Looking Back on 2019

It has been a while since our last blogpost.  Close to a year to be exact which has been noticed by many and commented on by several.  My apologies for not updating the blog more regularly this year.  It has been a year of new adventures for me as I have stepped into my role as a Director on the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America board of directors.  I am extremely thankful for our amazing agronomy staff who pour their passion and dedication into the conditioning of the course and allow me the opportunity to serve the golf industry as I enjoy doing.

The 2019 growing season was one of the best in recent memory.  Even with all the rain in the spring and the drought in the summer our agronomy team continued to provide excellent conditions for our golfers and guests. One of the changes in our cultural practices that we began a few years ago and is really starting to pay dividends is the application of our topdressing sand using push broadcast spreaders instead of the vehicle mounted spinner style we used to use.  This practice has allowed us to apply the proper amount of sand needed by our greens without affecting the play of the greens and has been widely received by our golfers as an excellent practice.

National Golf Day was a new venture for me this year as I joined with hundreds of other golf industry professionals from around the country in Washington DC for two days to promote the benefits of golf.  Representatives from GCSAA, PGA, USGA, Club Managers Association, Golf Course Architects, Golf Course Builders, Golf Course Owners and many other associations came together to give back to our nation through a Community Service Project where we performed landscape and turfgrass renovation projects, planted flowers, and made irrigation repairs on the National Mall.  The work performed was recognized by the National Park Service as the Outstanding Group Volunteer Service Project of the year.  On the second day we divided and conquered Capitol Hill as representatives from each state met with members of Congress to promote the benefits of the game of golf.  I, along with Brad Marcy, GCS at Indian Hills GC in Murfreesboro and Michael Seabrook, GM, at Belle Meade CC in Nashville had the pleasure of speaking with Senators Alexander and Blackburn and Congressmen Desjarlais, Fleischmann, and Cooper.  It was a great experience and I look forward to returning in May for National Golf Day 2020.

Summer closure for aerification went perfectly this year as our staff was able to perform the needed cultural practices to the course.  We were able to perform core aerification to the greens in multiple directions removing organic matter, relieving compaction, and allowing for increased oxygen exchange.  Aerification is always one of the practices that is frowned upon by most all golfers but I think, or at least I hope, we have shown over the years that by performing these practices in the time and manner we do that we can provide the high quality putting surfaces our golfers and guests demand with only a limited disturbance in the golfing season.

We were able to make a few improvements or renovations to the course this year but mostly spent our time maintaining and conditioning the course for play.  Projects such as crosstie curbing, protective matting on the bridges for our walking guests, sod work at parking areas were among the projects we completed but the project we enjoyed the most, and was appreciated by the golfers the most, was the bunker renovation project on #13 fairway.  This bunker had been an eyesore for many years and could not be kept in playing condition due to the direct inflow of water which contaminated the sand. That situation was remedied and we now have a nice looking and great functioning bunker.

Our environmental programs are still one of the best parts of our golf course and this year was no different.  We had a new female in our Harrison Bay Eagle Cam nest which was given the name Athena.  She and Elliott fledged two more eaglets into the wild.  Our cameras experienced issues again this year so we didn't get to see them hatch and grow up but we are working on the system for this year and should be up and running in time for us all to enjoy this years brood.  The course continues to be a haven for deer, turkey, raccoons, all manner of small woodland creatures and a plethora of birds and insects.  When people ask me what the best part of my job is, seeing the wildlife live and thrive in partnership with all the activities on the golf course is the first and easiest answer for me.

As all good things have to come to an end, Bill Greene retired from service to the golf course this fall.  Bill has been instrumental in maintaining the golf course for many years, and although he did a great job at that, his biggest contribution to the course was his ability, and willingness, to work on many of our environmental projects such as the mallard duck nesting tubes, the wood duck nesting boxes, deer and turkey feeders, and the Bobwhite quail restoration project.  Bill also used his carpentry skills to provide many of the course accessories our golfers enjoy on a daily basis, along with helping with the new front entrance sign and wood fencing which greets our guests.  Enjoy your second retirement and your new home, Bill.

