7-Day Forecast

 

Warmer weather and a 70% chance of rain tomorrow will ensure a majority of the snow will be gone by the middle/end of the week!  That's a good thing because we are ready to be back out there!

Storm Totals

Saturday’s winter storm dumped about 8” of snow on the golf course. Saturday and Sunday were spent clearing roads and shoveling walkways around the campus. On Monday, we continue to do the same. The wind picked up Saturday night and so by Sunday, 3’ drift piles were common on some roads, particularly on the higher elevations like lower and upper brushy face.

Winter Storm Update

 

What started as 1-3" of snow prediction a few days ago, is now 5-9" of snow!  Looks like it will be an interesting weekend in Highlands.  Our plow is hooked up and ready to go and all club roads have been pre-treated with salt.

Dillard Road Guardrail

 

This morning, additional guardrail was added along Dillard Road, behind the 18th green.  This past season a Club member brought up the concern that golfers could potentially be in harms way because there was a 250' section of roadway that did not have a guardrail behind #18 green.  This section of road did not have a guardrail because the NCDOT has strict guidelines on what roads require guardrails.  They look at things like the slope off the edge of the road and whether not a vehicle could stop if it's driver failed to stay on the road.  The Club asked me to pursue this and I started with a contact I have at the DOT.  After the DOT approved the projects, I worked through a private contractor that works for the NCDOT, we were able to get this installed.  This spring, my team is planning to paint all of the guardrail along the Highlands CC corridor, black forest green so your eye isn't drawn to the reflective metal. 

Value of a Master Plan

 

Great piece on the value of a master plan written by Donald Ross author, Bradley Klein.  If you click on the image, you should be able to zoom in and read the article without any issues.

Snow Forecast

 

The forecast is calling for several inches of snow starting Friday evening into Saturday.

Winter Storm Watch

 

Another potential east coast snow event for this weekend.

Tuesday

It's safe to safe that this winter, which started off warm and mild, has turned into one of the coldest I can recall in my 25 years at HCC.  For the past week and the next couple, our low temperatures have potential to reach single digits or in the low teens.  This means the ground is frozen solid!  Our drainage contractor pulled off of the job yesterday and will be working in Atlanta for the next few weeks.  The plan is to reassess the situation by March 1st at the latest, and get them back up here to finish our drainage improvements before the season begins.  They only need about 2-3 weeks to finish.

As I reported, we received about 1/8" of ice last weekend.  We definitely dodged a bullet with that storm!  However, even with that little bit of ice, we have our fair share of limbs to clean up.  Obviously as expected, it was our White Pines that were impacted the most.  We'll spend the next few days cleaning up from that storm.  I can't help thinking what the golf course would look like if we did get that 1" of ice!!  That cleanup would have been far worse than Hurricane Helene!

With the ground frozen, much of our time will be spent under-brushing and trimming around the golf course in addition to all of our indoor projects like refinishing all the wooden benches, refinishing tables from the croquet complex, making new tee markers, making new entry/exit stakes etc.  There is never a time when we have nothing to do and that's how we prefer it!  All those little things that get done while your away for the winter, are the focus of this team.  One project that we are working on is creating a walking trail from employee housing to the farm, to keep staff from walking on Dillard Road.  Part of that project included building a small footbridge, which you can see Hap knocked out on Tuesday.  Not only are Border Collies smart, put they can also use power tools.

7-Day Forecast

 

Putting Green Rootzone Analysis

Every year, rootzone samples from your putting greens are sent to a lab for analysis.  This allows me to see how the rootzone is evolving and if our topdressing and aerification programs are effective.  This isn't the entire report but allows you to read the executive summary on the findings.  In short, the greens are in great shape below the surface!

 

Sunday Weather Update

While the ice storm is creating some power issues in the area, the storm hasn't been nearly as bad as initially expected.  From what I am seeing on social media, those who lost power seem to be having it restored within a few hours.  Roads that were pre-treated with salt, seem to be fine. However, walkways and other areas are very slick, with about 1/8" of ice covering everything.  There has no snow accumulation.  Today, we are experiencing mostly sleet and rain.  Again, the initial prediction was as much or more than 1" of ice.  If that occurred, the added weight on tree branches would have led to many downed trees, power lines etc.  It is still best to stay home and not be out and about if you don't have to... everything seems to be closed in Highlands, regardless.  This storm could potentially go through the night.  Tomorrow, mid-late morning my team will be evaluating road conditions around the Club and will more than likely be making another salt application to the roads to ensure safety for those traveling on them.  Be safe and stay warm!

This gives you an idea of the thickness of ice on everything.

Weather Updates for the Weekend

Bluebird Boxes

When the ground is frozen and we’re limited with what we can do on the course, it’s a good time to focus on upcoming case studies for our Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Status recertification in the future. We constructed 40 new bird boxes that will be placed on the golf course in late winter and monitored through the spring and early summer for use stats.  The bird boxes are even branded with the Highlands CC logo!

We have several case studies underway currently, on the golf course.  In addition to the bird box program, we've also been monitoring deer populations on the golf course.  And finally, we are in the process of working with Southeastern Pond Management (from Alabama) to enhance our fisheries program in Club Lake.  This is included identifying the need for feeder fish species to sustain our bass program as well as improving the lake to better support our trout population, which has always been popular.  

The Audubon Program is really important for a number of reasons.  Highlands CC first became a cooperative sanctuary back in 2003; the 11th golf course in the State of North Carolina to do so.  It shows our commitment to sustainability, the community and the environment.  

Thursday

Now that our tree work is complete for the season, we are making an effort to get the back parking lot of Golf Course Maintenance cleaned up by splitting as much wood as possible for the Clubhouse and Hudson House.  Again, all the wood for the Club fireplaces comes from the golf course.  This year, we have a good mix of Cherry, Oak and Pine.  Obviously, the Pine is not suitable for burning, so it is hauled off site and disposed of.  At this point, there is no real market to sell the pine logs to local saw mills.  That is a question I am asked often.  On top of that, in order for us to be able to handle the logs to get them off the golf course with our equipment, requires us to cut the logs in 4' lengths.  Saw mills prefer 10' plus long lengths for making lumber.  

While on my 7:30AM golf course walk, I watched this Bald Eagle fly above hole #1 and come to rest in this Oak tree between #2 and #3.  I always appreciate golf courses for the wildlife we're able to witness on a daily basis!

Winter Storm

The winter storm approaching seems to be shifting from a heavy snow event to more of a freezing rain/ice event.  We have our equipment ready to salt and plow the Club roads and will do our best to keep up with what Mother Nature throws our way.  Obviously if ice becomes an issue, we may not be able to treat and scrape the steepest roads in the community.  Stay tuned!