf courses have historically done. “I think what Royal Melbourne has displayed this entire week is beyond a dream. This is how I think golf should be played. You don’t have to have a par three 240 yards for it to be difficult. That 5th hole (7 West) is all you want in a par three. The guys from our side and their side have thoroughly enjoyed the “This is as about as much fun as you can have as a superintendent. Hand-watering a tournament prepped green, that you are happy with, it doesn’t get much better.” – Richard Forsyth 18 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 “We work hard on the greens to get that final day two points adrift of the Internationals, hose. Forsyth is unashamedly old school in bounce and firmness. It’s not easy and a but after securing eight points in the singles that respect and on the eve of the tournament lot of extra effort goes into trying to achieve they triumphed by two, 16-14. he was out hand-watering a number of greens, that – hand-watering, staff crawling around on From a weather perspective, Royal getting a feel for how they were placed. greens spot-spraying Poa – so to have that Melbourne was absolutely blessed for the “Hand-watering a tournament prepped effort acknowledged in that way, and in front tournament and it enabled the crew to really green, that you are happy with, is about of a worldwide audience, was satisfying. A lot of people don’t get what we do here, but he }It’s nice that what we do and the way we manage the turf (Tiger) does.” ALL ABOUT THE GREENS... here gets that feedback from someone like Tiger. A lot of people AND THE SURROUNDS don’t get it, but he does. It’s an endorsement of what we do Royal Melbourne again showed its tournament calibre and its famed Suttons Mix bentgrass and what we are trying to achieve.~- Richard Forsyth greens and fine fescue surrounds simply shone during the Presidents Cup. In an age work the greens and surrounds to the nth as much fun as you can have as a where technology is rendering many of the degree. As Forsyth admits, if you could order superintendent,” states Forsyth, who is now in classic layouts impotent, the firm, bouncy and 20 degrees or below for the entire week you his tenth year as Royal Melbourne custodian. fast short-cut turf produced by Forsyth and his would, and that’s just what they got. It meant “It’s important for me to feel how the greens crew had the game’s best deliberating over they could dry the greens right down without are going because it’s a very fine line we have every shot. It was fascinating to watch as they running too precariously close to the edge, but them on. You can’t make decisions if you’re navigated their way around the course and the on the flipside it also meant the players weren’t not out there amongst it. subtle nuances required to get the ball into the subjected to the changing nature of the course “The way the course played was very right position. when there are differing conditions, such as a pleasing. We had some even firmness and Not surprisingly, 15-time Major winner hot, blustery northerly. bounce to the turf and the fairways were tight. Woods was among the stars of the week, Despite being a man in demand for much I was very happy with how the greens ended winning all his three matches, including a of the tournament week, acting as the primary up. It’s all about how much moisture you have Sunday singles 3&2 result over Abraham Ancer conduit between his crew and the PGA Rules in them. If it was hotter we wouldn’t have been to spark the US Team’s history-making come- and Agronomy teams, Forsyth always made able to have them as dry as we did, so the from-behind victory. The US had entered the sure he found the time to be on the end of a weather helped us out in that respect. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 19 PRESIDENTS CUP While the greens were the centre of attention, Royal Royal Melbourne’s bunkers were boarded rather Royal Melbourne’s West course foreman Hayden Melbourne crew member Corey Watts’ superb mullet than raked and faces broomed. Peninsula-Kingswood Westwood checks the firmness and bounce of the garnered plenty of social media attention volunteer Jeremy Clarke shows how it’s done fescue approach on Composite 18 (2 West) “Getting our water management on both we can do in that area and so from that point little concerned that they (the PGA Tour) would the greens and the fescue approaches and of view I was a lot happier.” pull the rolling out of the morning programme, getting it to a fine level of detail is important to In addition to firmness and bounce, which they did. So the idea of that cutting get that even bounce. You can get firmness, smoothness, not speed, was also a key height was to keep the smoothness and speed but if you don’t get the moisture even then you parameter for Forsyth during the week. To without having to roll. are going to get some parts of the green and that end, he made the decision in the weeks “Even though we were cutting at 1.8mm, approach that are going to react differently to leading up to the tournament to drop the we run the greens mowers with a split solid the rest of it. At this level that’s not what you height of cut from the club’s usual 2.2mm front roller compared to a Wiehle (grooved) want; you want to be as even as you can so down to 1.8mm. It was by no means a spur-of- roller, so it was probably more the equivalent the players have confidence about where they the-moment decision, but one that was trialled of 2mm. 1.8mm sounds low, but we saw the land the ball and how it’s going to react. for a number of weeks first. (See more on turf getting better and better with a back-track “We were a lot better with our fescue greens mower set up, page 26). cut at that height. The turf wasn’t under stress surfaces than past tournaments. I’m not sure “Part of the inspiration for the 1.8mm due to heat, so we went with it after trialling you could ever get them to the same level as cutting height was to get the greens as smooth it on the short game facility. Together with an the greens due to the grass type and organic as we could,” explains Forsyth. “The Suttons afternoon roll, the greens played really well.” matter, but we continue to learn over time what Mix was a bit stalky and a bit open and I was a A TEAM EFFORT Posted on virtually every wall inside Royal Melbourne’s $5 million maintenance facility during Presidents Cup week was a single laminated A4 sheet of paper. It was in the lunch room, offices, workshop, the locker rooms, even on the doors leading into the toilets. Titled ‘Presidents Cup 2019 Group Goals’, it contained a list of goals for the crew to embrace and adhere to that week. Heading the list was ‘ownership’ – own the job/task you are given, put your name on it and ensure accuracy. Thereafter followed ‘communication’ – issue quality instructions, confirm that you have the correct instructions and tune in on the radio. There were eight Joe Tormey’s calves get a good workout cutting the fescue approach on Composite 4 (6 West). The drum on the Flex 21 mower is covered in rubber to provide extra traction on the steep slopes 20 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 categories in total listed with the last one simply titled ‘Fun’ – derive satisfaction from your job, enjoy the experience and celebrate a successful tournament. Suffice to say, with the product they ultimately delivered, all those group goals were handsomely met. Indeed, Forsyth could not have been more delighted with the way his crew – all 45 of them – gelled so seamlessly with the 45 volunteers drawn from all over Former AGCSA Graduate of the Year winner Joel Australia and around the world. (See more on Manson (left) and Jack Lavery were one of two teams the volunteers, page 26). changing holes during the Presidents Cup To come together and gel so quickly takes something special and while Forsyth in many Simon Harvey and Mark Sharrock. Incidentally, ways was central to that, in his eyes it was it was a big few weeks for Staff. Two weeks the efforts of his senior crew who, true to the after the Presidents Cup he scored his first aforementioned goals, took ownership in a big hole in one, on the Sandringham course, and way. Each member of Forsyth’s inner sanctum then shortly after New Year became a dad for had their own designated area, which freed the first time! him up to deal with the tournament officials And then there was West course and concentrate on the bigger picture. superintendent Paul Thomas. One of the East course superintendent Craig Anthony most experienced members of Forsyth’s was in charge of the greens team, running crew, Thomas had perhaps the biggest and with a crew of 10 walk-mowing greens each most difficult job of all. With a tournament morning and an equal number assisting with and infrastructure build nearly 40 per cent moving the turning boards and spotting lines. bigger than the 2011 Presidents Cup, Thomas West course foreman Hayden Westwood oversaw every grandstand, TV tower and had the responsibility of leading the fescue corporate marquee construction and dealt with surrounds team, while his East course the army of personnel involved. counterpart Geraldine O’Callaghan led a “As I said to the senior crew before huge bunker crew which boarded bases and we went into the main meeting on Sunday broomed faces of nearly 100 Sandbelt-sized morning, I could not be prouder of all their hazards daily. work during the tournament week and in the Sandringham foreman Darcy Jones was in lead-up,” says Forsyth. “They were the go-to charge of tees and Sandringham construction people for their areas and they killed it. superintendent Nic Staff led the fairway team, “The whole thing was a team effort and we which comprised three crews of three headed talked about that at the very start. You have Thibault Dupas, leading one of three 3-man fairway by Royal Melbourne staff Thibault Dupas, to liaise and work and combine with so many crews, checks his lines on Composite 9 The famous 6 West, playing as Composite 4 for the Presidents Cup, was a drawcard for the tens of thousands of spectators that poured through the gates across the week JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 21 PRESIDENTS CUP Jacob Martin (above) is all concentration cutting the green on Composite 11 (1 East), while Sam Holmes (right) rolls the fescue approach on Composite 18 (2 West) people to make an event like this work. We’ve “I think all tournaments that I have been a got our own team, but on a broader level there part of are great, but this is the biggest event are so many other people that you come into by far in terms of exposure, the size of the contact with in the set up and managing the build, organisation and the number of people,” relationships you have with them. Paul doing says Forsyth. “This is the best thing I have all that coordination with the infrastructure done for sure. I’m not saying it’s the best turf build was outstanding and freed up so much I’ve produced – the surfaces weren’t quite as of my time. uniform in terms of coverage as I would have “But what was most pleasing was the liked and we had a little bit of scarring on way the volunteers all turned up at 6am the some fairways where we didn’t quite get our Thursday before and instantly gelled with our Poa control timing right – but it’s probably the staff. You looked around the staff room on that best playing conditions I think. final morning and you’d swear they had been a “It was the most talked-about presentation team for a long time. That was really pleasing of a golf course that I’ve been involved with to see and also the way they all enjoyed and because of its exposure. Where else are you embraced the whole experience.” going to get 12 of the best US players turning up to play, including the great man captaining FULLY INVESTED and playing. You just don’t get that in Australia Having carried an air of calmness and control every week and it was a lot of fun to be part of. for much of the week, that final address to “I did get a bit emotional at the end, but I the 90-strong crew almost got the better of managed to hold it together. I do get emotional Forsyth. After sharing some highlights from when I start talking about people and what the day before, including that clip of Woods, they’ve contributed. When you talk about how Forsyth went around the group and thanked proud you are of them, it’s a bit like talking everyone for their efforts. By the end you could about your children. You can’t help the voice Above: Sandringham foreman Darcy Jones was in tell he was clearly emotional and it gave an wavering a little, it just happens. I guess it charge of managing the Santa Ana tee complexes unequivocal indication of what being in charge shows just how much you are fully invested in Below: Winners all round – the Royal Melbourne crew of the biggest tournament of his long and it and invested in the people who have helped with the victorious US Team. Two points down going storied career meant to him. you to deliver something special.” into Sunday’s singles matches, the US team won 16-14 22 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 PRESIDENTS CUP Royal Melbourne head turf technician Mark Stravato inspects one of the fairway units after its morning cut WORDS AND PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON On the M ark Stravato is not the sort “We went over every machine with a Mark of person who likes being microscope so that there were no potential the centre of attention. The problems,” explains Stravato. “Leaks were my quietly spoken, unassuming biggest fear, so we did a lot of work to prevent Royal Melbourne head turf any potential leaks on anything that was going technician readily admits he gets nervous on the playing surfaces. Even if something was in group settings and much prefers the 50/50 it was replaced. We wanted to try and familiar confines of the maintenance facility get the whole fleet as new as possible.” workshop. It’s his domain, where he feels most The hydraulic hoses, however, were comfortable and where his skills really shine. nothing compared to the work that went on The much-lauded turf surfaces presented To get Royal Melbourne presenting with Royal Melbourne’s nine fairway mowers at Royal Melbourne for last December’s and fleet of greens mowers. Sharpness, Presidents Cup were the result of many the way it did for the Presidents uniformity and quality of cut was of paramount things coming together – the knowledge and importance and Stravato and Jorgensen went guidance of one of the most experienced Cup took a monumental team to extraordinary lengths to ensure that. superintendents in the business, the dedication “Because we have nine fairway mowers of a skilled and passionate senior crew and effort. But there were two men in – some new, some old – there was different the efforts of a 90-strong tournament crew all wear in the cylinders and also different wanting to showcase their best to the world. particular who played a unique role. cylinder designs,” explains Stravato. “The But upon addressing the crew for the last time newer machines come with more aggressive ahead of the final day’s play and thanking Leaks are what give most turf technicians cylinders. The blades are more curved so they them all, Richard Forsyth reserved special sleepless nights and so Stravato and tend to take more grass off and made of a mention for two in particular. Jorgensen made the call to replace every harder steel, whereas the older ones are flatter The manner in which Royal Melbourne’s hydraulic hose on all machines that were going and not as aggressive. So sometimes you get hallowed turf was presented that week to be out on the course for the Presidents Cup differences which are noticeable when you are would not have been possible without the and covering them with a protective sheath. All cutting with teams of three – one might be a bit professionalism of both Stravato and his up some 220 hoses were replaced, completed lighter, one darker. assistant Noel Jorgensen. Taking it upon as part of a full service on each machine. “To make sure I had uniformity across themselves, they effectively spent eight That service saw all filters replaced and all nine machines, the ones that weren’t new months preparing Royal Melbourne’s huge every part of the machine flushed – traction I replaced all the cylinders, probably about fleet of machinery to be at a level demanded systems, steering systems, cutting systems. 40 all up. We stripped every head apart, for such a prestigious tournament. They put As another precaution, Stravato imported a put the new cylinder in, new bedknives and together a meticulous plan to ensure that every special biodegradable hydraulic oil from the reassembled. The theory behind doing all that machine which rolled out of the compound last US, one which is proven to cause less damage was that the whole fleet of fairway mowers December was in the best shape it could be. on turf in the event of a leak. were identical in their cut.” 24 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Above: Royal Melbourne assistant turf technician Noel Jorgensen checks and adjusts the fescue mowers. Above right: Using imported JRM tournament bedknives enabled a 1.8mm cutting height for the Presidents Cup. A total of 20 e-Flex 2100s and 2120s (two sets of 10) were used to prepare the Suttons Mix greens GOING LOW… mowers used on each green were as evenly and, in keeping with the level of perfection they One of the big talking points of the tournament matched as possible to prevent any differences had attained, they turned out another freshly was the cutting height of 1.8mm on the in colour or after cut appearance. ground set of 10 for the final round on Sunday. Suttons Mix greens. Again, Stravato and To that end, the reel diameters of all 20 “We were grinding the greens mowers a Jorgensen were to the fore in ensuring such a greens mowers – a mix of Toro Greensmaster lot,” says Stravato. “We weren’t getting a lot height was first attainable and then sustainable e-Flex 2100s and e-Flex 2120s – were of life out of those bedknives because they throughout the event. measured and grouped together. It meant that were so thin. We imported the JRM bedknives To get that low height of cut, Stravato and if greens mowing was split – as it was on the as they were the only ones that would let us Forsyth did a trial run at 1.8mm about four Friday morning of the tournament – Stravato go down to 1.8mm. I’ve never had them that weeks out from the tournament on one of the and Jorgensen could quickly and easily match low before and I was a little concerned, but short game area greens. A Toro e-Flex 2100 up two mowers with the same reel diameter to Richard wasn’t. And the results were fantastic. was fitted with an ultra-thin JRM tournament make sure everything was equal. Those bedknives are shaved really thin and on bedknife and for a week they closely Throughout tournament week – which the underside they are machined right back to monitored how the turf reacted to the lower got underway on the Sunday prior to the the screws. We barely got through the week height (Royal’s normal height is 2.2mm). main event with the Junior Presidents Cup – with each blade which is crazy!” The only noticeable issue was that the Stravato and Jorgensen spent most of their In addition to the fairway units and greens bedknives were marking a little on some of time setting the mowers up daily as well as mowers, the workshop team also set up 14 the slopes, so to remedy that Stravato and grinding. Splitting the greens mowers into two petrol-powered Flex 21s for the famed fescue Jorgensen ground off some steel, curving off groups of 10, starting from the first round of surrounds which were maintained at 7mm. the edges so they couldn’t bite in. It made all the Junior Presidents Cup they would have They were ground once before the start of the difference come the tournament. one set of 10 out cutting while the second set the tournament and again during it. A notable And it didn’t stop there. Stravato also was in the workshop being ground. feature on some of the fescue walk-behinds is wanted to ensure that if it was decided to Each set of 10 cut for two mornings before that the drum is covered in rubber to provide split greens (i.e.: have two mowers cutting being swapped over with a freshly ground set. extra traction due to the steepness of some of the same green from the middle out), that the A fresh set went out on Thursday and Saturday the approaches and surrounds. Tees were also walk-mowed, set up at 6mm and ground just before the start of the tournament. “We had conversations about how we wanted the mowers to be many months out, but both Mark and Noel took ownership of their area and they were the ones who set the high standards,” states Forsyth. “Mark was very fastidious about how sharp the mowers should be, to the point where they turned out a set of freshly ground greens mowers for both Saturday and Sunday rounds. “They were so dedicated to the task and passionate about their role. The level of detail they went to, you couldn’t ask for more than that. The quality of our turf surfaces came down to the quality of their work and I couldn’t be more complimentary of their contribution to the success of the event.” Royal Melbourne’s nine fairway units received a huge makeover in the months before the tournament JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 25 PRESIDENTS CUP Kyle Hegland from Sand Hills, Nebraska was one of five US volunteers to make the journey Down Under for the 2019 Presidents Cup 26 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Royal Melbourne hits a home run K yle Hegland reckons he US superintendent Kyle Hegland In its 2019/2020 Top 100 Greatest US should have been born an Courses rankings list, Golf Digest ranked Sand Aussie. The Wisconsin native is a self-proclaimed turf and golf Hills No.9. As Hegland phrases it, “if you like and current superintendent at golf, you couldn’t not like it.” one of America’s minimalist course architecture “dork”. He masterpieces – the Bill Coore and Ben FROM MULLEN TO MELBOURNE Crenshaw designed Sand Hills Golf Club, was therefore a veritable kid in a Mullen, Nebraska to Melbourne, Victoria is Nebraska – has long had an affinity for quite the hike – 14,500 kilometres give or Melbourne’s famed Sandbelt, an obsession candy store when he ventured to take a few. But when you’re a golf course that has developed into an incurable itch over superintendent who loves to play golf, is a a near 20-year career. the Melbourne Sandbelt as one student of the ‘firm and fast’ school and who He can lay the blame for that squarely for days could talk golf course architecture, on the shoulders of two-time Masters winner of 45 course volunteers for last then a pilgrimage to the Melbourne Sandbelt Crenshaw and legendary US superintendent is top of the bucket list. And so it transpired for Doug Petersan. While undertaking his turf December’s Presidents Cup. Hegland last December. management degree at Michigan State A number of years ago, Hegland University, Hegland interned under Petersan east to Omaha, Nebraska. As Hegland quips, saw Royal Melbourne hosting an event at the Crenshaw-designed Austin Golf Club, “it’s not on the way to anywhere”. He jokes on television. He fired off an email to Texas, which was under construction. that Ashley was interviewed harder than he superintendent Richard Forsyth expressing his Hegland clearly remembers three photos was for the job, but he ultimately got the gig congratulations on how the course looked and there, given to Crenshaw by fellow course and for the past 13 years has been able to his admiration for that style of presentation. architect doyen Tom Doak, of Royal Melbourne indulge his passion for course management. Fast forward to 2017 when it was announced Golf Club’s 18th East hole. As Hegland And doing a damn fine job of it too! that Royal Melbourne was hosting the explains, there was something hypnotising Built in 1995 and regarded as one of the Presidents Cup in 2019. By this time Hegland about the photos. They piqued something in most important course constructions of the was active on Twitter (@KyleHegland3) and him, something he couldn’t get over and he modern era, Sand Hills is a rugged natural regularly engaged in conversations on his vowed that one day he would make the trek to beauty. Coore and Crenshaw’s third design pet topics, course management philosophy Australia to see it in person. together, such is the wonderous topography of and course architecture. One of those he After graduating with his degree, Hegland the land that just 3000 cubic metres of material connected with was Australia’s own Michael returned to work under Petersan. A staunch was moved during its construction. The end Clayton who suggested he should make the devotee of the firm and fast school of course result is stunning – sweeping fescue fairways trip Down Under for the Presidents Cup. Seed preparation, Petersan’s ways resonated weaving their way over and through rolling sown. strongly with Hegland’s own emerging sand hills (hence the name), bentgrass greens Having been a volunteer at various US philosophies. Add to that his boss’s extensive complexes that were ‘discovered’ rather than tournaments and, again, convincing Ashley library of golf and course architecture books constructed and huge