"Off" Season Chores

Outdoor Work

January is obviously not a great month to be outdoors. Regardless of whether you are debating going outside to possibly enjoy a round of golf or maybe you have some chores to do around the house neither are fun when it is 42 degrees outside and breezy.  The mornings are especially brutal when the overnight temperatures have fallen well below freezing. While going outside may be a voluntary decision for some, the golf course maintenance staff is not quite so lucky.  Of course some mornings are colder than others but if the sun is out and the temperatures are anywhere close to freezing the staff knows to suit up and head onto the course.  On a property as big as a golf course there are always things that can be done if it is not too wet and there is no snow cover. This year we will remove close to 30 trees between the two courses that are either dead or undesirable. Undesirable trees might include trees that were severely damaged last year in the ice storm, trees that are over crowded, and select undesirable species like Sweet Gums that drop liter in the form of gumballs year round. Once trees are cut down the debris is separated into three categories.  Some will be hauled to the local debris landfill, some will be taken to a local saw mill and some will be saved for firewood.

Firewood

Debris for Removal

Logs for Sawmill

In addition to tree work there is a long extensive list of jobs that need to be completed before the season begins anew.  We now have an extensive planting of ornamental grasses that have to be cut back each winter.  We have dams on the majority of the ponds and lakes at the Farm that have to be cut back each year to prevent trees from establishing themselves and weakening the integrity of the dam itself.  Leaves continue to blow from the wooded areas and falling limbs are a constant nuisance this time of the year, all of which have to be removed to keep the course neat and clean. 

In addition to some of the routine maintenance work we do we will also engage in a couple of small landscape projects at each course.  The area behind #6 green at the Farm is a little more open towards Hwy US 220 as a result of the recent clearing and road work.  Therefore we will be adding approximately 30 new evergreen trees and shrubs in this area to create more privacy for the course.  On the Irving Park course we will attempt to soften the view of the backside of the pool and DRT pavilion by adding a combination of evergreen and flowering shrubs.  We hope to have these projects completed by the end of February.

Indoor Work

Of course there are always going to be days during this time of the year where it just doesn't make sense to go outside.  On those days we still have a lot to keep everyone busy.  There are a long list of golf course accessories that have to be refurbished for the next season. That list would include but not be limited to tee markers, hazard stakes, cart signs, trash receptacles, water stations, range accessories, and benches just to include a few of the more common ones.  Along those same lines the equipment technicians have a healthy list of jobs to do on the equipment to get it ready for another long mowing season.

The aforementioned is just a brief glimpse into a few of the things the staff focuses on during the winter months in an effort to have everything ready once spring rolls back around.  

Bruce Beuchler Memorial Bench Starts off a New Program ... Douglas Lowe CGCS

The Club has now gone away from its Memorial Tree Program on the Irving Park course and transitioned into a new opportunity for remembrance.  Approved by the Board of Directors late last year, the new golf course Memorial Bench Program will allow a limited number of individuals the opportunity to remember deceased members with benches located at select sites throughout the Irving Park Course.

Bruce Beuchler 17 Tee

Our first bench placement for the new program, which is dedicated solely for the Irving Park golf course, was for Bruce Beuchler who joined the club in August of 1979.  The donation was made by his long time friends in the "Golf Group".  The bench now rest to the right of 17 tee at the corner of Granville and Country Club.

While the Irving Park course has transitioned away from the Tree Program due to limited site opportunities and the ongoing study involving the creation of a new Master Plan for the entirety of the Irving Park property that same program still continues on the Farm Course.

FITNESS / TENNIS
A separate but similar program also exist for the areas in and around the fitness building and tennis courts. The first bench included in that program was placed at the entrance of the fitness building in remembrance of David F. Flynt during the fall of 2013.

David F. Flynt Fitness Entrance

For more information pertaining to either the Bench or the Tree Program contact Doug Lowe at Greensboro Country Club.

The Arrival of a New Year .... Douglas Lowe, CGCS

A New Year has arrived... 

A New Year has arrived upon us like a new born child experiencing the world.  Unknowing, eye opening, mysterious, bewildering, amazing, enlightening, and yes at times just plain frustrating as we lie on our back looking out upon the world/new year.

Little by little we figure out how to move our legs/arms, make sounds, roll over, get on our knees, get up to our feet and then walk with help.  The day comes where we take our first steps on our own and then begin running and we never stop.  So goes the life of our country club starting anew in 2015, just as a newborn child, we are preparing to get on our feet and begin running for the upcoming year.

