The men’s Australian Open makes a highly anticipated return to Royal Melbourne Golf Club this December, with the iconic Composite Course hosting the tournament after a 34-year hiatus. Starting in the 17 October edition of The Cut, Royal Melbourne links crew members Michael Clavin (West Course assistant) and Mat Isbester (East Course assistant) kicked off a series of regular updates that will provide an insight into course preparations as the tournament nears. Read on below for the latest update... 

The 2025 Men’s Australian Open is now just two weeks away, with the Royal Melbourne links team working feverishly to bring the Composite Course to peak tournament condition. Mowing has increased across all surfaces, with our famed Suttons Mix greens mown five times this week. Hand mowing has commenced on tournament tees and areas of the thick rough trimmed. Other jobs undertaken this week have included...

•    Bunker repairs on 16 (pictured right) after the recent rains had washed out the face;
•    Worn and bare turf on some bunker tongues replaced;
•    Snipping along tree lines.
•    Tree-work around tournament structures;
•    Trimming around tees and greens, removing weeds and tree debris;
•    Fungicide and wetting agent applied to greens and surrounds.
•    Miticide and calcium applied to fairways

Tournament hospitality continues to grow at a rapid pace with grandstands and viewing platforms now built on the 1st tee, 7th green, 14th green, 16th green, 17th green and 18th green. The tournament fan zone structures are going up on the 19th fairway, as well as marquee hospitality on the 12th hole. Extra caution has been required when working around the build team, with multiple forklifts and trucks coming and going constantly. 

Behind the scenes, head turf technician Mark Stravato and the workshop team have been hard at work tackling the mammoth task of preparing all the equipment necessary to host the Open. Up to 32 Toro Flex mowers and 15 Toro Reelmasters could be required to mow greens, surrounds, tees and fairways ahead of the early tee times from 1 and 10 tees. There is a high priority on preparation of the mowing fleet to ensure reliability and performance. 

The main focus of the workshop team has included:
•    Grinding all reels and fitting bedknives
•    Replacing headlights to LED on some older units. 
•    Checking all hydraulic hoses.
•    Repairing transport trailers and catchers where needed.
•    Converting some greens rollers to lithium battery power along with replacing roller bearings as needed. 

- Mat Isbester (assistant, East Course)