blowout bunkers. – yes, she’s a saint – to give him a leave that he regularly poured over, and Hegland quickly became, as he happily confesses, a golf course architect and turf “dork”. Just over four years at Austin, where he rose to assistant superintendent, at the age of 27 Hegland scored his first superintendent posting at the renowned Sand Hills. It was an opportunity he knew wouldn’t come around again and somehow convinced his then fiancée (now wife) Ashley to move from the Texas state capital to Mullen, Nebraska, in the WORDS AND PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON remote high plains of the US Midwest. Mullen is minimalist too. Just 500 people reside there and the township is situated 12 miles from the golf course. It’s a five-hour drive west to Denver, Colorado and a five-hour drive Hayden Westwood addresses the fescue team ahead of the first day of the Presidents Cup JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 27 PRESIDENTS CUP Quail Hollow assistant superintendent Michael Stell Terrific trio – Royal Melbourne’s Gerri O’Callaghan (centre), who managed the bunker crew all week, with was part of the crew. Quail Hollow hosts in 2021 tournament volunteers Susana Oliveira (The Grange GC, SA, left) and Kim Kennedy (Kingston Heath GC, Vic, right). pass, Hegland was ultimately one of 45 on such a big stage and taking a few pointers asked what his first impressions were of Royal selected to assist the Royal Melbourne crew here and there for back home. Melbourne. “It’s the people. Richard is an last December. Arriving at Royal Melbourne “I don’t like to judge conditioning and awesome guy and his staff are amazing. You the Thursday prior to the tournament, what presentation, but when you hit a home run, can see the respect they have for each other. would follow would be 11 days of pure and you hit a home run and that’s just what they It’s obvious that Richard has built a great shameless turf and architectural indulgence. did for the Presidents Cup.” culture here and they do great things because “I’d dreamed about Royal Melbourne for Hegland was a veritable sponge during of that. half my life and to be there for the Presidents his two weeks in Australia. The day after all “You can tell within minutes that Richard Cup was such a privilege,” says Hegland. the volunteers were inducted, he walked is very good at what he does and commands “There are not a lot of places in the US that the Composite Course from tee to green, respect. And you don’t even have to talk to him do ‘hard, firm and fast’. We (Sand Hills) think savouring every step and every vista along the to know that. You only have to talk to one of we do it probably as good as anyone in the way. As much as he tried, he couldn’t find a the apprentices to hear the respect everyone US, but I wanted to come and see who does it weakness. Every hole was “a thing of beauty”. has for him. the best. And it was very apparent that Royal But most special in Hegland’s eyes were “Everyone was having a good time, Melbourne does it the best in the world. the people he met and those who he worked smiling, laughing, enjoying what they do and “I’ve been fortunate to visit and play a lot alongside. Whether it was preparing bunkers, doing a really good job. It’s not often you of great courses in the US, but I don’t think assisting the greens mowing team or filling see that in the US and it was so refreshing to there is anything that can compare to Royal divots, just the chance to spend time talking be part of that every day. It’s something that Melbourne, particularly the way Richard turf and doing something he loves on a course I’m trying to do at my facility – build a culture and his crew maintain the course and the that “turns his chain”, he was in his element. where you have fun doing what we do. As turf philosophy behind it. It was so much fun to “The first thing I noticed had nothing managers we do some pretty awesome stuff watch and see how they managed the course to do with the turf,” explains Hegland when every day and you got to smile and have fun doing it, otherwise what’s the point. “To me, everything about Royal Melbourne is right. From the leadership, to the crew, to the course, to the greens; it is perfect. Why can’t the rest of the golfing world figure this out?!” As well as working the Presidents Cup, Hegland also took the opportunity to visit a number of other courses in and around Melbourne during his stay. Within hours of stepping off the plane from the US he was teeing up on the Old Course at The National. In between his shifts he was visiting the likes of Yarra, Metropolitan, Kingston Heath and Victoria, chewing the ear off the respective superintendents. It was invigorating for the 41-year-old and he returned home with a Member of the Royal Melbourne crew for the 2011 Presidents Cup, now Horizons Golf Club superintendent Duncan Begley returned to volunteer in 2019 28 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Kiwi volunteers (from left) Barry Shannon, Sam Keats, Yannick Weber, Dan Moreton and Dylan Griffin morning assignment meetings were poignantly duos. Husband and wife team Adam Fry hilarious and a great time for Richard to riff (assistant superintendent, Kooyonga GC) with his staff over the prior days follies. Down and Susana Oliveira (senior greenkeeper, The Michael Clavin (The Dunes, Vic) was one of a number to every little detail, Richard and his managers Grange GC) drove across from Adelaide, while of apprentice volunteers on the crew got 45 volunteers in lock-step with the regular Longyard Golf Club superintendent Adam catalogue of memories, not to mention a staff in just a few days. McMahon and his apprentice Jock McPherson collection of books for his own burgeoning turf “It was an amazing adventure... and to journeyed down from Tamworth. and golf library. experience golf in a completely different culture Then there were identical twins Mitchell “You have an embarrassment of riches has been inspiring beyond expectation.” and Luke Driver. Between them they have in Melbourne,” states Hegland. “It was Quail Hollow, which will host the next worked around the world in recent years so fun to be there and go around visiting Presidents Cup in 2021, was also represented and notched up more than 12 tournaments. those great courses and meeting wonderful at Royal Melbourne. Superintendent Keith Indeed, only a few months before teaming people. Everyone was fantastic and so Wood was out for a few days to get a feel up at the Presidents Cup, they were working accommodating. I must have screwed up of the tournament set up and rode shotgun alongside each other at the 2019 Solheim Cup somewhere along the way and was born on with Forsyth as the crew went about their at Gleneagles, Scotland, Luke joining his older the wrong continent. Those people are my sort preparations ahead of day two. His assistants sibling who was a seasonal greenkeeper there of people.” Michael Stell and Parker Henry were on crew at the time. for the week, cutting greens and fairways. And, finally, there was a strong contingent FROM FAR AFIELD Also lending their services on the of New Zealanders, with six making their way Hegland wasn’t the only visitor from foreign international stage were a couple of dynamic across the Tasman – Sam Keats, Dan Moreton shores last December to rave about Royal. In and Dylan Griffin (all Tara Iti), Yannick Weber between their shifts, fellow American volunteers (Cape Kidnappers), Phil Iball (Jacks Point) Peter Braun (assistant superintendent, and the legend Barry Shannon (ex-Belmont The Minikhada Club) and Paul van Buren Golf Club). For Shannon, it was a particularly (superintendent, Kanawha Golf Club) wrote special week and provided a perfect bookend blogs for US turf management website TurfNet. to a storied turf management career spanning In his final Presidents Cup post, Van Buren more than four decades. was effusive in his praise of Royal Melbourne, Recipient of the NZGCSA’s highest rating his time as “the most professionally honour last June, the Distinguished Service enlightening experience one could ever Award, Shannon had three months prior to imagine.” the Presidents Cup hung up the hole changer “Pictures cannot capture the dedication for the last time at Wanganui’s Belmont Golf of the 45 full-time staff members who care for Club after 37 years in charge. Shannon had this 36-hole golf mecca. From the moment you never volunteered at a tournament in his step foot into the futuristic maintenance facility, whole career, but after contacting his old mate you are met with the most proud, professional, Forsyth he got a tournament guernsey. enjoyable human beings on the planet. And it “Richard looked after me,” laughs absolutely starts at the top. Shannon. “It was a fantastic week and I “One hundred per cent of the dynamic, thoroughly enjoyed being inside the ropes for of the perfection/imperfection (however you such a major event. The course was a picture choose to appreciate it) of Royal Melbourne and the whole atmosphere was amazing to comes from Richard Forsyth. Richard is the be part of. I had never done anything like this Newcastle Golf Club volunteer Jordan Phillips cuts the man. An absolute legend in his own time. His before; now I wish I had!” fescue approach on Composite 12 (2 East) JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 29 TOURNAMENTS 30 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 From one Royal to another After seven years at RACV Royal Pines Resort, the Australian PGA Championship is on the move in 2020. ATM editor Brett Robinson looks back at last December’s event which brought to an end a 27-year tournament run for the Gold Coast course. PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON Last December’s PGA drew the curtain on RACV Royal Pines’ seven-year tenure hosting the tournament. Pictured is the 10th JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 31 TOURNAMENTS The RACV Royal Pines crew on the 18th green after their final round preparations for the Australian PGA Championship last December W hen Lincoln Coombes After its five contracted PGAs between 27-year run of hosting tournaments. In addition arrived as the new course 2013 and 2017, the tournament continued to the PGA, for 25 years up until 2016 it was superintendent of RACV on in 2018, but by this time there were also home of the Australian Ladies Masters Royal Pines in November discussions about the tournament’s future at (the tournament was rebadged as the RACV 2011, little did he except the the resort. That talk grew louder leading into Gold Coast Challenge in 2017). During that journey he would ultimately end up taking in last December’s tournament and sure enough time a who’s who of the international women’s the proceeding eight years. It was essentially just a little over three weeks after Adam Scott game strode the Royal Pines couchgrass a lifestyle choice to uproot his young family collected his second Joe Kirkwood Cup, fairways, among them champions Jane Crafter from the Mornington Peninsula back then and the PGA of Australia announced that the (who won the first there in 1992), Laura Davies, head to the warm climes of the Gold Coast, tournament was heading up the M1 to Royal Annika Sorenstam and Karrie Webb who but within 15 months of arriving at the resort Queensland Golf Club for the next three years. collected an incredible eight titles. course Coombes found himself involved in one After seven consecutive PGAs, it was a For Coombes, last December’s tournament of the most challenging and rewarding periods bittersweet announcement for Coombes and was the 13th televised event of his tenure of his career. his crew, bringing to an end an incredible there, while for some of the longer serving Already home of the Australian Ladies members of the crew, among them turf tech Masters, it was in February 2013 when the Tony Henderson (21 years), Chris Hood PGA of Australia announced that its flagship (16 years), Kai Harness (13 years), Graeme event – the Australian PGA Championship McGrath (12 years) and David Pank (11 years), – was moving from Hyatt Coolum to the between them they have notched up nearly Gold Coast. Shortly after Coombes had 100 tournaments. Although philosophical marshalled the troops for the first PGA in about the tournament moving on, Coombes early November 2013, a full championship is immensely proud at what he and his course reconstruction ensued over the next team have managed to achieve since the two years. The front nine was first, between tournament landed on their patch. the 2014 Ladies Masters in February and 2014 “Talk about the tournament moving had PGA which had been moved back to late been around for a while,” reflects Coombes. November/early December, and then the back “It’s sad to see it go because I think each year, nine between the 2015 Ladies Masters and since the reconstruction, the course has been 2015 PGA. getting better and better. I wouldn’t say it was From the flat, benign track that it once was, easier each year, but we got to understand the Graham Marsh remodelling turned Royal more what the course was doing. In saying Pines into one of the most feared tournament that, it will be nice to have a rest. At least now layouts (indeed, it now ranks second behind I’ll be able to attend some of our suppliers’ Brookwater as the toughest in Queensland). Christmas parties that I have always had to All the new surfaces were solid turfed and for miss! the 2014 and 2015 tournaments Coombes and “When I first moved up here I knew I’d be his crew had to prepare a mix of old, new and involved with the Ladies Masters, but never in maturing holes. It was a huge challenge, but my wildest dreams did I think we’d be hosting one they ultimately pulled off, and in the years the Australian PGA Championship and that since the new playing surfaces have continued One of the best tournament hole changers in the we’d go through a full course reconstruction, to mature and bed down nicely. business – assistant superintendent Greg Jager manage the grow-in and host tournaments in 32 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 David Duncan headed the fairway crew for the tournament Despite those challenges, the course that Coombes and his team presented received nothing but positive feedback from players and officials. “The six months leading into the tournament were very dry,” explains Coombes. “We were below 50 per cent of our annual average rainfall for the year and ended up with just 658.5mm. I remember thinking that is more like Melbourne’s yearly average – normally we talk in metres up here! Of course that all changed in late January/early February and we went from one extreme to the other. We had 301mm fall in one hit – nearly half of our entire 2019 total – and by the second week of February we were sitting at a year-to-date of 660mm, 2mm more than what we had for all and around it all. I certainly look back on my watch his staffing levels drop from a peak of of 2019! resumé now and never would have thought it 22 full-timers down to a present crew of just “Considering the lack of rain, the course would look like what it does now. nine full-time staff and five casuals. Despite came up well for the tournament. Luckily we “I am incredibly proud of what we have that reduction Coombes says they have never have recycled water, but you could tell the turf achieved over the past seven years. Each wavered in their desire to present the best was getting to the point where it was starting to tournament has had its own challenges both course possible and have always found a way suffer a little. We were watering fairways from on and off the course. The guys put in a lot to be get the job done. And that comes down dawn to dusk and pulling a lot of hoses and of work each year to get the course up and squarely to having a great crew. knockers around the place to make sure the we often didn’t have the big crews that some edges got a bit more moisture into them. We of the other major tournament courses have SMALL CREW, BIG RESULTS injected a bit of wetting agent and citric acid to had.” The 2019 PGA and its lead-in had a different help the water become a bit softer and get into Looking back, Coombes can pick many feel for Coombes and not just because the profile which worked well.” highlights. From a golfing perspective, the of the talk surrounding the tournament’s The biggest challenge for Coombes, redevelopment reinvigorated Royal Pines, future. Initially scheduled for the last week of however, was having the tournament so close taking it from a course that would routinely get November, back in March last year the PGA of to Christmas. The traditional early December slaughtered by the pros and turning it into a Australia announced that the tournament was timeslot meant it was easier for surrounding much-vaunted tournament venue. It certainly moving to the weekend just prior to Christmas clubs to send over a few more volunteers for tested the best off the back markers and due to the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. the week. That wasn’t the case this time and has had a knack of producing some riveting Coombes also had to contend with an on top of that Coombes also had to contend finishes, none better than the epic seven- extremely dry run of weather between July with losing four full-time qualified staff over the hole playoff between eventual winner Greg and December, as well as a heavy corporate previous 12 months who were replaced by Chalmers, Adam Scott and Wade Ormsby in golf schedule which forced a switch to his casual staff. 2014. greens renovation programme from its usual “We started our preparations earlier than There has also been a lot of variation September timeslot to January/February 2020. normal due to the timing and knowing we during that period after the resort’s ‘concert wouldn’t have as many hands-on deck,” lawn’ was transformed into a training venue. explains Coombes. “Three of our casuals After undertaking some significant renovations started within a few months of the tournament, to the area (which often doubled as a car so we had to get them up to speed quick. park during major events), the feather in the That’s where the more experienced guys on cap came when the resort hosted a training crew really stepped up. camp for Manchester City Football Club. That “When you see the crew numbers at The provided the catalyst for other elite sporting Australian and Royal Melbourne, and you look clubs to use the Royal Pines facilities, among at our little crew here, I was very happy with them NRL, A-League and AFL sides (the most the way the course presented for the week. recent being Coombes’ beloved Richmond I’m so proud of the boys – they were fantastic Football Club), as well as, in recent years, the and dug in deep. There’s always more that Chinese men’s and women’s national soccer you would love to do, but at the end of the teams. day we are a public golf course – the Saturday However, what gives Coombes most before the tournament we had 287 golfers go satisfaction has been seeing his staff grow through!” during this time and how they’ve relished being a part of all aspects of maintenance ALWAYS SOMETHING… operations. It has been by no means easy Unlike some past PGAs at RACV Royal Pines, and over the years Coombes has had to Kai Harness triplex cuts greens at 3mm the weather thankfully played ball for the 2019 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 33 TOURNAMENTS Left: Darryn Avery trims the surrounds Above: Tom Bath (pictured) and fellow Sanctuary Cove crew member Graeme Andrews rolled greens Coombes says that even though it was only a 1mm difference, the fairways looked much cleaner and tighter as a result. Tees and surrounds were at 6mm. UP THE ROAD edition and the tournament was contested in so it washed out all sand from above it and The PGA tournament mantle now passes to superb conditions. In saying that, Coombes didn’t compromise the bunker. We shut it down Royal Queensland superintendent Adam Mills did have to deal with something out of left field and called all the boys back in. They grabbed who has been in charge there since mid-2017 on the Sunday before the tournament after shovels and brooms and started cleaning off after the sad and sudden passing of former a sprinkler on the collar of the par three 16th as much of the sand and soil as we could and superintendent Marcus Price. Mills, who green let go, sending a torrent of water, sand then came back in on Monday and hosed off volunteered his services at the 2019 Emirates and soil spewing across the surface. the rest and repaired the break.” Australian Open, and his crew got a practice “We had a nice little water feature there for Coombes was grateful for a few helping run when they hosted the 2020 Australian a while,” jokes Coombes. “It happened about hands during the week. Mature-age apprentice Amateur Championship in mid-January. The 5pm on the Sunday just as we were about Ryan Murphy, who two weeks earlier had course received great reviews and luckily the to head home. The course was closed that volunteered at the 2019 Emirates Australian tournament concluded just minutes before a afternoon so we took the opportunity to get Open, came across from Lakelands Golf Club torrential downpour smashed the course. everyone in to do some cutting and spraying, to help cut greens. Graeme Andrews and The 2020 PGA coincides with the club’s including an application of Primo on the Tom Bath, both from Sanctuary Cove, rolled centenary celebrations (one of the reasons the greens. greens every morning, while Lance Woodham club was eager to host the tournament) and “The boys were in the shed packing up and Trent Knapp also journeyed down from sees the return of an event which it hosted and all of a sudden I get a call from one of the Meadowbrook to jump on a fairway mower. back in 2000 and 2001. Since that time, PGA officials telling me there’s water running Preparations didn’t deviate much all the course has undergone some significant across the 16th green! One of the sprinklers tournament week, with the TifEagle greens changes thanks to the duplication of the on the right-hand side had blown straight out receiving a triplex cut at 3mm morning and Gateway Bridge, the club losing a total of six of the tapping saddle, sending water and soil afternoon, with the rollers going across holes to the east of the new motorway. That across the green, over the hole and down the them after the morning cut. The Wintergreen forced a major redesign of the layout under the front of the green into the lake. fairways were kept at 9mm, down from the auspices of course architect Michael Clayton, “The sprinkler was right next to the 10mm of previous tournaments. The height with the new-look design completed in 2007. greenside bunker, but luckily it blew upwards of cut was brought down after winter and Writing on the OCCM website, Clayton notes “the new course is characterised by wide fairways, very little rough, bunkers cut right into the middle of fairways at several holes and a number of undulating greens. It is quite a flat course but it asks the strategically aware to think about where best to set up the best line of approach for the next shot. “No course we have designed better exemplifies the principle of players having to make up their own minds about how best to play a hole as opposed to being told exactly how to play it by the architect or superintendent.” And that will be put to the ultimate test when it hosts the game’s best come the end of the year. It was a busy summer for Lakelands Golf Club crew member Ryan Murphy having volunteered at both the Australian Open and PGA Championship 34 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 TOURNAMENTS United Nations of The Australian Wearing face masks, blowing ash and charred leaves off greens… it was an Emirates Australian Open to remember for the diverse crew at The Australian Golf Club last December. S ince migrating from the UK After a challenging lead-in thanks to a very back in 2005, Phil Beal has had dry and relatively cool spring, come the week plenty of time to acclimatise to of the tournament Beal, as well as tournament the vagaries of Australia’s (and officials, were thrown a curveball out of left Sydney’s) fickle weather. His first field. Fanned by westerly winds, the bushfires superintendent posting was at Twin Creeks raging to the west of Sydney and up on the Golf and Country Club in Sydney’s western Central Coast at the time sent a choking suburbs, which as anyone will tell you can get smoke plume which blanketed the harbour city brutally hot during the peak of summer. But in pretty much the entire week. the 10 years since taking over as custodian of With air quality officially rated hazardous, The Australian Golf Club, he can’t quite recall the smoke was that thick in the early part of more surreal conditions than what prevailed the week that some of The Australian crew the week of last December’s 2019 Emirates resorted to wearing face masks as they went Australian Open. about their preparations. Conditions hadn’t 36 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Left: The 2019 Emirates Australian Open was the fourth time in six years that The Australian had hosted the tournament, taking its total to 21, the most of any other club in Australia Above: The Australian’s tournament crew numbered 50, with 28 volunteers