7-Day Forecast

 

Deer at Practice Facility

This morning, James was visited by three bucks at the practice facility!

Employee Recognition

 

Alberto Zetina

We have a awesome team at Highlands CC!  We all work together to make the golf course the best it can be.  While everyone on our team plays a critical role, I do want to recognize Alberto, who is one of our seven seasonal H2B visa workers on the golf course.  He has been with us for 5 years now and is the man who prepares the bunkers for play every morning.  He does a wonderful job and is very meticulous, always leaving the bunkers without a blemish each morning.  Raking sand bunkers is a tedious and mundane job but Alberto keeps finding ways to make them better.  He's done extensive research on which specific type of leaf rake gives him the best finished look.  He developed his own methods of using different types of rakes, depending on the moisture content of the sand.  I very proud of the ownership that Alberto takes in his job and this is one example of many, that allow us to keep your golf course looking and playing great all season long.

For Your Information…

During the storm last night, it's reported that Old Edwards Inn experienced a major fire at their 'Pavilion' structure on their OEI Farm property on Arnold Road.  Several tanker trucks were dispatched from surrounding communities to help get the fire under control.  As a result, portions of the golf course were covered in charred debris that blew away from the fire.  We spent the better part of the morning cleaning this material up but there is more to do.  The worst holes were #7, #8, #9, the croquet lawns and #18.  There is material in the lake as well that we've been scooping out as it floats to the edges.  Please be advised of this because you'll be seeing charred material like this for the next few days as it blows around.     

PLEASE NOTE: This information is based on the first responder calls received from dispatch.  Several members of our Greenkeeping team are volunteer firefighters.  As days go on, I'm certain we'll learn more information on exactly what happened at the OEI property last night.  Obviously, we hope no one was there at the time and more importantly, no one was injured.      

Here are two photos of the croquet lawns this morning, covered in burnt ash material.

Above is a baseball size piece of what appears to be burnt insulation that was found on the golf course.  We found pieces the size of a golf ball all the way up to that of a basketball.  We feel most of the debris is actually burnt tar paper.  

7-Day Weather Forecast

 

Farm Update

There is a lot happening at the Highlands CC Farm!  Plenty of cut flowers, squash, zucchini, baby carrots all available on a first come first serve basis.  We also have pumpkins on the way, gourds on the way and your fair share of green tomatoes, soon to ripen!

Thursday

On the 6th fairway, we recently had some water coming to the surface, much like a spring.  This was disappointing considering the drainage work we accomplished this winter.  However, the source of the water was pretty simple. The old irrigation mainline that still runs below the fairway, initially installed in the late 1980's, was cut when the new drainage was installed.  First off, removing an old irrigation system, pipe and all, would be very expensive.  Therefore, the sprinkler heads are removed, but other components are simply left underground.  The ends of the pipe that were severed, are capped off in the process.  However, there can be several cuts that are missed.  When that happens, ground water will fill the old pipe.  When it accumulates to a certain point and has no where to go, it ultimately comes to the surface.  That is what happened in this case.  We were able to drain the water from the old line and cap it off, so this won't be an issue again.  Problem solved!

Tuesday

 

Cross is out in full force, mowing out of play areas with our brush mower.  This is something we're making more of an effort with this year.  It definitely provides a slightly cleaner look.

You'll see a lot of action taking place today around the dam and the irrigation pumphouse.  We are digging a 36" deep ditch to bury an electric line underground, that services the pumpstation.  This is in preparation for the dam project, scheduled to start in November.  In order to reconstruct the abutment walls on the dam, we must move the current power poles that service the pumpstation, overhead.  Those power poles are in the vicinity of where the new walls will be located.

USGA Green Section Record

CLICK HERE! to view the latest edition of the USGA Green Section Record.

Great Question Regarding Golf Course Pesticide Use...

This morning, I was asked a great question.  A member asked me today, if we used a chemical on the golf course called Paraquat.  The reason is, they recently read an article in a publication that tied the product to cases of Parkinson's Disease in people who've been regularly exposed to the active ingredient.  While I'm not going to debate the validity between the coloration of Paraquat to Parkinson's (that's not my area of expertise),  I can tell you that we do not use this chemistry and it's not been used at Highlands CC in the past few decades, if ever.  I'd venture to guess there are not many other golf courses using it either.  Thanks to science, many more safe and effective products are now available on the market.

First off, Paraquat is an herbicide that I suspect got its beginnings in agriculture.  It's an herbicide that controls a number of grassy and broadleaf weeds.  Where it came into golf, was during the 70's and 80's, when Superintendents experimented with it as a method of removing Poa annua from stands of Creeping Bentgrass.  Specifically, on putting greens.  The chemical is so toxic, that golf course supers literally experimented with putting as little as 1 drop from a syringe or eyedropper into a 200 gallon tank of water.  Any more, the herbicide would be toxic to Creeping Bentgrass as well as Poa annua.  Poa annua has been known to be more affected by herbicides compared to its counterpart, Bentgrass.  Needless to say, I'm certain a lot of these experiments lead to dead putting greens across the board and a handful of jobs lost, as a result.  

To conclude, if you do read this article or see this in the news, please know this isn't a chemistry that is used on golf courses anymore...if it ever was in the first place.  Second, if you ever have concerns with any of the plant protectants we apply to the turf at Highlands CC, I would love the opportunity to sit down with you and talk to you about that.  I'm happy to share any Safety Data Sheets (SDS) or labels you'd like to see.  It's really important to understand that most all pesticides used in golf, have come a very long way since the 1970's and before.  95% of the products we use today are in the same toxicity class as Dawn Ultra dish detergent.  Please don't ever hesitate to call me if this is a concern of yours and allow me to give you more information. 

Brian J. Stiehler, Golf Course Superintendent

(828) 787-2778 office

7-Day Forecast

 

Wednesday

Always interesting finding old things on the golf course!  Yesterday, we found this Coca-Cola bottle on #10, dated 1949 and bottled in Hendersonville, NC.

Congratulation to NC State student and Agronomy Intern, Cooper Hall, on his recently awarded scholarship from Highlands CC.  This program is making a big difference in attracting quality young employees and we appreciate all the members who've contributed to the program.  Club Controller, Debbie Brock, presents Copper with his award.

Tuesday

On #17 green, we have a little mystery damage in a specific area.  I feel likely, this area got too dry and both the Poa annua and the Bentgrass wilted.  Unfortunately, when Poa annua wilts, it dies.  The bentgrass recovers.  This is evident on the strait line between the green extension we added a few years ago, which is comprised of 100% of the Bentgrass variety, Pure Distinction.  The other unlikely culprit is Annual Bluegrass Weevil.  However, given the preventative treatments we apply to greens, this is unlikely.  

Boxwood Blight is running ramped in the area with the damper conditions and temperatures we are experiencing right now.  The dead give away are the black lesions on the stem of the shrub like you see below.  Boxwoods need to be treated at an interval of 21 days in order to be protected from this fungus. 

7-Day Forecast

 

It appears rain will be back starting late Saturday and Sunday.  Year-to-date, we haven't even received a total of 33" of rain.  By this time of year, we should be closer to 55-56" of rain, YTD.  It seemed like it was raining a lot this past month, but each individual rain event brought only small rain totals.

Baby Deer

Chad Stockton captured this shot at the farm at about 12 noon.

Spray Technician, Billy Brooks, saw this baby deer, likely born this past spring, on the 17th hole today.