News Archive

GLGC Emergency Action Plan – REMINDER

Emergency incidents do happen on golf courses. One day you may need to call 000 for assistance and will need to direct emergency services to the nearest gate access on the course.

Your ACTION PLAN if Emergency Services are required is

1^st call – 000  (or on mobile 112 if 000 fails). Give details of incident and exact location on the course. Emergency Plus Australia App is a useful addition to your mobile phone,

2^nd call – Proshop or Club Reception to ensure gate key is readily available.

Stay with casualty and provide assistance until emergency services arrive.

Keys to access gates are held by the Proshop, Greenkeeper, Club Reception and some Emergency Services.

The gates are brightly marked with letters A – H for easy identification. Next time you play please take note of their location.

A copy of the gate location plan is on the wall at the entry to the Spike Bar.  See also GUNGAHLIN LAKES GOLF CLUB _Golf Course Emergency Access Plan

New arrangements for the Lakeball scheduled for Saturday 4 January.

All members

You will all be aware of the catastrophic conditions forecast for Saturday.  This was the day designated as the official opening game for the 2020 golfing year  on which we were scheduled to play our standard Lakeball event with a shotgun start and followed by a light lunch.  We were prepared to let the game proceed with the forecast heat but with the dangerous levels of smoke in the air and with the forecast heat the Committee has reconsidered this and agreed to move this game to a standard stableford round.  Here are the changed arrangements:

• Saturday 4 January – standard Stableford game off both  front and back with a timesheet to be opened for the game on Thursday 2 January. 
• Saturday 11 January – first Monthly Medal for the year.  Standard Monthly medal arrangements with presentations and badge draws at 6.00pm in the Spike Bar.
• Saturday 18 January – Lakeball event with shotgun start and light lunch to follow.  The current timesheet for this event will be transported to the new date to allow players to keep their existing tee-box arrangements and so that those who have prepaid (for exceptional reasons) will not need to seek a refund and repay.

Noting that Saturday is expected to be very hot please reread my post of 15 November regarding the revision of the Club’s Extreme Heat Policy. In summary, it suggested that you all take the necessary precautions if you are intending to play on a day like that forecast  Key suggestions were:

• Wear loose fitting, lightweight clothing
• Wear a hat and apply 50+ sunscreen
• Take 20 ml of fluid (water or sports drink) per kg of body weight, one hour before commencement of play
• Carry adequate quantities of fluid and remain hydrated during play There are drinking fountains by the 4th tee, stream on 7th, halfway house lavatory and path to the 10th tee and chilled water in the Spike Bar.
• Ensure that you have eaten properly
• On completion of your round drink water or a sports drink to re-hydrate, and
• If feeling dizzy or unwell during play, immediately notify your playing partners to ensure arrangements are made for assistance to be provided, as appropriate.

We apologise if these changed arrangements don’t fit with your personal plans but, the health and safety of our members more generally, is our key concern and, n this context, we have made the changes outlined above.

Regards 

Richard Oliver/President

Opening game of the year ….Lakeball on 4 January .

All members 

This coming Saturday is the opening game of the year, our traditional Lakeball event. It is scheduled to be a warm day with around 41 Degrees forecast.  We discussed whether we should postpone the event however, have agreed that the event should proceed, as scheduled.  As you will know if you are registered, it is a shotgun start commencing at 8.30am with a simple lunch to follow. We are hoping that the game and lunch beats the heat and by the time it gets ‘hot’ you can be at home in the air-conditioning or sitting under a fan.

You will also hopefully know we revised our heat policy at the beginning of the 2019 season to move us from a position of cancelling events when the temperature was forecast at 40 degrees plus, to putting the onus back on members for self care on very hot days.

For Saturday’s game please re-read the guidance statement on this topic and take the necessary precautions…….lots of water, hats and /sunscreen.  In other words, if you are planning to play, take care of your health and look after yourself. Remembers there are a number of water bubblers on the course. 

Finally, remember at the end of the game a light lunch will be served which we, the Committee, would like you to join us for.

All the best for 2020 and good golfing.

Richard Oliver/President.  

No social play from Blue tees

I have had a request from Shane to implement No social golf from the blue tees for all members and guests. This is to help keep the blue tees in good condition during the “apocalyptic” weather that we are experiencing .

The Proshop have been notified, so to assist please keep all social play to the white tees.

You may also notice that during competition play over the next few weeks that blue tees may be brought forward to preserve the worst of the blue tee boxes.

Information for members – the water situation….

All members

As you are all aware we have had very little rain over the last six  weeks resulting in declining dam levels on course and,  as such, I thought it important to update you both on the current situation and actions taken to nurse the course through worrying period.

This is the current situation with the dams on the course (Shane, our Superintendent and Mark Hynes measured the levels late last week) is:

• dam between the 18^th Tee and second fairway a remaining depth of 1 meter 
• dam on 10^th / 13^th  a remaining depth of 1.5 to 2 meters 
• dam between the 2^nd and 3^rd is empty.
• the main dam in front of the club has a remaining depth of 4 meters.

Late last week the club received permission from ACT Environment Protection to access limited water from Gungahlin Pond and if the situation become dire we may also be able to pump limited water from Yerrabi Ponds. This is positive news and provides a major back-up to our current supply.  However, we need to use this water sparingly to ensure we are seen as responsible in the eyes of Government and the community.  Fundamentally, this about keeping the course alive until rain arrives.  We cannot afford to be seen as abusing the privilege afforded to us and have the Government revoke the concession.

Some water conservation measures we have now employed are:

• we have turned off irrigation to the Tee carries (ground between the Tee Box and the Fairway)
• we have detuned the Tee and fairway irrigation cycles. The norm is two cycles of 15 minutes which we now have moved to 10 minutes twice a night.
• we are watering the Green surrounds every second night and the Greens every night.
• During the day Shane and his team our out hand watering any drier areas on the greens – the greens are the most important course asset
• in total we have reduced reduced watering to 800,000 liters to the whole course (down from approx. 1.2meg). This sounds like a lot but is barely enough when battling the current temperatures and wind.

Shane is confident that we can make it to the end of January with what we have at the moment and maintaining the current watering program. Worst case is that he will have to halve the water on the Fairways and possibly the Tees.

Shane and his team are doing an extremely good job managing a tough situation in conjunction with maintaining a well presented course.  That said we, as members, need to ensure our expectations are measured and accommodating of the current situation. 

This information has been provided both for your information and so that you can tell friends and family should the watering of the golf course be raised with you, noting the current restrictions in force. Please assure anyone who raises the issue with you that we are being very responsible and simply trying to keep the course alive, until rain falls.  

Regards 

Richard Oliver/President