Club Email

Update from the Course

Three weeks into the recovery period of the course renovations and we are tracking in the right direction. Fairways and green surrounds are looking a treat and the new growth on these areas is very encouraging. The height of cut for both these playing surfaces has been lowered to 13mm from their previous height of 15mm. This creates a far better definition of the hole layout and who knows, might even give you an extra 20m off the tee!

The squared off tee decks look amazing; this has been well accepted by members and guests so far. The amount of original useable tee deck that has been lost is next to nothing. The areas that have now become tee surrounds were either a slope or swale and could not have tee markers placed their anyhow. Visually as these tee stations grow, they will become spectacular.

Greens are recovering at a pace a little bit slower than I had hoped for. They are currently at 60% which is what I had promised after 3 weeks but with the heat and rain of late I really thought they would have exploded a little more. There was a lot of thatch removed and certain weak areas on greens didn't appreciate their new haircut at all. The first cut on the greens was a late afternoon dry cut eight days after the renovation process. We have applied a second granular fertiliser as a base nutrient for the greens and will continue with weekly foliar fertilisers to encourage more growth. We are now back to daily mowing and can see improvement in the putting surface each time we cut. Sand now becomes our best friend with weekly dustings required to get the surface back to its original billiard table look. There are still plenty of core holes visible and if this rain ever stops, we will be able to implement a regular topdressing programme.

The step cut around the greens has become more noticeable every time we lower the greens height of cut. We are currently cutting greens at 3.5mm and the step cut is at 8mm. Going forward the greens final height of cut will be 3mm all year round which will create great definition between the two playing surfaces.

Once again thanks very much for your patience during this recovery period, it is very much appreciated.

See you on course,
Glenn Beauclerc.
Your Friendly Course Superintendent

What's the Buzz......

Hard to believe but one day we actually had a day without any rain and after work was complete on the course we managed to fit in a hive inspection to check in on the bees. It's easy to see where the saying, "As busy as a bee" comes from when you remove the lid from the hives. No honeycomb under the roof this time which was a good sign and both hives were happy and healthy. They have already started to refill the honey frames from the last extraction and there's plenty of freed up from with lots of empty cells ready to be filled.

We carried out a varroa mite test on both hives as required by the Dept of Primary industries every 4 months in Queensland. Varroa mite is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honeybees and is one of the most damaging threats to bees in the world. This mite all but destroyed the honey industry in NSW over the past couple of years but luckily (or well-planned management) has not had an impact on QLD yet with only one case of varroa mite found in the state this year. Both our hives were negative to Varroa, and the bees went about their normal day.

I have bottled and labelled the last of the honey from our extraction and given it to Cilla on the front desk in the clubhouse. There are only 40 bottles available from today so don't be late if you're chasing that Xmas bottle for yourself or some ones pressie.

Glenn Beauclerc.
Your Beekeeping Superintendent.

Summer Chook Run Series

Kick off your weekends with the new Summer Chook Run Series, starting in the new year!

This fun and social 9-hole event is perfect for members and guests to enjoy a relaxed round of golf during the summer evenings.

Tee off each Friday at 3:00pm, from January 10th through to February 21st, with a front 9-hole shotgun start.

There is a $10 competition fee for members and guests. Guests must also pay the member's 9-hole guest rate of $70

For more information and to book contact the Golf Shop on (07) 5530 9030 or book online.

Meet the Team Behind Links Hope Island

Meet Jason, our friendly Horticulturalist/Gardener at Links Golf and Wellbeing, who's been with us for 13 months. With a real passion for landscape maintenance, Jason loves the variety that comes with keeping our golf course looking its best. Every day brings something different, and that's what makes the job so exciting! Whether it's early starts or managing the turf, Jason enjoys the hands-on nature of his role. One of his favourite parts of the job is getting to work on a variety of tasks, which keeps things interesting.

A standout moment has been seeing how much the golf course has transformed over the last year. Outside of work, Jason is actually a big golf fan with 35 years of playing experience, and he also enjoys 4x4 adventures, camping, fishing, and tinkering with cars. If Jason could have a superpower, it would be controlling the weather to dial down the rain at Links! And on his bucket list? A 4x4 road trip around Australia. We're lucky to have such a passionate and hardworking person on the team!

