The Big Wet 2022

2022……. The Big Wet.

The club’s history has recorded past periods of extreme drought and also times of heavy rain causing flooding of parts of the course and of Devlins Creek. However, in the period February to August 2022, the east coast of Australia from Queensland to the south coast of NSW, experienced record rainfall resulting in record level floods in various places, including Lismore, the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers.

What was described by the Bureau of Meteorology as a “rain bomb” remained stationary over the area and record rainfalls over short periods of time, causing widespread inundation of land, houses and businesses.

The rain extended over 10 months, and there was repeated flooding of areas, particularly river valleys, which had been flooded only a few weeks earlier.

The rainfall recorded over the golf course was 1779 by the end of July and 2126 mm by the end of November. The impact was a super-saturated course and eventually the course being closed from Wednesday 23nd February to Sunday 13th March and subsequently many more days as the rain persisted and the course could not be worked to cut rough and even fairways.

The Saturday competition on 26th March, originally hosting the Winter Cup was abandoned when the afternoon field was deluged at the start of their round when the course became unplayable.

The autumn scheduled greens renovation program was deferred from its original date of 7th/8th March until 4th/5th April. Fortunately, the weather stayed dry for a couple of days and the renovations were successfully completed, due in part to the course staff coring 15 greens on the Sunday afternoon and clearing the cores from 8 greens that afternoon. The following morning, with the assistance of 10 member volunteers along with Barnaby Sumner, the GM, the remaining greens were cored and cleared. Using some kiln dried sand for greens still in shade, the sanding of all holes was achieved before the rain returned on the Tuesday afternoon.

The supersaturated nature of the course meant that machinery was not able to be used without causing extreme damage. However, as it was as equally important to try and cut the rough, which had grown in places to be ½ m high, many parts of the course which were effective bogs, had deep wheel ruts. With the approach of late autumn and winter, it was forecast that these area remained damaged well into the spring.

Photos of the water lying throughout the course.

Some greens lost turf where water had pooled against the fringe. Bunkers, which all had been recently rebuilt and were draining beautifully, were unable to cope with the extended continuous rain. Low and not so low areas throughout the course, became boggy when water lay unable to drain away. The water table has been raised so much by the constant rain and top up showers, long periods of sunshine and dry weather would be required before they return to normal.

By the end of April, the continuous ‘top-up’ showers had kept the whole course ‘super-saturated’ such that many areas, previously NEVER boggy were soft and muddy and any footsteps or buggy wheels caused deep marks. While there was some relief, from the continuous rain, it returned in July causing course closure for another 21 days.

Periods when the Course closed.

5-14,

Golf Carts

Totalling 80 days to end December

With the course so wet, golf carts were cancelled from early on, this meant that many members who relied on use of a cart, were unable to play. This reduced the field sizes and also the number of people staying on for a drink in the clubhouse after their round. The combined financial impact on Club revenue of fewer competition fees, no cart hire, and bar revenue was unwelcome. The Club put forward a number of initiatives to attract people into the Club using ‘Happy Hour’, with costs of house drinks set at 50% for a defined period, associated with purchasing wood fired pizza, a popular innovation introduced during the pandemic. This helped a little, but clearly there was a big hit to regular cash flow business.

While every effort was made to try and make the course playable, considerable damage was done simply by machinery attempting to reduce growth of rough to allow better evaporation.

During the last week of May, golfers were required to carry their clubs, which limited the number of players, to the few who were ‘desperate’.

Ultimately the decision became a financial one of necessity. As the course had by now suffered damage through the mowers leaving deep ruts and areas flat and muddy due to tyre skid marks, and also members’ buggy wheel marks and footprints, it was decided to keep the course open. This meant that the course would deteriorate more through the winter months and rely on a warm and sunny spring and summer to allow restoration of the damaged areas.

For the course, the YTD rainfall at end October was 2126 mm with 224 mm falling in October. It was been the highest ever rainfall period Pennant Hills Golf Club had seen.

The comparison for the rainfall and evaporation for Sydney since 2010 shows the huge difference in rainfall compared with the general average.

Remarkably the easing of the long periods of rain and some warmer and windier weather helped the course to firm up and the worst of the super saturated areas improved. The pattern of closure listed above in July illustrates just how tenuous the situation was.

A decision was made to allow carts back on as soon as it was possible to drive around the course on firm ground. Mostly this required following a painted blue line up the middle of the fairways. However the carts were always only allowed some days after a course reopened to regular buggies.

By end November, despite extensive rainfall over the inland parts of NSW causing massing flooding of inland rivers and towns, with consequent losses of farm animals, crops, and many houses and businesses, the coast was spared much of the heavy rain and the course was able to continue to recover well.

One heavy storm on 14th November caused the course to be closed for the day. This time it was due to an unprecedented series of ‘grass domes’ forming on some of the greens and clearly seen on the 18th green photo below This bubbling was a direct result of approx. 30mm of rain fall that we received in a short period of time. The greens, obviously unplayable, were then cored with 4mm needle tines and the water pockets drained. This was an example of why the Club had plans to upgrade the greens profiles, which were originally made in the 1950s and 60s. The rain water could not drain and had no other option than to create a pocket under the grass layer.

The recovery and restoration of the course to full quality was a tribute to newly appointed Course Superintendent, Liam Ash and his team, who nursed it through the unprecedented conditions.

A previous prediction by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) that another La Nina would form and result in above average rainfall during spring and summer, fortunately did not eventuate and the BOM moved their predictions towards a possible El Nino forming. El Nino tends to result in below average rainfall over the east coast.