Board Report June 2019
Posted on: 7 June
Morisset Golf Club
Members will be aware by now that Morisset Golf Club ceased operation and possession of its course has been reclaimed by the landowner, a most unfortunate event for that club and its members. Most of the other golf clubs on the central coast have responded by providing tee times for Morisset members and your Board felt it important that we also support golf in the area by making an offer.
As a result, Morisset members will this week receive a note from our GM, Rob Hurley, inviting them to play at Magenta during June as follows: Monday to Friday in social times at no charge, and in competition events on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for a reduced green fee of $50 and the usual competition fee. Carts and range balls will be at additional cost for all games played.
The pro shop will be managing requests to play at Magenta in such a way as to ensure no Magenta Member is denied a tee time.
We are also offering the Magenta Links Programme as an entry point to becoming members at Magenta, at a special Morisset price of $799 and comes with 10 rounds of golf (to be completed by June 2020. We hope that some of the Morisset members might see fit to join Magenta as Individual or Dual Members once they have had the opportunity of playing at our course.
If Members would like to discuss this initiative please contact Rob Hurley.
Santa Ana Overplanting
The Board has been concerned that we missed the past growing season due to the major greens renovations and fairway renovation programme, along with the failure of our irrigation system.
We understand that it is important to convert the Legend couch to Santa Ana as soon as possible, and those areas of the course that have already taken are showing marked improvement in playing surfaces.
As a result, we determined to bring forward the entire programme by using a machine that delivers an 80% stolon strike rate, compared with about 20% using the prior, highly labour intensive, method. We considered buying the machine, which is locally made, but instead found an operator who is willing to rent it to us and can supply some of the turf needed to complete the entire course.
This major renovation will take place after the Australian Mid-Amateur which is being held in November this year, and the course will undergo these works in the period of 18-29 November 2019. The usual greens renovation will also take place during this time.
We are still determining whether to use our nurseries or buy in the grass, or a combination of both, but our preference is to buy in all of the turves, and keep our nurseries for necessary repairs throughout the year.
The system takes rolls of grass and breaks them into stolons which it then punches into the ground. The fairways can then be rolled and played on the next day.
Members will have observed the superiority of Santa Ana over Legend simply by noting that the winter grass is not nearly so prevalent on the Santa Ana, and other weeds have difficulty competing with the new grass. It also requires fewer chemicals and less water, important aspects of our ongoing maintenance regime.
The Manger and the Board have set aside a budget of $100,000 for these works (although we expect it to cost considerably less) and are confident that we will have vastly improved playing surfaces by the end of the coming summer.
On behalf of the Board
Peter Gaydon
Chairman