Divot Party a Success!

I want to thank everyone who came out for our first divot party.  We had over 80 participants which helped make quick work of filling divots throughout the course.  A special thanks also to the Ladies Golf Association who put in the extra effort to make this event a success.

Fred giving instructions on how to repair ball marks and how to properly fix a divot

Filling divots

Enjoying a good time caring for the course

Sometimes it takes a team effort

I certainly hope that everyone has a renewed appreciation for basic golf etiquette.  During the hour of filling divots, over 10,000 divots were filled and 2 tons of sand were used.  Remember to continue to fix your divots and repair your ball marks while you are playing golf.  Other than being the right thing to do, it saves the club over $15,000 in labor per year!

Bodel loves a camera

Chris helping fill sand bottles

Dick Chitty came prepared for any work we had for him

Josh thanks Rick T. for his help on the course

The staff discusses the days fun

A little rest after hard work



Divots everywhere

New Bunker Rakes

Anytime we change course accessories such as divot boxes or ball washers, we must make sure we are purchasing a quality product.  Over the past month we have been sampling and testing various  styles of bunker rakes from different manufacturers.  We tested the rakes on their ability to perform in our style of bunkers and their build quality.  Price was not considered as all of the rakes are priced similarly.  Our testing revealed that not all bunker rakes are created equal, even though on the surface they may look equivalent.

Various style of bunker rakes

First an foremost a bunker rake must provide an even pattern of disturbed sand without deep furrows.  Our testing showed that all of bunkers rakes provided satisfactory results.  Next we tested the rakes ability to push sand up a hill.  This is important mostly for the maintenance crew so that we can push sand after a washout.  Four of the five did a satisfactory job at pushing sand but two stood out as being superior.

After testing the rakes on the course, we chose three rakes to determine their quality of construction and materials.  This is where it became obvious that not all rakes are created equal.  Two of the three rake heads had a shallow neck for the handle to attach.  We determined that this was a weak spot that would put added stress on the rake handle, especially when pushing sand. 

Different head styles.  Note that the teeth are similarly spaced, this provided similar results raking the sand.

Different rake head styles.

However, the most obvious inequality between the three rakes was the construction of the rake handle.  All three had different levels of build quality in their fiberglass handles.  Each handle had a different level of fiberglass thickness while two had the addition of a plastic honeycomb inside the handle to improve durability.

Obvious difference in fiberglass thickness of the handle.

So which one did we choose?  I am happy to report that we have chosen the Par Aide AccuCurv bunker rake.  This rake has the longer neck in the head and also the thicker rake handle.  Additionally, it performed flawlessly in the bunker.  As an added bonus, the rakes are made in the USA!  The new rakes should arrive in about two weeks after which we will put them together and distribute throughout the course.


The WINNER!  The Par Aide AccuCurve bunker rake.

New Antennas Improve Reception

The irrigation system is the lifeblood to every golf course, providing water when Mother Nature won't.  One of the main components is the field controller of which our course has 13.  The field controller receives information for watering from a central computer that is located in our maintenance department.  We type in how much we want something to water and the computer sends it to the controller. This is done using a two-way radio.  Each field controller has its own radio to receive commands from the central computer. 

3 element Yagi antenna

Over the years, we have had trouble communicating with some of the field controllers.  This has been mainly due to our hilly terrain, so its not a new problem, but we have managed through it.  For reasons unknown to me, the problem has been worse this year, with several controllers unable to receive the vital commands needed from the central computer to water the course.  When this happens, we have to go to each controller and manually input the nights watering schedule.

Davis preparing the antennas for installation

To solve the problem, we have installed Yagi antennas on almost all of the field controllers throughout the course.  These antennas are far superior to original built-in antennas that came with the controllers.  You will now notice a 10 foot pole next to the field controllers with an antenna at the top that looks like the old TV antennas that many houses use to have.   After testing the new antennas, I can confirm that we have excellent signal reception at every field controller.

New Yagi antenna installed next to a field controller

The American Flag at Highlands Falls

With July 4th just around the corner, I thought it would be a great time to educate everyone on what it takes to paint the American Flag on #17 and also give a brief history of the flag.

Painting the flag

For about 10 years now, the HFCC maintenance staff has been painting the American flag on #17 fairway.  17 was chosen as it provided a perfect position for the flag to be seen from the clubhouse.  The flag measures 100 feet across and takes over 1500 feet of twine to set up.  We use 10 gallons of red, 10 gallons of white, and 5 gallons of blue turf paint in addition to a case of white spray paint.  From start to finish, it takes approximately 4 hours to complete.

