Why do Tour Pros use a towel to practice putting?

CLICK HERE!  for a Golf Digest article on why tour pros use a towel when they practice putting…

Reusable Water Containers

Click Here for a brief video on new water container options at Highlands CC!  Great move by our Golf Professional Staff to do our part for the environment and also save resources spent on endless bottles of water that end up in landfills. 

Dillard Road Construction

From the Rabun County Historical Society, prison inmates prepare the road that would become Dillard Road, Highway 106 to Highlands CC!

Morning Sunlight

Great photo taken by Landscape Tech, John Branson, this morning at 7:35AM! 

Justification for Kentucky Bluegrass/Tall Fescue Sod

The rough in the photo above is a mix of Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass.

Every winter, my team spends a considerable amount of time resodding turf in the rough.  The question is, why bother if it's a losing battle?  The life of Kentucky Bluegrass sod at Highlands CC can last anywhere from 4 years, up to 10 years before the contamination of other turfgrasses requires it to be resodded again.

Everyone loves the clean look of Kentucky Bluegrass rough (from this point on, I'll refer to Kentucky Bluegrass as KBG).  It provides a great contrast between a lime green fairway and the dark green rough.  The golf ball also sits up on it nicely compared to 2" tall Bentgrass, where the ball settles down into the turf.  

In our climate of mild temperatures and abundant rainfall, Bentgrass and Poa annua are always going to be a challenge in the rough.  The main reason for this is when the turf resumes active growth in the spring.  Without getting into too many details, Bentgrass and Poa annua have about a one-month head start on the Kentucky Bluegrass, which requires much warmer temperatures for growth.  During this time, these unwanted grasses have a competitive advantage and use it to their benefit.  As summer progresses, Bentgrass also does better surviving in wet conditions and lower light situations where shade is an issue.  

So far I have identified two reasons why a pure stand of KBG is important in the rough.  One is aesthetics and the other is playability.  But there is another reason I'll explain below.

Both Bentgrass and Poa annua are far more susceptible to fungal diseases, heat stress and insect pressure.  This means that they require a lot of inputs like fungicides, to remain looking good.  Even in the photo below, this area behind #1 green has received four fungicide applications this year, to date, and the Poa annua is still struggling.  Incidentally, this area will be resodded this winter.  The turf doesn't look good and still requires us to apply chemical treatments that KBG doesn't require.  So the third reason why re-sodding roughs is important, is that KBG rough saves resources and reduces chemical inputs.

Every year, we allocate about $70,000 to our operating budget to replace the rough in areas on the golf course.  $70,000 is enough money to approximately re-sod 1.5 holes, with the average length of a par 4 hole, specifically.  We prioritize the areas where playability is a major factor or areas that are visually not as attractive as they could be.  We also try to use these funds by re-sodding large areas rather than small areas here and there.  This allows us the ability to apply an herbicide, known as Tenacity, that selectively removes Creeping Bentgrass from a stand of KBG or Tall Fescue.  The chemistry isn't perfect, but it does help prolong the life of the KBG before it needs to be resodded.  We've been using this product for many years, and you would know it because it turns the Creeping Bentgrass bright white in color, in the fall, before it dies. 

 Hopefully this gives you a little insight into why we replace sod on a regular basis in our roughs.

 

This is also a Tall Fescue/Kentucky Bluegrass mix but is contaminated with patches of Creeping Bentgrass and Poa annua.

7-Day Forecast

 

2025 Ladies Member/Guest Tournament

The annual Ladies M/G tournament is always the most fun event of the year.  It gives us an opportunity to be creative and develop some props that capture the theme of the event.  This year, the theme was 'Passport to Fun' so we did a little travel scene that focused on Amelia Earhart and her crashed plane.  

We even gave the ladies a photo opportunity to make a fake ID if they like!

The mannequin has been a staple of the last 5 events!  You never know what kind of outfit she'll be wearing.  Or is it a he?  We just don't know.

