After another 1/2" of rain Wednesday afternoon, we've been pushed to the point of getting carts back on paths. This morning was borderline and the afternoon rain was the deciding factor. It will remain cart path only tomorrow as well. If it doesn't rain tomorrow, carts will be back on paths Friday morning. I started to see some damage on a few fairways today, before the rain.
Despite the wet conditions, the golf course is in great condition. I'm proud of my staff for the work they did and in the conditions in which they've done it. We are given essentially no time to prepare for the member-guest with solid tee times, constantly in the 8am to 4pm range daily. The excessive play is making it near impossible to traverse the golf course. There are zero gaps for which we can work in and thus it involves waiting on group after group to get anything accomplished. The timing of the member guest, falling right after the onslaught of the 4th of July, exacerbates the challenge of getting the golf course is great shape. These guys work their tails off to deliver the conditions you see daily, with little appreciation. I would encourage you to thank my team on the golf course, or give them a friendly wave for the job they do, day in and day out. It's taken a lot of overtime this year to make it happen because of the non stop play. While it is great to see a crowded golf course, it does come at a cost. The more rounds played means more golf cart wear and tear, divots, ball marks, foot traffic and compaction. When you take a relatively small piece of property like Highlands CC, that wear and tear becomes magnified. Once again, your help and care for the golf course will go a long way to be sure we make it to the fall, in the same great condition.
Our Native Rhododendron are starting to flower across the campus.
Above and below: we planted several Lotus plants in #15 pond. My hope for these aquatic plants would be for them to cover the shallow end of #15 pond that tends to be somewhat of an eyesore. Lotus is incredibly beautiful, yet invasive. If it where to get too carried away, we can chemically control the unwanted growth. I'm told by year 3 or 4, they will be well on their way to spreading across the pond. Two of the plants are already in flower. The seed pod left after flowering is commonly used in dried floral arrangements. Lotus looks very similar to water lilies, except for the fact that the leaves don't float on the water, they stick up in the air.