Painting the flag

Since we started painting the flag, it has become just as popular outside the club as it is inside.  It has been featured in several magazines and websites.  I have done speaking engagements on how we do it.  And last year several area Superintendents and vendors participated in painting it while also helping to raise money for The Wounded Warrior Program.

A view from the clubhouse

Local Superintendents and vendors

  

A Brief History of the American Flag

The current official U.S. flag is a 50 star flag, born of the need for a more practical design to accommodate new states entering the union. On April 4, 1818, Congress established the number of stripes at seven red and six white, and provided the addition of one star for each new state. The thirteen stripes represent the original 13 colonies. The 50 star flag has been in use since July 4, 1960 when Hawaii officially joined the union.

In the first years of the Revolutionary War, America fought under many flags. One of these flags, called the Grand Union, flew over George Washington's headquarters near Boston. It was the first American flag to be officially recognized by another country.

Grand Union Flag

On November 16, 1776, the American warship, Andrew Doria, saluted a Dutch fort in the West Indies and was saluted in return. This brought a measure of international recognition to the United Colonies.  A flag with thirteen stars and thirteen stripes received its first salute from another country on February 14, 1778, when French vessels in Quiberon Bay, France, saluted John Paul Jones and his ship, "The Ranger."

No one positively knows who designed the first Stars and Stripes, or who made the first flag. Soon after the flag was adopted by our new government, Congressman Francis Hopkinson claimed that he had designed it. Some historians believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress, made the first U.S. flag.

On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag of the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, that the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."

13 Star American Flag

Today, that union consists of 50 stars representing all 50 states.

  

 

Practice Tee Etiquette

Having a relatively small practice range tee, heavy play removes divots faster than the turf can recover.  While we have an efficient and effective tee rotation and seeding plan, the small tee makes it very difficult to have thick turf during times of heavy play. However, there are a few things that you the player can do to help us have the best practice tee possible.

Please be efficient with your practice by keeping your divots as close together as possible. Take each shot from the back edge of the previous divot. Move back in a line until you have reached the back of your tee station. Repeat this process by making a new line of divots near the first. This will save the turf on the tee and leave more room for the next player(s).

 

These two pictures illustrate the worst way to take divots from the practice tee.  Recovery is severely limited and the tee is left in a bumpy and bare condition.

 

Driving Range Improvements

Every year during the off-season we work on projects aimed at making Highlands Falls a better place to be a member.  While this winter has had its share of course improvement projects that you will all enjoy, one project has been a long time coming, improving the permanent tee on the driving range.

New teeing stations at the driving range.

Installing pavers at the driving range.

I am happy to report that the very unsightly "astroturf" permanent tee is no longer.  We have removed the artificial turf and begun installing brick pavers in its place.  The pavers are designed to give 12 separate teeing stations, an increase of 2 over the previous arrangement.  At each station will be the familiar mats that we have used in the past. 

A great project for a rain day

Being that the driving range is the first place a guest "plays" the course and thus the first impression they have of the facility, this was an improvement long overdue.  In addition to the new playing surface, we will be installing a new clock like the one at the putting green.  The clock was a donation from the friends of Dr. Al Mena in his memory.

Fairway Verticutting

We recently purchased a new verticutter for cutting fairways.  The SISIS Veemo is one of the best verticutters on the market and is especially well adapted for our environment. Verticutting is the process of cutting the grass in a vertical position as opposed to the horizontal position that most mowers cut.  Verticutting is a necessary agronomic practice that removes thatch, increases turf density, reduces grain, and promotes bentgrass.  It also makes a mess!

HFCC's new Verticutter

Deep verticutting on the #1 fairway.

Ever since implementing our fairway verticutting program about 5 years ago, the turf has steadily improved year after year.  We recently finished deep verticutting the fairways and due to the continued rain, have been cleaning up ever since.  Verticutting creates an excessive amount of organic matter that needs to be cleaned up afterwards.  Normally, we blow the material in the rough and mow it several times turning it into mulch.  However, the rains have hampered our ability to blow the material and in many areas we have had to clean the material up by hand.  While the clean-up is taking longer than desired, the benefits far outweigh the extra effort.

 

"Rooster tails" are a good indication that your getting a good cut.