Gold Coast Hospital Foundations' Tree of Giving

This week is your last chance to donate to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation's Tree of Giving appeal

Members still wishing to donate to this year's appeal can still bring their gifts to the club and they will be delivered to the hospital in time for Christmas. For information on what to donate, visit the GCHF website.

End of Year Honour Board and Club Championship Celebration

This Friday evening we're taking one last opportunity to celebrate and recognise the winners of Honour Board events held throughout the year and present the Club Championship A, B & C Grade Gross winners with their commemorative rings.

Winners of the Club Championships, Matchplay Club Championship, Foursomes, Mixed Foursomes, Handicap Matchplay, 4BBB Matchplay, Seasonal Cups and the Medal of Medals, in either the Gross or Nett division are invited to this special presentation on Friday 20^th December at 5:00 pm in Lugano Lounge.

SAVE THE DATE:
In 2025 we plan on celebrating members' achievements in style. With this in mind on Saturday February 8th, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 6:00pm we'll present medals and trophies to winners of the January and February Monthly Medal's, the Medal of Medal's and Summer Cup. Finger food will be served on the terrace, beverages available at Happy Hour prices and there'll be entertainment as well.

Renovation Local Rules

Due to golf course renovations, we are currently playing PREFERRED LIE through the general area. Additionally, if your golf ball comes to rest in a core hole on the putting surface you may place your ball out of the cored hole on the putting green to the side of its original position not nearer the hole.

Blue Cart Directional Signage and Lines.

This week we have added some new blue cart directional signage and lines to the surrounds of putting greens. Since the introduction of the Visage 4 GPS system in September, we have been able to keep club carts well away from putting greens and surrounds, however we are still noticing too much cart wear close to greens. The purpose of the blue lines is to make it abundantly clear how far carts are to remain from surrounds and putting surfaces, so please, do not cross the blue lines when driving a cart on course. Staff will be policing this and in addition, we ask the lowest marker in each group to take responsibility for ensuring all members of the group adhere to the rule. Please play your part in allowing us to deliver the quality of playing surface we all want to see.

REMINDER - Golf Carts: By-Law 16.3 (g) Two Cart Policy

Thank you to everyone for your cooperation with the 2-cart policy. We appreciate your assistance and contribution to the recovery of the golf course playing surfaces post renovation. More information to come regarding this policy in the days leading up to Christmas.

It would be appreciated when parking your golf cart around the clubhouse that all carts that are not being used on course be parked in either of the below locations

Old driving range tee area
Stadium lawn between the chipping area / Ambrosia terrace

The parking of golf carts around the golf shop / putting green is causing congestion issues for other members / golfers when arriving as there isn't enough room for them to drive golf carts through safely.

Yoga Now Schedule

Our Yoga continues to grow, and we're excited by the recent addition of our Keep Calm Yoga Class on a Sunday. If you are new to yoga or simply haven't practiced for a while, we'd love to see you attend a class.

Timetable over the Christmas:

Hatha Yoga - Trish Stone
Last class: Monday 23rd December
Classes resume: Monday 6th January

Gentle Hatha Yoga - Jenni Woodward
Last Class: classes finished for 2024

Jazz Dance Class - Glenda McTavish
Last Class: classes finished for 2024
Classes resume: Thursday 9th January (new day)

Gentle Hatha Yoga - Gay Cannon
Last class: Thursday 19th December
Classes resume: Thursday 9th January

Keep Calm Yoga - Nicola
Classes continuing over the holiday period

Champions Hair Beauty Day Spa

Champions will be closing for Christmas at 5pm on Tuesday 24th December 2024, reopening 9am on Thursday 2nd January 2025.

Celebrating a special occasion?

Looking for the perfect venue to celebrate life's special moments? Links Golf and Wellbeing has a selection of celebration packages designed to make your events truly memorable. Whether you're planning a birthday, anniversary, engagement party, baby shower, or milestone celebration, our stunning venue provides the perfect backdrop for any occasion.

With a variety of room options, fully inclusive packages, and the expertise of our dedicated events team, we ensure every detail is seamlessly managed. To book your next celebration or find out more about the options, contact our events team today at eventco@linkshopeisland.com.au, call (07) 5530 9048 or visit our website.

MEMBERS BULLETIN

Wednesday 18 December 2024