PROJECTS PROJECTS
The new 5th green at Lakelands Golf Club is one of three that have been reconstructed in recent times to remedy surface, drainage and encroachment issues
Continuing ATM’s series highlighting course project works, Lakelands Golf Club superintendent Phil Soegaard provides an overview of some of the recent changes he and his crew have undertaken to Jack Nicklaus’s first signature design in Australia.
The reconstructed Lakelands greens (pictured undergoing works is the 5th) were stripped of the top 150mm, fresh USGA-spec sand added and the surface stolonised with Tifdwarf from another green
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Lakelands Golf Club,Qld
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akelands Golf Club on the Gold Coast celebrates its 20th year in August and over the past five years there has been a real focus on reconditioning the course. During this time we have rebuilt over 60 of the course’s 101 bunkers, rebuilt three greens, stripped and levelled a number of tees, rebuilt the club’s turf nursery and revamped many landscape and garden areas. After 20 years of applying very poor quality irrigation water, the Lakelands greens have become quite puggy and drain poorly despite regular aeration and dusting practices (infiltration rates of around 100mm/hr have been the norm). Showing this data to club management a few years ago was very beneficial and they agreed to allow the rebuild of one green every year, picking off the poorest performing green at a time. Three greens have now been completed – the 14th, 11th and most recently the 5th. The east putting green is scheduled to be reconstructed in August and to date the new greens have performed brilliantly. The 14th green required new drainage whereas the 11th and the 5th didn’t. With all greens a detailed survey was undertaken prior to their reconstruction so that the contours of the original Nicklaus designed surfaces were not altered. Through this process it was amazing
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 18.3
to discover that the greens had lost nearly two metres all the way round because of encroachment from the surrounding couchgrass. This was despite some fairly intensive control programmes of edging, returfing and Primo applications over the years. The greens were stripped of the top 150mm, fresh USGA-spec sand added and the surface stolonised with Tifdwarf from another green. Evergreen turf covers were then put on the greens and helped to make establishment exceptional. All greens were in play 12 weeks after stolonising. The recent 5th green has had amendments of Ca, Mg, P and humate pre-mixed in the sand which has provided great results. Despite adding $6000 to the cost of reconstruction, grow-in and the health of the turf has been superior. Some of the challenges faced have been placement of and producing a suitable temporary green, what to do with the excess material and irrigation concerns. In each case we started our temporary green process six months earlier to ensure a suitable surface for the members to putt on. Dethatching, topdressing and slowly bringing the heights of cut down to 4mm actually produces quite a nice surface on the Windsorgreen fairways! Last year we also oversowed with bentgrass and the surface was more than adequate.