Wednesday

John Branson, our dedicated Landscape Technician, is doing a phenomenal job refreshing the courtyard gardens. He is working with Mary Palmer Dargan to make this year the best yet, for the courtyard.  I'm so proud of the level of passion and ownership he has taken on this project.  John just celebrated his 26th birthday and he is wise beyond his years!  Highlands CC is fortunate to have him leading the landscape charge!

It's interesting to know that 60% of the US is experiencing drought conditions.  That will ease slightly the next 2 days as rain is in the forecast.

Monday

 

With the golf course slammed full of participants playing in the annual Rotary Club Golf Event, our team is busy catching up on things we normally don't have time for because we are so busy bringing the golf course up to speed.  We're topping off all the raised beds at the farm with new, nutrient-rich compost.  Over the next week, we'll be sowing seeds of various vegetables as well as flowers like Dahlias and Zinnia.  Of course, you're welcome to any of this on a first come, first serve basis.  In addition to that, we are installing mulch and pinestraw around the operations area of the Club, something we do last, when the Clubhouse, Hudson House and golf course are finished.  We always rely on rain days for extensive shop clean-up, but since we've had none of those, today is a good day for that effort.  When the golf course is full of 100-plus players, it's best for us to get out of the way and let it happen.  Otherwise, we spend more time sitting, waiting on golf, than we do working.  It's better to focus on tasks outside of the golf course.

USGA Green Section Record

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

Greens Update

Yesterday afternoon, we began light verticutting of putting greens on the golf course.  We also started double cutting, but that won't become routine until we receive our seasonal staff later in May.  In fact, it looks as if we'll have boots on the ground by May 18th.  Labor has been a huge challenge with all the golf courses in the Highlands/Cashiers area.  The greens are rolling 10'6" this morning and that stimpmeter reading will increase as the days progress and warmer temperature become more consistent.  Regardless, I am very happy with where we are right now.  

You can see we have a chilly Saturday and Sunday ahead of us and were hopeful we receive more rain on Saturday for the sake of the community.  

Tuesday- Final Sod Delivery

 

This morning, we received our final load of sod for the season.  This ties up all the loose ends on the golf course for the spring.

Friday- Details

We are slowly but surely getting caught up on all we need to do before we officially declare the golf course, "ready" for the season.  We always pride ourselves on taking care of many details including this one... painting the structure at #18 ladies tee.  Our work is never finished and that's one aspect of this profession that makes it so fun!  We are constantly chasing a level of satisfaction that probably isn't attainable for the most part, but it's fun to keep trying!

Springtime in Highlands

Native plants... it just doesn't get any prettier than this!  If only more members were around this time to appreciate it.  Houstonia caerulea also known as Bluets, inundate our pond and creek banks during the month of April.  Many areas like this on #17, are spectacular! 

New Rain Shelter at #14 Tees

 

Chris Raby, our Director of Building Maintenance, is working with a local builder to construct a new rain shelter behind the restrooms at #14 tee.  If you recall, a large white pine fell two years ago, crushing the shelter that was located behind the green.  This new shelter will be in a more hidden location and allow for golf carts to pull underneath it during inclement weather. 

Tuesday

Today we received what will be our last full load of sod for the golf course.  This load allowed us to complete #11 and #12.  Both areas turned out great!  We will need about 14 pallets of sod to finish off the golf course and the earliest we'll be able to get that sod is Tuesday morning, April 28th.  

On a positive note, we are expected to receive a measurable amount of rainfall this weekend which will help get us caught up on irrigation and also help new sod root into the soil.  I'm occasionally asked about our irrigation system and why we need rain, if we can provide our own, through sprinkler heads?  The simple answer to that is, no irrigation system is designed to replace natural rainfall.  Rather, it is used to supplement rainfall.  No irrigation system can deliver the uniform distribution of water as well as great water quality, that Mother Nature can!  After a needed rainfall, you often see a nice green-up of lawns and plants.  This happens for two reasons.  First, is the obvious plant need for water, given the cells that makeup a plant, contain 90% water.  The second reason for the green up is atmospheric nitrogen.  Nitrogen is the main nutrient that drives the vegetative growth of plants.  When combined with rainfall, it's the equivalent of turf receiving a fertilization of a rate of approximately 1/10th of a pound of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet.  This is the amount of nitrogen that we foliar spray the putting greens with at HCC, over a two week period, to give you a comparison.