As I was going through my Twitter feed the other night, I saw a tweet from Chris Brogan who provides leadership development and business strategies for individuals and organizations.  He made a blog post/tweet regarding my 3 words for 2015 and asked his followers to join in the fun in what could be a thought provoking experience for the beginning of the new year.

A lot of great suggestions, business buzz words of all types but my three words were pretty simple as a golf course superintendent/manager at Greensboro Country Club:

Sell  |  Service  |  Satisfaction

Allow me a few moments to give my thoughts why I chose the three that I did.

SELL

As a manager, I must sell the product I'm producing not only to my existing membership and guests but to future members and guests.  It is important that I use my influence to explain what our staff is doing to contribute to your positive experiences at the club.  Positive experiences mean a continued use of the club.

 Every time you are out with friends or business associates and Greensboro Country Club is mentioned in some form or fashion, it is my hope that a smile comes to your face and your thoughts go to your next potential experience that you have at the club and that it is shared with all that will listen.  Yes, selling in my department that has no revenues, directly tied to it, does exist and selling in my department is of vital importance to the overall experience one has on any given day here at GCC.

SERVICE

Very simply put, it is my hope that we provide a level of hospitality and service that will allow you to relax and enjoy the time that you and your family spend at our club.  In 2014, we began the process of constructing a detailed master Plan for the Irving Park facilities.  The year 2015 will see the Management of the Club, Board and Strategic Planning Committee continuing the evaluation of these detailed plans to ensure the future success of the club.  Additional discussions with membership will be taking place in the near future.   Lastly, it is important that the members know that we (The GCC Team) want to meet or exceed every one of your expectations and provide great service in whatever area of the club you are utilizing.

SATISFACTION

Our members will not be satisfied if we have not first sold a great experience through our efforts as well as providing great service.  Hospitality, which is the backbone of our business is defined as being cordial and generous in our treatment of our members/guests.  I know you have many choices on how to spend your discretionary income and I appreciate the fact that you have chosen us.  Of course we must also be trained in proper techniques, dedicated and highly motivated so that our members/guests are completely satisfied.  Laughing and being cheerful/friendly is just a part of being Santa Claus, if you can't deliver the packages to the right houses you will have disappointed many people.

Over the next few months as we begin to make our plans (move our legs), implement our plans (start crawling and standing) evaluate our progress and make necessary changes/improvements (pick ourselves up after we have fallen), I hope each of you will be encouraged to spend more time with us because you have received the type of hospitality that you deserve from our staff and this great golf and country club.

Great Health and Prosperity to you and your family this year!"

Autumn Leaves

While much different from spring, the fall season can be very beautiful with the striking fall colors radiating from the various hardwood species growing here in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.  For some, especially kids, it can even create fun and memorable moments.  But for a lot of us, homeowners and golf course managers alike, the beauty comes with a price.  The price being all the hard work spent blowing leaves and collecting them for removal.  As most golfers know keeping up with leaf removal on a golf course this time of the year is all but impossible at times, so I thought I would share a few thoughts on how leaves can play out in certain situations with the rules of golf.

I am certain that if you play enough golf over the next many weeks you will lose more golf balls than any other time of the year, some of them even on the fairways, because they are hidden under leaves. When playing a casual round of golf with a group of friends, one option to clarify on the first tee is enacting the local leaf rule.  If a ball is seen to go into an area that is heavy with fallen leaves and cannot be found and is deemed to be find-able under normal playing conditions your group may take the option of allowing a free drop to speed up the pace of play.  Other rules that may apply to a round of fall golf may include some of the illustrations below:

 
First of all, leaves are loose impediments, providing they are not fixed or growing, solidly embedded, or adhering to the ball (Definition of Loose Impediments).

Photo a): Except when both the leaf and the ball lie in or touch the same hazard, any leaf or leaves may be removed by any means, without penalty, Rule 23-1.

Photo b): A leaf that is resting against a ball may be removed, as above. 

Photo c): A leaf that is adhering to a ball is not a loose impediment and may not be removed, Definition of Loose Impediment.

Photo d): A leaf that is lying under a ball should be left as it is. It is unlikely that the leaf could be removed without causing the ball to move, which would incur a penalty of one stroke, even if it only moved one dimple from its spot.

