The 2018 Sunshine Coast Masters was held at Twin Waters Golf Club 12 – 14 December 2018. The Golf Course Maintenance team delivered a fantastic course while still managing the other patronage on the resort course.
Day one finished with Michael Long leading with 66, 6 under par.
On day two players were greeted with windy and challenging conditions on course. Ben Jackson let with 3 under par 69. Defending champion David McKenzie shot 70 and the overall leader on Day two was Michael Long with 9 under par.
Day three was underway with a shotgun start only to have play delayed after 30 minutes as a band of storms moved across the course. Play resumed at 10am as the weather cleared. Michael Long maintained his over-all lead with Richard Backwell within 1 shot after 11 holes. On the 18th hole, Backwell made birdie to draw level at -11, forcing a sudden death playoff. Long and Blackwell returned to the 18 tee for the playoff were Blackwell securing the win with a birdie on the 462 meter par 5.
After an early rain delay on day three, it was pleasing to see the rain clear and allow the event to continue and to produce such an exciting finish.
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Preparation
Tournament preparation commences several weeks out with fairway and fertiliser applications and triming of all bunkers. Greens are groomed and dusted two weeks prior to the event. An appropriate fertiliser program is applied to compensate for the expected weather conditions and to ensure that the course survives the stressful tournament conditions.
Roughs require four days of mowing to cover the 30HA area and are continually cut for at least two weeks prior to the event.
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The Twin Waters Golf Club Maintenance Team have been required to present the course to tournament standards for at least two events each year for the past 25 years. Each year presents different challenges, particularly with changing weather conditions and high salt concentrations in the effluent water that is used.
It is very rewarding to see the planning and preparations come together to achieve a positive result and it would not be possible without the efforts of my committed crew of 7 full time and 5 casual staff. No overtime is permitted for tournament preparations, so the extra workload falls on the Superintendent and his assistant, Garry McClymont to ensure playing surfaces are at a premium . A sincere thank you to Garry and to all my staff for your efforts in presenting the course to the highest standard for this year’s event and throughout the year.
Gary Topp
Superintendent
Twin Waters Golf Club