Japanese Knotweed

 

By now, you've probably heard of Japanese Knotweed.  It's a very invasive species of shrub, that's taken over in many areas of Highlands.  I was asked recently about areas along Arnold Road, were is can be seen growing.  There is a couple things about knotweed that you need to understand before you can attempt to control it.  First, it is literally the weed from Hell.  This plant, when sprayed with a non- selective herbicide at the wrong time of year, can actually make it stronger and healthier.  Herbicide applications can only be made effectively in late September, early October, after the plant completes the flowering process.  All plants are at their weakest state after flowering, because it takes a tremendous amount of energy and stored carbohydrates for a plant to produce a flower.  Second, cutting it back only spreads it.  It creates a dense plant structure and, oh...the plant material you hauled away or disposed of in the woods... those will all become new establish plants the following season.  Cutting the shrub back is fine if you're going to fully burn the foliage that was cut off, on site.  By reducing its height, it can be treated with an herbicide much easier.  Third, Knotweed requires annual herbicide treatments for up to 5 consecutive years or more before it is eradicated.  Finally, this is a plant that can grow through cement and asphalt.  It is literally indestructible.

This is Japanese Knotweed emerging through an asphalt driveway.

For the last 8 years, I've served with a local group focused on Knotweed eradication.  We've mapped most areas of knotweed populations using the Town's GPS equipment.  I've also worked annually to get funding from the Town of Highlands to treat these areas.  While it helps, it sadly goes unchecked because more and more sites pop up due to the ignorance of residents.  A lot of people don't know what it is and others simply don't care.  I once had a resident tell me not to treat their right-of-way because they think it's a beautiful plant.  In fact, they planted the Knotweed there years prior.  Today, it's one of the worst infestations of Knotweed in all of Highlands and Cashiers.  

Knotweed was introduced to the US in the late 1800's; specifically brought here to help with erosion control of soils.  It definitely does that as well as destroys natural landscapes and ecosystems.  This is one decision we all wish we could take back.

7-Day Forecast

 

USGA Green Section Record

CLICH HERE for the latest edition of the USGA Green Section Record.

Practice Tee Use

This morning, James has some beginners show up the practice facility to work on their game!

Tuesday Storm!

We received 1.5” of rain in a very short time on Tuesday afternoon!  Check out the 10th hole! Lots of clean-up tomorrow morning!

We also had an air bubble form under the fairway turf on #10. Check out this video of the air being relieved...

Pumpstation Woes...

Irrigation water is one of, if not the most important tool a superintendent has to work with.  It's what keeps the golf course green, supplementing rainfall during times of heat and drought.  It's also used to move fungicides and other products into the rootzone following a spray application.  In short, my team spends countless hours making sure the irrigation system in functioning properly with precision.  

However, like any piece of equipment, things do go wrong and those times can be quite stressful.  Take last night, for example.  An alarm on my cell phone went off at 3:30AM, telling me one of our three pumps failed, causing a low pressure discharge.  In other words, it shut the whole system down.  Upon arriving at the pumpstation (the rock building below #18 tees), the smell of smoke consumed the building.  After resetting the station and trying to get the system back up the pressure, pump one was making a terrible sound, followed by additional smoke.  It became obvious to me that the pump shaft was broken.  This means there are only 2 pumps supporting the golf course, rather than 3.  I called our pumpstation service company, who are fantastic, and will have someone out in the next day to pull the pump, in order to take it in for repairs.  However, we are still left with 2 pumps.

Now for the good news! In 2014, when I worked with Flotronex to design this system, we built it so the irrigation system could fully operate with ease on only two pumps. The third pump is cycled in regularly to evenly spread the use/wear evenly over all three pumps.  Most of the time, however, the third pump acts as a backup in the event of a situation like this.  Once again, proper planning and a well thought out design saves the day!

Bluegrass Billbug Damage

This summer we are experiencing something that we haven't seen much of in the past and that is Bluegrass Billbugs. You can see the damage in the sod behind the 16th green, which is exacerbated by foot traffic and drought stress.  The insects likely came with the sod and that's why it is very defined and isn't more widespread.  An insecticide has been applied to control the insect and this area is going to be resodded tomorrow.  We've seen damage on #1, #4 and #16 but caught it early enough that the damage isn't noticeable, except for this location.

Sand Topdressing- Everything you wanted to know!

Why do we topdress greens with sand?

