New 13 Tee Complex

By now I am sure everyone is aware that we have been working on upgrading our 13th Hole Tee Complex. First and foremost, Brett, myself, Sydney and the grounds crew, would like to thank you all for your patience during the upgrades and we are as aware as you are that the time frame for this has dragged on somewhat.

 The upgrades have taken shape with two results in mind. Firstly: level and expand the playing surface as well as improve irrigation coverage of the main tee deck. To give us and you more options for tee marker placement and a high quality playing surface. Secondly: design and install a completely new forward tee deck to allow for a more realistic and enjoyable challenge for players of the forward markers.

Frozen Ground

Mini-Ex couldn't break it

When ground was broken in January, the original plan was to have the tees ready for seeding the earliest the weather would allow (in time for March). The weather however had other ideas. As we all know, this winter has been a little nasty. The impact it had on this project cannot be understated. The  ground froze so hard that the Excavator couldn't break through.
The resulting chunks of frozen sand made it very hard to work with and almost impossible to level out. The freezing temperatures also had a huge effect on our equipment. Batteries running flat and hydraulics ceasing were common place for days on end.

After the initial frozen blast came, the seemingly endless snow dumps made work almost impossible. We managed to continue and get the irrigation trenches dug and then of course came the rain, making gluing of pipe and fittings for the install extremely difficult.

We understand that during all of this our members and guests have been faced with an eyesore when you approached the area and have been asked to play off an inadequate smaller tee or a temporary mat which dramatically shortened the hole, both of which has had an impact on the enjoyability of your round. It is because of this we have decided to sod the main teeing areas and leave the seeding to the banks, This course of action will allow opening of the tees in a much earlier time frame. I can now happily say that there is now light at the end of the tunnel.

Laser leveling of the back tee

Final Grading before laser levelling

Most of you have no doubt noticed that the project has come on in leaps and bounds recently. We have firstly completed our main objectives for both tees. The back tee area has been increased from 1300sqft to 2800sqft with hugely improved irrigation coverage of not only the teeing space but the entire carry from tee to fairway. The forward tee has turned a daunting 487 yard hole from the Yellows to a manageable but still challenging 413 yard hole.

Building up new soil on forward tee wall

Necessary protection during heavy rain fall

Now the sodding on the white tee deck is complete, we hope to have the forward tee deck completed by weeks end. On the white deck, the banking and walk on/offs will be seeded with areas around the back and the left hand side of the tee being left to naturalize. If the weather stays warm with the sunshine and showers we are currently experiencing, we hope to see germination begin in a couple more weeks.

Back tee deck ready flat raking and sod

Forward tee deck ready for sod

We hope to have you all teeing from the new decks as soon as possible. We will be putting up traffic control to help direct you around the seeded and recovering areas. Please try to follow our guidance in this matter by taking the time to follow fences and signage. With your help and consideration, the grow in, recovery and final completion of the project WILL be expedited and we can all once again enjoy the Tranquility and Nature of one of Victoria's best Par 5s.