Dear Wouter

Since the last update there has been very positive growth generally.

With the exception of 12 fairway and a portions on 14 and 16 the fairways are all virtually covered and starting to look good. We are using a mix of topsoil and sprig from the old course to fill the gaps and hopefully this will take off and fill in the poorer areas. The weather for the fairways has been extraordinary and we have seen tremendous growth.

The greens seem to have turned the corner. The winds of the Gordons Bay fire hammered us and we certainly lost a couple of weeks of progress on the greens. The sand in the weaker areas was quite literally blown away. We have re-seeded these and covered them with hessian (which you will see on the 17th). We have had good germination under these covers and will remove them on Monday when the temperatures drop a bit. Then it will be a slow, steady process to bring down the cutting heights to the rest of the green. We are plugging smaller areas with plugs harvested from the edges of the greens.

We are slowly installing the gravel into the pathways and will then commence with topsoiling and polishing of these to blend them into the surrounds.

We have completed the graveling of the security road along the fence line which will ensure that this can be patrolled and allow the maintenance team to get to and fro easily.

The fence with the exception of the river entrances and exits and the area around the underpass is complete and we are now installing the electric cables to the irrigation system. Once this is powered up we will be able to water at night and therefore be more efficient when the evaporation decreases and the water can soak slowly into the root zone. We also have a security guard with a dog patrolling at night and so far haven’t had any incidents of theft. The fencing team have started to place the flat wrap razor wire on the top of the fence and this will further deter anyone seeking mischief.
The beautiful underpass is in. The week-end of the 4th saw the engineers move in. They finally got permission from PRASA to commence work at 21h00. The rails were removed along with the ballast in the vicinity of the cutting and then the cutting commenced and was completed by 06h00 the following morning. A crane then positioned the bases of the culvert followed by the rectangular portals. This work was completed around 18h00 on Sunday evening and by 24h00 the rails were back in place- incredible work by a great team led by Brian Kemlo. The engineers are now installing the wing walls and this will be followed by paving through the underpass.

I have been asked frequently when the course will be opened. I think I can only liken this to the birth of a child. We are in the maternity ward now and in labour. Hopefully the delivery will not last too long and the child will be brought into the world kicking and screaming. We hope when the members finally get onto the course they don’t do the same.
There is an awful amount of work still to be done before the course looks the way we envisage it and this is going to take time and seasons to achieve. The irrigation system is the same as the top course a 2 row Hunter system. There are no points to water from accepting turf valves behind the greens so outside of the irrigation we can do nothing before autumn. Like the analogy of the child above we have a long walk to see the course grow to maturity.

As always thanks for your support and encouragement. I cannot tell you how much strength you have given us when we are despairing and down due to seemingly impossible odds.

Kind regards
Sabine