from across Australia and around the world assisting Phil Beal and his team It cleared up by the weekend but the haze was WORDS AND PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON still very visible. “Some of the guys on the crew wore masks while out on the course and quite rightly too. At one point on the Tuesday after lunch I was considering bringing everyone in as the smoke was that bad. Every morning there was ash everywhere and it looked a mess. It was amazing just how much there was. I don’t think it had an effect on the greens, but you just improved much by the time the tournament cough like you’ve got something in your lungs. don’t know.” teed off on Thursday, with Kiwi professional It’s not fun.” and asthma sufferer Ryan Chisnall playing his For Beal and his tournament crew of 50, DIALLING IN opening round wearing a face mask. 2015 every morning they went out with backpack Despite such unique circumstances, Beal and winner Matt Jones, who would eventually go blowers to clear the greens of ash and in his crew ended up producing another sublime on to win for a second time on a much clearer some cases burnt leaves that had settled on stage for what was the club’s 21st hosting of Sunday, commented after his first round that the course overnight prior to cutting. Indeed, the Open. Among some of the key practices they were the worst conditions he had ever all The Australian’s fleet of mowers and to get the course up for the tournament in the played in. maintenance vehicles were covered in a thin months and weeks leading up to it included; “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” veneer of black soot all week. l Poa annua infestation on the A1/A4 stated Jones. “Even when I played in China I “The conditions were pretty challenging bentgrass greens proved a headache don’t think it was like this at all. The smoke’s to work in,” explains Beal. “The smoke haze over the cooler months. Assistant not good. It’s tough to see where your golf ball was very bad early in the week and for the superintendent Dave Smith and crew finishes. Your eyes do burn and I’ve got that golfers the first round was probably the worst. member Sean Breen spent numerous JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 37 TOURNAMENTS Bill Whybrow (right) leads the front nine fairway crew down the 3rd on the morning of the final round scalped down four times, with the height refurbished between 2012 and 2013 – were dropped to the lowest that the EdgeMax again problematic. While they ultimately bottom blades could go to ensure scalping presented fine for the tournament after remained uniform. Scalping began with a a very light renovation, Beal was still green-to-tee mow through all 18 holes to not happy with them and is looking at Marcus Strand, one of two Swedish seasonal remove as much grain as possible. That converting them in the coming years, most greenkeepers on The Australian crew, was among was followed by a left-to-right stripe and likely back to Santa Ana. a number of staff to don face masks to combat the right-to-left stripe before being given one l After the greens had recovered from smoke during tournament week final cross cut scalp (9 to 3 pattern) then renovations, they were dusted weekly topdressed. up until the week before the tournament. hours plugging areas out, with around l Likewise with the bunker edges, due to Rates were initially 650kg before being 5000 plugs pulled and replaced. some incidence of BF1 disease, it was upped to 750kg. l Renovations were undertaken on all decided not to scalp them as aggressively “Spring really didn’t help us out a lot this surfaces at the start of September. in the tournament lead-up. Flymos set with time,” reflects Beal on the lead-in. “It was very l The 1.25 hectares of greens were cored two-and-a-half spacers were used instead. dry and we didn’t get the temperatures we with 12mm Toro Titan tines, amendments With more frequent fertilising and Primo wanted. We topdressed the fairways and then (a total of five) added and 48 tonnes of applications, the bunker surrounds were they just sat there which was very frustrating. topdressing sand spread and rubbed in. a lot tighter and less puffy than previous They only really started growing in November l Renovations on the Santa Ana fairways tournaments. were less aggressive than in years past. l The Grand Prix tees – a constant source Using a Toro 7000-D, the fairways were of headache for Beal since the course was Deadly duo… The Australian’s Keith Simms (foreground) teamed up with Eastlake volunteer Toby Ardler on greens mowing detail for the Open. The A1/A4 bentgrass greens were cut at 2.8mm Jamie Smith hand-waters the 17th green 38 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Oatlands assistant superintendent Martyna Synak volunteered for her second Australian Open and two weeks out we had a lot of seedhead in Australian crew member Keith Simms and Jake Smith rolls the 11th green come out. We got rid of that by cutting in Eastlake Golf Club volunteer Toby Ardler. a different direction and then putting Primo A number of interstate superintendents Wimbledon Golf Club in London. The crew out and they ended up being pure for the jetted in, among them multiple Victorian Open also included two female turf managers – tournament – tight and firm, just superb. host super Steve Hewitt (Thirteenth Beach Oatlands Golf Club assistant superintendent “The greens were a little bit weird Golf Links) and Royal Queensland’s Adam Martyna Synak, who had previously throughout the week, more so than in previous Mills who will prepare his course for the 2020 volunteered in 2014, and WA-based Brittney years when we have had the tournament. We Australian PGA Championship after it was Goldsworthy. usually get into them on the Saturday morning named as the new host venue. “The whole of the week was superb,” before tournament week with a double cut at Irishman Sean Breen, who is full-time on enthuses Beal. “The volunteers were a 2.8mm and the speed normally comes straight The Australian crew, had his brother Chris super bunch and we had a great mix – a few away. But it didn’t this time. Why, I’m not sure. (Rosapenna Hotel and Golf Resort in Donegal, superintendents, some internationals and So we had to play around with them all week, Ireland) riding shotgun for the week. UK Martyna and Brittney here as well which was trying to get some firmness and consistent based superintendent Russell Lewis journeyed sensational. They all gelled brilliantly and speed out of them. from Hale Golf Club near Manchester, while went about their work setting up the course “By the weekend of the tournament they Max Hope made the trip from Gleneagles in so easily and seamlessly in the mornings. hadn’t had a good water for 9-10 days and Scotland. Having the course closed the Saturday and in hindsight I wish that I’d dumped them on UK greenkeeper Bill Whybrow, who Sunday before made it so much easier to get the Sunday. When they started to dry out we volunteered at the 2017 Open, also returned them around the course and show them their probably hand-watered them a little too much, but this time as a seasonal, while Victorian various tasks. And they smashed it – I couldn’t so they were a little bit softer than I would have Lachie Kenna took leave from his role at Royal have been happier with them.” liked and therefore couldn’t get the speed as easily as in previous years. We ended up single cutting and rolling to get the pace. It was a little frustrating, mainly because the rest of the golf course was absolutely pure which was really pleasing.” HANDS ON DECK Since hosting the Open on the new-look layout in 2014, Beal has always had a strong volunteer corps assisting his regular crew for each tournament and 2019 was no different. A total of 28 volunteers were enlisted and arrived the Saturday before tournament week, taking the crew up to 50. It was a veritable United Nations that kitted up each day, with the likes of England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Poland, the USA and France all represented, not to mention two very proud Aboriginals Former Australian crew member and ex-pat Scot Kenny Adams (now Bonnie Doon) returned to help out trimming approaches and green surrounds JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 39 TOURNAMENTS NEW DIGS “We had about 60 attend which I was The highlight of the tournament, for the really pleased with,” says Beal, who came crew at least, was being able to operate up with the idea following his own battles out of a brand-new maintenance facility, the with mental health over the years. “As well culmination of years of planning and the as the tournament crew, we had a couple investment of some significant resources by of superintendents come in with their crews the club. which was really positive to see. I hope those The maintenance facility redevelopment who attended got something out of it, even if occurred over two stages, the first being the it’s just to generate some more awareness of construction of a new satellite storage facility these sorts of issues, the signs to look out for in between hosting the 2015 and 2017 Opens. and what steps to take to seek help. Located about 200m away from the main “The club were very supportive and ran compound between the 5th and 6th fairways, with the idea and it was also great to have this area contains 400m2 of machinery storage, the support of Beyond Blue, NSWGCSA and a washdown bay, a fuel tank and refill area, ASTMA. The Beyond Blue ambassador who a chemical storage and handling facility, a addressed the group talked through some fertiliser store, water treatment facility and five of the issues he had faced and highlighted sand bays. that when you start losing enthusiasm or not The second stage of works, completed enjoying the things that you would normally, last winter, saw the complete redevelopment that’s when you need to take action. It is so of the main compound. Construction started important to be aware of the signs and I know The Australian’s 3IC Mat Soles sets up the practice the previous winter and the finishing touches because I’ve had to go through that.” putter early on Sunday were still being put to the new structures and internal layouts as tournament preparations 10m. It has been received really well by the TOURNAMENT BREAK started to ramp up. members and it doesn’t look offensive or Having hosted four Opens in the past six years The main compound comprises a 500m2 stick out at all. The landscaping around these (2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019), the Australian staff amenities building which includes senior areas will continue to grow and overtime it will Open heads south in 2020, the first time the staff offices, lunch room/meeting room and disappear from view even more.” tournament has been in Victoria since 2005 staff locker rooms. Across the compound is an The new facility was used to conduct a when Moonah Links hosted. It will be played 800m2 workshop and machinery storage area special seminar on mental health, organised for the first time in Melbourne since the 2002 which has a mezzanine above the workshop by Beal, after the crew had completed their Open at Victoria Golf Club which was reduced area. The new facility is a far cry from the Friday preparations. Held in conjunction with to 54 holes due to unplayable conditions. The previous and as Beal says it made such a Beyond Blue and supported by the NSWGCSA Open returns to The Australian in 2021 and huge difference when accommodating an and Australian Sports Turf Managers 2023, with the revitalised Victoria Golf Club to expanded crew for the tournament. Association (ASTMA), the seminar broached host in 2022. “It was brilliant,” says Beal of the new topics on workplace wellness and the signs While it will afford Beal and his crew a facility. “Whether it’s just our daily operations and symptoms of depression and anxiety. decent break from the rigours of tournament or hosting something like the Open, having preparation, by no means will the foot be taken the space makes everything far more efficient off the accelerator. A number of projects are and relaxed. We can easily get up to 60 people in the pipeline, including extending the back in here at one time. It’s what a maintenance tee on the par four 16th as well as a new cart facility should be. It’s not over the top and it path on the 4th. The major project, however, makes such a difference in the way everyone will come this August with the revamp of the can go about their tasks. southern driving range area. “We knew what this part (the staff With the northern range undergoing a amenities facility) was going to be like and we revamp in the lead-up to the 2019 Open, the knew how much space we had over there (the southern range, wedged between the 17th workshop). Turf technician Josh Cuch has set and 18th fairways, is set to have a multi- up the workshop amazingly well. The most purpose makeover. While it will continue to surprising thing has been the space and how primarily function as a driving range, it will also much bigger the yard is outside. What makes incorporate six holes which can be turned into the new compound work is having that satellite a short course suitable for kids, women’s Try area. If it wasn’t for that space, which has the Golf or older members who struggle with the washdown, chemical store, fuel area and sand length of the championship course. bays, then this area wouldn’t work as it does. A 2000m2 putting and chipping green “The whole facility has been incorporated will also be constructed, along with a 2000m2 nicely into the surrounds of the 5th green teeing ground and five greens. That will bring and 6th tee area. The goal was to hide it to an end what has been more than eight from the golf course as much as possible years of major projects that the club has and I think we managed to do that. We embarked upon since the initial Jack Nicklaus increased the mounding at the back of the course reconstruction started back in June Jacob Smith tests moisture levels in the 3rd green after 5th and also pushed the 6th tee back about 2012. completion of Saturday’s third round 40 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 F TMI A further 18 up and coming turf managers will take part in the 2020 Future Turf Managers’ Initiative this March Leading the way ATM profiles the latest intake of turf managers to be accepted into the ASTMA Future Turf Managers’ Initiative, presented in partnership with Jacobsen, which will be held in March. S ince its inception in 2016, the MARK BATEMAN ASTMA Future Turf Managers’ Assistant superintendent Initiative (FTMI) has provided an Kooringal GC, Vic essential stepping stone for turf Originally from Queensland, managers looking at improving Bateman’s first taste of the their skill set to take on the next challenge in either completed internships through The Ohio industry came preparing bowling greens their careers. Many of the Jacobsen-sponsored Program or played significant roles in major for play during the school holidays. programme’s alumni have gone on to reach tournament preparations both here in Australia That progressed into a six-year stint at the top tier, with 2019 FTMI participant Scott and around the world, including the recent Rockhampton Golf Club before he headed Reid being the latest. Shortly before New Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club. overseas to take on an internship through The Year, Reid was successful in gaining the The 2020 class will be joined by three Ohio Program at Fiddle Stick Country Club in superintendent role at Launceston Golf Club, superintendent mentors who will help Florida. making the move across from Country Club guide and assist the candidates throughout Returning home, between 2007 and 2011 Tasmania. the intensive 2.5-day programme. Stuart Bateman was bowls superintendent at Emu A further 18 up and coming turf managers Campbell, who was a part of the very first FTMI Park Bowls Club in Yeppoon, before taking will look to emulate Reid’s achievements programme in 2016, will make his mentor on an area manager role for the Coochie in the coming years when they converge debut having taken over as superintendent Hydrogreen Lawn franchise. Between 2014 on Melbourne from 15-17 March for the at Maroochy River Golf Club on the Sunshine and 2016 he was assistant superintendent fifth annual staging of the FTMI. This year’s Coast last year. Also returning is experienced at Capricorn International Resort and was all group includes two New Zealanders, as Kiwi dual general manager/superintendent Leo set to take over the head role when the resort well as a couple of ex-pat Canadians and Barber (Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club) who shut down. Managing to convince his family ex-pat Englishmen, and all have gained has been a mentor for the past two FTMIs. The to move to Melbourne so he could do his significant experience as their careers have ASTMA, together with Jacobsen, congratulates Diploma and gain some much-needed cool- progressed. Many of this year’s group have the following Class of 2020… season grass experience, Bateman spent a 42 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 at his local cricket club – Maer and Westlands golf course management. After his time at – before working a season at Leek Golf Club. Elanora, Bowden moved to the Gold Coast In 2008 Blagg headed to the US, taking on and worked briefly at The Grand Golf Club an internship through The Ohio Program. He under Rod Cook before heading to The initially spent the first six months at Whistling Glades Golf Club to work under and learn Straits (host of the 2020 Ryder Cup) before from Glenn Gibson-Smith. Bowden was then moving south to work a further six-month successful in applying for the vacant assistant stint on the Blue Monster course at Doral Golf superintendent role at Pennant Hills Golf Resort and Spa. In March 2009 he got his first Club in Sydney, working under the highly taste of working a professional golf tournament experienced Richard Kirkby. when Doral hosted the annual World Golf Championship event. HAMISH BUCKINGHAM The Ohio Program was a life changing Assistant superintendent experience and opened up a number of Commonwealth GC, Vic avenues moving forward for Blagg. After his Growing up on a farm in New Ohio internship had finished up, he spent a Zealand, Buckingham played couple of seasons at Loch Lomond Golf Club golf five days a week after school at the local in Scotland, being part of two Scottish Opens. course where his father did the volunteer In between one of those seasons, he headed mowing. After finishing high school he decided to Australia after securing a seasonal position that with his farming background and passion at New South Wales Golf Club. Blagg spent for golf, a career in the turf industry was the six months there during which time the club ideal path to take. hosted the 2009 Australian Open. After completing his apprenticeship at In 2010, Blagg secured a sponsorship visa Otago Polytechnic and spending time at at Roseville Golf Club and the following year Wanaka and Alexandra golf clubs, in 2011 was promoted to assistant superintendent. In Buckingham landed a job at Royal Melbourne January 2016, he started his current job as Golf Club after visiting the course prior to one of two assistant superintendents at The that year’s Presidents Cup. Shortly after Since its inception in 2016, the FTMI has provided an Lakes Golf Club and played a major role in moving to Melbourne, he completed his essential stepping stone for turf managers looking at improving their skill set to take on the next challenge overseeing preparations for the 2018 Emirates Diploma in Sports Turf Management and in their careers Australian Open. worked his way up to foreman in 2015. His time at Royal Melbourne proved the perfect year at Northern Golf Club before moving to SHAUN BOWDEN grounding for his next move which was across Kooringal Golf Club as a foreman/irrigation Assistant superintendent to Commonwealth Golf Club as assistant tech. Pennant Hills GC, NSW superintendent at the start of 2019. Working under superintendent Tay Originally from the country, Highlights of Buckingham’s career to Wilson, over the last 14 months Bateman has Bowden was fortunate to start his date have included working televised events, completed his Diploma, was project manager career at Elanora Country Club on Sydney’s most notably the 2011 Presidents Cup and for Kooringal’s green surround irrigation Northern Beaches. Under the guidance of volunteering at the 2019 Solheim Cup. As well upgrade, risen the ranks to dual assistant superintendent Dan Cook, he completed his as developing his skills in golf course and turf superintendent and also volunteered for the Cert III, IV and Diploma, along with gaining management, Buckingham is also nurturing a 2019 Presidents Cup. In addition to being a huge amount of experience in all areas of developing interest in golf course architecture. selected for this year’s FTMI, Bateman has also applied to be part of the course management team at The Kasumigaseki Country Club for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. SIMON BLAGG Assistant superintendent The Lakes GC, NSW Now an Australian citizen, Blagg grew up in sunny Cheshire in the UK, gaining his turf qualifications at Reaseheath College. While studying there over a four-year period, he worked at Keele Golf Club and also completed a two-month placement at The Oval cricket ground, working under legendary groundsman Bill Gordon. He then secured a voluntary groundsman position 2020 FTMI participant Sam Butler was part of the team at the Sydney Showgrounds until taking on a role at Sydney’s exclusive Barker College last September JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 43 F TMI joined the crew at Victoria Golf Club. Under SAM BUTLER superintendent Steven Newell, Douglas was Greenkeeper part of the team that undertook the complete Barker College, NSW reconstruction of Victoria’s greens, tees Butler started her career as a and surrounds. With that project nearing its horticulture apprentice at Holroyd completion, Douglas reprised his old role as City Council (now Cumberland City Council), foreman at Spring Valley before being elevated receiving the 2013 Horticultural Apprentice of to assistant there last September. the Year and Overall Apprentice of the Year awards for 1300 Apprentice Training Group at TOM GRIFFIN its completion. In 2016 she joined the team at Senior greenkeeper the Sydney Showgrounds in a hort role where Queanbeyan GC, ACT she also assisted then head curator Terry Griffin’s introduction to the turf O’Keeffe with preparation of the arena for the industry came as a competitive likes of Big Bash League, AFL and A-League lawn bowler with Queanbeyan Bowls Club. His matches. prowess on the rink led to him being offered Once she started working at the an apprenticeship when he was 17. Showgrounds, Butler’s eyes were opened to Soon after completing his apprenticeship, the possibilities of what she could achieve he moved to Scotland to take part in a in the industry. To that end, in 2018 she took greenkeeping internship at St. Andrews Links, unpaid leave to travel to the UK and broaden an incredible introduction to golf course her knowledge. She spent three months maintenance. Griffin learnt a lot from the interning at Campey Turf Care Systems before The Lakes assistant superintendent Simon Blagg mentorship and various educational events, as spending a further three months at London’s played an all-encompassing role in preparations for well as being involved with preparations for the the 2018 Emirates Australian Open famous Arsenal Football Club. Alfred Dunhill Links tournament. During her time at the Showgrounds, The following two years were spent Butler was featured alongside AFLW Giants BRENDAN DOOLEY travelling internationally and gaining valuable players and seasonal crew members Pepa Assistant superintendent experience as a seasonal greenkeeper. Randall and Aimee Schmidt on the front cover Peppers The Sands Torquay, Among the highlights during that period of Australian Turfgrass Management Journal Vic included working at Jacks Point, NZ and (Jan-Feb 2019 – Volume 21.1). Butler left the A love for the game of golf being part of the team at Wimbledon in Showgrounds at the end of September and inspired Dooley to turn that into a career in turf 2018. Since returning to Australia, Griffin has is currently a greenkeeper at Sydney’s Barker management. Having played the game since taken on a role at Queanbeyan Golf Club College. he was 14, Dooley took on an apprenticeship and is undertaking his Diploma in Sports Turf at Yarra Golf Club in 2008. After 4.5 years Management. AARON CACHIA there he moved across to Keysborough GC Assistant superintendent where he was promoted to course foreman. STEPHEN HUDSON Ryde-Parramatta GC, NSW Five years later Dooley was making a lifestyle Senior greenkeeper Growing up in rural Queensland, change and moving to Torquay where he was Headland Golf Club, Qld Cachia played a lot of sport so appointed as assistant superintendent at The Hailing from Liverpool, England, working outdoors was a natural progression. Sands, the highlight of his 12-year career to Hudson developed a passion He completed his apprenticeship at Sydney’s date. for golf as a teenager, starting