Caught up with Ex turfie at Tafe Matt Lane and participated in a fertiliser audit/calibration task performed on a turf sporting surface.
Uncalibrated fertiliser applications are a waste of money and resources, resulting in undesirable growth and other unwanted outcomes.
With a competent operator (and well maintained machinery and equipment) you can make simple adjustments to your application techniques to achieve your targeted application rates.
Thanks Matt for the catch-up. Always great talking about all things turf with you.
@mattlanos
Big two weeks at Tafe and this past week for the Australian Golf and Sports Turf Industry for current and ex turfies at tafe.
At the @the_astma
Conference in Brisbane, Tom Tristram @tomtramm won the Excellence in Golf Course Management Award - Well done Tom, your doing an amazing job at @secrets_golf .
@harryquigley__ and @beschenpou were finalists for Graduates of year - You are both amazing young men and will be future leaders of our Industry.
At tafe the apprentices visited Mark Bilsborough Golf Course Superintendent @linkskennedybay and inspected the golf course two weeks before opening, it's going to be an amazing golf course once it matures.
At tafe, we read and interpretted plans, used the azimuth on the dumpy level, built part of of green, bunker and a tee project so the apprentice can have a bit of fun and have a few shots at our green.
We also had a watchdog weather station installed this week.
@spectechmeters@kaino_rog
Sunrise picture by ex turfie at tafe @brodycoooper
Big thanks to @the_astma for looking after our apprentices and big congratulations to all the recipients of the awards.
New dad Alec Pengilly and the Green by Nature crew have been incredibly busy.
The high quality turf surfaces are amazing and HBF hosts a huge array of sporting and other social events.
We are extremely blessed in Perth to have such amazing facilities and greenkeepers that do all the hard work in the background.
The staff at @busselton_golfclub have been busy over the past few months building a 19th hole.
Lots of earthworks, shaping, irrigation installation and other planning have been undertaken by @bussogolfsuper Lance Knox and his capable team of greenkeepers.
Lance is a great believer in education, and currently has 2 sports Turf apprentices and his amazing 2IC Jamie Brown @jamiebrown_imagery is currently doing his certificate 3 in sports Turf management at Tafe.
Looking forward to seeing the 19th hole when completed.
@kasey.w_26 photo and video credits
@harrison.allardyce
Terry Sellick from The Lawndoctor (which is one of Western Australias oldest Turf Contracting business) is currently overseas visiting Wimbledon on a @lawnsolutions
Turf study tour.
Thanks Terry for the video.
More to come in a later post
@wimbledon
2 June 2024 was the first Winter Race of the season at Bunbury Turf Club.
Between each race, the ground staff need to get out to the track, identify divots, replace and/or sand divots.
Horses cause extensive damage to the turf surfaces. The Kikuyu track oversown with Rye grass held up very well, it was rated as a soft 7, with over 40mm of rain recorded overnight prior to racing.
The track is obviously well drained after reconstruction works, showing 38% VWC on the Fieldscout.
Picture and video credits to ex turfie at tafe Darcy Squires.
@bunburyturfclub@darcc.sq@spectechmeters
Busy 2 weeks with over 480km driving the bus with the 2nd year turf apprentices.
Last week, whilst we were still in our drought, we visited El Caballo Golf Course and measured rise and falls on the back 9 and inspected the drainage systems.
Then went off to Northam Racecourse and walked their turf track and check out their drainage.
The rain arrived this week, and we got soaked catching up with Golf Course Superintendent Mike Healy at Meadow Springs Country Club.
Followed up with a visit to Pinjarra Park, and caught up with Track Supervisor Dylan Bentley and Western Australia Finalist for the ASTMA Sports Turf Graduate of 2024 Harry Quigley @harryquigley__
The day after and rain following us we visited Wanneroo Golf Club and met up with Golf Course Superintendent Jon Carter. @jon_1966
Afterwards we went to Marangaroo Golf Course and caught up with Golf Course Superintendent Ben Eddy. @creepingbengrass
Thanks to all the Turf managers for their time, and answering the myriad of questions from the apprentices.
Then had a special visit by Steve Smith @thegolfinggreenkeeper who is blown away by our sands in the Swan Coastal Plain.
Country apprentices learning how to set up a dumpy,staff and tripod.
Recording falls, inspecting drainage systems and building surface and subsurface drainage systems
A visit to El Caballo Golf Course and Northam Racecourse
The staff at Hillview Golf Course are now breathing a sigh of relief as rainfall has finally arrived.
Built in the early 1970s, the mainline is literally held together by couplings, slipfix's, Milne's couplings, barrel unions, compression couplings and more.
They still are digging up pipes stamped with 1969 (Year of manufacture)
Not unusual to get 8-10 breaks a week!!!
Thanks to George Ledger @the_greenkeeper_ for the pics.
George graduated this year from Tafe. Well done mate and recently played in the State Amateur Open.
Also a shout out to @dan_breadies who has fixed plenty of breaks at his time at Hillview Golf Course.
Finally some decent rainfall occuring in the South West of Western Australia.
Busselton Golf Club receiving a drenching.
Thanks @kasey.w_26 for the update.
Big shout out to the Golf Course Superintendent @bussogolfsuper@harrison.allardyce
