Word from Golf Director, Stephen Chick
I hope everyone has enjoyed Yangon’s winter weather which makes walking the course in its current condition quite a treat. Compared to this time last year the course is still playing in very good condition and plans have been set to take the condition to the next level over the coming months.
On arrival to the club you will see the hoarding which screens the construction of the lobby and sales gallery which is targeted to be completed by end of April. Upon completion of this, the pro shop renovation and new check-in construction will commence which will bring a more convenient experience to all players. The Golf Academy construction is ongoing work in progress with completion targeted for approximately mid 2020. I truly believe these additions to Pun Hlaing Golf Club will provide significant improvement to the Golf experience and facilities as we aim to continue improving year on year.
Please continue to respect the course with Golfing etiquette as there has been a noticeable improvement in shoe and ball marks since the comments in the previous newsletter, so thank you for the continued support.
Ladies Tip-sey Golf proving a popular hit!
As part of a mission to grow the game it has been very encouraging to see a positive turnout of ladies each week coming along to improve their swings with some tips and for complete beginners to try and learn some basic fundamentals. Then of course unwinding for a debrief with some Prosecco transpires to quite the happy hour!
Some great technical improvements being made below!
Before
After
Some Golf Course housekeeping
Local Rule clarification
Image A
Image B
If your ball comes to rest in the man-made modified tree basin like above image A, you may take relief without penalty at your nearest point of relief, NO nearer the hole. To be clear, the objective is to take relief from the tree basin not necessarily so you can make a perfect swing with a clear shot to the green, so the relief point is likely to be close to where the ball was laying. However, if your ball comes to rest near tree roots like image B then you can play it as it lies or take relief with a 1 shot penalty no nearer the hole. However, none of the above are found in the fairways so hitting your ball straight down the fairway does have its benefits!
Word from Agronomist, Dan Green
January and February have seen the process of verticutting applied to the fairways. This process was not previously executed at Pun Hlaing due to unavailability of the appropriate machinery. This involves attaching verticut units to a fairway mower and proceeding to cut the grass vertically as opposed to the usual horizontal cutting. The reason for this is to thin out the top layer of grass that becomes flat and matted, due to all the traffic the fairways endure daily. The grass then grows more vertically and creates a better texture from which the Golf ball sits. Ideally, we would like to verticut more frequently and one additional verticut will be executed in March that should suffice until the wet season begins. The grass will of course be cut in a conventional manner, horizontally, up to three times weekly as usual.
In conjunction with the verticutting, granular fertilizer was also applied in February. March will see the addition of more nutrients that will improve the soil after the last four months without rain. Whilst we use irrigation water during the dry season there are many contaminants and the quality compared to natural rainfall water is not present. These processes are being applied to fairways, Surrounds and Tees.
Upcoming tasks include insect control which involves multiple techniques to remove these unwanted pests. Damage from beetles is now unacceptable so to prevent the return of excessive Crow populations we shall eradicate them. Bermuda grass mites also flourish at this time in this less than desirable grass species. Earthworms are not currently a problem but will soon become troublesome in April and May, so they will also need suppressing.
April will see the greens cored during the Thingyan Water festival closing period. This is a standard practice occurring twice a year that most members will be familiar with and is essential to perform this operation due to the compaction occurring daily. It is not uncommon to have 200+ golfers a day walking on our greens; added to that are at least 200 caddies so with in excess of 400 people on the greens daily you can see why we need to perform these works to alleviate the stress. Imagine hundreds of people walking around your garden per day, the end result would be quite different.
We thank you for your understanding when you encounter staff on the course, as they are an integral part of maintaining Pun Hlaing to the highest standards that we strive to achieve.
Bermuda grass mites, each thick leaf contains microscopic mites. End result is ugly as shown below.
Members may be interested to know the greens height of cut is currently the same height as the club championship period yet the green speed is very different. There are many variables in speed of the greens and clearly temperature is one of them.
News
Matchplay Championship update; well done to those who have won your matches so far and please continue to arrange your matches.
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Save the date for 2020 Club Championship 5th & 6th December
Announcement
April
THINGYAN; PHGC will be CLOSED from Monday 13th to Friday 17th & OPEN again Saturday 18th
Hole in One (Jan & Feb)
General Reminders
Early morning Tee offs will be getting earlier due to earlier sunrise & April 5:50 starts can resume
Golf ball searching, please continue to search for Golf balls from your own shots only. This is something we work with caddies on so to avoid confusing the caddies your support is appreciated.
Avoid foot dragging / twisting
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Instagram @punhlainggc
Member's Highlight
Daw Queenie
Q: How long have you been a member at Pun Hlaing Golf Club (PHGC)? A: 17 years
Q: How often do you play Golf at PHGC?
A: 4 times a week
Q: What is your favourite hole and why?
A: No. 4
Q: What is your best score?
A: 89
Q: What is your favourite food at Horizons Restaurant?
A: Fried beef noodle
Q: What is your favourite experience at PHGC?
A: Tournaments
Q: Have you ever had a hole in one at PHGC?
A: 4 times
Q: Do you have a favourite caddie and why? A: Caddie No. 502, as she offers good service
More news coming from PHGC in May, until then happy Golfing and stay safe.