Golf Course Things and Stuff

The golf course has taken fine shape as we approach summer and our first heat wave of the season this weekend. We have many things going on out there and I wanted to take a minute to update you on some of whats happening.

Natural Grass Areas
The new natural grass areas have grown-in and are no longer to be played as ground under repair. Ground under repair will be marked with signage or white paint. The picture above of the natural grass between holes 4 and 5 shows the area still roped off but this is only to keep carts out. These areas are sensitive to cart traffic and provide a natural habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators and small animals. Please do not drive carts in any of the "long" grass on the golf course. If the grass is over 2.5 inches carts should be kept out. As of this week, all hillsides and natural grass areas have been cut and/or mowed for what was hopefully the last time of the season. These areas will turn color soon and slow their growth to provide a nice visual contrast from the green turf found down the middle of the fairway to the golden brown of the California native grasslands. I look forward to this transition each year as the contrast of color and texture can result in some of the most visually stunning views around the property.

Bunkers (hazards)
I seem to get the question every spring about bunkers (hazards) and their consistency, or lack there of. Each spring we go through the hazards to add sand in areas that were contaminated or where sand was removed during winter. With the heavy rains this past winter our work here has been more than in years past. The hazards where new sand has been added will take time to settle in and firm up. This can create variability from hazard to hazard as some will play firm and other soft. The expectation for the hazards to play consistent is unrealistic even when all the sand is the same. Many factors go into this. The location of the hazard, surrounded by trees or out in the open. Angled toward the sun or away from. How much water does the surrounding turf require to maintain health? More water for the turf means more water in the bunker. Size and shape of the hazard... you get the idea. What will be consistent is our set up and maintenance routines for these hazards. Many hours each week are focused on preparation and maintenance of the hazards. Members can help improve consistency in hazards by making an effort to return them to previous form following play. Unfortunately we see this all to often...

The Small Stuff
We are working hard to catch up on many of the small things and stuff around the golf course. While we are very happy with course conditions down the middle, we know that some of the detail could be better and we are working on it. Things like pruning low branches on trees, edging cart paths, repairing of DG cart paths, pulling and/or treating weeds and many other detail items have had to take a back seat this spring. Why you ask? Long winter and short on staff. With the wet winter that lasted into April, we've had to focus our efforts on getting the greens, tees, fairways, roughs and yes, hazards back into shape. We've had to do so with just two additional seasonal workers when, in years past we would have had 5 to 7 seasonal workers at this point. The lack of applicants willing to come out and work has dwindled over the years. This season has been terrible even with a significant increase in pay being offered. The labor issue is real and is something affecting all clubs, not just Claremont. All this being said, our existing staff has worked well to make up the difference and I thank them greatly for their efforts!

Ballmarks
Unrepaired ballmarks on greens continues to be an issue. Truth is, the fact that their are more ballmarks is a good thing. More of you are hitting the greens it seems! Please remember to find and repair your ballmark. As the greens firm up, the chance that that your ball will land on the green and end up over is real. Don't forget to look for the mark and make the repair as it will help to provide an improved experience for other members and guests. It will also lighten the work load for greenkeepers allowing them to focus on other tasks.

Thanks so much for following the blog over years. We are over 70,000 page views as of last month! That's pretty cool. There is so much information shared in these blog pages, in the newsletter and on the website. Even so, please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have. We are always happy to help...


Enjoy your time on the course this summer!

Josh Clevenger, Golf Course Superintendent

2017 New Years Resolution for the Putting Greens

Unrepaired ballmarks result in bumpy greens and poor aesthetics. Each flag is a mark left unrepaired on the 5th green 

The following is a recent article published by the USGA. I thought it would tie-in nicely with the newsletter that just came out and with our objective of improving player etiquette this year. Enjoy!

With the start of every new year comes a list of resolutions. In this case, the resolutions specifically pertain to putting greens. As you dust off your clubs for the coming season, please consider the following resolutions:

I resolve to properly fix ball marks for the benefit of putting green recovery and putting green smoothness. This simple and critical part of the game is outlined in the video, How to Repair Ball Marks (also available in Spanish).

I resolve to not only fix my ball marks, but also the ball marks left by others when I observe them on a putting green.

I resolve to place my golf bag, pull cart or golf cart in appropriate locations that allow easy access to putting greens without causing excessive turf wear. This not only minimizes damage near putting greens, it can help improve pace of play.

When using a pull cart, I resolve to never take it between a putting green and greenside bunker.

I resolve to carefully remove and replace flagsticks as to avoid damaging holes. I will also never drop a flagstick on a putting green as to avoid leaving indentations that impact ball roll for other players.

I resolve to remove my golf ball from a hole with my hand or an appropriate tool, never with the head of my putter or other golf club.

I resolve to not leave remnants from any snacks or seeds on putting greens.

I resolve to remember that cigars can leave large ash deposits that should never be on a putting green.

I resolve to understand that when putting greens have frost on them, the delicate turf can be killed by footsteps.

I resolve to be aware that even though most golf shoes have soft spikes, they can still impact putting green smoothness if I scuff the turf with my shoes. When playing with others, I will not walk on their intended line.

I resolve to always knock excess sand off my shoes when exiting a bunker and before walking onto a putting green.

Finally, I resolve to improve pace of play by being prepared to putt when it is my turn.

Ballmark Repair

Now that the course has received some significant rainfall, we are seeing more ballmarks on greens than we typically do during the dry season. The greens are softer now and due to this each ballmark is more severe. My Dad always made sure I repaired my ballmark ( if I was lucky enough to hit the green ) and one other. Doing so assures a speedy recovery for the turf and a smoother ball roll for your fellow golfing member. Plus, we could all use a little good karma from the golfing gods!

Please take a minute to watch this video from the USGA on repairing ballmarks...

Thanks and we'll see you on the course!

Ball Mark Repair

After seeing the greens this morning I thought it would be appropriate to re-post the video on ball marks. We found many ball marks that were not repaired this morning with #7 green having a total of 17. Something to keep in mind is with the firm condition of the greens, many times your ball mark is well short of where your ball may come to rest. The 7th green is a good example of this as many balls will hit the green and end up just off the back.

My Dad taught me as a kid to always fix my ball mark and one other with the idea being to leave the golf course in better condition than I found it, thinking about the players that follow me. Little did I know that one day I'd be blogging about this lesson learned from Dad!

Please pass this around, tell a friend and don't forget, there are free ball mark repair tools in the golf shop. Thanks and we hope you enjoy the course!