I used a GPS image to show the approximate locations of the new hitting stations. If you're wondering what the black numbers are, that is the exact square footage of each of the different surfaces. The tee for example is 20,729 ft2 which equates to 0.47 acres.
Highlands CC Head Golf Professional, Ken Mattis has been advocating for a new artificial mat system at the practice facility for a few years now and this year, the Club is making the change. Our current mats, while still effective, are reaching the end of their life expectancy. Ken has been working with a company called Turfhound, who are arguably the best and most popular manufacturer of artificial turf hitting mats in the country.
The last photo on this post shows what the new stations will look like. No concrete will be visible. The main difference is the strip of taller height artificial grass between each hitting mat. In order to use this set up, the base cement slab cannot be curved like our existing slab. They will only work with straight lines. Therefore, we'll have two separate slabs, each aiming towards the ~200 yard target green. See the top photo for this illustration of the two slabs; one is 40' x 6' and the other is 60' x 6'. This will allow us to have 10 hitting stations as opposed to the 9 we have now.
The plan is to get started on this next week, more than likely Tuesday. The first step will be to remove the existing cement slab and haul it off site. Then we'll core out the areas marked above with white paint to a 5" depth. After preparing and forming up the new slabs, we'll order 8 cubic yards of cement with fiber mesh from Toxaway Concrete. Fortunately we have the in-house talent and tools to work the concrete and get it down to a broom finish. After a few days, we'll be able to remove the forms and then fill the edges in flush with the surrounding grade to eliminate any potential tripping hazard. When the mats and materials are delivery, we'll also be able to install those in-house, which is a fairly easy process.
This is just one more positive change you'll see this coming 2023 season!