Winter Wonderland 2014

Like most of the south we got hit by a bitter arctic blast and got close to two inches of snow on Tuesday afternoon.  To say the roads were treacherous would be an understatement and it was very difficult for many people to get home.  Our friends in the more southern states who are not properly equipped for this weather are really feeling the brunt of this storm.  But all in all it was nice to see some snow since we have had all these cold temps anyway.

Here are some shots that I took from around the course this morning.

#10 green with the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam nest tree in the background

Looking across #14 green out into the Bay which was frozen for about 100 yds out

Glamour shot of our tee markers with the native area on #15 in the background

I love the way the broomsedge contrasts against the white snow.

I hope none of our Mallard Duck friends decide to land on the pond anytime soon because it is frozen although it looks like it is thawed in some areas.

The snow has been beautiful but I am ready to mow some green grass. 

GCSAA/Golf Digest 2013 Environmental Leaders in Golf Award

For years we have been working to limit or reduce our use of natural resources and how our golf course maintenance practices impact the environment and the wildlife that call our golf course "home".  We manage our golf course with an environmental mindset because that is how we feel it should be done and it works great for us.  We have been blessed over the years, and this year especially, with a great amount of recognition for our efforts and we are very grateful.

I am proud to announce that The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay has been selected as the 2013 National and Overall GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Award winner.  To receive the phone call from Mr. Mark Johnson of GCSAA informing me of the selection was exciting and humbling.  I am very proud of the work and passion the staff at Harrison Bay has put forth to garner us this recognition and I thank GCSAA and Golf Digest, along with the supporting sponsors Syngenta and RainBird, for making this award possible and for selecting our course.

GCSAA/Golf Digest Announce 2013 Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards

Golf Digest Article by Ron Whitten

Winter course improvements

Some people think the golf course maintenance department staff take the winter months off since there isn't any mowing to be done but that is far from the truth.  In most all cases the winter months are our time to renovate and refurbish the golf course so we can spend the majority of our time during the growing months maintaining the turfgrass.

Our irrigation renovation project of installing part circle irrigation heads around the greens is rolling along on schedule.  Willie, Jonathen, and Eric have been working hard and have completed the renovation work on nine holes so far.  This project will be most beneficial to the greens as we will be able to apply the correct amount of water needed to the putting surface without overwatering the surrounds which is a benefit that our golfers will enjoy.  The environment is going to benefit from this upgrade in that we will not be using as much water to maintain our greens.

Reducing the amount of water we use on the golf course is important but we also need to protect the water supply that surrounds the golf course and where we get our irrigation water from.  Surrounding all the waterways on our golf course we have created vegetative buffer strips which help to filter chemical, fertilizer, and soil residue from entering the water.  During the winter months when TVA drops the water level in the lake is a great time for us to do work on these areas which might have gotten overgrown through the years.

Most areas can be done with hand tools or a bush hog on a tractor but then there are areas like #3 green and #5 tee slopes which pose a safety issue of working on these steep slopes that we have to call out the "big guns" for.  We rented a BrushCat from Bobcat of Chattanooga which allowed us to remove the overgrowth of trees and shrubs in these areas.

This is a shot of the bank on #3 green before Mitch began the renovation work.  As you can see the overgrowth is blocking not only a great view but also much needed air movement on this green, especially since it sits in a hole and has restricted air movement anyway.

It took Mitch only a few hours to safely and efficiently clear the lake bank off.  A project of this size would have taken us weeks to clear by hand and we would have had a tremendous amount of plant debris to remove.  The BrushCat allowed us to remove the material safely and cut it up into mulch which will serve as a barrier for any water movement down the hill protecting the water supply.

With just a little hand work to remove some trees that were too large for the BrushCat to handle we now have the air movement we need for this green restored along with the view of the lake which will be very nice in the summer when TVA brings the lake level back up to summer pool.


I am very thankful for my crew who take on the responsibility of maintaining the golf course with such passion and dedication.  I tend to get the credit for the condition of the course or the environmental projects that we do but it is truly the guys in the trenches and on the equipment that make Harrison Bay what it is.  They are the ones who deserve the credit.

Harrison Bay State Park Raptor Center Coming Soon

Harrison Bay Raptor Program Center

If you follow our blog then you know of our love for wildlife and birds, especially our two favorite feathered friends and stars of the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Project, Elliott and Eloise.  Well a new and exciting program is in the ground stages at the Harrison Bay State Park.

The Friends of Harrison Bay State Park have just announced the creation of the Harrison Bay Raptor Program.  The Raptor Program, which is headed up by Ranger Matthew Vawter, will begin with the construction of an enclosure to house native birds of prey which have been injured too severely to survive or be released into the wild.  The Raptor Center will be located at the front entrance of the park to greet our visitors and wave a fond "farewell" as they leave.  