off as a casual Strathfield Golf Club in 2009 and was soon in a pro-shop before progressing to golf appointed the 3IC/irrigation tech at Eastlake NICHOLAS DOUGLAS professional at a local golf course in the Golf Club. An opportunity to work at the Assistant superintendent northwest of England. At the age of 23 he exclusive Ellerston golf course opened up Spring Valley GC, Vic went travelling and explored the east coast and while it was a challenging environment he Douglas kicked off his career of Australia and upon his return to the UK was able to learn a great deal and cement his in late 2007 as an apprentice enrolled to study greenkeeping and began aspirations to keep pushing forward. at Sorrento Golf Club under superintendent working in the industry. In 2012, Hudson was These experiences established a strong Shane Greenhill. During that time the club fortunate enough to be offered a position at footing to work up to a 3IC role at Ryde- resurfaced all greens with A1 bentgrass, giving Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide where he Parramatta Golf Club where he completed Douglas valuable exposure to major project worked for six years. In October 2018 he a Diploma of Sports Turf Management, work early in his career. He continued working moved to the Sunshine Coast, taking on a role collecting the STA NSW award for achieving at Sorrento as a qualified tradesman until early at Headland Golf Club under Ben Tilley, a past the highest pass mark. Cachia took on his first 2015 when he moved to Spring Valley Golf superintendent mentor of the ASTMA FTMI. superintendent position at Bexley Golf Club Club under David Phillips. He was promoted where he was able to implement what he had to course foreman shortly afterwards, his first JASON LEMIRE learned from past experiences and studies to taste in a management role. Greenkeeper make significant improvements. He also took In 2017, Douglas took the opportunity to Tara Iti, NZ on a role as a sessional teacher at Ryde TAFE see a different side of the industry, taking on a One of two NZGCSA candidates teaching Certificate III and IV. In 2017 Cachia role as a sales representative at a well-known in this year’s FTMI intake, returned to Ryde-Parramatta as the assistant golf course hardware company. While learning Lemire is originally from Canada. After superintendent under course superintendent a lot in that role, he missed the hands-on obtaining a degree in sport management in Shaun Probert. nature of golf course management and in 2018 Toronto, he embarked on career in sports turf 44 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 management through a job at one of the city’s McNamara. “Once I had started in the industry, teams, preparing immaculate turfgrass private clubs. Quickly falling in love with this the mentoring and leadership I experienced, playing surfaces to the highest levels, course side of the industry, he went on to become the especially from Clayton and Dean, immediately construction, major turf renovations and irrigation technician at Islington Golf Club. After pushed me to want to progress as far as I working at a world class golf destination is nearly three years there, during which time could through the industry. Being involved such a privilege.” he was involved in projects to rebuild greens in the construction and grow-in of the new and bunkers, his partner was offered a job Eastern GC facility was a highlight for me. The DANIEL O’CONNOR opportunity in New Zealand. whole process taught me many things that I Senior greenkeeper Arriving there over three years ago, Lemire may have not otherwise had the opportunity to The Hills, NZ hasn’t looked back and initially secured a experience.” The second of two NZGCSA role at Royal Wellington Golf Club under one representatives for 2020, of the most experienced superintendents in DAVID NIELSEN O’Connor initially began his apprenticeship the business, John Spraggs. After 18 months Senior greenkeeper in 2013 at Greenacres Country Club, before there, he then headed to Kauri Cliffs before The National GC, Vic finishing it at his home course, Invercargill landing a greenkeeping role at the incredible The second of this year’s ex-pat Golf Club, under superintendent Craig Tinker. new Tom Doak creation, Tara Iti, about an hour Canadians, Nielsen’s introduction During that time the club hosted two SBS and a half north of Auckland. to the industry came when he was involved Invitationals and a New Zealand Teams Stroke in the construction of Sandpiper Golf Club Play (Toro) event with just two greenkeepers RYAN MCNAMARA in his home city of Vancouver. Following and a handful of volunteers. Assistant superintendent construction, he joined the maintenance crew Upon attaining his Level 4 qualification, Growling Frog GC, Vic which eventually turned into an apprenticeship. O’Connor put his name forward for The Having been to university and Seasonal employment, cold winters and Ohio Program and was placed at Pebble beginning his working life in an the travel bug led Nielsen to Australia where he Beach Golf Links starting April 2017. He also office, McNamara quickly discovered it wasn’t has subsequently had a range of experiences volunteered at Quail Hollow for the 2017 PGA the career path for him. Opting to pursue turf including landscape gardening, working on Championship. After 12 months in the US, management instead, he joined the crew at sports ovals, teaching horticulture, managing O’Connor returned home and took on a senior Eastern Golf Club and was lucky enough to be a 9-hole course and now working at The greenkeeper role at The Hills in Arrowtown. under the tutelage of superintendent Clayton National Golf Club on Victoria’s Mornington In June 2019 he returned to Pebble Beach for Howell during the construction and grow-in of Peninsula. Having already attained his two weeks to volunteer at the US Open. the club’s new Yarra Valley-based course. Certificate III, Nielsen recently completed the After four years and many great learning Diploma of Sports Turf Management through DANIEL RYAN experiences there, McNamara moved Holmesglen TAFE. Senior greenkeeper to Rosanna Golf Club as foreman under Nielsen says that he has an ever- Royal Sydney GC, NSW superintendent Dean Bailey, soon rising to be increasing passion for golf course presentation Playing lawn bowls for high 3IC. Most recently he was appointed as the and management practices, with the industry school sport was Ryan’s first assistant superintendent at Growling Frog Golf providing him numerous highlights, the most introduction to the industry. As he became Club which is maintained by Programmed recent being part of the volunteer corps for curious about the how and why of bowling Turnpoint. the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne. green maintenance and preparation for play, “Having always had a passion for the Likewise, being employed at The National Golf he approached Port Macquarie Panthers game of golf, a career in turf management Club is exceeding all his career expectations: Bowls Club for weekend casual work while always held a fascination for me,” says “Working with professional management completing his HSC. Right Advice Right Support Right Products greenwayturfsolutions.com JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 45 F TMI Kooringal Golf Club assistant superintendent Mark Bateman is one of a number of 2020 FTMI participants that were involved in last December’s Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Diploma, Spargo headed Stateside to take on a placement at Oak Hill Country Club for a PGA Tour event through The Ohio Program, making a number of lifelong contacts and friends within the industry along the way. In 2011, Spargo took on his first superintendent role at Melbourne’s Northern Golf Club until his wife’s work saw them moving to Tasmania. After a brief stint at Launceston Golf Club, Spargo then moved to his current role at University of Tasmania Stadium, Launceston’s premier cricket and AFL venue. Spargo says the switch from golf to sports fields has been a refreshing change and enabled him to continue pursuing his true passion for the turf industry and increase his skill set and knowledge in differing aspects of turf management. In 2008, Ryan was offered a highly sought- of the Year and contested the national final after apprenticeship with the Sydney Cricket at the 2012 Australian Turfgrass Conference. HAYDEN WESTWOOD Sports Ground Trust and over the course of Smooker has now been at North Adelaide Foreman, West Course the next 10 years gradually worked his way for over 10 years and is the current assistant Royal Melbourne GC, Vic up to become an assistant curator. During this superintendent. After finishing high school, time, he was involved in many major events Westwood’s intention was to and career highlights, including the 2014 ADAM SPARGO undertake a Diploma of Surveying. However, Major League Baseball Series opener, 2015 Senior Groundsman at the insistence of his uncle, who worked for men’s Cricket World Cup and the Rice vs University of Tasmania David Golf, he decided to give greenkeeping Stanford NCAA College Football match. In his Stadium, Tas a crack. He successfully applied for an daily role Ryan was responsible for preparing Tasmania’s sole representative apprenticeship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club surfaces for the NRL, ARU, FFA, FIFA, Cricket in 2020, Spargo began his turf management and after a period of six years has now risen to NSW, Cricket Australia and AFL across both career in 2001 at Melbourne’s Riversdale Golf be foreman on the famed West Course. the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Sydney Club, progressing to the role of foreman and During his first year at Royal Melbourne, Football Stadium (formerly Allianz Stadium). then assistant superintendent. During this time Westwood was lucky enough to experience In March of 2018, Ryan proactively sought he was fortunate enough to join the course both the Australian Masters and World Cup a new position at The Royal Sydney Golf Club staff at Huntingdale Golf Club for a number of Golf tournaments back-to-back. He went as a member of the Northern Turf Care team. of Australian Masters. After completion of his on to complete a Certificate III in Construction This role is responsible for the presentation, Pathways and Civil Construction (Plant maintenance and planning of all Northern Operations). In that same year, he was also Areas turf surfaces which consist of 11 lawn involved in preparations for the Asia-Pacific tennis courts, seven synthetic tennis courts, Amateur Championship and in 2015 the two bowling greens, two croquet lawns and Women’s Australian Open. several recreation lawns. Since his time at In 2017 Westwood completed his Diploma Royal Sydney he has successfully completed of Sports Turf Management and the following the Diploma of Sports Turf Management and year was given the opportunity to be a part most recently was promoted to the role of of the 2018 US Open agronomy team. His senior greenkeeper. promotion to West Course foreman came last February and he played a lead role managing RYAN SMOOKER the fescue surrounds team for the recent Assistant superintendent Presidents Cup. North Adelaide GC, SA Smooker’s interest in turf management was garnered from his days as a junior golfer where he played a number of courses around South Australia. Starting an apprenticeship in 2009 at the North Adelaide Golf Course, that progressed into a full-time greenkeeping role after completion. Royal Melbourne foreman Hayden Westwood headed the team preparing the immaculate fine fescue At the end of his apprenticeship Smooker surrounds of the Composite Course at the recent was adjudged the South Australian Graduate Presidents Cup 46 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 ROBUST, HIGH-TORQUE GEAR DRIVE Ensures Years of Top Performance THE NEW I-50 LARGE TURF ROTOR is built to conquer the demanding conditions of dirty water. With the same powerful, high-torque drive mechanism and arc adjustment style as our time-proven golf rotors, the I-50 ensures years of top performance in every application. National Free Call: 1 800 HUNTER Tel: 1 300 856 368 Suite 7, 202 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Toll-Free Fax: 1 800 651 680 Fax: 1 300 856 369 Melbourne, Victoria, 3168, Australia www.hrproducts.com.au www.nelsonirrigation.com.au Tel: 61 3 9562 9918 hrsales@hrproducts.com.au Fax: 61 3 9558 6983 info@nelsonirrigation.com.au RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION | Built on Innovation® Learn more. Visit hunterindustries.com PETER McMAUGH AM Measuring up 48 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 W hen I wear my plant evaluation tool. Over the course of a calendar Current turfgrass evaluation trials breeder’s hat, I am always year I may collect hundreds of grass clones on the lookout for anything that I plant out as single nodes into small pots. give very little information of the that can make my job of These I put into 1m x 1m metal trays which evaluating the latest grass have a 20mm water layer in the bottom to keep underground morphology for accessions into my collection easier. the maintenance demand low. A few years ago I began to use discarded As these grasses grow out, you quickly assessing varietal differences in polystyrene fruit and vegetable boxes to take get the feel for what they offer. You can select accessions from small pots to the quantity of what looks like a short internode dwarf grass root extension, root volume and material I needed to establish field plots for in a park or paddock only to see it develop further evaluation. This was purely a pragmatic into a long, straggly ‘Jack in the Beanstalk’ rhizome development. As turf doyen decision for me because they are lightweight, type very quickly. I generally avoid clipping easy to handle and, if you scrounge around these grasses early because I want to see Peter McMaugh writes, by growing enough, free. I look for the ones that already how their runners develop lateral branches. If have air or drainage holes moulded into them they do branch laterally early, they survive the grasses in polystyrene boxes it is to save me the trouble of having to drill those. first cull. If they are on the cull table, I check Sometimes the ventilation slots in these out whether or not they show any inkling for very easy to see immediately the boxes are large enough to be a nuisance for rhizome development. If they do have some the leakage of growing medium out of the rhizome show, they too get to the second total expression of the gene pool container, so I line them with newspaper before stage, but very few do. filling with the growing medium. My choice of It is very important to understand the under the climatic conditions where growing medium varies slightly depending on reasoning behind this system and the following the species that I am growing out. My normal story illustrates this well. Many years ago the trials take place. mix is 50 per cent Scotts Professional potting I was visiting with my late friend Dr Arden mix and 50 per cent of a USGA-compliant Baltensperger at New Mexico State University sand. If I am planting zoysias, I will increase in Las Cruces. At the time, he had a PhD the sand content. For buffalos, I increase the student Charlie Rodgers (now Dr Rodgers) organic content to keep a little more moisture whose PhD thesis was built around evaluating in the mix. the suitability of seedling couchgrasses The box sizes vary a little, but the indicative from Arden’s breeding programme for their size I use is 500mm (length) x 330mm (width) propensity to tiller and therefore show promise Left: Growing grasses out in polystyrene boxes can add and 200mm (height). Sometimes the boxes as to future turf density in the field. Charlie had much-needed information on varietal difference to that available are a little smaller overall. Recently hundreds of these growing in tubes, which he gained from field trial plots I have downsized the boxes to small lunch was clipping when they got to a predetermined box size and this is working just as well as the height (I can’t remember exactly what that was, Below: The true potential of a new accession can only be determined when the grass is left to express its large boxes. but let’s say it was 50mm). innate genetic ability with as little interference and It took me one growing season to begin Arden and Charlie were very proud of this help as possible to realise the overall value of this system as an experiment and they asked me to look at it and to critique it. I asked Charlie what data exactly he thought he was collecting? He told me he was evaluating the innate ability (genetically controlled) of the plant to spread laterally. In other words, he thought he was looking for evidence of low apical dominance. So, I walked him through how real apical dominance is expressed in a developing plant and how his clipping programme was totally nullifying the expression of this character. His face fell and he became quite agitated and said, ‘Shit, there goes my PhD!’. We discussed things a bit further and decided that all was not lost if he changed the title of his PhD thesis to ‘Plant density response to clipping in C. dactylon selections’. Which he did, to save the day. The moral of this story is twofold… l You need to understand completely what you are trying to measure. If you don’t have a very thorough understanding of JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 49 PETER McMAUGH AM the whole of the plant’s behaviour, you can’t make sensible decisions about how or what to measure, so that you can do successful selective evaluation of the potential that the clone has for future breeding. l You can only see this potential when you leave the grass to express its innate genetic ability with as little interference and with as little help as you can give it. The following is what I look at and for when evaluating the progress of a clonal selection; l How quickly or slowly it spreads laterally; l Whether this is related directly to internode length only or to inherent vigour; l How tall they grow unmown; l Whether or not the runners branch laterally early or take a long time to develop; l Their ability to grow efficiently at low fertiliser rates; There are a multitude of characteristics a plant breeder will evaluate and measure when determining the suitability l Whether they have weak or strong rhizome of a new variety. Among them are lateral spread, internode length, rhizome development, leaf shape and size, as development; well as responses to climatic conditions, fertiliser and pest activity l Their inherent natural colour at low fertiliser rates; demand and any other feature which will However, when it comes to the need l The length and shape of their leaves; keep birds out of the equation. When this is to oversow a couchgrass with rye to assist l How thick or thin their stems (stolons and looked at in conjunction with overall density it winter wear, extreme density can make the rhizomes) are; also tells you how much thatch the grass will oversowing process a bit of a lucky dip. All of l Their response to low temperatures; accumulate. these factors need to be taken into account. l Their response to heat stress; l Wet weather tolerance; Lateral branching: Early lateral branching Stem thickness: This is a good indicator of l Pest tolerance; and increases the sod strength at harvest and the overall resistance to wear and sod handling l How many laterals the clone develops per wear and repair capacity under use. strength, when it is combined with good lateral node. branching and vigorous growth. These are all part of ‘Phase 1’ of the Fertiliser response: Vigorous growth under evaluation process and it is important low nutrient says it will cost you a lot less to Temperature response: ‘Early to bed’ means to understand what I learn from these produce and will minimise the length of your poor winter appearance and generally lower observations… crop cycle. yield. It is also generally related to late green Lateral spread rate: This tells us whether the up. Ability to tolerate high heat stress is all grass will give a good crop yield or not, and Rhizome development: This is one of the about water use. The less water it needs to also whether it will repair quickly after wear in most important characters you can measure. tolerate heat stress the better the grass will fare the real world. This is just one element of the Strong rhizome development means quick under use. repair equation but it is an important one. recovery from extreme wear, high crop yield because of quick turnaround and high drought Wet weather tolerance: If the gene pool of Internode length: This tells us several things. resistance. The importance of the basic a grass selected out of a naturally very dry If the internode is long, the turf will be quite research of Dr Chris Lambrides (University of summer climate is transferred into a hot wet open unless there is a high degree of lateral Queensland) in this area cannot be stressed summer climate, the grasses containing the branching early. The longer the internode enough. However, there is also another aspect dry performance genes can often collapse the less dense the root volume will be. The of this phenomenon and that is the depth at under serious fungal attack for which they greater the root density the more successful it which the rhizomes develop. Too deep and have no resistance. You can also have grasses will be resisting tearing out under severe traffic they don’t contribute to sod strength. which are too dense for success in wet tropical (e.g. horses in polo, scrummaging in rugby). climates where they will rot out underneath Colour: Strong green colour is an important because they never get a chance to dry out. Height (unmown): This is a very clear sales aspect. indicator of the future maintenance demands Pest tolerance: High susceptibility to especially in terms of mowing frequency and Leaf shape and size: This will determine some pests, especially mites, mealy bugs, often, but not always, of thatch accumulation. whether the turf looks coarse and rough or nematodes and root rot fungi, make varieties Another aspect of height (unmown) is the whether it will have a finer more attractive totally unsuited for long-term use. suitability for a grass to be used on roadsides. appearance. Assessment of density at this Excessive height and thatch make for a lot of stage is not a complete exercise and does Laterals per node: This is probably the maintenance as well as being a fire hazard. need further field evaluation. From some ultimate character that gives a variety density. This is also preeminent in choosing grasses points of view you can’t have a grass that is In couchgrasses, each node has the potential for airports. They want low mowing, low too dense because the greater the density the to produce four lateral shoots yet it rarely does. maintenance, low fertiliser, with low water greater the capacity to carry wear. When you see it, value it highly. 50 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 We’ve got you covered Exteris Stressgard with Leaf-Cote technology The power of two active ingredients, including a new and unique SDHI for the turf market, combined with two proprietary formulation technologies, brings turf managers a new generation broad spectrum fungicide. // Leaf-Cote technology and non-DMI formulation provides greater flexibility to use when environmental conditions are challenging // Fast curative disease knockdown and lasting residual // Enhanced turf quality and stress management ALWAYS USE ACCORDING TO PRODUCT LABEL Bayer CropScience Pty. Ltd., Environmental Science Australia & NZ, Level 1, 8 Redfern Road, Hawthorn East, Vic. 3123 Technical Enquiries: 1800 804 479 es.bayer.com.au Exteris Stressgard® is a Registered Trademark of the Bayer Group © 2019 JOHN NEYL AN 52 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Dead... but not buried ATM expert columnist John Neylan looks at herbicide efficacy with multi- tillered Poa annua plants and the keys to ensuring effective control. O ver the past four years I have been One particular aspect of Poa annua plants involved in several herbicide trials is the multi-tillering that occurs. These tillers with the Victorian Golf Course are easily pulled apart and raise the question Superintendents Association as to whether it is a single plant (see main (VGCSA) exploring different photo opposite) or many individual plants herbicide combinations to control herbicide that are loosely connected (see photo below). tolerant and resistant Poa annua. When these plants are observed in the field During this time there have been after being treated with a herbicide application, numerous discussions with several golf course it is common to observe plants that have superintendents regarding why a herbicide the inner portion of the plant dying and the has an initial effect to the point where an outermost leaves/tillers surviving (see photo individual plant looks dead, but then over time top page 54). there appears to be full recovery. Then the Data from all of the VGCSA herbicide trials One particular aspect of Poa annua plants is the multi- next question is whether the plant recovered, has reinforced the need to make a follow up tillering that occurs. These tillers are easily pulled apart and raise the question as to whether it is a single were there new germinations or a combination application of herbicide to ensure complete plant (opposite photo) or many individual plants that of both. Observations during the winter 2019 control of the plant. Some of the questions that are loosely connected (photo below) glyphosate trials indicated that it was both. come out of this work are; l Do the upper tillers protect the lower tillers from the herbicide; and l Is the herbicide effectively translocated between tillers if some tillers don’t receive any herbicide. Clearly, there are some complex physiological processes involving the plant and the mode of action of the herbicide. The main interest is around the systemic herbicides and whether the plant structure is affecting the uptake of the herbicide and therefore reducing the level of control. To investigate this hypothesis, a small pot trial was established and is detailed below. TRIAL METHOD While the trial was a simple ‘look see’ to explore what may be occurring, it was replicated so that some statistical analysis could be undertaken. The initial purpose was to at least see whether there is any relationship between the structure of the plant and herbicide efficacy. