2010 Rainfall Total

We've commented fairly regularly on how much more rain we've received this year compared to last. To give you some idea:

2010 rainfall total: 2,788mm

2009 rainfall total: 1,815mm

An increase of 973mm, or 39 inches.

The rainfall this year however has not been as heavy, rather more frequent. For example:

2010 total days of rainfall: 144

2009 total days of rainfall: 92

Thus, for 2010 it rained 40% of the year. When you add on days where it was just cloudy and no rain (quite regularly as you would remember) it would be fair to suggest that the sun shone for less than half the year.

Here's hoping for more sunshine in 2011.

Happy New Year.

Tree Root Trimming

You may notice behind the 7th, 12th, 13th and 16th greens an area which we have run a trencher through. We have suspected that tree roots have been entering the green and competing for water and nutrients which has been disadvantaging the Novotek in areas. This was confirmed last week when we found a small tree root in the back of 12 approximately 50mm from the surface. What we didn't expect today after running the trencher through were just how many roots there were around 2 inches below the surface.

We hope this will assist in the management of

these greens during the wet season.

Golf Australia 2011 Public Course Rankings

Good news for Sea Temple, moving up 3 places from No. 39 in 2009 to No. 36 in 2011 in the Top 100 public access courses of Australia. This also puts us in the Top 10 in Queensland. The nearest major course to us, Paradise Palms, dropped 9 places to 45.

Design Influences at Sea Temple - No. 4 'Tribulation'

The 4th hole at Sea Temple which we know is a strong Par 4 usually played into the south-easterly breeze where a par is a very good score. Following his writings on the 15th, Mr Michael Wolveridge has kindly provided the background into the creation of the 4th 'Tribulation'.

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Links golf is such an ancient game that those of us who dabble in the art are rarely lost for inspiration. Take our 4^th hole for instance. I had planned for a long Par 4 to be played into the prevailing winter Trade Winds, which with a Par 5 to follow, would comfortably cover the eastern boundary of the property. There is a famous hole of similar length at Royal Dornoch, “Foxy” the 14^th at that splendid old Scottish links, a par 4 headed down the coastline some 450 yards long, with no bunkers but a brute of a hole. “Foxy” is a slight double dog-leg, a little bit to the left and a little to the right, created by a series of intervening mounds too high and too rugged to see beyond, finally ending at a large plateau green, very, very hard to hit in two shots be a drive slightly off the proper line, whereupon the target becomes blind and probably unattainable. It is a hole many pundits include in their ‘Best 18 Holes’ – a famous hole from a famous links.

At our Links, there was available heaps of material suitable for mound making and of course, the underlying sand was ever present for gently contouring into typical seaside fairway links land. With this material I managed to create a series of mounds at a realistic height, interposing them to confuse and mask the green for any who would stray from the designed line of approach. Originally we made them rugged also!

The main deviation in principle from the original are the two ponds near the green, two elements I was unable to avoid as in our case they were necessary for drainage and as nutrient stripping ponds for displacement of fertilizer with respect to the significant rains we can expect during our Wet Season, when we receive a great deal more rain than the east coast of Scotland. Trying it out into a strong Southerly, we agreed entirely with the unfortunate Captain Cook and named it “Tribulation”.

Greens Verti-cutting

The greens received a light verti-cut yesterday which removed a bit more excess organic matter. After cutting today they have received a light fertilise, and will be cut and rolled tomorrow. They will be in excellent condition over the Christmas period.

Overnight Rainfall

What a wet past 4 days. We have received a total of 176mm, or 7 inches, over this period and as such the golf course is very wet. This brings our total for the year to 2.65m. Carts will be on paths only today.

Overnight Rainfall

A total of 33mm of rainfall overnight, but the course has adsorbed it well. The re-drained bunker on 16 was completed just in time!