This will be a fantastic program to allow the birds a second chance at life and allow us to view them up close. Fundraising is underway to secure the funding needed to begin construction of the aviary in the spring. For more information on the project and how you can be a supporter of the project please visit

Harrison Bay Raptor Project

Preparing the putting greens for winter

Lots of things go into preparing our Champion ultradwarf greens for their long winter nap.  We begin preparing the greens early in the fall with fungicide applications to protect against Spring Dead Spot, increasing the mowing height of cut to allow the greens to put on a "winter coat", and changing our fertility program to increase root growth and food storage.  All of these practices, and more, go into giving our greens the best chance of rebounding out of dormancy in the spring.

One of the challenges that we have had over the years in the spring is the abundance of "old cups" that are left from the changing of hole locations during the winter months.  This is a picture taken in March of this year on hole #3.  The front of this green is narrow and limits the number of hole locations we have, thus the hole locations have all been in the same vicinity.  This multitude of old plugs will take over a month to blend in as the green begins to grow.

This past February at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego I attended a seminar talking about winter maintenance practices on ultradwarf bermudagrass greens.  Along with the normal information about fungicides and fertility and protective covers, the instructors introduced us to a program used at Pinehurst in which they placed several hole locations in the green at the beginning of the winter season and simply moved the flag from cup to cup as play indicated.  The remaining "not in use" hole locations were plugged with a recycled rubber plug which would not hamper ball roll or maintenance practices.  I thought this was a great idea and if it was good enough for Pinehurst then it would be good enough for us to try.  So today we installed three hole locations in each of our greens, one hole location received the flag and the other two received plugs. 

The USGA has produced a great video about the process and the thought behind the program which you can watch here

 

Winter Hole Location Management

 

 

Hole locations will be moved periodically depending on the amount of play we receive and any damaged hole will be relocated.  The cups in the putting green have also been removed and replaced with cupless flagsticks which will reduce the wear on the green and improve the appearance of the putting green in the spring.

For those worried about a violation of the Rules of Golf here is an explanation to ease your minds.

For those wondering about what happens should your ball be on the putting green and the rubber plug is on the line of your putt, the Rules of Golf cover this situation. Since this a hole made by a greenkeeper, it meets the Definition of Ground Under Repair. You could choose to play your ball as it lies, but you also have the option to take relief. Rule 25-1b(iii) provides guidance on how to take relief if desired.  

25-1b (iii) On the Putting Green: If the ball lies on the putting green, the player must lift the ball and place it, without penalty, at the nearest point of relief that is not in a hazard or, if complete relief is impossible, at the nearest position to where it lay that affords maximum available relief from the condition, but not nearer the hole and not in a hazard. The nearest point of relief or maximum available relief may be off the putting green.  

 

 

As with many things at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay we are willing to try many things but I feel strongly that this new technique will not only save us time and manpower but will also protect the greens during the winter months so they will be better prepared to come out of dormancy in the spring healthy and ready for another great season.  If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about this new policy please let me know.

Wild Turkeys Sparring at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay

We are blessed to see many great things around the golf course on a routine basis.  From deer being born to bald eagles hatching but this video showing turkeys fighting is a first.  Mitch Sivley shot this video just this past week of three wild turkeys who we have dubbed "The Three Amigos", because they have always been seen together for the past several years, sparring.  Mitch was able to get within feet of these birds and they could have cared less.  Having a wildlife habitat on the golf course is such an amazing treat.  Hope you enjoy.

Greens Irrigation Project Has Begun

 
 
It has been a couple years in the works but this year, after the shown success on #5 and #16 greens, we will be working to install part circle irrigation heads around the remaining greens.  We began on #13 green and will work our way around the course during the winter months, hoping to have them all completed by the spring golfing season.



The process of placing additional irrigation heads around the greens will allow us to direct the water directly to the greens surface and eliminate the over-application of water to the putting green surrounds.  This will save us over a million of gallons of water each year and will cut our nightly watering window in half saving electricity to operate the pumping system. 

Those are the benefits for the golf course and the environment but what about the golfer.  Well,  with the ability to place the water where it is needed and the proper amount we will be able to provide firmer and faster putting surfaces while also being able to reduce the surrounds from being overwatered and saturated making "bump and run" shots and run up shots more effective.

Willie and Jonathen will be working on different greens throughout the winter and we will wait until the spring before we sod over the trench lines to allow them to settle and the sod to root better, so until that time please play these areas as Ground Under Repair.



Just a quick reminder that you can get updates on course conditions, weather delays, and projects by following us on Twitter @BearTraceHB.