The grass is growing, and our Members are excited to play! Just a few short months ago, the Front Nine resembled something of a sandbox- dirt mounds, trucks and tractors abound. Driving into the property now, we’re greeted by a stunning young golf course. All fairways have been seeded and or sodded, preparing us for our Grand Opening in August!

“Turf-wise, we are going to blow away the competition.”
-Fred Gehrisch

What’s new?

• We will be installing a nursery green on Hole #5 with triple-7 bent grass. This hole is the last to be finished due to reseeding from rainfall.
• Bunkers are now smaller! They will be easier to play from- unless you wind up on the grass face. If you need help with these shots, reach out to Allen in the Golf Shop for pointers. Bunkers are now raked by hand due to the smaller size. Please leave rakes parallel in bunkers (completely inside).

“The bunkers… what can I say? They’re excellent! Bill Bergin’s care of building bunkers is paramount to why we selected him.”
-Fred Gehrisch

• Reflectors are being added on hazard markers, ponds and creeks.
• We are exposing the natural rock formations behind the green on Hole #3- soon to be a beautiful stone feature! We’ve also done this on Hole #5, along with tree removal.

“If you thought the trees were a tough hazard- the rocks will be a little tougher!”
-Fred Gehrisch

• Cart Path repairs are being made with concrete patching.
• Course accessories will be minimalized. Our Greens & Grounds Committee visited all Highlands golf courses and aspires to take a ‘less is more’ approach with trash receptacles and ball-washing stations. There will be 4 total receptacles on the course: Hole #1 Tee, #5 restroom, the sand bottle rack on Hole #14 and a new station on Hole #11.
• We are changing how we do Pin Locations- handouts will be provided by the Golf Shop. We will also be having one color for flags.
• Permanent Yardage Markers on every tee coming soon!
• Our target opening date is Monday, August 2^nd, and we will have at least 8 Holes of the Front Nine open (Hole #5 is in question due to reseeding from rainfall). The Front Nine will be cart path only to allow for growth.

    

Back Nine Conditions

The rough on the Back Nine has been seeded and or sodded. With the excessive rainfall last year, it was necessary to go back in for repairs. The greens are in good shape- while they won’t be fast, they will be playable. With double the amount of play on the Back Nine, the traffic has been tough on the greens. Green height and speed will go up and down respectively until we open the Front Nine, lessening the intensity of play. While this can be frustrating, know that we are growing and trying to establish a healthy base. A healthy layer of thatch is required for recovery and for the turf to survive. This will only improve as we move forward!

“The health of the turf is priority #1, everything else comes second.”
-Fred Gehrisch

During the renovation process, we’ve hit an enormous amount of underwater springs. Springs were so prominent that they could be used in a commercial setting! Needless to say, we installed much more drainage than originally planned- “a lot of water would be an understatement.” Our team outsmarted nature by installing French Drains to collect the water 4 feet under the surface. This will be extremely beneficial for the future health of the course, because as new springs inevitably pop up, we now have areas to route the water. “Now, instead of running a couple hundred feet of drainpipe, we can run 30-40 feet,” explains Fred.

There is currently unwanted poa annua grass in the fairways that were seeded, but the surrounding grass is still too young to tackle this- it will be addressed mid-summer. You will also start seeing  bleached areas in the rough as we spray to kill intruding bent grass.
 

Q&A

When will the height on the greens be lowered?

We won’t be at the ideal green speed this year, but it will be an ongoing improvement as we reduce the traffic on the Back Nine. We are limited in where we can place pins at the moment, and our main focus is to build course health and a solid foundation.

Are new cart paths in this project?
No, they were never included in the planning for this project. We are currently patching with concrete, and have received estimates for future repaving costs.
 
Would it be possible to repave in sections? Paving part of the path each year?
Yes, and this is a possibility that we are considering for this process.
 
Would you address the question of toxicity with the amount of spraying that we are doing on the course?
We use the safest fungicides possible, and have our water tested each month for quality assurance. Toxicity levels are measured using a system called ‘LD50’. “My dog swims in the pond, I’ll eat fish out of the pond,” explains Fred. “By the way, we stock the ponds with fish from Tellico Trout Farm- a high quality hatchery that sells to restaurants!”
 
If we see a spot of dirt on the course, should we put sand on it?
No, these spots are where we are still growing in grass.
 
When will the cart paths be open for walking on Holes #8 & #9?
The Greens & Grounds Committee and Management have determined that it is not appropriate to open the cart paths on Holes #8 & #9 for walking. There is still a lot of work to do on the front nine, so we will not be opening the cart path for walking before the August 2^nd opening.

Will the USGA come in to reassess for Golf Handicaps?
Allen is in the process of making that happen! The Carolina Golf Association and Bill Bergin’s team have measured yardage and mapped the course. They will then send it to the Ratings Team, which will likely come out in July.
 
What is the delay with Hole #5?
This hole was the last to be completed (near the end of May) and has been reseeded several times due to excessive rain.