Sodding some bad areas

This week our crew installed a truck of sod in a few thin areas around the golf course.  The main reason to get the truck of sod was to finish the lake bank behind #2 green.  We had removed some large pine trees earlier this year, but had not found time to finish this area until now.  The rain worked in our favor and held off until we had all the sod installed and then watered it naturally.  The haul road used during the Dredging Project on the left side of #8 fairway was also sodded to fix some very bare spots throughout.  Additional sod was also installed in the rough around the fairway bunker on #1, both sides of the green on #6, behind #9 Overlook green, around #16 green, and in the fairway on #18.  All of these respective spots have looked bad this summer so we hope this will help us have a great fall golfing season once the areas grow in.  Please be careful when driving a cart around the new sod, as we will be watering it daily so the areas will be very wet and soft!  Thank You!

 

Remembering Max Hayes

 

 

 

            Max, the legendary golf course dog, passed away at his home Tuesday, July 28^th, 2015, in Powder Springs, GA.  He is survived by his father, Mark, mother, Lea, and all the members and staff for whom he currently serves at Marietta Country Club.  Born on April 5^th, 2007, Max was an Easter puppy.  He was birthed into very famous TV bloodlines, as his grandfather was the star of the movie “Air Bud”, which portrayed a golden retriever who was a basketball superstar.  He was also rumored to be related to the Bushes Baked Beans Dog who gives away the family secret by talking in commercials, however that was never confirmed.

            The first 5 years of his life was spent growing up and working as the golf course dog for Peachtree Golf Club.  While at Peachtree, he was raised alongside a 115 pound black lab named Hogan, who showed him how to be relentless at chasing geese.  After Hogan moved on for an opportunity at a different golf course in the mountains of Carolina, Max had the privilege of passing on his skills of goose chasing to another black lab named Red.  Red and Max formed a bond between each other than was unbreakable, and were quite the goose chasing team.   During his time at Peachtree, Max was fortunate to get the opportunity to meet and get petted by some influential people such as Clint Eastwood, Justin Timberlake, Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan, Kordell Stewart, and Comedian Ron White, just to name a few. 

            In March of 2013, Max and his master were given the opportunity of a lifetime to move to Marietta Country Club.  His new position was in need of serious help scaring the goose population, as well as improving the overall appearance of the property.  Right away Max got to work, and even when the pond was slightly frozen in early March, he was actively chasing geese in the frigid waters.  While the large lake on Overlook was a never ending task to rid the geese, Max was able to keep the original 18 holes at Marietta Country Club goose free.  He warmed up to the new membership quickly, and was always very appreciative of the love and affection they showed him on a daily basis. 

            On October 30, 2014, Max was diagnosed with Lymphoma.  Being that he was only 8 years old, a decision was made to try Chemotherapy and see if he could win the fight against cancer.  After 6 long months of 16 Chemo treatments, Max’s cancer was in remission.  However, 5 weeks after Chemo ended, the cancer had returned to his Lymph nodes.  The remedy from there on out was to keep Max comfortable and let him enjoy life as much as possible.  After 8 more weeks Max lost his fight with Cancer, his body could no longer fight any more.

            Max was very fortunate to spend every day possible at work with his master, on the golf course, rarely on a leash and always soaking wet.  He had a very mellow demeanor and never met anyone he did not like.  Always wanting to go everywhere possible with Mark, he was able to do and see some very cool things.  He would get excited at the mention of the words “goose” or “squirrel”, but when he heard the word “Go” he would take off!  Max for the most part did exactly what he was told, and definitely lived life in the moment.  Because of some very wonderful and caring people, Max never spent a single night in a kennel while his master was out of town, for which he was most grateful.  His beauty was most notable when the morning sun would shine down on his golden hair as he surveyed the golf course landscape.  Max will be missed by many, but none as much as his master.

 

 

 

 

Green in Regulation for Mr. Pine Tree

After a heavy Thunderstorm on Wednesday evening, we noticed a large tree had fallen on top of the #9 Overlook green.  This tree started to lean severely over the last few weeks, and was actually scheduled be taken down the next day.  Mother nature did not wait, and the tree unfortunately came crashing down on top of the putting surface.  Lucky for us, due to some contours surrounding the green, the tree fell in a way that was only minimally damaging to the green.  The repairs were no more than fixing a very large ball mark.

