Lawns
Stage 1 of the court renovations proceeded before Christmas with a double scarify of courts 1 & 2 by the Greenkeeper. The scarifier waste was distributed into the gardens by 3 volunteers. Stage 2 of the court 1 & 2 renovations proceeded but instead of coring our Greenkeeper and Richard the AeroTurf subcontractor decidedto do a deeper double scarify of courts 1 & 2. This was because they consider the approx. 30mm of thatch build up on these 2 courts needs to be broken up deeper and further to allow water, fertiliser and soil treatments to get into the underneath subsoil. As a result we had large piles of scarifier waste around the edges of the courts that was spread into our garden beds by the maintenance team over several hours.
The underground leak in the sprinkler system has been located and dug up. It is in front of the gear shed. The leak is in the solid 40mm pressure pipe that runs from the pump to the remote solenoid valves near each sprinkler station. The Greenkeeper has agreed to repair the leak and once successfully repaired it should remove the need for us to use an electric timer on the pump. The pipework joining our 2 water tanks is partially blocked, possibly with bore water iron build up or another foreign object meaning the 2nd tank (plastic tank) does not fill up as quickly as it should as the 1st tank (concrete tank) gets filled up by both town and bore water. This results in the 2nd tank not filling up. The plan is to replace the pipework that joins the two tanks.
Other changes to the sprinkler system setup have been suggested by Alan Gray and these will be pursued and tested over time. The Greenkeeper has also requested that several of the sprinkler heads be relocated closer to the court boundaries to increase the amount of water going onto the courts rather than on the surrounds.
Acknowledging our Greenkeeper:
Putting Hoops In
Our club uses Quadway brand alloy hoops. These are expensive but long-lasting pieces of equipment which can be adjusted to different sizes for tournaments and championships. They consist of a crown and two posts. The hoop with the blue crown is Hoop 1 and the red crown Hoop 3. In General Club play, the distance between the posts (measured at a half a ball height from the ground) is 3 ¾ inches (yes, I know, not metric….). the most common other width for competitions is 3 & 11/16”. The difference in these widths is significant as the smaller width makes a hoop shot more difficult from any angle apart from immediately in front.
Our Greenkeeper and some other members are experienced at setting and resetting hoops as, from time to time, the holes become loose or need to be moved. If the hoop goes too far into the ground or is visibly very loose, the hole can be filled with Sphagnum moss (in the trolley shed) or grass clippings. Once the hole has been prepared, insert the hoop lightly into the hole. Each hoop trolley has a spirit level and a rubber mallet.
A spirit level should be used while hammering the hoop into the ground ensuring it goes in vertically in both planes of sighting.
Check the crown horizontally at regular intervals with a spirit level as the hoop is hammered down into position.
The “carrot” section of the hoop which is below ground level has a top which can be a little higher than the ground level, but not high enough for a ball to touch.
Critically Important!!
The integrity of the hoop hole is of paramount importance and all due care must be taken when removing hoops to ensure the ground is not pushed, pulled or raised unnecessarily. Do not kick or strike the hoop in any plane. Ideally a hoop lifting tool is used, but hoops may be removed without the tool. Place your dominant foot along the hoop, nearly touching both posts. Grasp the crown, keep your arm straight and bend at the knee. Keeping your back straight, lift straight up vertically. No wiggling!!!
There is a comprehensive 20 page Hoop Setting expert guide (courtesy of Port Macquarie CC) with all the reference information imaginable for aligning, setting and adjusting hoops. For light bedtime reading see: https://portmacquariecroquet.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/HOOP-SETTING-GUIDE-2.pdf
and Murray Tinker Hoop-Setting Course (notes)
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