Ice Cream!

Such a great way to reward hard work and cool off on a hot day!  Today we scheduled a 1:00PM visit by Sweet Caroline’s Ice Cream truck!

Lightening Safety!

After purchasing this system in 2007, I personally installed it and have been responsible for the upkeep and preventative maintenance schedule.  This system has been very reliable and is relatively user friendly.  The picture above is the sensor that is mounted to the roof of the Clubhouse.  Technically speaking, this incredibly sensitive piece of equipment is known as an optical coincidence sensor.  In short, it works by detecting two things. First, the flash of light that is generated by lightning and second, the electromagnetic pulse that is also generated by lightning.  It takes both of these items into account and can then instantly calculates how far the strike was from the sensor.  If that distance is 5 miles or less, the alarm will sound immediately.  Highlands CC staff can program the desired distance we want the alarm to sound in 5 mile increments, up to 20 miles away.  Again, our system sounds only when lightning is detected in a 5 mile range from the Clubhouse, where this sensor is mounted.  So if you hear thunder, and the alarm doesn't sound, it is because the storm is more than 5 miles away and not because the system in malfunctioning.  When the system detects lightning, you'll hear what sounds like a fire alarm.  This means you need to stop playing immediately, return to your cart and exit the golf course to seek safe shelter.  Our rain sheds can protect you from rain, but do not provide adequate protection from lightning.  Once the system sounds, a countdown timer begins.  Once 30 minutes pass with no additional strikes, the all-clear tone will sound alerting you that it is safe to return to the golf course.  If a strike is detected during that countdown, the timer resets itself to 30 minutes.  The all-clear tone is distinctly different from the alarm and it sounds like a busy signal on a telephone.  It is also worth noting that the system is only active from 8:00AM to 8:00PM.  This prevents the alarm sounding in the middle of the night.

There are other systems on the market as well, but not as reliable as this system, in my opinion.  A competitor of Strike Guard, is a system that measures static electricity in the air.  When the amount of static electricity is conducive for lightning, the alarm sounds.  This sounds good but in reality it leads to more false alarms than not.

A lightning detection system is a great tool to protect golfers and others from approaching weather.  However, always use common sense when you are outdoors and while it is extremely rare due to battery back up systems, electronic equipment can fail.  Always trust your gut feeling and if you do feel like you're in a potentially dangerous situation, follow your instincts and leave the golf course.  Every year, a handful of people are killed on golf courses by lightning strikes.  

It is also worth noting that all storms start somewhere.  It is possible an electrical storm forms immediately above us, giving little to no warning that a storm is approaching.  

#11 Creek Banks

For the last few months, we've experienced some heavy erosion on #11 creek.  This is something we commonly deal with in Highlands because of the amount of rainfall we get.  One method of helping to slow this erosion down is by stacking boulders along the creek banks, which is what we did today on #11.  However, for several reasons, this isn't the proper way to fix this issue.  Our long range plan has a line item of up $500,000 for creek and pond bank stabilization.  The challenge is that this project falls low on the priority list when you compare it to the other needs on the golf course and the annual allocation of resources the golf course receives.  

"Speed" of the Putting Greens...

Every morning, my team checks the speed of the practice green to be sure we are staying in the range we feel keeps the putting surfaces challenging for the better players and fair for the higher handicappers.  This is a delicate balance and very subjective to golfers.  There has never been a Golf Course Superintendent, who didn’t hear the complaint: “The greens are too slow, or the greens are too fast.”  Green speed is often determined by a few things, the key being the slope of the greens.  Golf courses with flat greens can get away with faster green speeds compared to that of a Club with undulating greens.  Using the example of a car, you can drive 100 mph on a highway that is wide and flat, but would you take that same speed on our mountain roads?  Probably not.  So, to start off, we’ve found that 11-12 feet is the stimpmeter reading that seems to fit our membership well for everyday play.  There is nothing that piques the interest of golfers on the practice green that see us, stimpmeter in hand, rolling golf balls back and forth.  It always generates fun conversation.

In the 1930s, Edward S. Stimpson, the 1935 Massachusetts Amateur champion, addressed this problem: how to achieve accurate, objective, statistically valid measurements of the speed of a putting green. Known as the father of the Stimpmeter, Edward S. Stimpson was an accomplished golfer. The result of his efforts was the Stimpmeter. What began as a wooden, homemade instrument, Mr. Stimpson's device was later modified by the USGA's technical department in the mid-1970s and made available to golf course superintendents and course officials in 1978. As green speeds have steadily increased since its release in 1978, the Stimpmeter was further modified in 2012.

The Stimpmeter is a simple, accurate device manufactured by the USGA that allows us to make a standard measurement of, and place a numerical figure on, the speed of a putting green. It does so by measuring ball roll distance. The Stimpmeter is an extruded aluminum bar, 36 inches long, with a V-shaped groove on each side that extends along its entire length. It has a precisely milled ball-release notch, positioned approximately 30 inches from the tapered end that rests on the ground.  The ball-release notch is designed so that a ball will always be released and begin rolling when the Stimpmeter is raised to an angle of approximately 20 degrees with the putting surface.