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 53 JOHN NEYL AN The trial involved collecting Poa annua At 28DAT there was no significant plants from a golf course fairway. A total of difference between the 100T and 50T 30 individual plants were collected, planted treatments and provided an indication that the into pots and then allowed to become well glyphosate was being translocated throughout established before being subjected to the the 50T treated plants. At 35DAT, the 50T herbicide treatment. The plants were about treatment was exhibiting signs of recovery 3-4cm in diameter and had at least 10 tillers. and was significantly less affected than the The plants were selected in close proximity 100T treatment (see photo below). This trend to each other and with similar characteristics. continued through to 49DAT with the single However, given the nature of Poa annua there tiller treatment and the UTC being unaffected. is the probability that there will be plants that The NDVI meter was used to assess turf are not related and possibly react differently to colour/health and the results are detailed in a herbicide. Figure 1 (oppostie page). At 21DAT the results Of the 30 plants collected, the tiller for the NDVI reflect the results for % control. numbers varied from 10-24 tillers with an That is, there was no significant difference average of 19 tillers per plant. For the trials, the between the 100T and 50T treatments and plants with the most tiller numbers were used these treatments had a significantly lower and evenly distributed across the treatments. colour compared to the single tiller treatment A considerable period of time was spent Partial herbicide control on a multi-tillered Poa plant and the UTC. At 35DAT, the same trend reviewing the best herbicide to test the theory. continued with the 100T treatment having It was decided to use glyphosate (a.i. 360g/L) significantly less colour than the 50T treatment. at 1L product/ha because of; l The target site of activity; POA ANNUA GERMINATION l The ability of the herbicide to translocate in With any trial there is the unexpected result or plants; observation that provides additional food for l The inability of plants to rapidly detoxify the thought. With the 100T and 50T treatments herbicide; and there was the emergence of Poa annua l The site where the plants were collected seedlings as the plant deteriorated (see photo had not been subjected to glyphosate top opposite page). This was most obvious applications which therefore minimised the on the 100T treatment and was first noted at chances of resistance. 15DAT. Glyphosate was also selected because All treatments exhibited some seedlings, in plants it disrupts the shikimic acid pathway however, the seedlings were most prominent that is important in the formation of aromatic where there was strong control and more open amino acids that are vital for protein synthesis space for the seedlings to develop. At 64DAT and plant growth (Shaner, 2006). Because there was a good grass cover in the 100T (see glyphosate is absorbed across the leaves and secondary photo oppostie page) and 50T stems of plants and is translocated throughout treatments due to the seedlings in the 100T the plant and concentrates in the meristem treatment and a combination of plant recovery tissue, it was again considered to be a good and seedlings in the 50T treatment. choice for testing the theory. The treatments were; CONCLUSION l Applying the herbicide to the entire plant The results from this trial indicate that for Results at 35 days after treatment. Top row – 100 per (100% treatment – 100T); cent treatment; 2nd row – 50 per cent treatment; 3rd effective control on multi-tillered Poa annua l Applying herbicide to half of the plant (50% row – single tiller treatment; 4th row – control plants requires the herbicide to make contact treatment – 50T); with most of the plant. Any shielded tillers/ l Herbicide applied to a single leaf/tiller (ST); RESULTS leaves provide an opportunity for plants to and % POA ANNUA CONTROL recover from the initial herbicide application. l Untreated control (UTC). The results are detailed in Table 1 below. At As noted previously, follow up herbicide The herbicide was applied to the 100% 21 days after treatment (DAT), the percent applications are often required if effective and 50% treatments using a pressurised control for the 100T treatment was significantly control is to be achieved. sprayer with an XR TeeJet Visiflo Standard Flat greater than all other treatments, with the 50T In a discussion with Dr Peter Boutsalis Fan nozzle with a delivery rate of 0.58L/minute. treatment being greater than the single tiller (Plant Science Consulting) at the AGCSA The water volume applied was 400L/ha. With and untreated control. conference in Brisbane 2019, his suggestion the 50% treatment, half the plant was covered prior to applying the herbicide. The single tiller TABLE 1: % POA ANNUA CONTROL AFTER TREATMENT treatment was applied using a small syringe to % Control apply about 0.5ml to a single tiller. There were Treatment 21DAT* 28DAT 35DAT 49DAT six replicates for each treatment. 100% treated 80.8a 98a 99.8a 99.8a Following the herbicide treatments, the 50% treated 53.3b 91a 67.3b 71.7b plants were assessed every seven days for the Single tiller treated 0.0c 2b 1.7c 0.0c proportion of the plant that was dead. An NDVI UTC 0.0c 0b 0.0c 0.0c meter was also used to provide an assessment LSD (P<0.05) 11.6 11.2 16.8 12.3 of plant colour. *DAT = days after treatment; Averages with the same letter are not significantly different 54 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Seedlings in the 100 per cent treatment at 35 days after treatment. With the 100T and 50T treatments there was the emergence of Poa annua seedlings as the plant deteriorated, highlighting the importance of including a pre-emergent in with any post-emergent application to improving herbicide efficacy on multi-tillered The research of Ohadi et. al. (2010) plants was to use adjuvants when applying tested the effects of light intensity and post-emergent herbicides. The purpose of the exposure duration on seed germination of adjuvant is to provide a more even spread of Poa annua. The research demonstrated that the herbicide and improved herbicide/plant light stimulated the germination of Poa annua. contact. This concept has been trialled using According to the model they developed, glyphosate on dormant couch fairways and it increasing light intensity from 0 (full darkness) appears that an adjuvant will improve herbicide to 1000μmol/m2/s increased the germination of efficacy but requires further research. Poa annua from 0 per cent to 35 per cent. The germination of Poa annua was not Both from the research undertaken and particularly surprising, however, the number of field observations, it is a reasonable conclusion seedlings was. The plants, when collected, had that once the parent plant is killed, the seeds 100 per cent treatment at 64 days after treatment – very little soil attached and again highlights are exposed to increased light and, providing note the development of the seedlings the prolific seed production of Poa annua, adequate soil moisture, will germinate. with most of this seed very close to the parent The germination that occurs means that a l Incorporation of a pre-emergent herbicide plant. key to any successful post-emergent herbicide into the post-emergent programme is It would appear that the germination is in control programme is the need to incorporate essential; response to increased light with no seedlings a pre-emergent herbicide as well. While this is l Follow up applications of post-emergent noted until the plant had deteriorated and already widely practiced, the results confirm herbicides are required for effective there was a reduced plant biomass. The that it is essential. control; plants were in pots for about six weeks before While the pot trial is relatively simple and l The use of adjuvants is worth considering the herbicide was applied and no seedlings only used a single herbicide, it reinforces to improve herbicide/plant contact. This emerged during this period. This again several keys to a successful Poa annua control aspect requires further investigation. reinforces the influence of light on germination. programme; REFERENCES Shaner, D. 2006: An overview of glyphosate mode of action: Why is it such a great herbicide? North Central Weed Science Society Proceedings 61:94. Ohadi, S. et al 2010: Modelling the effect of light intensity and duration of exposure on seed germination of Phalaris minor and Poa annua. Weed Research 50, 209-217. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS John Neylan is a turfgrass agronomist with Melbourne-based company Sporteng. In 2014 he was bestowed the AGCSA Distinguished Service Award for his services to the Australian turf industry. Left: Figure 1. NDVI readings taken at 28 and 35 days after herbicide treatment JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 55 JOHN FORREST The GCSAWA-driven Golf Course Water Wise Program has been developed as part of the state’s action plan to address water management issues in a drying climate A wise move I n 2013, the Water Wise Golf Course Starting this edition, ATM welcomes response to the impacts of climate change that Program kicked off in Western Australia, sets the direction for transitioning Perth to a a joint initiative between the Golf Course WA-based turf expert John Forrest leading waterwise city by 2030. Superintendents Association of WA The southwest of WA has had a 15 per (GCSAWA) and the WA Government’s to its panel of regular columnists. cent decline in average annual rainfall since Department of Water and Environmental the mid-1970s due to climate change, with Regulation. In this opening article, Forrest 2019 being the warmest year and second Facilitated by the golf course irrigation driest on record, rec eiving 49 per cent sector, the programme has developed a set looks at the Water Wise Golf below average rainfall across the state. of guidelines and targets aimed at achieving With pressures associated with climate long-term water use efficiency to support and Course Program which forms part change, coupled with anticipated population promote best irrigation practices. By doing growth to top 3.5 million in the next 30 years, so, the programme aims to provide security of Perth’s strategy plan to address careful consideration and planning for the to the golf industry and provide support to future of WA’s golf industry needs to be participants to adapt to a drying climate. increasing concerns of water use undertaken now. Improved irrigation efficiency Led by the GCSAWA, the programme practice is a big part of that planning for the has been included within the Water Wise and improve efficiency. industry’s security. Perth Action Plan, an initiative by the WA With this in mind, Water Wise Golf Government and part of its coordinated Course Program co-ordinators are currently 56 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 promoting increased uptake of the programme programmes and initiatives requires across the to GCSAWA members through subsidised board recognition by the industry to make it a INTRODUCING joining fees offered by the Department of success. Water and Environmental Regulation. This also JOHN FORREST… includes new web-based services that use WATER WISE PROGRAM SPARK Australian Turfgrass guidance material tailored for best practice golf A drying climate in south Western Australia Management is course irrigation that aligns with criteria under impacts the golf course industry with winter delighted to welcome three levels of accreditation for programme aquifer recharge being a dire component WA turf legend John participants. for the sustainability of water use on golf Forrest as a regular Once the tasks for accreditation under one courses. In past years Perth has relied on contributor starting of three levels – bronze, silver and gold – has dams for its water supply. Now desalination from this edition. been completed and regulatory conditions are and groundwater make up the main source of Forrest needs little demonstrated, participants receive certification water. Golf courses in the metropolitan area introduction to ATM recognised by both the industry and rely on ground water and all are metered with readers from the West, having carved a government. This is important as certification an annual water allocation that must be kept. turf management career that has spanned requires irrigation operators to assess, develop Increasing temperatures result in more than 30 years. and, where necessary, make changes to the increasing evaporation rates. Plant water use Originally from New Zealand, Forrest irrigation system based on water budgeting, is directly affected by evaporation rates as has risen to be one of the most recognised while meeting their water licence conditions plant water use is reached by multiplying the and respected figures in golf and sports turf and entitlement. management in WA. In 2018 he received By gaining accreditation under each level, Golf WA’s highest honour – the Industry each participant delves deeper into irrigation Recognition Award – and at last year’s efficiency measures and will start to look at GCSAWA Margaret River state conference contingency planning and alternative water was bestowed life membership of the supplies for irrigation where possible. association. John was also featured in a Currently the programme is aimed at the book produced by the WA Department of superintendents through the GCSAWA as Sport and Recreation called ‘Grassroots: the irrigation operators, however, certification The secret life of sport and recreation’ under the programme benefits the associated which featured 40 West Australians who club and its members as a whole. For this were considered the unsung heroes behind reason, the programme is now engaging the sporting industry. with golf club managers and members to John currently works as a full-time garner support. It believes the consequence horticultural consultant where he deals of a ‘business as usual’ approach, given with sports turf management issues for the industry relies on water, should not be local governments, golf courses, stadiums taken lightly, as the support for waterwise and contractors in a broad range of areas. Prior to that he spent 24 years as a sports As part of the Golf Course Water Wise Program golf turf lecturer at TAFE, watching many of courses have to meet certain criteria regarding the state’s students grow and develop into operator competence, compliance and awareness and leading superintendents and sports turf measuring and analysing water use managers. John rates teaching apprentices as one of the real highlights of his time as an educator, while in later years teaching the Certificate IV and Diploma research units gave him exposure to a wide range of projects. Research has long been a passion of Forrest’s, something which he honed after enrolling in the Masters degrees at The University of Sydney which he finished in 2002. Over the past two years John has become the Western Australian broadacre fertiliser spreader auditor for Fertiliser Australia and has also played a significant role in the development of the innovative Golf Course Water Wise Program that forms part of the state’s action plan to address water management issues in a drying climate. Golf is an unbridled passion for Forrest and being the course director at Hartfield Country Club supplies that fix for involvement at the grass roots level. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 57 JOHN FORREST evaporation rate by the crop factor. The crop slopes make it difficult to retain water. Greens factor depends on the standard of the turf with humps and hollows make it difficult for surface required and the characteristics of the the water to infiltrate evenly. Entrance and exit plant species being grown. points are vital as any point where traffic is Daily water use can be calculated by concentrated leads to more compaction, less using the ETc (crop factor method) multiplied infiltration and less water retention, especially by evaporation (mm). The crop factor for turf on high-use golf courses. typically ranges from 50 per cent for minimum Irrigation designers and golf course cover up to 70 per cent or more for a high- architects collaborating and working together quality surface that can tolerate wear. For could certainly establish irrigation patterns example, 10mm of daily evaporation when that are more effective in reducing the using a 70 per cent crop factor equates to occurrence of over-watering certain areas. 10 x 0.7 = 7mm or 7L of water required for Greens, tees and fairway size and shape could replacement per square metre of turf. be developed to fit sprinkler patterns more In Perth, December has a long-term effectively instead of trying to fit the sprinklers average of 10.1mm of daily evaporation. In to a design. December 2019, from the 12th to the 18th, the Golfer expectations may also have to be average daily evaporation rate was 15.2mm, moderated if drying patterns continue putting putting pressure on turf managers to manage pressure on reducing water supplies. their water budgets early in the summer There are many examples of period. For this short period, a 50 per cent improvements in water management but if increase in evaporation rate was experienced have to support the turf managers in making rainfall keeps reducing, more improvements and is rarely seen. Hopefully this exception decisions on effective water use, which may will be required and the Golf Course Water does not become the norm in years to come. include looking at how reducing the irrigated Wise Program is one of those tools. By taking From a turf management perspective, the areas can be achieved. action and gaining accreditation under the long-term sustainability of the industry relies on Other sectors of the industry, including programme, participants are sending a clear efficient water use. As part of this sustainability irrigation designers and golf course architects, message to the community that they are taking effort, a team approach is required and need to work together on more than just the action and promoting the security for their understanding by all involved is a must. golfing experience. Course designs play a club, the industry and continued enjoyment for Players, managers, committees and boards massive role in preserving water as steep future generations. WATER WISE GOLF COURSE PROGRAM – BRONZE LEVEL CRITERIA T here are three levels as part of the Inspect all fixtures, appliances, pressure Water Wise Golf Course Program regulators, water lines, valves and pumps – Gold, Silver and Bronze. The aim for leaks. Keep replacement and repair is to have 22 golf courses in Perth parts consistent and available; signed up to the programme, with l Criteria for new irrigation system design; two already achieving ‘Gold’ status – Lake l Maintenance programme and defined Karrinyup GC and Wembley Golf Complex. tasks; The starting point for participants is l Contingencies; ‘Bronze’ level and there is a support team l Measures to be adopted to maximise in place to assist clubs completing this water use efficiency under the existing section. Once achieved, a monitoring system site conditions. is in place to ensure the club continues to meet the criteria and to work towards l System scheduling; Achieve accurate water measurement greater efficiencies. To attain Bronze level, l Measuring, monitoring and recording through knowledge of irrigated areas and participants must meet all of the criteria water use; water accounting. below. l Irrigation efficiency measures; 4. Create a site map/aerial photo showing the l Legislative requirements. location of each point of connection, potable Provide a basic level of operator water meter and backflow prevention device, competence Provide a basic level of water management bore, water meter, irrigation controller and 1. Maintain a minimum of one (1) person through compliance and awareness of zone valves. Provide a photograph of each responsible for the irrigation system (e.g. responsibilities. bore discharge pipework and water meter irrigation technician, superintendent or 2. Adhere to all legislative requirements for installed. assistant superintendent) to achieve/meet all the use of irrigation water. 5. Install a water meter to the standards criteria for the Bronze level Water Wise Golf 3. Prepare an irrigation water efficiency detailed in the Department of Water Course Program for golf course irrigation plan based on the Department of Water guidelines for water meter installation (2009) basics to cover the following aspects: Operational Policy 5.08 and which will include on all water sources to measure both water l Irrigation system components; the requirement and commitment for; flow rate and cumulative volume. Preferably l Soil/water/plant relationships; l Measuring/monitoring/recording; a water meter with a flow rate output signal l Determine plant watering needs; l Leak detection and repair strategy; that can link to the controller which will help l Maintenance; l System maintenance and audit schedule. detect leaks and water use. 58 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Perfect turf isn’t your only reward Sign up for Syngenta Turf Rewards and start earning great industry benefits, including AGCSA memberships and discounts to the 2020 Australasian Turf Conference in Melbourne. Register free at www.greencast.com.au/rewards Syngenta Turf Rewards Program runs from 1 October 2019 to 31 March 2020. All purchases of Syngenta Turf and Landscape products during this period earn points that need to be redeemed by May 31st for AGCSA conference and July 31st for other rewards. Syngenta Australia Pty Limited, Level 1, 2-4 Lyonpark Road, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ABN 33 002 933 717. ®Registered trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. ™Trademark of a Syngenta Group Company. All products written in uppercase are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. © Syngenta 2019. AD 19-232. TURF PRODUCERS Green on red Last October, WA Turf Industry executive officer Eva Ricci spent three days visiting the Broome region where she took in some of the area’s unique turf facilities. 