HIGHLAND CC GROUNDS

Many of our members will notice a few red dots around the greens and the collars. Last year we began to mow a very even and consistent collar width around our greens. As the course of the season continues, we will be checking and remarking some of the collars to ensure our equipment operators are consistent with our plan. We do try not to "mark up" the greens too much, but the result is worth the look of a few red dots here and there.

Last season, when we began the process of checking sand depths and adding sand we noticed some tree roots intruding into the left greenside bunker on #11. In an attempt to rid the bunker of this problem we ran a trencher inbetween the bunker and the Maple tree overhanging the bunker, this process is called root pruning. This process prevents any more roots from growing into the bunker...but it does not do anything for the roots already grown in to it.... This past weekend we were again in this bunker to do some work and noticed more roots....little did we know what we were about to get into. There is actually a matt of tree roots inbetween the the sand and the clay that the bunker is built from. In the picture on the right, you will see the amount that was removed from the bunker floor. In the future we will be conscious of this problem and begin to address any others as time permits.

Often I am asked this question. Where does the sand in the bunkers go? Bunker sand moves in a number of ways. Bunker shots that splash out sand eventually add up to alot of sand dispersion. High winds like we have been experiencing this spring will move considerable amounts of sand aswell. The biggest culprit is washouts (at least for us here at HCC) , when we recieve an inch or two of rain in a short period of time (like yesterday) the sand is washed out and contamination occurs from the surrounds and the edges. We then need to remove that contaminated sand in attempt to keep the bunkers as white as possible. This year we have fixed washouts in record numbers (for this time of year). I am very aware that our bunkers are thin on sand. On Monday of next week you will notice our crew out adding sand to the greenside bunkers first, then to the fairway bunkers. This not only improves playability, but aids in reducing the degree of washouts in the future. This process can be a lenghty one, ...

Today we installed the bluegrass sod around the new creek on #7. Our golf course & grounds staff has been working very hard on this project and have been battling the weather to get it completed. We do have a little bit of fine tuning with the pump system to circulate the water fall, but we are happy to say that the sod is down and it looks great. We do ask that our members be aware of the newly sodded area and please avoid any power cart traffic on the sod. The area will be marked ground under repair for tournament play, etc.

I am sure that alot of our members have noticed the areas of the rough marked out with blue flags. These areas are going to become Native grassland areas of our golf course. There are 5 different areas marked around the course to be left unmowed . These areas are not going to be neglected, just not mowed. We are going to do some weed control until we can get a strong stand of native grasses to choke out the weeds. I think that once the grasses grow up, they will add some contrast to our property. For the most part they are out of play, but I am sure a few of us will find ourselves playing out of the long stuff. All that I ask is that our members avoid driving power carts into the areas. Foot traffic is fine, but cart traffic will matt down the grasses and prevent proper growth. You will also note that we have installed a number of bird boxes, we hope to attract some different species of birds to the property that may not have found a home here in the past. Once these areas have grown...