This past week, I understand there was some discussion surrounding our decision to topdress greens frequently.  First, let me start by saying that the light sand topdressing we did to greens on July 3rd, should have been better timed and I certainly apologize to those who feel it negatively affected their experience on the golf course.  With high humidity and morning moisture, the sand can stick to the golf ball and impact the roll.  In the afternoon however, no putting green putts better than one that's been freshly topdressed.  The sand smooths the imperfections on the surface and lowers the height of cut of the turf, from the ground up.  The end result are greens that gain over a foot on the stimpmeter and roll smoother than any amount of rolling could provide.  

But the main reason we topdress is to match the accumulation of organic matter (thatch) below the surface.  Greens that aren't regularly topdressed become slow and soft.  They will begin to hold more and more water until eventually, the green fails.  Simply put, sand topdressing is probably the most critical maintenance practice we do.

How often do we topdress and why does it feel we are doing it more this year?

Historically for the last 20 years, we would topdress once every 14 days. Traditionally, this has be enough to match the accumulation of organic matter (thatch) below the greens, at Highlands CC.  As you know, we rebuilt #12 and #14 greens this year.  These greens were sodded in March, and while I was extremely pleased with the quality of the sod, it did have more organic matter than I would have liked.  This is why those two greens were constantly being aerified in the spring- it was an aggressive program to remove as much organic matter we could.  Since we don't want to aerate during the season and impact the greens more than we have to, we increased our topdressing frequency to as much as once or even twice a week at times.  Rather than just topdressing #12 and #14, I elected to include all the greens on the golf course so they could receive the same benefit.  In addition, when we topdress, we also include the approaches along with the greens, and that has been paying off over the years by helping to firm these areas.  It's critical we deal organic matter (thatch) while it is near the surface and at a depth that we can reach through traditional aeration and sand topdressing!  

Let me also stress that in a perfect situation, sand topdressing is applied in the afternoon, when the greens are dry, allowing the sand to fall down into the canopy.  When we topdress in the morning and there is moisture on the leaf blade, the sand tends to stick to leaf, which causes the issues mentioned above.  We do our best to avoid morning topdressings.  This year, however, has been a challenge.  We are experiencing a year with record play.  Many days, the golf course is so full, it's nearly impossible to get afternoon tasks completed in a timely manner, without working consistent overtime.  Our golf course maintenance budget has no wiggle room in it and can't we can't afford paying regular overtime to our team.  Therefore, some of the afternoon tasks we used to do, are now pushed to the morning.  Lately, topdressing has been one of those, unfortunately.

What's the overall benefit?

Again, putting greens that are regularly topdressed will play faster, smoother and firmer than those that are not on a frequent sand topdressing program.  This year, I've received m0re positive comments from members about how pleased they are with the putting greens.  Many comment how they love the faster green speeds.  Historically, our green speed would be right around 11ft and this year, it's consistently 12' plus on a daily basis.  There is no question the greens are performing better this year than ever before.  This is a result of one thing... more frequent topdressing!  The benefits of a single topdressing application last about 3 days.  In the past, when we topdressed greens every 14 days, it was done on a Monday.  This means that those golfers who only play on weekends, never got to experience the benefit of recently topdressed greens.  Therefore, I experimented with the timing of our sand applications in order to provide the most benefit to the whole.  Going forward, I'll continue to work with the Green Committee to develop the best topdressing program for Highlands CC.  Once again, my intent by applying sand on July 3rd was to give members and guests the best greens possible over the holiday weekend.  Over the next 2 months, the topdressing of greens will slow back down.  Sand can be very abrasive to the turf, and it's best to space out applications during the heat of the summer, when the greens are most stressed.  Once fall rolls around, we'll more than likely increase the frequency of sand applications as needed.

Conclusion

You are why we are here!  Your opinion of the golf course means everything to me and my team, and we love hearing from you- good or bad.  In fact, if we don't hear the bad, we can't get better!  Please never hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions about anything we're doing on the golf course or have a suggestion to improve the experience on the golf course for members and their guests.  We are a team of 23, all with a can-do attitude and we'll do what it takes to make Highlands CC the best for its members.