60 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Sir Grange zoysia was recently installed at the viewing station for the ‘Stairway to the Moon’ located on the Broome foreshore had to offload it. The Derby community took up the offer and a volunteer golf course committee was formed. In 2003, Greenhills Turf Farm supplied the turf and assisted with the installation of turf and irrigation onsite and then managed the golf course for the following five years. The workforce for the project included local prison camp workers and illegal fishermen interned at Bungerunin Prison Camp in Derby. The irrigation system was designed by Frank Quinti (Quinti and Co Irrigation) and includes a 2-wire B Toro system across the entire course. roome and far northern Western As we visited some of the public open The soil type for the course was altered Australia certainly boast one of spaces in both townships and studying the compared to that which had been earlier the more unique climates in the turf, we came across four different mutations installed at Broome Golf Club. Dune sands world. At the invitation of Derren of couchgrass. Some had long bamboo- were used at Broome which led to algae Greenhill, owner of Broome- like nodes, growing in 50-degree heat in growth issues, so in Derby local fine river based Greenhills Turf Farm, I had the great sun-baked Pindan clay pans, while others sands were brought in and blended with the pleasure of spending three days travelling had multiple fine leaf nodes, tightly grouped Pindan soils. Largely the course is Pindan around the region last October, taking the together in the greens at Derby Golf Club. based, but there are patches of marsh grey, opportunity to visit a number of turf facilities The fact that these turfgrass mutations had clay sands and even some pockets of gravel. and discuss some of the unique challenges developed in harsh circumstances successfully What makes Derby Golf Club particularly faced. is fascinating and an example of survival of unique are the magnificent stands of old It was without a doubt an industry visit that the fittest. A sprig of one mutation came back growth Boab trees. Scattered throughout the will remain a highlight for me for many years to Perth with me and is currently growing very course, some specimens with their unique to come. Suffice to say, it was hot! Really hot. successfully. I am interested to see how it pans bulbous trunks, are estimated to be 500-700 And dusty. And the flies…! It was, however, out on the sandy soils here in the southwest. years old. Also unique is the layout. Derby nothing short of terrific, being both inspiring, comprises 11 holes and is built within and educational and heart-warming all at once. DERBY GOLF CLUB around the Derby Racecourse, with golfers The people in these remote areas are About 200km east of Broome in the Kimberley having to cross the track a number of times something to behold – ‘true blue’ Aussies, region is the township of Derby, home to throughout their round. extending the arm of friendship and generosity, what would certainly be one of the country’s Derren still visits the site regularly readily sharing knowledge and eager to learn more unique golf courses. In the early 2000’s, in a voluntary capacity to assist with the something new. They’re straight shooters who the WA Water Corporation approached the maintenance and upkeep. The fairways don’t mince words and don’t have time for the Derby community offering to sell them effluent have not been fertilised since installation yet petulance of today’s society. I met some great wastewater to set up a golf course as an asset remain very playable. The club has an annual characters, dedicated volunteers and genuine, to the town. budget of $40,000 and is run completely by all round good people. Derren dedicated Over a period and with water pricing volunteers. Only the greens and tees are three full days of his time to affording me negotiations stalling due to lack of community fertilised a couple of times a year and as experiences I did not anticipate would be so funding, eventually the Water Corporation the photos on the following pages attest the profound! I saw pests and turf destruction that offered the wastewater for free, as they simply greens are in spectacular condition. would make your hair stand on end. One particular pest – the false spider mite (Dolichotetranychus australianus) – is causing terrible damage to couchgrass in public open spaces throughout the region. Unlike other spider mites, this one is visible to the naked eye and has decimated much of the public utilised turf in Broome and Derby. Control is proving extremely difficult and the local government has spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to eradicate it, mostly to no avail. Opposite: Over the past 23 years Derren Greenhill, owner of Greenhills Turf Farm, has serviced the PHOTOS: EVA RICCI Broome and north west WA region in both a turf production and consultancy capacity Right: Couchgrass mutation spotted in a public open space environment in Broome JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 61 TURF PRODUCERS against the surrounding houses. He purchased an Ings turf cutter and started selling turf from the block – what a start to his career! Once the turf business took off, Derren started raising capital and began looking for a larger block at ‘12 Mile’ on the road north out of Broome. Banks wouldn’t lend, so capital was attained elsewhere and a block was purchased that had 80 mango trees on it, a heap of bush and no power or water. It was around this time that Derren got together with now wife Cher who had moved to Broome. Together they purchased a caravan for $150 which would act as their home as they went about setting up the new farm. It had no air conditioning or doors and it leaked. The turf farm was established over the next two years (1995-1997), with the first installation being 3000m² of Wintergreen couchgrass purchased from Westland Turf in Perth. Servicing the local Broome market, all Near impossible to control, false spider mites have turf was harvested using the Ings cutter, with become a significant pest in couchgrass in the Broome Cher working alongside Derren on the farm region, costing the local government thousands in every day. In 1997 they saved successfully mostly futile attempts to eradicate them for a new Ryan turf cutter and that same year a steel bollard in concrete nearby! The irrigated successfully tendered and won the Broome turf was 36.1 degrees, concrete in full sun was Golf Club installation. 44.2, the steel bollard 59 and the dead turf Later that year they also purchased a Van 59.4! Unfortunately, there was no synthetic Buren harvester from Greenacres Turf Farm grass on site to measure. Nevertheless, the in Serpentine. Derren has much praise for the results were pretty astounding. support that they have received from Adrian and Peter at Greenacres over the years. GREENHILL’S TURF FARM In 1999, the turf installation and The story of Greenhill’s Turf Farm, the only turf maintenance for Port Hedland Golf Course farm in the region, and how it came to be is was won. It was around this time that Derren fascinating. Derren started his apprenticeship also started turf consulting in many areas at Capel Golf Course, just south of Bunbury, and was involved in the installation of ovals in in 1991 when he was 17-years-old after remote indigenous communities, notching up completing a pre-apprenticeship in horticulture thousands of kilometres in the process. at Bentley TAFE. He worked three full years at In 2003, the Greenhills started negotiations Capel under Graham Banks. with neighbours to purchase the current Early in his time there, Derren’s mother home block, where many renovations were was killed in a car accident not far from the completed. Not long after this, a lease golf course. She and Derren’s younger brother arrangement was negotiated for a far larger HOT? YOU BET! were driving down to visit him at work. As can block a few kilometres away. Again, this was On the way back from Derby, we stopped at be imagined, this was life-changing for Derren, a bush block that required clearing, bore the Kimberley Meat Company, 100km north especially as he assumed the support role for and pivot installation, with many hours of of Broome. This is the biggest abattoir in the his siblings after their mum’s death. backbreaking work required to get the new north west region, with over 70 slaughter After completing his apprenticeship at the farm off the ground. A large shed was built yard workers. It is an oasis in an otherwise age of 20, Derren decided to take a gap year and seven hectares of Sir Walter buffalo was astoundingly hot and dry region. The office is and headed north with a mate. It took three planted in 2005. surrounded by 5000m² of soft leaf buffalo that months to get to Broome and by the time Derren and Cher greatly appreciated is thriving in a place where it is not uncommon they arrived his mate was broke and needed the support and friendship of John and Vicki to have a series of 50-degree days. work, so they rented a caravan at Town Beach. Clayton from Down South Turf at this time. The ambient air temperature on arrival was Derren was bored and in his travels around Derren and John had forged a friendship back 48.5 degrees, so we took the opportunity to town noticed that no one in Broome had a in the Capel years when John was setting up take some measurements with a heat gun to cylinder lawn mower. So, he purchased one his turf farm in Busselton. John encouraged compare surfaces in this extreme environment. along with a verti-mower and started a lawn- Derren to apply for a Sir Walter license and The turf is irrigated, however, had not been mowing round. introduced the Greenhills to Brent Redman at irrigated for over three days before our arrival Around this time, he decided that he could Buchanan’s Turf. Brent came to Broome and due to irrigation issues. also supply turf as Broome was growing. He the deal was signed and sealed. The hottest surface was a patch of dead/ bought a house block in town and started The Greenhills were getting two crops a dying turf which was 23.8 degrees hotter than growing turf on it! He reckons it looked like a year from the 7ha of Sir Walter and with the the green, irrigated turf! And it was hotter than golf green and stood out like the proverbial mining boom hitting the state, demand for 62 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 Derby Golf Club ranks as one of the country’s unique golf courses with its stunning stand of ancient Boab trees and being routed in and around the local racecourse turf rose exponentially. In 2011, the Karratha infrastructure on site – but unfortunately this As part of that work he consults for a local and Port Hedland areas were a hive of activity would never eventuate. With the mining boom private estate and other properties, as well as and the Greenhills were moving thousands slowing significantly and demand dropping, the golf courses and some LGA work. He is of square metres of Wintergreen couch they were forced to downsize back to their involved with Aboriginal corporations and the across the Pilbara and north west region in original holding. While it was a hard decision Kimberley Land Council and is the consultant refrigerated trucks. Daily deliveries were made to make, especially having paid for all the for the proposed oval for two of the most to the likes of Parabadoo, Tom Price, Newman, infrastructure without reimbursement, it was remote communities in the state, Balgo and Nulagine, Marble Bar, Port Hedland, Karratha the only prudent one financially. Billiluna. I’m sure Derren’s new focus with his and remote communities, as well as Rio Tinto Today, Cher no longer works on the farm consultancy work will prove just as successful mine sites such as Wickham. and now has a 9-5 job in town with a solar as his turf production exploits over the past With three young boys and both Derren, panel supplier. Derren manages the farm two decades. Cher and staff working flat out seven days a alone, but just as this edition was going to week, it was an extremely demanding time. print had decided to place the business up The Greenhills rode the mining boom for for sale. After 23 years of producing turf in nearly seven years, but when it stopped, it Broome, Derren has decided to focus on his stopped! Six staff had to be laid off and jobs turf consulting services across the Kimberley, found for these loyal employees. Pilbara and Gascoyne regions. The Greenhills had a vision to own the leased property – they were paying $50,000 Derby’s Wintergreen couchgrass greens are irrigated with recycled effluent water. The course is wholly a year in lease fees and had installed all maintained by volunteers JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 63 ENVIRONMENT PHOTOS: BRETT ROBINSON Beyond the edges... ATM environment expert Kate Torgersen enlists leading Australian golf course architect Harley Kruse to discuss the concept and importance of golfing sustainability and biodiversity in the first of a two-part article. I am always interested in hearing about STARTING THE CONVERSATION sustainably is a key priority for all golf courses. different views on sustainability and “A lot has been talked about over recent I would suggest there is a moral obligation the environment within the sports turf years in the golf industry of biodiversity and too, with golf courses being the custodians of industry and also the outside community. sustainability around golf courses. But what relatively large areas of land, which brings with For this edition I approached respected does it all really mean and what can golf it broader community responsibilities. Australian golf course architect Harley Kruse courses do about it? To give some perspective on the significant to get his thoughts on the importance of golf The R&A has defined golfing sustainability scale of golf courses and their great potential, course sustainability and biodiversity from an as “Optimising the playing quality of the golf if we break things down a typical 18-hole golf architect’s standpoint. In this first of a two- course in harmony with the conservation of its course occupies some 70-80 hectares of land. part article, Harley looks at these concepts, natural environment under economically sound Often where the natural terrain is flatter it can how golf clubs can play a major role in our and socially responsible management”. be less, but where the land is steep and hilly a communities and how starting small can lead Certainly, the economic, environmental and course may occupy well over 90ha for 18 holes to something significant. social challenges facing golf today means that to comfortably fit. 64 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 It is beyond the fairway edge where golf courses around the country have the greatest chance for improvement in relation to sustainability and biodiversity. Pictured is Royal Melbourne’s Composite 8 (12 West) during the recent Presidents Cup acclaim, is a prime example where very important part of the thinking and discussion carefully irrigated playing surfaces and non- behind the management of the golf course. irrigated golden roughs of naturalised grasses With biodiversity we are looking at the full and heathland species tick those boxes. The ecology of a golf course site and its flora and visual contrast was superb. It was sustainability fauna from the ground level right up to the ‘green and gold’ and it really highlighted how upper canopy. The scale of golf courses mean good low input roughs can be. they can be excellent wildlife habitat and golf It really is beyond the fairway edge does have this responsibility. When we start where golf courses around the country thinking about our courses in this way then have the greatest chance for improvement. our planning and management decisions will Sustainability is all about having a golfing involve biodiversity measures. landscape that can go through its life cycles of Simple measures can start small. Just the plant species establishment, maturation and act of reducing mown areas and taking the senescence with minimal inputs. A landscape frequency of machinery off areas allows for that has self-regeneration potential and relative naturalised grasses to grow, flower and set ease of sustained landscape amenity around seed. In turn, the seed becomes food sources the course. By minimal it is by no means zero to sustain a range of small fauna and the maintenance as weed species, density of areas can allow certain insects such as moths growth, fuel loads, tree management are all to breed. Perhaps all a bit less visible, but an issues to be dealt with. important building block of the native fauna food chain and the ecology. SMALL STEPS, BIG RESULTS Setting goals around sustainability and For genuine sustainability on golf courses, biodiversity is important for golf courses to do. the conversations must include one of its key Recognising the importance of these things components – biodiversity; in other words, the is a first step, and it is important to recognise variety and variability of flora and fauna on a every course and club are different with course as part of an ecosystem. differing site and differing capacity. Nearly every golf course in the country Start with small steps and the Typically for 18 holes, the area of irrigated right through to our world-famous layouts achievements can be very rewarding. How do and mown turf surfaces is around 20-30ha, all can improve biodiversity outcomes. Several you go about that? In the next edition we will depending on the length and width of fairways. courses are gifted with great flora and fauna discuss some of the measures clubs can take On most courses this leaves at least 30ha already and many are already doing great to improve the sustainability and biodiversity of of land and often up to 50ha off the fairway work. It starts with making biodiversity an their course environment.” edge comprising areas of roughs which are maintained to a certain extent, plus more unkept naturalised vegetation areas. So, where does sustainability come into all of this? Well, when it comes to course and turf management, I reckon Australian golf course superintendents are some of the best in the world in achieving good to excellent turf surfaces with minimal inputs. Particularly minimal water usage, as low rainfalls and droughts in recent decades simply mean the water isn’t always going to be there. In my view, golf sustainability means regular irrigation water should not go beyond the turf playing surfaces. Certainly the wall- to-wall, lush green, ecologically defunct 80s-style resort course look doesn’t tick the sustainability or biodiversity boxes and sends the wrong message about what golf should really be. Royal Melbourne Golf Club, which recently For genuine sustainability on golf courses, the conversation must include one of its key components – biodiversity; hosted the Presidents Cup to worldwide in other words, the variety and variability of flora and fauna on a course as part of an ecosystem JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 65 HR AND COMPLIANCE From the ashes Australia’s unprecedented bushfires have had a traumatic effect on both communities and biodiversity alike. Regular ATM contributors Vicki Crowe and Terry Muir provide some helpful information for those in affected areas and how golf courses can play a big role in the recovery. 66 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 I n December, the e-par team developed If you see an injured animal on your site, CREATING A REFUGE FOR environment, health and safety ‘Stand- the first thing to do is to call an animal rescue DISPLACED ANIMALS up Team Talks’ on bushfire behaviour organisation or the local vet. They’ll provide By its very nature, every golf course now has and bushfire radiant heat. That specific instructions on how to care for the a real opportunity to act as a refuge for those theme continued into January where animal you’ve found. However, there are a animals fleeing the fires or dealing with the we addressed handling bushfire injured few things you can do immediately to help the drought. Golf courses have large open tracts wildlife and creating refuges for bushfire injured animal; of green and woodland space with habitat injured wildlife. It looks like the theme will l Displaced and injured wildlife will most ranging from wetland to grasslands to forest, now continue into February with such talks likely be stressed, so try and keep as quiet all with well managed feral pest populations discussing how to safely work in bushfire as possible when approaching or handling. – it’s the ideal refuge for bushfire vulnerable smoke, how to fit P2 masks and bushfire eco- l The less people interacting with the animal, animals. anxiety. the better. One of golf’s big challenges is its image Displaced, hungry, stressed and l Keep pets away from the animal. among non-golfers. We know of courses dehydrated animals will most likely continue l Do not attempt to feed the injured animal. up and down the Australian east coast that to be discovered adjacent to fire ravaged Just wrap it gently and loosely in 100 are viewed by non-golfers as large tracts areas. Birds, for example, are turning up in per cent cotton fabric, then place it in a of land used by an affluent minority. That is weird places and Dr Grant Palmer, a senior ventilated box with a lid and keep it in why councils around the country are making environmental science lecturer at Federation a dark, quiet place for transport to the judgements about the future of golf courses University Australia, reports that they have fled nearest vet or while waiting for a rescuer. based on limited information about the true their homes and are looking for new ones and l If handling small animals… community value of a golf course. there will be fierce competition for resources. l Place the animal in a cotton pillowcase The recent wildlife death estimates from This article will focus on the opportunity or cloth bag; if neither is available wrap the bushfires come from Professor Chris for golf course superintendents to create a it up in a towel or jumper. Wear gloves Dickman, an expert on Australian biodiversity refuge for bushfire displaced wildlife on their or protect your hands. at the University of Sydney. It is estimated that golf course. l Place the animal in a slightly larger box there is an average of 17.5 mammals, 20.7 or container. Place the box in a cool, birds and 129.5 reptiles per hectare in NSW. BIODIVERSITY CRISIS quiet and safe place. If we calculated the area of habitat areas in We have all seen the devastating images. l Contact a wildlife shelter to arrange for the roughs and wooded and waterway areas Descriptions of injured, burnt and dead wildlife, drop off or collection of the animal. of golf courses and applied that to Victoria’s either caught in the blaze or fleeing their l If handling large animals: 374 golf courses (which occupy over 18,750 habitat. Images of koalas, kangaroos, wombats l Supervise the animal if possible, while hectares of land), if just 20 per cent (3750ha) and livestock injured or killed by the bushfires keeping a safe distance and without of this area is roughs and forested area that are circulating daily in the media and reports disturbing it. means 65,625 mammals, 77,625 birds and are surfacing that entire species of plants and l Keep pets and traffic away from the 485,625 reptiles call Victorian golf courses animals have been wiped out. animal. home. WWF Australia is estimating 1.25 billion l Note the location and what the If we applied the same data to Sydney – native animals have perished in the bushfires. problem with the animal is. 91 golf courses that cover some 38 square The fires have destroyed mature trees and will l Contact a wildlife carer who will advise kilometres (3800ha) of open space… if just rob ecosystems of their vegetation diversity the best action to take. 20 per cent (760ha) of this area is roughs and and reduced food resources for wildlife well l Do not attempt to feed or give water forested area that means 13,300 mammals, into the future. to the animal until you have spoken to 15,732 birds and 98,420 reptiles call Sydney While it is always better not to feed native a wildlife carer. The carer may advise golf courses home. wildlife, we are in extraordinary times and their you differently once an assessment of These animals are already under drought natural diet is just not there. The drought has the animal has been made. pressure and bushfire displacement could add taken out most of the vegetation and now the fires are taking the rest. It’s a perfect storm and displaced animals will be seeking food, water and shelter. As gut-wrenching as it is seeing wildlife caught in fires, all animal and emergency services agree that you must not enter fire affected areas to try and rescue wildlife. If you are not a trained animal rescuer, it’s best to leave the animal rescue to the experts. Opposite: WWF Australia is estimating 1.25 billion native animals have perished in the Australian bushfires. The fires have destroyed mature trees and will rob ecosystems of their vegetation diversity and reduced food resources for wildlife well into the future Right: Every golf course now has a real opportunity to act as a refuge for those animals fleeing the fires or dealing with the drought JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 67 HR AND COMPLIANCE to these numbers on your course. You can ecosystems, potentially drawn by distant help bushfire displaced or drought affected smoke plumes promising new prey. wildlife by: A 2016 study found a native rodent was l Putting out shallow safe containers of 21 times more likely to die in areas exposed water. The containers should be distributed to intense fire compared to unburned areas, across the site and not include buckets mostly due to predation by feral cats. Red or anything with handles for heads to get foxes also have an affinity for burned areas. caught in. l Putting a stick or a few rocks in the bottom YOUR COURSE AS A SANCTUARY As damaged bushland regenerates, golf clubs can of water containers so that smaller wildlife Golf course superintendents manage more act as a stepping-stone or comprise part of a wildlife can get in and out if needed such as corridor that will help birds and other native animals than a safe and sustainable workplace. They lizards and small mammals. disperse into regenerating areas also manage wildlife and habitat sanctuaries – l Properly cleaning and refilling the water an asset of great community value. dishes daily. l Draping something over the edge of Displaced animals could very well find l Keeping domestic dogs or cats inside swimming pools or dams so that animals their way onto your site. As their damaged or restrained for a few weeks after the have a surface to grab hold of and climb bushland regenerates, your property can act bushfires. out, such as heavy-duty rope or a piece of as a ‘stepping-stone’, or comprise part of a l Dispensing kangaroo