Even with the river below the levee, problems continued. In September 1963 there was a slip in the bank behind the Associates’
third tee for a distance of about 30 metres. The spring rains had caused a high river and it became essential to stabilise the bank
before it was washed away. Captain Jack Dawson organised a working bee and under the supervision of Curator Ray Smith this
group toiled for three days to restore the bank. By luck they were able to obtain several hundred cubic metres of brick filling free of
charge from a building being demolished in Cotham Road and the restoration work was successful. “Members today walk safely
over this reinstated area without the knowledge of the drama of those three days when the present second green/third green area
could have been lost,” Dawson wrote in his 1988 history of the Club. The 14th green was completely rebuilt in 1963. Situated
opposite the confluence of the Yarra and Darebin Creek at fairway level, it suffered both erosion and siltation during flooding.
Under the direction of Morpeth, the new green was raised above all but the highest flood levels.
In 1969, on the recommendation of the Burnley Horticultural College, gypsum was applied to the fairways to break up the clay
soil and stimulate turf growth. At the same time the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th and 16th tees were rebuilt. As if flooding was not
enough, Green Acres has also suffered from drought, recalled Life Member Keith Wood. “In the late 1950s, early 1960s there
was a prolonged drought and we put down bores looking for water,” he said. “We finally got some down in the third billabong.
Ray Smith, the course superintendent, was a water diviner and he found it for us. He was pretty good at it. We put down several
bores and all had water. Unfortunately most of it was salty. He could locate it okay but he could not tell the quality from above the
ground. The bores are still there but they are old and would have silted up. The water now comes from the river and we are on an
irrigation licence.”
Water issues dominated the 1970s with the introduction of the first fully automatic watering system on a Victorian golf course
ironically overlapping with severe flooding. It was trialled on holes one, six and 11 in 1970 and was shown to have outstanding
operating advantages. In 1971 the Committee approved its installation on the rest of the course and President Jack Dawson and
Captain Keith Wood visited a number of Sydney courses to study automatic watering in operation. An American Toro Moist-OMatic system was chosen and installed by May 1972 at a cost of $46,680, which at the time was the largest single expenditure
on the course. It was money well spent, the Committee reported, because of the reduced labour costs, while watering at night
allowed uninterrupted play during the day.
The system was capable of delivering 50ml of water per week to the greens, 37 ml to tees and 25 ml to fairways and Members
were informed they were entitled to a free drop if their ball came to rest on a sprinkler head. Flooding in 1971 caused extensive
damage while the fifth tee was being reconstructed, and the course was again closed in May 1974 when the river rose to its
highest level since 1934. In 1975 flooding closed the course for three weeks but the cumulative effect of drainage work and
levee construction was reducing the frequency and severity of inundation. The course remained open throughout 1981 despite
experiencing the wettest winter on record, thanks to improved drainage of fairways and bunkers and the use since 1969 of
gypsum on the fairways. From the 1980s the development of the course was attempted in a more orderly and structured way.
This is not a criticism of the early committees and ground staff who worked wonders to build and maintain their course on an
irregularly shaped, flood-prone, undulating site. Until this time, most of the time, manpower and money not directed to basic
maintenance went on reacting to floods and improving drainage. A lot of effort had also gone into turf improvement with working
bees of members removing paspalum grass and sprigging the fairways with couch grass by hand. Others donated and planted
trees and shrubs to beautify the course and clubhouse surrounds. In early 1984 President Neville Weir and Captain Noel Grecian
set up a think-tank to produce a master plan for course and clubhouse development in the lead-up to the turn of the century.
A Special Projects Sub-Committee chaired by George Mulvey researched and developed ideas and in October 1985, after the
Annual General Meeting had concluded, he and Committee Member Terry Cox outlined the progress of “Project 2000” to members
and asked for their views. Their reaction was favourable but they wanted to know how much it would cost. As a result, in June
1986, President Alan Burnes chaired an Extraordinary General Meeting where full details on both course and clubhouse plans
were unveiled. The well attended meeting gave them overwhelming support to proceed. The course development was based on
a master plan prepared by Keith Wood’s company, Golf and Recreational Planners, and proposed converting all greens to bent
grass and all fairways to couch.
The work caused considerable inconvenience to players and there were more than a few grumbles but the majority saw it as
inevitable and a small price to pay for a grea ѱ䁥