NQ Turf Specialists

09/06/2026

Mental health affects every industry, every workplace and every community.

NQ Turf Specialists is pleased to support two individuals participating in this year's Push-Up Challenge, helping raise funds and awareness for mental health. If you'd like to get behind them, their fundraising links are below:

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/jameshodson/the-push-up-challenge

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/jezmarron/the-push-up-challenge?ref=ch_3TgEHjKfcPYqD7sb1mgvzuAv

Good on everyone taking part. It's a great initiative and one that NQ Turf is pleased to support.

04/06/2026

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting Cardwell GOLF CLUB for my monthly course inspection. It’s always a great little track and one I enjoy visiting.

The weather was perfect, and the course is presenting exceptionally well leading into the Club Championships. ☀

Considering the wet summer we've experienced across North Queensland, the condition of the course is a credit to Kev and the volunteer crew at CGC. Like many facilities, Cardwell experienced some Mealy Bug pressure during the wet season, with the 328 greens (of course!) bearing the brunt of the damage. Pleasingly, these greens have recovered well and are now approaching full recovery. 💪

The Mountain Green greens were in outstanding condition, and the course as a whole was in great shape. The consistency and presentation throughout the facility were excellent. 😁

If you're travelling between Cairns and Townsville, Cardwell Golf Club is well worth a stop. A friendly club, a fun layout and a course that is currently presenting beautifully. ⛳

29/05/2026

Almost two years ago, I submitted a quote to project manage an irrigation upgrade at Ingham Golf Club. 💦⛳

Yesterday, after hundreds of emails, multiple design iterations, cost reviews, and plenty of problem solving along the way, we finally broke ground on this monumental project for the Club. A massive thanks to Russ and the team at Project Irrigation for your patience and assistance getting this thing across the line.

This project is a joint collaboration between Golf Club and Herbert River Jockey Club and will set both facilities up for the future. 🙌

This project is proudly funded by the Queensland Government’s Minor Infrastructure and Inclusive Facilities Fund 🙏

24/05/2026

Turf Tip #24 💡

This one is highly relevant in turf management, but honestly applies to any industry using machinery. Where does the fuel cap go when you fill up your machine? 👀

I’ve seen countless fuel caps lost (some temporarily 😅), along with significant turf damage caused after operators forgot to reattach the cap following refuelling.
The common problem? Fuel caps get placed on the back of the machine, steps, the bowser, or somewhere “safe”… then forgotten.

Fortunately, the fix is simple. 🙌

Option A — Put the fuel cap on the operator’s seat while filling. If the cap hasn’t been replaced, the operator gets an immediate reminder before starting the machine. Simple and almost foolproof.

Option B — Keep the cap in your hand until refuelling is complete, then immediately reinstall it.

Both methods work. But Option A is about as bulletproof as it gets.💪
Simple systems prevent simple mistakes. And this tiny habit might just save you from some expensive turf damage.

21/05/2026

It's great to see racing back underway today at the Rockhampton Jockey Club after spending several days on site last week assessing the track and facilities. 👀

It's a class regional venue and it's always nice being involved with Clubs genuinely looking to improve their facility and operations. We made a few key changes last week, and the track has been rated a Good 4 for today's meeting. 😁🐎

But like all well-laid plans, the day went slightly off script momentarily, with a truck crashing into a power pole nearby and temporarily knocking out power to the course. Seriously!
Thankfully, power was restored quickly and racing was able to continue for the afternoon.⚡️

Looking forward to my next visit in a few weeks' time and continuing to assist the Club with refining processes and building on the positive momentum. 🚀

20/05/2026

This is absolutely senseless and cruel vandalism. Working on a golf course is challenging at the best of times and no-one should have to deal with this.

Keep your head up Grant and Team at Half Moon Bay Golf Club. I'm sure you will still turn out an excellent product for your Open in a week's time.

If anyone has any information on the culprits for this crime, please dob them in!

More Damage - Public Access Limitations for Vehicles and Fishing

Unfortunately we were the victim of more damage to our 14th Green overnight by what appears to be youth. We are extremely disheartened by this act of vandalism, now the 8th act of vandalism at our club since February.

Due to the ongoing damage club management now is denying access to our course for the use of unauthorised vehicles e.g. motorbikes, bikes, scooters. We are also restricting access for fishing without prior authorisation. We will still allow casual walkers and dogs on lead.