As we look back to 2019, the successes of the golf course and the enjoyment our golfers and guests enjoy would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the agronomy staff.  They are a small group but one that is determined to provide the best possible conditions we can provide no matter how much rain we receive or how hot it is.  I am very grateful for this group and especially for the leadership Willie Hamby has shown in running the many day to day operations of the course.

Thank you to everyone who played or visited our course this year.  We hope you enjoyed your time on the course as much as we do every day and we hope to see you in 2020.  We have some cool projects we are hoping to complete this winter, so come back and see us, and I will do my best to update the blog more regularly in 2020.

Bear Trace at Harrison Bay Honored with Governor's Environmental Pursuit of Excellence Award

We just received some great news that the golf course has been awarded the Pursuit of Excellence Award from the State of Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards program.  This award is presented to previous winners of the GESA, which we were fortunate to receive in 2009, who have continued to implement programs and improve their environmental stewardship activities.

2012 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards Announced

Individuals, Organizations and Projects Honored for Achievements

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced the winners of the 2012 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards today. The 11 winners will be recognized for their achievements and positive impact on the state’s natural resources in an awards ceremony to be held in Nashville on August 24.

 

 

“From implementing innovative new technology to environmentally friendly building practices to community members simply supporting one another, the honorees announced today once again demonstrate that Tennessee businesses, local governments, schools and everyday citizens are committed to healthier and more sustainable communities,” Haslam said.

 

Complete 2012 GESA Winners Press Release

I am very proud of all my staff members who help are dedicated and involved in the environmental programs we are undertaking at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  It has always been our goal with our Environmental Partnership Initiative to balance the needs of the golf course with the needs of the wildlife which call the property home in such a way that one can not tell the two apart.  With our turkey feeders, our blue bird trail, the naturalized areas around the course, and our good Bald Eagle friends, Elliott and Eloise, we feel we are accomplishing our goal everyday.

Revised Turkey Feeders

Several years ago when a flock of wild turkeys showed up at the golf course one morning we were all really excited.  An occasional single turkey had been seen on the golf course in the past but never a flock this size.

In an effort to try to entice them to stay and take up residency on the golf course we looked at our habitat and resources for them to thrive.  The habitat of the golf course is very adequate for their survival with several movement corridors, native grass corridors, and plenty of trees to roost in for the night.  The part we were missing was a good food source so we created some supplemental turkey feeders to provide them with shelled and cracked corn until we could install some food plots for them.

The original feeder design was a very simple trough style feeder.  The feed was stored in the upright portion of the feeder and fed into the trough by gravity as the feed was removed by the wildlife.  The feeders were successful in the beginning but they had a few downfalls that we needed to correct.  One downfall was the fact that they feed in the trough could get wet from irrigation or rainfall and had the possibility of spoiling and possibly making the wildlife ill.  Another downfall was created by our deer being smarter than we were in our design.  The deer were witnessed taking their front leg and knocking the trough off of the feeders which would release all the feed at one time. 

Mitch Sivley with a completed feeder tube

So we had to revisit the drawing board of our turkey feeders and we have come up with a different design that is working out great and is still inexpensive and easy to build.  The new design uses 4" PVC piping with the trough being replaced by one inch feeding holes.

One inch holes are drilled in the end cap which was glued to one end of the pipe.  We have made our feeders between four and five feet tall.  Holes are only drilled on one half of the feeder since the other side will be against the tree.

Any rough areas on the holes were filed down smooth as to not injure the wildlife while eating.

The other end of the tube is fitted with a screw on cap fitting which will keep the feed dry and will allow for easy removal to refill the feed.

Once completed the PVC piping is camouflaged with different colors of paint and leaf stencils to allow it to blend into the landscape.

Four finished wild turkey feeders ready for installation.  Total time on these feeders was about two hours and they are ready to be added to our wildlife conservation program.

A "new and improved" turkey feeder attached to a tree with plumbers tape.  The smaller holes and more upright design insures the feed will not be eaten at a rapid pace and will not be contaminated by rainfall or irrigation practices.  All in all the project has been a great success with the wild turkey staying at the golf course and being seen at all times of the day.

If you would like more information on this or any other project we are undertaking please let us know at paul.carter@tn.gov.