We entered 2022 under the cloud of covid then as the restrictive regulations of the pandemic were lifted we found ourselves functioning under the restrictive reality of rain clouds. The playing days lost on the course were annoying, costly and frustrating to us all. Nonetheless we have enjoyed ourselves; we made the best of it and been able to make plans to enjoy 2023 being our centenary and to progress the course renewal project which, among other things, promises to substantially reduce the need to close the course in the event of heavy rains. I want to address both these matters in this letter.
The Centenary Committee chaired by Jenny Harvey have worked hard to prepare for this celebration; the web site includes a calendar of events that promise a yearlong festival of fun that includes something for everyone.
The opening day is Sunday, 26 February when Her Excellency, The Hon. Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW and Patron of GOLF NSW will unveil a plaque to officially launch our 100th birthday year.
On Saturday, 4 March we have a black tie ball in the clubhouse. The Pennant Hills Cup is scheduled for Sunday, 2 April and we have invited club champions of our reciprocal clubs.
Other events include medals through the ages for men and women and a gala dinner dance on Friday, 22 December to close out the year. Please, check the schedule, there are many opportunities to join in the festivity, mark your diary and sign up to celebrate.
The Board recently shared the Concept Design of our course with two review groups. The first group comprised a selection of regular playing members across all playing categories and the second was more an assembly of the “tribal elders”. The question was asked by the first group “why are we doing this”, a query that was reportedly repeated by non-attendees in later discussions with members of both groups. It is a fair question given that the course renewal project is a major undertaking for our Club.
We are the last of the PACK clubs to undergo this transformation. We have seen the influence of various course architects and construction elsewhere; Tom Doak and Brian Slawnik at Concord, Harley Kruse at Killara, Ross Watson and Craig Parry at Avondale and now Jim Wilcher (Golf by Design) at Pymble.
It is important to understand that we are not about to renew our greens because others are doing it, we are renewing our greens, tees and some bunkers because we have to.
Our greens, like those of our peers were built on a clay and rock base, over time these greens compact down and do not drain adequately. It is similar to having a thin layer of grass plated on top of an uneven concrete slab.
On a Sunday in early November this year we suffered a massive downpour of 35mm, on Monday the day was bright and sunny, unfortunately we needed to close the course because many of our greens had “bubbled” and did not recover overnight.
Bubbling occurs where water cannot drain away quickly and is held “in” the green. The picture below is the condition of the 18th on that bright and sunny Monday morning when it was necessary to close the course.
Other greens elsewhere on the course were in worse condition than the 18th.
Our course staff needed to stop regular maintenance activity involving the normal Monday tasks of mowing and repair to urgently undertake a concentrated program to mend greens due to water retention. Left by themselves some bubbles would take 2 or 3 days to subside.
This is a universal problem for golf greens built on clay based soils that have compacted over time. Fortunately the technology has responded to the problem and greens on clay based soils are now built to USGA standards which for the past 60 years or so have been the gold standard of high-quality green construction throughout the world.
In addition to reconstruction of our greens to maximise all weather playability we also need to realign the perimeter holes to stop balls (to the extent it is possible) from flying out on to surrounding roads. There are precedents of councils closing holes on courses where this problem persists.
The urgent need to turn our focus toward renewal of our course should not be new news. I have made the point consistently in correspondence with members, my letter of exactly 2 years ago said, in part:
We are blessed with an astonishing undulation, a clever and varied layout of holes, beautiful tree plantings within a delightful garden surround. However tees, fairways, bunkers and greens need to be carefully nurtured to remain in pristine condition and welcoming to golfers. It is not that ours are in poor condition, far from it; however they all rely on an aging substructure of water, soils and drains to function as they should. Also it is prudent to stop at some point and reflect on the many technical advances and innovations which have been applied to courses around the world.
In the intervening period your Board has spent considerable time examining the re-design options available to us. Recently we appointed Phil Jacobs of The Player Group as the architect of our course renewal project. Phil is a well-known international designer with a number of impressive course design credits in his resume. Those who met Phil and worked with him in discussing design options in February of this year were impressed with his manner, his knowledge and his attitude. I have lifted a line from an email just last week where he was discussing layout of a hole with Neil and Damian;
“A standout thought for me in the design of a hole or a green complex, is to make it playable for everyone. This was always the paramount thought with Gary Player during all the years I worked with him.”
The basic steps of the project are;
We are now entering the second step where we are gathering your input and thoughts on the concept design. The early sessions with both review groups has provided some valuable feedback. We will summarise this and prepare a display of the concept, hole by hole, to allow all members to develop an understanding of what is proposed and make comments if they wish. We are hopeful of setting this up in the clubhouse toward the end of January and leaving it out for viewing for a couple of weeks.
Finally I want to thank members for their generosity in supporting the Staff Christmas Fund; the bonus amount paid from the fund to staff was above that of last year. It is a wonderful way to say thanks and acknowledge our entire team for the energy and diligence they have displayed in working through the many and unusual challenges of this year.
Wishing you all a happy and peaceful Christmas period, plenty of respectable golf, good fellowship and a big welcome to our Centenary Year in 2023.
Michael Rowan
President
Wednesday, 14 December 2022
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