Our club continues to offers social memberships, bar and kitchen facilities and events for all members of the public.

We hope that the above restrictions can be short term and that the damage ceases on course.

We continue to thank members of the public who use our facility responsibly and for those who report any unacceptable incidents or behaviours at our venue.

30/04/2026

I spoke about “skills-based tees” at a couple of recent golf workshops, and it’s a conversation that always seems to get people thinking.
Here’s the example I used: an 18-year-old female, playing off +2 vs an 85-year-old male, playing off 36.

Who should be playing from the forward tees?

Most people hesitate, some even roll their eyes, but the answer is simple — the 85-year-old. This has nothing to do with being politically correct, but everything to do with understanding the purpose of tees in the first place.

Tees aren’t about age, nor are they about gender. What they should be about is ability and distance. Golfers playing off the right tees helps grow the game. It keeps the older generations playing longer, makes it fairer for new golfers, and provides adequate challenge for better players.

The right tees help golfers keep the ball in play, allow more players to reach greens in regulation, improve pace of play, and perhaps most importantly, make the game fun. As much fun as you can have trying to get that little white ball in the hole anyway! Each tee is handicapped accordingly and allows golfers to choose what suits them for the day.

Has your club adopted skills based tees yet? If not, what is holding you back?

29/04/2026

I’ve been a bit quiet on my socials lately. Business and life have been flat out, but in a good way.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of travelling to Rockhampton Golf Club Inc. and Bundaberg Golf Club, presenting agronomy workshops for Golf Australia. This is now the third round of these sessions, and I feel extremely privileged to be involved.

These were relatively small group sessions, but there was so much engagement from the clubs that attended. It always amazes me how much passion there is for this business, particularly from smaller and solely volunteer run clubs.

Many thanks to Andrew Wooldridge for organising this round of workshops and being involved throughout, as well as Andrew Leventis for getting these workshops off the ground back in late 2024. And thanks to all that attended. I hope I was able to provide some useful information so you can continue to drive standards forward at your clubs.

Tim

12/03/2026

One of the parts of my work that I enjoy the most is being involved in early stage project development. This stage can sometimes be seen as a tedious part of the process, particularly when the exciting part is getting construction underway. But in reality, this is often an inflection point in a project; where the research and refinement done now can significantly shape the final outcome.

Taking the time to really think through the scope of works during the investigation phase can save thousands, even tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands on a large turf project). It’s not the glamorous part of the job, but getting the details around design, approvals, quantities and layouts right now can prevent significant costs and complications later on.

Once machinery is on site and construction is underway, decisions become harder to change and mistakes become much more expensive to correct. Taking your time at this stage matters. Reviewing the site properly, testing materials, questioning assumptions and refining the plan usually pays for itself many times over.

Most successful projects aren’t just the result of good construction. They’re the result of good thinking before construction even begins.

25/02/2026

Turf Tip #23 💡– Something I haven't seen often (But now very much on my radar) 👀

Last week I came across something I haven’t had to deal with much in our region before – Mealy Bug. I’ve known about it for some time, but historically it hasn’t been prevalent in the programs I’ve run. Whether that’s due to preventative strategies, locations, timing or just good fortune, I’m not entirely sure. 🤔

What caught my attention this time was turf decline that didn’t stack up. Moisture levels were managed. Nutrition was where it should be. A tight preventative fungicide program was in place. Yet the turf was soft, thinning and not responding to additional inputs as expected.

Having taken a sample for disease identification, it was only then that Mealybug was clearly observed. Mealybug is a sap-sucking insect that weakens the plant from the inside, and in warm, humid FNQ conditions it can build quietly before you realise what’s happening. It’s easy to mistake the symptoms for stress, nutrition or fungal problems. We already had a program in place for the common Army Worm, but unfortunately this did not reach far enough to cover Mealybug as well.

Even after 20+ years in turf, you still have moments where something takes a moment to diagnose. It certainly gave me a reminder to avoid assumptions, work through the evidence and send a sample to the lab to get a correct diagnosis (although you can see this pest with the naked eye). 🔬

If you’re seeing decline that doesn’t align with soil tests, moisture readings or disease patterns, have a closer look at the base of the plant and in the thatch. You may well find some Mealybug activity. I know this is one thing that will be reviewed to go in my program into the future. 💪