Monday

In times like this, I am so grateful the Club made the investment in a new irrigation system in recent years!  Despite the severe drought, the golf course is just fine and Hap is more than relaxed than ever about the situation.

If you follow my blog, you'll know how much time and effort we spend over the winter months cleaning out overgrowth and weed growth in and around the golf course.  Below are a few photos showing the work that's been completed over this past winter.  One of my major professional goals for this year, is to better control the regrowth of those weeds in these areas.  Without proper management and treatment, we'll be back in these areas, doing the exact same thing a year from now.  To combat that, I am experimenting with a few different herbicides at different rates to see what is most effective at selectively removing the briar and weed growth while it's young and just now starting to emerge after a long winter.  I'm certain that we'll find the most effective solution at controlling these aggressive weeds that overtake natural areas on the golf course.  In the next month, I will talk about the results of these various trials and let you know what kind of success we are having.  Stay tuned!

7-Day Forecast

Unfortunately, we missed out on what seemed like a decent chance of rain in the early morning hours.  We did receive a brief shower, but it wasn't a measurable amount and it didn't wet the ground below tree canopies.  Today, wind gusts up to 50 mph are predicted.  The good news is, there is rain predicted for next Saturday at this point.  While we are hanging in there just fine on the golf course, despite the fact that hand watering pulls valuable labor away from other jobs that we're trying to get finished.  However, as a community, this is very concerning.  That has already been about 3 or 4 brush fires that were fortunately handled swiftly by the local fire department and the US Forest Service.  Not only is it very dry, but the humidity is extremely low and most days there is a nice breeze.  This makes for a situation that can get out of hand pretty quickly.

If you wonder how far behind we are on rainfall, here are my stats:

Year to Date, we are 18.55" below normal.

Combine 2025 to this year, and we are 35.55" below normal.

The total for the last 5 years is 42.55" below normal.

*These deficit totals are based on my personal Highlands CC rainfall measurements and I chose 90" of rain as the annual average to compare against.  Depending on the source, I've seen anywhere from 86" to 96" listed as the area's annual average rainfall total.

Rounds4Research

 

Tomorrow begins the annual Rounds4Research auction that raises money for turfgrass research at universities across the country.  Superintendents and their respective clubs, donate a foursome of golf that is then put up for auction.  If the round is sold, the proceeds of that round goes to the Agronomy Department of the university in that State.  In the case of Highlands CC, NC State University receives the funds; they have a fantastic Turf program.  It's no secret that state legislature has been reducing funding to land grant institutions over the years, forcing many departments to seek creative ways to make up the difference.  Just recently, in North and South Carolina, we surpassed the $1M mark of funds going to NC State and  Clemson University.  Highlands CC has been a proud supporter of this program for a long time and I appreciate the membership's willingness to continue that level of support.  A foursome of golf at Highlands CC has historically brought it anywhere from $1,600 to $2,200 annually.  R4R is a great way for average golfers to play "bucket list" courses and there are many who pay top dollar to do so.

CLICK HERE to access the auction website if you'd like more information.

USGA Green Section Record

 CLEAR HERE

Click above for the latest edition of the Green Section Record!

Thursday

 

It's all in the details... today we are freshening up the rock on our 2-track maintenance paths on #14, #15 and #16.  Even more of a detail- we are painting the guard rails that are located within the Highlands CC corridor on Dillard Road.

And even more interesting, Billy Brooks saw a Red Slider Turtle this morning, like the one shown below, on #18 this morning.  While they are not native to Highlands, our guess is someone released a family pet into Club Lake!

Cherry on #6

 

This past winter, on the 6th hole, the wild Cherry growing on the fairway side of the cart path (at the landing area) had to be removed because it was about 80-90% dead.  It's been in a severe state of decline for a number of years.  The wood however, hasn't gone to waste.  The live edge bowls above, were turned by my father, John Stiehler.  In addition, several sections of trunk were sold to two different sawmills to make boards from.  It was a tree that was sad to see go, but it definitely didn't go to waste.