pellets or kangaroo timber. If possible, check the pool or dam ‘wildlife corridor’ that will help birds and other muesli and wild bird seed around your site. at least twice every day. native animals disperse into regenerating areas l Installing hanging water baths for birds. l Keeping an eye out for feral animals that where the resident populations have been l Installing large plastic containers of water will prey on vulnerable wildlife. killed by the bushfire. to act as watering points. They can be a Wildlife escaping fire is only half the battle. The Australian bush is remarkably good at haven for birds as well as possums and After a fire, food resources will often be scarce bouncing back after a bushfire, but it can take goannas. and in the barren landscape some animals, several months for food, water and shelter to l Putting up nest boxes for birds and such as lizards and smaller mammals, are regenerate, making starvation a very real risk possums. Hanging hollow logs up in trees more visible to hungry predators. Birds of prey for wildlife survivors. Turning your property and also on the ground for small ground will arrive quickly at fires. Introduced predators into a sanctuary for wildlife refugees after the dwelling animals. can also be drawn to fires and feral cats have fires will make a difference by providing water, l Removing any netting from fruit trees to been observed travelling up to 12.5km from the right food and safe places to shelter for share some of the fruit with the animals. their home ranges towards recently burned animals passing through your property. MANAGING EMOTIONAL DISTRESS IN A TIME OF CRISIS T he bushfires that have threatened “There are some clear signs of of those you work with. Approaching a communities in recent months deteriorating mental well-being, however, workmate you think might be struggling can have been highly distressing for these may not always be obvious to us,” seem daunting and www.headsup.org.au many people. Whether you are writes McDermott. “It is therefore important provides some helpful tips on how to start a directly or indirectly impacted to respect the opinions of friends and conversation with a colleague. by the recent devastation, there is a lot that colleagues and consider their views, for they “If you’re concerned about someone, family, friends, volunteers and community may see signs before you see them yourself. approach them and start a conversation. Try members can do to help those affected. “They may include feelings of sadness to understand their situation and encourage Even for those not directly affected by and helplessness, persistent anxiety even them to seek support. Helping the person this disaster, 24-hour news of destruction when the threat has decreased and relentless find further information and support services and loss of life can make many people feel thinking about the disaster. They may also can also be really useful, as this step can overwhelmed and helpless. It is important include loss of appetite, sleep, interest and seem overwhelming for someone with anxiety to acknowledge that constant exposure to vitality. At their worst, feelings can turn to life or depression. traumatic news can have a negative impact not being worth living. “Remind yourself that this is no different on our mental health. “For many people, the marathon of to talking about how someone’s feeling – the It is common that some people struggle recovery is not yet underway because the topic is just a bit more delicate. Remember to deal with feelings and thoughts that result bushfire season is far from over. Later, we will you may be the only person to have noticed from a bushfire or from the tragic losses need to increase our collective awareness of changes in their behaviour or have the that may occur. It’s important to know the the signs and symptoms of poor emotional courage to start a conversation. This may be difference between a common reaction to a health that may persist after this initial phase. pivotal in them getting the help and support stressful or traumatic event and signs that “Unfortunately, there will be individuals that they need to get and stay well.” indicate you should seek additional support. who develop mental health conditions Below is some great information that over the coming months. Identifying poor RESOURCES Beyond Blue has posted on their website mental health early is critical for providing https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/ – www.beyondblue.org.au – to assist with appropriate support, but for those still at risk, bushfires-and-mental-health/ coping following a disaster. Professor Brett absorbing further information about these https://www.headsup.org.au/supporting- McDermott, a former director of Beyond Blue, challenges is for the months ahead.” others/starting-a-conversation reminds us that there “is no health without For those who operate a business or mental health” and at times of crisis it’s more work in an bushfire affected area or manage important than ever to check in on your own employees, it’s important to not only protect Sources: Beyond Blue wellbeing and that of those around you. your own mental health but also be aware and headsup.org.au 68 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 REGIONAL PROFILE Leongatha Golf Club is beautifully routed through a natural bush setting with an abundance of native vegetation and wildlife Leongatha GC, VIC Leongatha Golf Club truly deserves the tag of being one of Australian golf’s hidden regional gems. In charge of the maintaining the Vern Morcom design is Dylan McMeekin who has spent his entire 21-year career at the South Gippsland club. Superintendent: Dylan McMeekin (41). Tell us a bit about your background and Nickname: Bob. how you started out in the turf industry. Family: Wife Louise, children Milla and Oliver. I played golf occasionally with mates in Period as a superintendent: Ten years. my teens and enjoyed the challenge. The Association involvement: VGCSA. presentation of a golf course always interested Turf management career: Started as an me, so when the apprenticeship position came apprentice at Leongatha Golf Club 21 years up at Leongatha after I had just finished school ago and have been here ever since. I thought I would give it a crack and find out Qualifications: Certificate III Horticulture/Turf. how it was done. I love the job and outdoors… Major hobbies/past-times: Cricket, golf, the rest is history. basketball, footy, fishing and kids. Who were some of your early mentors and Where is Leongatha Golf Club and what is what did they teach you about the industry the course/town known for: Leongatha is and turf management? I spent my first 10 based about 135km south east of Melbourne years working under superintendent Steve along the South Gippsland Highway. The golf Earle who had great knowledge coming from club is actually about 15 minutes southwest of The Leongatha GC crew (from left) Tom Sorrell, the main township on the way to Inverloch. superintendent Dylan McMeekin and Denis McDonald 70 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 As well as more intensive renovations, throughout the year Leongatha’s greens are groomed then dusted every 2-3 weeks and vertidrained when time allows Huntingdale Golf Club. Former Huntingdale superintendent John Spencer, who was a member of the club, also helped us out prior to his death. This was when I learnt you only get out what you put in. It was during this time the club was successful in converting all fairways and tees to Santa Ana couch. Both Steve and John also taught me how to prepare quality turf on a small budget and, most importantly, to trust your gut feelings. How has the course change since the early days of your apprenticeship? When I first started the club was struggling financially and not a lot of money had been spent on the course. The course had a great Vern Morcom- designed bush layout, but the playing surfaces were cool-season, greens were predominantly Poa annua, the tees were uneven, irrigation interesting too. All greens are push-up Take us through your turf management was all manual and machinery old. constructions with some of them more than operations there. What changes have Since then we have slowly rebuilt, 60-years-old. Most greens slope from back you implemented in terms of managing levelled and turfed the tees with Santa Ana to front so we have to be careful with green the course during your tenure as couchgrass, converted all fairways to couch speeds not going over 9’8” on the stimpmeter superintendent? I felt that I was taught the between 2005 and 2007 and changed otherwise they become unfair. basics really well, so I have only made small the greens to predominantly bentgrass changes. I have increased the use of organic (Penncross/Penneagle). We have also started Is it an easy/hard facility to manage? What’s products and now apply compost tea, humic a vegetation plan managing overgrown trees the most challenging aspect? It can be acid, fish and seaweed monthly on greens and undergrowth, reshaped all bunkers, set up challenging for sure. Finding staff and having for disease prevention. I felt a need to reduce a machinery replacement plan replacing most a small budget can make it hard at times. the exposure to fungicides and increase soil machinery and most recently upgraded the Our irrigation dam is off course and can have health. Irrigation water is monitored more irrigation system on greens and tees. elevated sodium levels so we are always regularly and calcium is applied to offset monitoring. All fairways are only manually sodium. Give us an overview of Leongatha GC and irrigated with travelling irrigators or hoses, so Greens renovation practices are more some of its unique characteristics from a it’s hard to get water out when you need to. aggressive and consistent. Greens are now course perspective? The course has long cored and scarified twice a year with a big been regarded as a ‘hidden gem’. It has been focus on making sure greens are groomed carved out of the natural bushland surrounding and dusted every 2-3 weeks. I have been with large trees and thick undergrowth fortunate the club has been in a position to vegetation lining every hole. We are very lucky continually upgrade and add machinery. We to have a lot of wildlife that call our course now have much more reliable machinery and home and they are regularly seen by golfers. healthier turf as a result. The greens are tricky, fairways are wide, have great shape and definition, the roughs What other maintenance changes do you are rough and the vegetation is thick. It is a want to introduce/plan on introducing? I challenge if you hit it off line. We also have would like to focus on couch encroachment heaps of water so if it get dry we can water as in greens and green surrounds. Maintaining a much as we need. pure bent or fine fescue buffer is my goal. A trial is in place but we have a long way to go. What are some of the unique features about Increasing soil health in the fairways is also a Leongatha GC from a turf management priority. If the budget allows it would be nice to perspective? Having so many trees that keep upgrading irrigation pipe work to allow impact turf through shade, airflow and more sprinklers to be added to the Toro Lynx tree roots provides us with year-round automatic controller. management challenges. Having our irrigation A more aggressive and consistent renovation dam 800 metres off the course and using programme has paid significant dividends in the performance and management of Leongatha’s travelling irrigators on fairways is always bentgrass greens JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 71 REGIONAL PROFILE Among many course projects in recent years, all bunkers have been reshaped and refurbished Any special environmental considerations What are some of the major challenges The most recent major upgrade was to the that you have to incorporate into the facing Leongatha GC both from a turf and irrigation system. The club was lucky enough management of the course? We are very general club management perspective? to receive a grant that significantly helped lucky that the course setting is natural bush From a turf management perspective, couch fund the project. The project was many years and vegetation has always been there and an encroachment in greens and green surrounds in planning and the main aim of it was to integral part of the layout. It has always been is becoming a big issue. All greens need automate the greens, tees, fairway hydrants, our goal to encourage out of play native areas work to some degree and we are like many new pumps, foot valve and pump shed. We and add some definition to areas through plant other clubs who have tried many products now have an excellent Toro Lynx control length and colour. Having areas that do not get to overcome this. We have recently built a system, Infinity sprinklers on greens, T5s and cut regularly helps us to regularly cut the areas fine fescue turf nursery and a trial is in place T7s on tees, Grundfos pumps and the ability that are in play and grow a lot faster. Some out to spray out 1-2 mower widths of surround to add to the system when funds allow. Now of play areas are only cut once or twice a year. and re-turf with the fine fescue. A spraying completed, this project has significantly saved With the help of Kate Torgersen we have programme will then be in place to control many man hours, power costs and reduced identified a lot of species around the course regeneration. Club management issues are the inconvenience to golfers. and have started transplanting plants into more related to keeping membership and More irrigation works are planned with areas that have been trafficked or mown out or golfing numbers consistent from year to year. mainline upgrades and sprinklers to be added just need a little help. The most notable area Over the years they have done a great job on par 3 approaches. Fairway irrigation is we have worked on is the carry on the par considering we have an older member base. being investigated on the 5th and 6th holes three 14th. to eliminate the need of travelling irrigators. With so many trees and wildlife on course, Outline any major course improvement Transporting irrigators on the slopes we have there is always considerations when spraying works recently completed and/or highlight here can be very challenging. herbicides. We do not spray too close to trees any ongoing or future works that the club and vegetation, especially close to heavy is undertaking. As mentioned earlier, there Water is obviously a critical issue for any rainfall and golfing events. Run off and tracking have been many projects completed over golf course. How is Leongatha GC faring can be very visual and dangerous. the last couple of years including reshaping in the water management stakes? We are and refurbishment of all bunkers, rebuilding very lucky that we have a large dam we use and levelling tees, construction of a turf for irrigation. Even though it is off site, we have nursery, drainage across fairways, grading more water than we can put out. It is feed by of cart tracks, re-turfing bare areas and tree run off and over flows every year, touch wood! maintenance to allow more sunlight and airflow. The weather and climate is always a great leveller for a course superintendent. How McMeekin relies on volunteers and working bees to has Mother Nature treated the course in keep Leongatha in the condition it is renowned for. recent times? As all superintendents know, Among the regulars (left) are Peter Seth and club president Peter Waters Mother Nature and weather forecasts are always hard to deal with. Every day, week, month and year is different. Some members don’t seem to understand this as they compare course conditions year to year and expect the same conditions day to day. When applying any fertiliser, pesticides or pre-emergents on fairways it is always timed around rainfall washing it in as the travelling irrigators take too long. When you want 6mm you will get 20mm and then you want 20mm 72 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 but only get 2mm. Other times you get nothing and the irrigators have to go out to wash in, taking seven days to water all fairways. Unfortunately we need to rely on the weather too much to get good product results. The one product I couldn’t manage my course without is... Primo Maxx. It’s a must with small staff and only one fairway mower to maintain 13 hectares of Santa Ana couch. It is a huge advantage over the busy summer holiday season reducing cutting time and clippings. It just makes the course present so much better. Do you use volunteers to assist with the management of the course and if so how important a resource are they? With only three staff, the only way we survive presenting the course to a high standard is with the assistance of volunteers. I am lucky to have Peter Seth, Leon Collier and president Peter Waters as my two-day-a-week regulars. They are great and do any job that needs doing. We also regularly call monthly working bees and are open to volunteers coming out whenever they can, even if it’s only for an hour or two. I focus on having a small group who rotate cutting rough when needed, another group that can help cut fairways and the others helping out with various tasks such as filling sand bins, divotting tees, emptying bins, blowing, trimming sprinkler heads, cleaning up fallen trees/limbs, spot spraying and maintaining around the clubhouse. Volunteers are always welcome. The most recent project at Leongatha has seen a major upgrade to the tees and greens irrigation system What have you got in your shed? Mainly red. excavator on it – could help with so many jobs If you could change one thing about your 2 x Toro 3250, Toro 6500, Toro 5510, Toro 3280 around the course. job as a regional superintendent what would rough cutter, Toro Multi Pro 1250, Toro 5040 it be and why? Bigger budget and more staff bunker machine, Toro Pro Force blower, 2 x What are some pros and cons of being a obviously. The course is located 15 minutes Toro MDX Workmans, Toro Flex 2100, John regional superintendent? The cost of getting from Leongatha so a course closer to town Deere 4410, John Deere 4105 loader, Tru Turf products delivered has to be factored into would mean less travelling to pick up parts and R52 roller, Dakota 410 topdresser, Vertidrain the budget. The time it takes products to get products. Apart from that, the club is going 7215, Graden GS04 scarifier, Ryan turf cutter, here can be an issue if needed straight away. I in the right direction, staff are great and the Silvan 1000L 6m boom, Rayco 6-inch chipper, would like to attend more information days and course is one members enjoy and most can Mitsubishi tipper. seminars but the time and distance is often too see how far it has come. far. It is always good driving to and from work What’s your favourite piece of machinery with no traffic. Do you think regional/country and what’s on the wish list? The Toro Multi superintendents have a better work-life Pro 1250 sprayer is accurate, easy to use and Are expectations of course presentation balance than their metro counterparts? I saves so much time. We are very lucky that a and conditioning any less than that placed have not been a metro super, but from those I machinery plan was put in place to continually on your metropolitan counterparts? I do not know they are all passionate and spend long update machines and over the last 10 years think they are less. All clubs have expectations. hours when needed. I am lucky to have a good nearly every machine has been replaced. The I would think most would understand our work-life balance. next machine to be purchased will be a newer location, budget and staff restraints. Over Toro Multi Pro 1250 or a Toro HDX workman. the last couple of years I am finding the How important are the relationships you Both machines are valuable and will make the expectations are getting higher as more have with other course supers/trade reps? job quicker and easier. The wish list also has a members are joining from metropolitan areas. Very important. The reps that call on us are JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 73 REGIONAL PROFILE all very knowledgeable and always willing paperwork and WHS demands requires more to help. They have a lot of experience being time in the office and less on course. ex-superintendents and understand our issues. Quite often bringing products with them saves What have you worked on personally in freight and time. Talking to guys like this is a recent years to improve your skills as way to further your knowledge without leaving a superintendent? Continually trying to the course. further my knowledge by talking to other superintendents, reps and always reading. What are some of the more unusual Also making sure communication with all staff requests/things you have had to do as a Uniquely, Leongatha’s main 50ML irrigation dam lies on course and in the clubhouse is improving. superintendent of a regional course? We some 800m outside the course boundary had a competition where goal posts were put What gives you the most job satisfaction? up at the start of the first fairway – if you ‘hit’ a Best advice you have received about being Seeing the course continually improving to a goal you got bonus points! Watching Denis go a course superintendent/greenkeeper? You standard members and visitors appreciate and for a swim in the dam to clean the foot valve is always get complaints no matter how good hearing their positive feedback. always funny. the course is. Stick to what you know and trust your own ability. Most pleasing/rewarding moment at Favourite spot on your course? The 14th Leongatha? To finally upgrade our irrigation. tee looking towards the green. Natural native What is the most challenging aspect of a To see new pumps, greens and tee sprinklers vegetation can be seen from the tee to an superintendent’s role today? Maintaining the on the Toro Lynx controller was amazing. The elevated green with bunkers. You can also look course to a set level with only a certain amount end result made all the hard work worth it and back down the 13th with a smile. of available man hours. Also, the increase in meant goodbye to 3am manual watering! AT A GLANCE – LEONGATHA GOLF CLUB, VIC Course specs: 5785 metre par 70. Greens Graden to a depth of 30mm, push off with on their condition and weather. Fairways and surrounds one hectare in size. Greens bunker machine blade then blow off, core receive minimal fertility and irrigation and get are Penncross/Penneagle bentgrass with with Vertidrain using 17mm fairway tines to hit hard over winter (dormancy), so every year bentgrass/fine fescue surrounds. Santa Ana a depth of eight inches, sand and rub in. We we take a conservative approach. Renovation tees (0.8ha) and fairways (13ha), 18 bunkers then Vertidrain with 8mm solid tine blocks can either be light grooming, verti-raking, and a 1500m2 fine fescue nursery. at a depth of 10 inches, shaking in the sand decking at a lower height, scarifying, spiking/ Members/rounds: 550/22,000. and making more holes, rub in sand, blow, slitting or just leaving. Major tournaments/events: Club add amendments and water. During the year, Major disease pressures: In the past we championships (October), four-day annual greens are groomed then dusted every 2-3 have sprayed for pythium, brown patch and tournament (November), Trainee Pro-Am and weeks and vertidrained when time allows. dollar spot. We are now using phosphites South Gippsland Classic (both February). There is no vertidraining after May as surface and more organic products with excellent Annual course budget: $95K. is sealed and firm. results. The biggest success we have had Staff structure: Dylan McMeekin Tees are scarified with a pedestrian is using monthly applications of a brewed (superintendent), Denis McDonald and Tom Graden every second or third year depending compost tea. This has reduced our fungicide Sorrell. applications by 70 per cent while also Annual rainfall: 1000mm. increasing our soil health. Soil types: Sand, sandy loam, soil, clay and Nutrition management: On greens our focus coffee rock. has been to use more organic products to Water sources/irrigation system: 50 help with our compost tea microbiology. megalitre irrigation dam (fed by run off) Seaweed, fish, humic acid and amino acids located 800m from 5th green with 30m head. are applied monthly. Two Grundfos 18.5kw pumps, Grundfos Nitrogen inputs are low and only applied dosing pump, Amiad auto flush filter. Toro when needed as we try and keep any Poa Lynx controller with Infinity back-to-back annua unhealthy and are finding the organics sprinklers on greens, T5 and T7 sprinklers on to be enough. Calcium will be applied three tees. Four travelling irrigators and hoses used times during the year to offset sodium in the for fairways. irrigation water. Cutting heights: Greens 3-3.5mm, surrounds When it comes to fairways, they receive 10-12mm, tees 8-10mm, fairways 12-14mm very little. We make a mix of extreme green and rough 2.5 inches. iron and magnesium that is applied for colour Renovations: Our greens reno programme is and extended definition during December and carried out in November and end of February. While greens and tees are controlled by the new January. I am currently working to increase irrigation system, Leongatha’s fairways are still Process is to scarify with a pedestrian manually watered with travelling irrigators fertility on fairways if the budget allows. 