Cart Rules - And why we have them

Our cart rules are in place for one primary reason – to help protect the condition and quality of the golf course so that golfers can experience the best possible playing conditions.

In-season we follow one of these sets of cart rules:

Cart Path Only – used only in the worst conditions, carts are relegated to staying on the path 100% of the time. Certainly not the preferable situation, but by limiting traffic to cart paths we are able to have the course open many times when conditions would otherwise have us completely closed.

Roughs Only – Carts are limited to traveling on cart paths or in the rough areas only. Carts are not to be in the fairway.
90-degrees – carts should travel on paths or in the roughs when possible, but may travel into the fairway at a 90° angle to your ball and then return to the rough or cart path. Carts should be kept out of the fairway whenever possible.

Cart rules change daily depending upon weather and course conditions. Signs are posted in the Pro Shop as well as near the tees on holes 1, 3, 8, 10, 14, and 16. Keep in mind that just because it is beautiful and sunny today, the course may still be wet from previous rains.

Return to Path signs: In the vicinity of most greens are narrow vertical signs with the wording “Return to Path” on them. Cart traffic should never be closer to the green than those signs, unless on a cart path. Under no circumstances, or in the absence of signs, should a cart be closer than 30’ of a green unless it is on a path.
Par 3’s: On selected par 3 holes (#2, #15) you may see signs that say something to the effect of “Carts on Path Only”. Because of the short length of those holes we expect carts to remain on the path only.
Orange Flags: I’ve got an orange flag, so I can go anywhere, right? Wrong, basically all that an orange flag does is afford you the option to adhere to the 90° rules when others are restricted to Roughs Only. But you should understand that on days when the course is Cart Path Only your orange flag doesn’t gain you any special status – you are also restricted to Cart Path Only. An orange flag doesn’t allow you to drive right up to the greens, or inside the Return to Path signs. Orange flags simply give you the option to drive 90° when others are restricted to Roughs Only.

One more thing about orange flags; if you’re fit enough to walk the front 9 holes you probably shouldn’t need a flag for the back nine.

It’s winter, but it’s bone dry. Why can’t everyone drive in the fairway? For years we suffered fairly regular instances of “winter kill” to our Bermuda grass fairways. Upon hiring the USGA turf experts to review our situation, we learned that there were three contributing factors to winter kill. Two of them were weather related and out of our control. The one and only factor that we had any control over was cart traffic. During the winter months our Bermuda grass is dormant and does not have a chance to grow or repair itself. Continuous or excessive cart traffic can beat it down even further to a point where it makes springtime recovery more difficult and slower. By limiting the amount of cart traffic each off-season we give the turf a fighting chance at making a full recovery each spring.

Banquet Room Updates

In the past few weeks there have been a number of updates to the banquet room, entry foyer, and back hallway.  In the main banquet room the carpet has been removed and replaced with a hardwood laminate.  The entry foyer has been updated with new tile, including the very neat inlay shown above. 

We've also received new chairs for the banquet room, and new table tops are on their way!  I know many of you have wished for new chairs for many years, and it's finally come true.

As soon as everything is in and finished I will be taking new photographs of the banquet room, bar, and member's area for updating our website.

Irrigation Valve Replacement

If you've played or been around hole #3 in the past 2-3 weeks you've noticed a large hole dug near the cart path just after you cross the bridge.  You've also noticed the mini-excavator stationed nearby.  When we started the irrigation system up for the season we found that a valve on one of our main lines was leaking, and repair turned out to not be an option.  A new valve would be required.   The new valve finally arrived and Alex and his crew were busy installing it today.  Changing an irrgation valve doesn't sound like much, but beings that this is on an 8" main line it is a LARGE valve, weighing in at about 200 lbs.  The mini-excavator was used to lower it into the hole where the old valve had been removed and preparations made to install the new one.

It took quite a bit of manpower to finally get things lined up and the new valve installed, but it appears that the installation was a success.  This valve is used to shut off about 1/2 of our golf course when the need arises.

Welcome Home Kaleb

Welcome home Kaleb!   We're happy to report that as of Friday night Kaleb is safely home at his parent's house outside Camdenton.  Kaleb is the son of our Pro/GM Dan Robertson and his wife Diane, and has spent the last year with the 414th Military Police company deployed to the Bagram prison in Afghanistan.  His unit arrived at their post in Joplin on Thursday morning, and after a day of unwinding in the area with his family they arrived home Friday night. 

Greens Aerifying - Why do we do it?

Spring is approaching and the golf course will soon begin to green up.  We're starting to mow the greens again and they're looking good.  Then, just as things are really looking great about the 3rd week of March we're going to core-aerify and top-dress the greens!  Why do we always do this right when things are really looking good?

The March 4, 2011 issue of the USGA Green Section Record has an excellent article about greens aerifying and why it is necessary.   Here is a link to the entire article, with a few excerpts posted below.  (Credit to the USGA Green Section Record)

http://turf.lib.msu.edu/gsr/article/bevard-putting-3-4-11.pdf

"Maintaining or even improving the rate water moves into soils is an important part of aeration. The procedure creates channels in the upper portion of the soil profile that allow water to percolate or move into the soil profi le more rapidly. As the term aeration implies, the practice also increases the amount of space available for oxygen (air) to penetrate the soil, which is critical for root growth and, ultimately, plant growth. Improvement in oxygen levels and water infiltration are achieved through the removal of organic matter."

The bottom line is, aeration is performed for the health of the grass and, ultimately, the playability of the putting greens. Greens with less organic matter, properly managed through aeration and other techniques, will be better greens on a season-long basis. Try not to get caught up in the short-term disruption to playability, and focus on the long-term benefits that core aeration programs provide.