Venting the Greens

This Monday we took the opportunity to "Vent" our greens with small holes.  These holes are very advantageous this time of year for allowing water and oxygen to easily get down to the roots of the grass.  This process has a very minimal effect on the putting quality and is usually hard to tell anything has been done other than the sight of small holes throughout the green.  We try and do this process every 3 weeks or so in the summer time to help combat hot, stressful weather conditions.  The process is to punch the holes with solid 1/4 inch metal tines, and then roll the greens immediately after to smooth the surface and rid of any imperfections.  Please take a look at the following pictures to get an idea of how this process works.

Trying new Bunker Rakes

           Next time you are enjoying a round of golf, please try and take a look at a new style of bunker rake we have placed around the green side bunkers on holes #9 and #10.  While I am not advising you try and hit your ball into the bunker, take a minute and push some sand around.  The larger heads of the rakes help to make fixing your tracks in the sand much quicker, but also make a much more smooth and even surface than the rakes with the smaller heads.  We are looking for feedback on if this would be a good improvement for the golf course or not as we head into a new budget year.  Please let us know if you like what you see!

Moisture Meter

The piece of equipment pictured above is one of the helpful tools you may see us sticking into the greens from time to time.  It is called a Moisture Meter.  This device reads the moisture content of the greens and gives us a standard which to try and keep the moisture levels of the greens though out the year.  In the summer, we want to keep the percent moisture around 20%.  In the fall and winter months the percent can fall down to the 14 or 15 percent levels before we worry about the greens getting to dry.  A high moisture content would be in the 30 percent range, and we generally want to see those readings after a rainfall.  Day to day moisture readings of between 20 to 25 percent is our target moisture range for optimal playability and plant health.

How to properly repair ball marks on greens

                One of the main complaints I recieve from the membership is about ball marks on the greens.  This is a problem all golf courses face, especially courses that get as many rounds as we do here at Marietta Country Club.  In order to try and alleviate this problem, I must ask a favor of all golfers, please try and repair your ball marks.  To help clear up any uncertainty, I want to take a moment and explain the proper way to fix a ball mark.

                Fixing ball marks right after the shot hits the green is very important, equally important is doing it the right way.  Because while many golfers fail to repair ball marks – and shame on you if you are one of them – there are also many well-meaning golfers who do “repair” the ball marks, only to do so incorrectly.  A study recently done at Kansas State University, my alma mater, has concluded that incorrectly “repaired” ball marks take up to twice as long to heal as those that are properly repaired.  So I have a few pointers that I hope will help to inform you of the best way to fix these unsightly depressions.

                 Start off by obtaining a Ball Mark Repair Tool, or Divot Tool, from the pro shop or any other golf supplier.  A tee also works just fine, as long as it is used properly.  My favorite tool to use is the original design with two prongs on the end of metal or hard plastic.  See the illustration below for an example.

                               

                The first step in repairing ball marks is to take your ball mark repair tool and insert the prongs into the turf at the edge of the depression.  Note: Do NOT insert the prongs into the depression itself, but at the rim of the depression.

                            

                The next step is to push the edge of the ball mark toward the center, using your ball mark repair tool in a “gentle twisting motion”, to help push the surrounding edges of grass back together.  This is the step where most golfers who incorrectly “repair” ball marks usually mess up.  Many golfers believe the way to fix a ball mark is to insert the tool as a lever to push the bottom of the ball mark back up even with the surface.  Do not do this!  Pushing the bottom of the depression upward only tears the roots, and kills the grass.  Just use your ball repair tool to work around the rim of the crater, so to speak, pushing the grass at the edge toward the center of the depression.

                         

                So remember:

Wrong:  Using the prongs as levers to push up the bottom of the depression.

Right:  Using the prongs to push grass at the edge of the depression toward the center.

                Once you’ve worked around the rim of the ball mark with your repair tool, pushing the grass toward the center, there’s only one thing left to do:  Gently tamp down the repaired ball mark with your putter or foot to smooth the putting surface.

                       

                So there you have it, a quick and easy way to “properly” repair ball marks.  If everyone who plays golf on any our beautiful golf courses could take a few seconds to repair their own ball marks we can help cut down on the unsightly spots and depressions that affect the golfing experience.  I want to assure you that the grounds staff will try and help out in any way possible to keep up with this problem and help keep our greens as good as possible.  We hope to see you on the links!