Note that if a player’s ball lies on the putting green they do not incur a penalty if they cause their ball to move while they are removing a leaf (or any loose impediment) and the ball must be replaced. However, if they cause their ball to move while removing a leaf when their ball is not on a putting green they incur a penalty of one stroke and the ball must be replaced, Rule 18-2a.

While I hope the staff does an extraordinary job this fall and you never run into any of the situations illustrated above, if you do, I hope these explanations prove helpful.  And don't let a few falling leaves prevent you from taking advantage of this great time of the year to get out and play not just a little but rather a lot of golf!

Frost Is Just Around The Corner

Frost is formed when the temperature of a solid surface is cooled below the dew point. Frost on objects is just water vapor in the air that has condensed as ice onto a surface. Frost forms on objects close to the ground, such as blades of grass.

At night, a blade of grass loses energy by emitting a non-lethal kind of radiation, but it absorbs energy emitted by surrounding objects. Under clear nighttime skies, objects near the ground emit more radiation than they receive from the sky, and so a blade of grass cools due to the net energy loss. Once a grass blade gets cold enough, frost will form on it. Overnight cooling of air near the ground causes morning frost on grass and car windshields.

Frost Damage
The photo to the right illustrates what can occur on a green when foot traffic takes place on a stand of turf that is covered in frost.  The resulting damage on turfgrass leaves is due to the mechanical disruption of the protoplasm inside the turf leaves by the existing ice crystals. It is very important that golfers avoid the temptation to walk across the greens when frost is still visible or temperatures remain at or near freezing.  When the forecast calls for night-time temperatures near freezing please be sure to check with the Pro Shop for any possible delays to your tee time.

Fore the Golfer: Use of a Stimpmeter

President's Cup is Always a Busy Time of the Year

With our annual President's Cup  (Member-Member) coming up this weekend the staff is busy trying to get the two courses into top tournament condition.  In an effort to get to what we call tournament conditions we expect to put in over 400 overtime hours spent on extra mowing, trimming and grooming of the two courses. But in order to get a course into top shape there is more involved than just a little extra work the week of an event.  The past several weeks the two staffs have been hard at work trying to wrap up some small but numerous repair or improvement projects, which includes but is not limited to:

Aerfication
Both courses underwent extension aerification during the month of June.  A second aerification of our fairways is scheduled to begin the Monday (7/28) following the Presidents Cup at the Farm and the following Monday (8/4) at Irving Park.

New Sod at 7 Tee IP

Turf Repairs and/or Replacement

Replacing Shade Damaged Sod

The staff on both the courses has been very busy making repairs to thin damaged areas of turf.  Most of these areas were repaired by cutting up the thin or dead turf and replacing with new sod.  The whole process took place much later this year than we would have preferred due to a very limited supply being offered by our sod producers.  Despite the timing not being to our liking the majority of repairs have been finished at each course with close to 33,000 sf of new sod being installed between the two courses.

Soil Prep

Landscaping
In accordance with our long term landscape plan the Farm staff finished up the new installation of ornamental grasses on hole number 5.  The new plantings included a combination of Little Bluestem, Purple Lovegrass, Pink Muhly grass, and Panicum.  Nearly 6,000 new plants were added to both the left and right sides of the hole and by the end of the summer everything should begin to take on a more mature and fuller look.

New Plantings Going In

Irving Park Course Planning Committee
A new committee has been appointed to evaluate long term planning needs associated with the Irving Park course.  The Irving park course was renovated in 1998 by Kris Spence.  That 1998 renovation was relatively small scale in scope coming in at around 1.5 million and dealt a limited scope of features, which included greens, tees and bunkers.  There has been a lot of discussion as to the drainage needs of the Irving Park course as well as other considerations such as converting to an ultra-dwarf putting surface and how expanding the parking needs at the clubhouse could affect the existing routing of the course.  The first initiative related to improvements and long term planning was approved last year by the Green Committee, which was to contract with Turf Drainage America for a Master Drainage Plan on the Irving Park course. That Plan has now been completed and will serve as a valuable planning tool as the Planning Committee moves forward.  With a myriad of additional issues facing the course beyond just drainage it became very clear early on the Club would need another consultant to help the integration of all the possible considerations on the table for the improvement and strategic positioning of the Irving Park course.  The Committee's first recommendation was to interview architects to aid the club in it's long term planning.  With Board approval the Committee has now interviewed three candidates and has three more on the schedule. The goal of the committee is to have someone selected by sometime this fall who can serve in an advisory role as the Club updates and develops its next Long Term Capital Strategy.