There is a big mystery at Highlands CC that involves bears and their infatuation with the 2nd green during this time of year. This morning, we had our hands full with course cleanup after all the rain and wind from Friday's storm. While making our way around the course, we noticed this. Over the past 22 years, this happens rarely on other greens, but happens routinely on #2 green, only during the month of November. Black Bears play with the flagstick; batting it around gives them some form of mental stimulation. In doing so, they get rough and their strength knocks the cup out of the ground and we are left repairing what you see above, which is sometimes challenging to piece back together. More than likely, this area will need to be plugged out in the spring.
So rather than have this occur night after night, I am trying something new. For the sake of the 2nd green, I'm using a putting green flagstick for the remainder of the month to see if this prevents the damage. A flagstick of this size has no flex. Hopefully the bear will realize there is nothing to play with here and move on. I realize this looks rather silly but I think it is worth giving it a try for the next 2 weeks to prevent more damage to #2 green.