KEY POINTS:
ZILZIE BAY - Tennis did it. So have various codes of football, cricket, athletics, horse racing and other sports. Now it's golf's turn.
What's billed as "the world's first synthetic golf course" is being built at Zilzie Bay near Yeppoon on the Central Queensland coast.
Tees and greens
of the artificial grass are being laid on the 18 holes of the par-70 Reef Palms course, linked by 6000 metres of real grass fairways.
Reef Palms is part of a A$1.6 ($1.81) billion resort and residential development over 448 hectares, headed by Londoner Chris Dadson, 57.
A large putting green of artificial grass is already playable outside the recently-completed clubhouse and swimming pool of the Great Barrier Reef International Resort.
The course is expected to open next year.
Meanwhile, Dadson and golf project overseer Anthony Smith are planning a floodlit nine-hole par-three course in the clubhouse area, also with synthetic greens, to open within six months.
Smith is operations manager for Australian-owned company Ozgolf Technologies, which is contracted to install and maintain the synthetic turf.
"It means no watering, coring, weeding and feeding to provide a playing surface that comes up like new day-in and day-out with the minimum of care and attention," according to the resort's Zilzie Bay News.
"From a playability point of view, installing synthetic greens also overcomes the problem of grass grain, a reason for Queensland courses being ranked down the list in national surveys."
Smith says: "The beauty of synthetic greens is that they mimic grass greens.
"They play as true as the top, professional putting greens around the world. That's a fact."
(Your correspondent agreed after trying out the Reef Palms putting green, although speed and direction remained a problem!)
The synthetic surface, in 3.5m wide strips linked below the surface with joining tape, is hard-wearing and carries a seven-year guarantee, although it's estimated it will be ten years before they need be replaced.
Rain water runs straight through the surface; runoff areas would be available in the event of a cloudburst.
The course's fairways are being laid with a native couch grass.
Dadson -- a non-golfer -- said the decision to install synthetic tees and greens was based on addressing possible water shortages; they would allow the course to cope with the imposition of water restrictions during a drought.
"We are creating something really, really special," he said. "There will be considerable interest in what Ozgolf Technologies are doing, particularly from others trying to identify a workable solution to prolonged drought."
A typical 18-hole golf course required as much as four million litres of water a day during summer, Dadson said.
"Much of that water is drenched with chemicals which leach into the soil and drain into lakes.
"Our alternative is environmentally sound as we don't need to use pesticides and chemicals."
The Zilzie Bay News said some of the world's top golfers including Australia's US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy, Fiji's Vijay Singh and Spaniard Sergio Garcia had synthetic greens installed at the homes.
The floodlit nine-hole course will have holes measuring between 73 and 138 metres and will be laid in the vicinity of the clubhouse.
Dadson said he thought it would appeal to players in the cooler evenings compared with playing the full course in the heat of the day which was "not everyone's idea of fun."
A special rule would be no penalties for lost balls hit outside the floodlit area; a second shot would be played from a drop zone.
"It could be as much fun as 20-20 cricket," Smith said.
Dadson, a thrice-married father of nine, emigrated to Australia in 1982 after a successful career in England in the construction business and operating holiday camps.
Work crews currently are using dozens of high-powered machines to clear his land for a community of luxury-class houses and apartments which eventually could accommodate up to 10,000 residents and visitors.
Three display homes have won real estate industry awards.
A second golf course is also planned.
The Zilzie Bay development will have nearly seven kilometres of sand beach on the bay.
- AAP
