A good question that I am often asked is, "How do we determine when the hitting stations are on mats or on natural grass?" The answer to that is simply how much rain have we had and is the tee dry enough for most member's liking. Everyone has a different opinion about mats vs. grass and when we should be hitting off a particular surface. The other thing we take into account is the forecast for the day. If there is a 90% chance of rain, for example, we'll likely put them on mats because one person working the tee, can't flip all those ball boxes, benches, bag stands, club washer etc. at a speed fast enough once the rain ends and members begin to show back up. I've thought about developing a standard, like if we receive 0.75" of rain or more, then the hitting stations are placed on mats. However, that doesn't always work because every rain is different and if the soil is dry, it can absorb that water quickly and be good to play from the next day. On the flipside, adding 0.75" of rain to a water logged soil is another story.
Interestingly, one of the most heard comments to staff on the practice tee is, "Why AERN'T we on mats today?" This is the opposite of what I would always assume. However, I understand that hitting off grass can be frustrating when you're being hit with damp soil from the divots. Still, I always prided my team for allowing you to be on grass most of the season. Please know this and this is important: If the hitting stations are on the mats because of weather related reasons but you still want to practice from turf, there is no problem taking a leather bag of golf balls off to the side (in a safe place, of course) and hitting from natural grass. You always have that option. James, Billy or William will also be happy to dump a pile of balls for you off to the side. Just ask!
There are only a few times that we use mats for reasons other than weather. This year, the Green Committee recommended using mats only on Mondays to give the tee a break. I've written numerous articles on ideal range tee sizes, so I won't get into the details other than say at Highlands CC, we would benefit from a tee that is 2x larger than what we have. This is the USGA recommendation for the number of rounds played over a given time. Because of this, we know we must be excellent stewards of the space we have and artificial mats on Mondays does help relieve some of that pressure. Outside events (like the Rotary Tournament) and Holiday weekends are the two other reasons we go to mats only. Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day are obviously very busy times. Historically, I've seen us blow through 1/3 of our practice tee (8,300ft2 of grass) over a three day weekend! To make matters worse, it was done largely by children and non-members. We want to save the turf for our membership. That will always be the priority.
Let me end by saying we've explored a lot of ideas over the years. After reading this, you might even have another idea for how we can better operate and protect our practice facility. If that is the case, I'd love to hear from you! Don't hesitate to drop me an email (bstiehler@highlandscountryclub.com) or call (828) 787-2778! Your comments and suggestions make us better at serving you!