As stated, green speed is not at all a speed, usually measured as distance over a period of time.  For example, miles per hour or feet per second.  Rather, green speed is simply the distance a golf ball rolls off the end of the stimpmeter.  Without getting too deep in the details, an accurate measurement is gained by rolling three golf balls one direction, then turning around and rolling three golf balls the other direction.  This prevents a course official from rolling a ball down a hill and getting an inflated reading.  Essentially, provided the golf balls stopped within 6” of each other, the numbers are averaged together to give the official reading.  For example, if I roll 3 golf balls one direction and get 11’, and then do the same the other direction and get 11’ 6”, I simply add the two numbers together and divide by two; the green is rolling 11’ 3”.  

The stimpmeter was a tool developed to help superintendents keep consistency across the golf course.  The goal was to quantify the consistency of the 11^th green compared to the 18^th green, and so on.  Of course, over time it fell into the wrong hands and somehow turned into a device that some unfairly judge their Superintendent with.  It has often got many good superintendents in trouble, trying to obtain a specific desired speed at a time of year when it wasn’t practical.  In order to speed up a putting green, often requires agronomic practices that may not be in the best interest of plant health.  For example, anything that reduces friction, will increase “green speed.”  This may mean mowing at an extremely low height of cut or more frequent mowing.  Excessive rolling and thinning the turf with groomers also increases speed.  Doing these practices at the wrong time of year could be, and has been, disastrous for some superintendents.  That’s why as a Superintendent, I consider it part of my job to educate those who influence golf course standards.   

One aspect that has a tremendous amount of influence on green speed, is humidity.  Humid conditions not only work against the golf ball itself, after you strike it with your putter, but high humidity can cause grass blades to swell, leading to more friction working on the golf ball.  This is typically why greens are faster in spring and fall (lower humidity), compared to summer.  Further more, cooler temperatures cause the turf to tighten up, as opposed to swelling, and the reason for those super fast greens during the autumn season.

Next question: Are greens faster in the morning or the afternoon?  This is another great debate and I think there are is another factor determining the answer to this question  The main factor is how much fertilizer the greens have access to.  A green growing under a high nitrogen content, would be slower in the afternoon because the turf grows a 1/16" or more, increasing friction on the golf ball.  But turf growing under low amounts of Nitrogen fertilizer (the way I prefer) are faster in the afternoon because the growth in minimal and moisture isn't present during the afternoon hours.  Moisture on the leaf blade will always slow a golf ball as it rolls across the putting green. 

How about turf variety or species?  First, Poa annua greens are usually faster in the summer because Poa annua can tolerate lower mowing heights compared to bentgrass.  Furthermore, it is far denser than any other species of turf, leading to smoother ball roll.  But, new varieties of Bentgrass aren't too far behind.  Our 12th and 14th greens were sodded with 'Pure Distinction,' a creeping bentgrass variety that rivals Poa annua in terms of density.  The downside of Poa annua is the seed head it produces in April and May and the varying growth rates of the species at that time of year.  These factors influence ball roll in terms of speed and smoothness.  

I hope this gave you a little more insight into a topic that everyone has likely heard about, at your Club or through commentators of televised golf events.  

Boardroom Magazine

Click on each image to enlarge them for reading.

 

Big Catch!

This past weekend, Colbin Cook, grandson of member, Bill Cook, caught this 6lb 8oz largemouth bass on Club Lake!  What a catch!  

Tuesday

On #12, we are resodding a portion of the approach that never established adequately during the #12 green project.  This is the best way to repair this and the quickest.

On #10, you probably noticed we renovated the cart bridge at the end of the fairway. This morning, we are also resetting the concrete lattice blocks to make the transition smother.  The area has also been reseeded to establish more turf that will cover the concrete over time.  

7-Day Forecast

 

USGA Green Section Record

 CLICK HERE!

Click above for the latest edition of the USGA Green Section Record.

#10 Bridge

Our repairs to the cart bridge on #10 are complete after installing the curbing this morning.  Next, we'll allow the treated lumber to adequately dry and then apply a dark stain to allow the bridge to blend more into the surroundings.

The Farm

In a couple weeks, we should have a nice little selections of different vegetables.  There is a bed of spring mix lettuce that is about ready in addition to plenty of herbs.  We'll have a wide selection of cut flowers you're welcome to this year as well.  Feel free to stop by- bring your own shears and a bag to carry your harvest away!  Unfortunately, on a few crops like green beans, the deer have been having a field day!

Thursday

Thursday of Camp week is always a lot of fun because we take all the groups on a tractor ride across the golf course.  It's one of the few times during the week the campers and counselors get to sit dawn and relax for about 45 minutes!  It always seems to be a favorite of the kids.

At the practice facility, we experienced an irrigation leak in the field.  It was discovered after a large "turf bubble" formed below the grass.  This happens when water accumulates between the soil and the turf, separating the two.  It's like walking on a big water bed!

Tropical Storm Thursday Night

It's looking like a couple inches of rain is on the way for Thursday night into Friday!

#13 Rainshed

 

On #13, we are working to make the new rain shelter look a little more natural in that setting.  Unfortunately the ground wasn't properly leveled prior to construction, causing the railings to be mounted entirely too high.  It just looked out of place.  Between the landscaping and the earth work, I think we are able to make this look like it fits in.

Phase I Compete

 

Phase I of the dam project is officially complete!  The lake is now being filled back up and I suspect by tomorrow, water will be flowing over the dam.  Your patience of this project is much appreciated!