74 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 A S I A PA C I F I C TURFGRASS CONFERENCE June 22-25, 2020 Mel b ou rn e Con ve nt i o n & Ex h i bi t i o n Ce nt r e Registration now open at: www.agcsa.com.au 2020 CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS l International keynote presenters Dr Frank Rossi (Cornell University, US), Dr Nathan Walker (Oklahoma State University, US) and Dr Andy Owen (ICL, UK) l Combined Plenary session and trade exhibition with Golf Business Forum l Over 90 exhibitors showcasing the latest industry products and services l Tailored education across a variety of seminars, presentations and interactive workshops l Education streams featuring Golf, Sportsfields & Grounds and Leadership ASTMA Members Only $900 (ex GST) Early Bird Rate until 20 March, 2020 AROUND THE TRADE The new Toro Groundsmaster 1200 pull-behind rotary mower includes three contour-following cutting decks featuring a 12-foot (3.7m) width of cut TORO CUTS NEW PATH WITH GROUNDSMASTER 1200 PULL-BEHIND A STMA Platinum Partner Toro transport width, which makes it easy to go effective from February. Mansfield has been in recently launched its new from site to site. the Australian turf industry for nearly 30 years Groundsmaster 1200 pull- “On top of this, the transport wheels have and for the past five years has been running behind rotary mower into an integrated torsion spring. This effectively his own business JM Golf Turf Services. the Australian market. The serves as a suspension system and gives a Mansfield has sold golf course hardware Groundsmaster 1200 includes three contour- very smooth ride. It really makes transport a lot accessories and driving range equipment over following cutting decks featuring a 12-foot quicker and comfortable.” a long period and is well known in the industry (3.7m) width of cut and can mow up to 3.53 Remaining true to the Groundsmaster’s Australia wide. He will be assisting CCI clients hectares at 9.7km per hour. It offers enhanced reputation of durability, the 1200 was designed with their golf course and driving range needs productivity and quality of cut for both sports for years of reliable mowing. Its spindles and can be contacted on 0418 362 353 or turf and golf roughs. are the same as Toro’s large rotaries, with email mansfield@countryclub.com.au. Full width rollers on the front and rear heavy-duty shafts and dual tapered roller of each deck give a great quality of cut. The bearings that are capable of withstanding JOHN DEERE TRIPLEX MOWERS front roller helps reduce scalping in undulating rough conditions. The bi-directional impact SCOOP ENGINEERING AWARD T terrain and the rear roller delivers exceptional absorption technology cushions and protects wo of ASTMA Silver Partner John turf striping. Each roller includes heavy-duty the individual cutting decks against damage Deere’s triplex mowers – the 2700 and bearings featuring easy access grease points. from obstacles while mowing. 2750 PrecisionCut and E-Cut Hybrid The Groundsmaster 1200 is not only a “This new unit is the ideal piece of (pictured opposite page) – were recently highly productive mower, it’s also versatile. equipment to complement the new Toro honoured as a 2020 AE50 Award winner by the Each deck features four mowing height Outcross 9060 and we are very excited about American Society of Agricultural and Biological adjustment points making it simple and quick it,” says Goodridge. Engineers (ASABE). to deliver the exact mowing height for the In addition to the new Toro Outcross 9060, ASABE is an international scientific and required finish. The height of cut is up to four the new Groundsmaster 1200 pull-behind educational organisation dedicated to the inches (10.2cm). rotary mower is also compatible with many advancement of engineering applicable to The pull-behind mower features a deck lift other tractor makes and models (minimum 35 agricultural, food and biological systems. Each system which allows for the decks to be lifted PTO horsepower – 26kW – tractors). February the ASABE announces the AE50 from the turf while the PTO is engaged, to For more information on the Groundsmaster awards and presents the award at the ASABE quickly turn around without scuffing the grass 1200 pull-behind rotary mower, contact your Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference or transport over paths. Toro rep or visit www.toro.com.au. in Louisville, Kentucky. “This system really helps turf managers Each year the AE50 awards highlight running at peak productivity,” says Toro’s MANSFIELD JOINS CCI the most innovative designs in product equipment product marketing manager Brian ASTMA Bronze Partner Country Club engineering in the food and agriculture Goodridge. “The wing decks also fold up to International (CCI) has welcomed industry, as chosen by a panel of international near vertical for a narrow 86-inch (218.4cm) John Mansfield (pictured) to its team engineering experts. Winners include 76 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 machines, systems, components, software and services ranked highest in innovation, significant engineering advancement and impact for the markets they serve. The development of the 2700 and 2750 reel mowers was based on customer needs and challenges, most importantly the struggle to find quality labour and tight operating budgets. With this in mind, the triplex mowers are equipped with the advanced TechControl system. This system is passcode protected and allows superintendents, technicians and other trusted supervisors to input commands, controlling nearly everything regarding the operator’s performance, including frequency of clip, turn speed, clean up pass speed and how fast the cutting units raise and lower. Engines on all models are electronically controlled and include an ‘Eco’ mode which automatically reduces engine speed when mowing, saving up to 30 per cent in fuel and up to 3dB(A) in sound levels. The lightweight AGCSATECH AGRONOMY TEAM EXPANDS open platform design with a low centre of Due to continued growth of After leaving Sorrento in the early 2000s gravity ensures excellent stability and traction its analytical and consultancy and taking over the running of a motel, performance. The 2700 and 2750 triplex services, the ASTMA announced Tuckett joined Chisholm TAFE in Rosebud mowers offer a 157.5cm (62-inch) mowing the appointment of Steve Tuckett as a sessional teacher, teaching a variety width and mow speeds of up to 9.7kph for (pictured) as full-time agronomist of units for the Certificate 3 and Diploma increased productivity. early in the New Year. Tuckett joins the of Sports Turf Management courses. After “Our customers are battling a variety of existing AGCSATech agronomy team of 10 years there, he took on the full-time challenges, from labour to budgets. The 2700 Bruce Macphee and Tim Fankhauser. role of sports turf management teacher at and 2750 triplex mowers were designed to Tuckett has vast experience in the turf Melbourne Polytechnic, a role he held up directly tackle these concerns and take the management industry both on course and until December. stress out of mowing,” says John Deere Golf in the classroom. He began his career as Tuckett will work alongside Bruce and product manager Brad Aldridge. “From the an apprentice at Melbourne’s Tirhatuan Tim providing ASTMA members and clients innovative TechControl system to the open Lakes before taking on the assistant’s role with accurate, unbiased agronomic advice platform design and excellent cut quality, these at Churchill Park Golf Club. He was then and services. In addition to his considerable machines allow for a precise, uniform cut, assistant superintendent at Metropolitan Golf agronomic experience, Tuckett’s passion regardless of the operator.” Club under superintendent Pete Sawyer, for turf management education will also The new 2700 and 2750 triplex mowers preparing the course for the 1993 Australian be of major benefit for the association and will be available to order in early February Open, before moving to the Mornington its activities in this area. Tuckett can be 2020. For the latest news and product launch Peninsula where he was superintendent at contacted on 0419 328 809 or email steve@ information from John Deere, see your local Sorrento Golf Club for nine years. agcsa.com.au. John Deere dealer. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 77 AS SOCIATION REPORTS NZGCSA T o everyone on both sides of the Ditch, a very Happy Year and I wish you all good health and happiness throughout 2020. Summer has shown its mark around most parts of New Zealand with many areas in need of decent rainfall. Parts of the South Island had rain late in December but are now drying out, while in the North Island rainfall has been scarce for the past few months with Northland, Waikato and Taranaki all in near drought conditions. One of the positives has been a lack of high humidity and with that a drop in disease pressure and savings on fungicides. Hopefully by the time this article Westown GC volunteer and Aussie ex-pat Terry Doherty (above) was the brains behind the recent Taranaki is in production rainfall will have returned and Golfers Bushfire Charity Day which raised $20,000 for then, ironically, we will be cursing the stuff. the Australian bushfire crisis. Together with NZGCSA president Steve Hodson (far right), they raised $1000 to have their facial hair shaven off PERRY MEEHAN For the second consecutive year the festive 40-odd years ago, so has a foot in both season has claimed one of our own. Tragically, camps. With friends and family having been long-serving course superintendent Perry rescued from these fires, Terry felt he had to Meehan drowned while swimming at a beach do something to help those in need and came in Coromandel on Boxing Day. Despite the up with the idea of having a golf tournament to best efforts of local surf lifesavers they were raise funds. surprise that the sum of $500 was quickly unable to revive him. He bounced it off key personnel from raised to see it come off on the day. Perry (60) was superintendent at neighbouring golf clubs who quickly bought The downside was that given his target Morrinsville Golf Club and had been at the into the concept and the Taranaki Golfers had been met, he started looking around for course for a number of years. Perry also had Bushfire Charity Day was born. Word went out another hirsute individual to help raise funds a very keen interest in drag racing and held to amass 36 teams for an Ambrose tournament by similar means. After much coercing, I key administration roles at the well-known at $150 team, together with sponsors for agreed to shave off my beard if the $500 tally Meremere Drag Strip south of Auckland. Our the respective holes. The response was could be matched. Given that my chin hasn’t thoughts go out to Perry’s wife Jody, daughter overwhelming with 64 teams wanting to seen the light of day for 25-plus years, there Emily and son-in-law Darren. play and all holes attracting sponsorship. were plenty of so called ‘mates’ who put their Unfortunately, the logistics of 64 teams for an hands in their pockets and alongside Terry I AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES Ambrose doesn’t work so we had a full field of was ceremoniously de-bearded on the day. Our thoughts also go out to those in Australia 36 teams, with the surplus teams still donating All joking aside, it was all for a fantastic that have been and are being affected by the to the cause. cause and while Terry’s and my facial hair will devastation of the raging bushfires. As with The day was held at Westown – the club grow back, many of the firefighters’ lives and the earthquake damage in Christchurch a donating the course for the day – and involved the lives of many Aussies whom have had few years back, most of us are divorced from the efforts and hard work from the members property damage and lost loved ones will be its direct effects as we simply see it on the of not only Westown but also Inglewood, in turmoil for some time yet, so everything in television news for a few moments and then, Manukorihi and New Plymouth golf clubs. balance. by human nature, forget about it until we see it Spot prizes were donated locally and from again on television. around New Zealand, with all entry money and TRAINEE OF THE YEAR Unfortunately for those families directly other fundraising from the day given to assist Finally, congratulations to the following turfies affected by way of losing their homes and/ volunteer firefighters’ families. who will compete for the Power Turf NZ or loved ones, they live the tragedy each and Terry set an ambitious target of raising (Jacobsen) Trainee of the Year later in March. every minute of the day. Fortunately, New $20,000 and I am delighted to report that we l Tyler O’Leary (Westown GC) Zealand has given assistance both in monetary managed to exceed that amount. The day l Kane Findlay (Profile Farms) terms and also sending firefighters to help went without a hitch and was played in stinking l Ben Engels (Cambridge GC) combat the fires. It is in these times of turmoil hot conditions, the irony of which wasn’t lost This is another fantastic opportunity for that the true ANZAC spirit kicks in and we are on those who took part. our members and we thank John Woodham there for each other; the truest rivals on the There was only one downside from the and his team at Power Turf NZ for making this sporting field, but mates together in adversity. day. In the lead-up to the event, Terry offered possible. Good luck to all candidates. On a local level, one of my volunteers to shave his moustache off for the right here at Westown Golf Club, Terry Doherty, money. Given that his kids, who are in their STEVE HODSON migrated from Victoria to New Zealand some 30s, haven’t seen him without one, it was no PRESIDENT, NZGCSA 78 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1 GCSAQ W ith summer coming to an end, it is fair to say that Queensland has faced all that Mother Nature has to throw at it in recent times. The weather has been hot, dry and extremely wet, causing the state to have both widespread drought and bushfires. This has been sure to test all greenkeepers state-wide. Headland Golf Club superintendent Ben Tilley featured a blog on the GCSAQ website about the super storm that hit the club just before summer officially started. Ben describes 70kph winds that swept through the golf club causing damage far in excess of anything that he has ever witnessed before in his 13 years to have Class C recycled water, but with this there. comes its own problems with chlorides and Concrete paths were lifted in sections sodium levels reasonably high.” Visit the blog of up to 5m, concrete mesh was bent and section of our website to read Lincoln’s full broken, there was branch spear damage to overview and view images from the event. several greens and large trees were lifted Be sure to save the dates for a number of PHOTOS: BEN TILLEY and destroyed, with one even leaving behind field days and events that the committee has a big crater from its root ball. Overall, 60-70 scheduled throughout 2020. Three dates have significant trees were lost with major structural been confirmed - Tuesday 4 February, Tuesday damage to hundreds more across the 18 holes 7 April and Tuesday 2 June. Please register Sunshine Coast’s Headland Golf Club copped the full during the super storm. Read the full story in for these events in advance using our online brunt of a supercell storm in late November which the blog section of our website (gcsaq.com.au) registration links so that we can get an idea of caused widespread damage across the course RACV Royal Pines Resort once again numbers. hosted the Australian PGA Championship in Our membership numbers are steady, ON THE MOVE... December with huge success. Superintendent however, if you have let your membership JAX BATTYE: The 2019 Lincoln Coombes and his team along with a lapse please contact ASTMA membership GCSAWA Graduate of the Year handful of volunteers prepared the course to manager Allison Jenkins via email admin@ has gone from assistant at The an exceptional standard for the event. agcsa.com.au to renew your membership. As Cut, WA to superintendent at “The lack of rain leading up to the event always, the committee welcomes any feedback Sanctuary Golf Resort, WA. was pretty much our largest obstacle to and/or suggestions. Please email us at info@ DYLAN KEAM: Elevated to superintendent overcome,” Lincoln says in his report on our gcsaq.com.au at any stage. Happy golfing. at Bundaberg Golf Club, Qld following the website. “Knowing that, all we could do was departure of Sean Stuchbery who has taken worry about having the greens surface in the PAUL MCLEAN on a new role with SunWater, the local water best possible shape. We are lucky enough PRESIDENT, GCSAQ authority. DUNCAN LAMONT: From superintendent STA VIC Surfers Paradise Golf Club, Qld to superintendent Townsville Golf Club, Qld. STEWART MACFARLANE: Has departed S TA Victoria will support the ANTEP be sown in March and run through to spring as superintendent Waterford Valley, Vic and 5 trials being undertaken by the when the trial sprays will be applied. Current moved to Sunshine Coast with his family Australian Seed Federation (ASF) technology such as NDVI scanners and drones and started his own turf business air2turf. and also run a herbicide trial alongside it will be among the assessment tools used. BRAD PAVLINOVICH: The former assistant to compare the various chemical options This is an opportunity for members to put superintendent of 10 years has taken over available to assist in transitioning out ryegrass forward their thoughts on ideal transition dates, from outgoing superintendent Dion Warr at from a couchgrass base. As such, we are preferred chemical or blend of chemicals The Vines Resort & Country Club, WA. reaching out to members for any suggestions and cultural transition (start times and key SCOTT REID: A graduate of of chemicals, or especially mixes, that they are processes). Please email suggestions as soon the 2019 ASTMA Future Turf using or believe could be investigated further. as possible to Jan Fenton at STA Victoria Managers’ Initiative, Reid has Bruce Macphee, senior agronomist from vic@sportsturf.asn.au. We look forward to moved across from County AGCSATech, has been commissioned by the sharing the trial progress along the way. Club Tasmania, Tas to take over as ASF to carry out the trial and will also run the superintendent at Launceston Golf Club, herbicide trial. The site of the trial is Evergreen Tas. Turf in Pakenham, Melbourne. The trial will COMMITTEE, STA VICTORIA JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2020 79 AS SOCIATION REPORTS STA ACT O n behalf of the ACT Sports Turf of Golf event due to the poor air quality and recorded to any sports turf facilities throughout Association I would like to start by forced course closures for up to a week from 1 the region and thankfully all staff members are wishing all of Sports Turf Australia and January. Down the road at Manuka Oval, they safe. beyond a Happy New Year and best wishes for were forced to abandon play of the Big Bash During this tough time it’s hard to see the the year to come. Let’s hope Hughie has a fair League game between the Sydney Thunder good, but golf clubs and recreational sporting bit more for us this year! and Adelaide Strikers. grounds have opened their doors for makeshift It has been a far from quality end to 2019 Fires did, however, flare up in late January evacuation centres. These facilities have dug and start to 2020 here in the nation’s capital with outbreaks near Queanbeyan and to the into their own pockets to provide food, shelter and surrounding region. With the devastating south in Orroral Valley, with ash and soot being and entertainment to families evacuated from fires on our South Coast and the continuing deposited across most of the capital. And the their homes along the coast. trend of less than average rainfall totals, it week before the fires, parts of Canberra were Hats off to the Hanging Rock Sports really has been a less than ideal beginning to smashed by a hailstorm which caused surface Complex for providing their sporting fields for the year. damage at the likes of Manuka Oval and Royal evacuees to camp and set up caravans as Up until the last week of January, we Canberra Golf Club. a home away from home. Further down the were fortunate to have had no fire activity Water is certainly still a huge issue in the coast, Bermagui Country Club and Narooma within our borders, but did have easterly and region. We have been lucky enough to have Golf Club both opened their doors and south westerly winds blow thick smoke into had a little bit of rain during January, but like fairways for families to camp, eat and try take the region. This resulted in Canberra having everywhere could do with a whole lot more. their minds off the devastation happening the poorest air quality around the world for The usual afternoon storms we are used to around them. No doubt smaller sports turf consecutive days, which led to the closure of here in Canberra haven’t eventuated this year facilities would have offered their services sports turf facilities and cancellation of some keeping courses and surfaces quite dry over to the community also. We commend these sporting events. This has made it extremely the summer period. people for helping anyway they can. difficult for turf managers and curators to Our turf counterparts on the South Finally, I’d just like to wish everyone a safe maintain their surfaces. Coast have had a very tough end to 2019 and happy 2020. Enjoy! From my personal experience here at and horrible start to the New Year with the Federal Golf Club, we unfortunately had to devastating fires wreaking havoc across JIMMY CORRELL cancel an annual Jack Newton Junior Week the coastline. No major damage has been COMMITTEE, STA ACT NTEWG S ports turf management educators from units of competency in Certificate II in Sports Kate Vanson who advised of the processes across the country converged on the Turf Management (AHC20919), Certificate involved in the recent curriculum review and Canberra Institute of Technology for the III in Sports Turf Management (AHC31319) the Joyce Review of the VET Sector, which was 16th National Sports Turf Validation Meeting and Diploma of Sports Turf Management well received by industry partners. in early December. Congratulations to Bruce (AHC51019) qualifications. The NTEWG meeting saw excellent Davies, John Ellis and Gary Dawson who Following review of the training package, attendance from both the state and national did a marvellous job hosting the event. there was overwhelming support nationally industry associations, as well as TAFE Our industry is fortunate to have a from the large contingent with all units being institutes. The meeting aimed to strengthen truly national organisation which meets put forward and validated by our industry industry ties with TAFE colleges, with the aim biannually to discuss all matters relating to partners. The result is a consistent delivery of to focus on increased funding for training turf education – the National Turf Education assessments across Australia. Once quality across Australia and the endorsement of Working Group (NTEWG). This group is assurance has been concluded, Delivery and assessment strategies following institute made up of representatives of TAFE institutes Assessment Guidelines will be posted shortly review. It was particularly pleasing to have delivering sports turf qualifications and industry on industry websites and provides employers Daimon Jones representing the Sports Turf representatives from state and national and students the opportunity to gain an Association in South Australia. associations. The December meeting saw 40 understanding of the minimum assessment Our next meeting is planned as part delegates attending over two days, with all standards undertaken in every unit of each of the Asia Pacific Turfgrass Conference in sectors represented. qualification. Melbourne on Monday 22 June, 2020. For The latest meeting was a particularly Day two started with an informative more information regarding training, please important event due to the recent endorsement presentation from sponsor Jyri Kaapro on contact your local TAFE college or either of the new Sports Turf Management Training the industry’s biggest pest problem (sting NTEWG co-chairs Albert Sherry (albert. Package. Discussions on delivery and timing nematodes) highlighting the importance of sherry@tafensw.edu.au or 02 4936 0215) or of the new package will ensure a smooth monitoring populations from spring through Hugh Gardner (hughg@hume.vic.gov.au or transition and that training continues to meet summer which was emphasised using 0418 245 557) the needs of the industry. statistics from recent field work conducted in Over the two-day event, institutes provided Sydney. This was followed by an update from ALBERT SHERRY assessment and delivery strategies for 25 Skills Impact industry engagement manager CO-CHAIR, NTEWG 80 AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 22.1