I'm back!

I hope that everyone had a great Thankgiving Holiday and got out to play some golf! I must apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I was busy tending to my family's newest golfer. My wife and I welcomed our new daughter, Julia, to the family on November 15th and I have been out of the office until today as we learned our new schedule.

County Women's Amateur Results

RESULTS

CHAMPION
SHERI HAUCH
158
NET CHAMPION
KAREN WILSON
145

FIRST FLIGHT
1st Gross
LIZ RADVANSKY [MB]
170
2nd Gross
ANN PAREDES [SLO]
173
3rd Gross
KAY COHEN [SLO]
181
1st Net
REGINA NEEL [ATAS]
146
2nd Net
DANIELLE FURDEN [ATAS]
152
3rd Net
LORIE DAVENPORT [ SLO]
159



SECOND FLIGHT
1st Gross
RHONDA GALYARDT [PASO]
185
2nd Gross
MAXINE LITTLEEJOHN [MB]
188
3rd Gross
MARY BRUGGERMAN [BL L]
190
1st Net
LORRAINE KERR [MB]
156
2nd Net
DEANNA RICHARDS [ L O]
157
3rd Net
NANCY BROWN [MB]
162



THIRD FLIGHT
1st Gross
JOSIE TOLL [SLO]
187
2nd Gross
SUE AN [PASO]
194
3rd Gross
JOANNE KLUCK [MB]
199
4th Gross
LEEANN SMITH [AG]
203
1st Net
RENA DAMBLEY [AVILA]
151
2nd Net
CLAUDIA DIGNAN [SLO]
155
3rd Net
SUSAN NAIL [MB]
159
4th Net
KIM FELGENHAUER
159



FOURTH FLIGHT
1st Gross
MARCIA STANGER [BL L]
214
2nd Gross
DELL WHALEN [BL L]
215
3rd Gross
DENISE KUDLA
221
4th Gross
DIANE WYATT [MB]
223
1st Net
KIMBERLY DOLATA [PASO]
159
2nd Net
JAYNE DONKIN [PASO]166
166
3rd Net
DIAN AXELSON [MB]
167
4th Net
PATRICIA JOY [MB]
168



FIFTH FLIGHT
1st Gross
JACQUELINE SHAW [AG]
226
2nd Gross
LYNNE PRITCHARD [SLO]
228
3rd Gross
ELLIE BROWN [MB]
231
1st Net
CHARLIE BRANDT [AVILA]
157
2nd Net
TANNY KOEPPELL [MB]
162
3rd Net
MARGE MCINTYRE [MB]
166

Storm damage repair

The netting along the 6th hole took quite a beating from the winds of the storm on October 13-14. Many small holes were ripped open and more concerning to me and my staff was the large hole that was nearly 20 feet high and 15 feet wide. This hole was a particular concern as it Shields the houses from errant golf balls on the right hand side of the fairway. A series of events following the storm (we do not own a lift, public works did not have the equipment available to us in the immediate future due to tree trimming that resulted from the same storm, rental availability, and unsafe windy conditions) prevented our immediate attention to this issue.

Our staff is full of highly skilled individuals that can operate and manipulate various pieces of equipment. In these photos you can see Joe Oles and Morgan Brockman manning the high lift using zip ties to repair all of the openings in the net. These tasks are fun for staff to tackle as it is a change from their normal job duties that they perform on the course.

We are looking into purchasing large areas of netting so that over time we can replace this net in sections. The net has been up for 15-18 years and still repels golf balls quite nicely. However, being a few shots away from the ocean, the salt air has taken its toll. We are looking into adding trees and other deterrents to the course to persuade golfers to attack the 6th hole from a more leftward direction to help protect the houses from any assault.

A Morro Bay Golf Course Icon!

If you are familiar with the Central Coast of California, when you hear the name Morro Bay, images of fishing boats in the harbor surrounding the "Rock" immediately come to mind.

Although these views are spectacular as seen from the course, this is not the icon of which I am speaking. I am referring to Tom Massey, our golf supervisor for both Morro Bay and Dairy Creek golf courses.

Many of you who play regularly at Morro Bay are familiar with Tom and what he has done for the golf course, but may not be aware of just how much he is attached to Morro Bay GC. Tom has nearly been raised on this course as his father was the head greenskeeper during his childhood and his family lived in the state parks caretakers' home which was located not far from the current turf maintenance facility. Tom learned his trade by watching his father and later his brother who also worked as a greenskeeper for the course. At the age of 17, Tom joined his dad and brother as a seasonal employee for the Department of Parks and Beaches.

Since that time Tom has been been a permanent structure at Morro Bay Golf Course...that is for the next 8 days. Tom Massey will be retiring from his 37 years of service for the County of San Luis Obispo on Nov. 6, 2009. Our staff and community of golfers owe Tom a great deal of gratitude for what he has meant to our golf courses, golf games, and lives over the years! I have only had the luck to have known Tom for a little over two years now, and I must say thanks for making my job easier by providing a stable staff and operation since I have been in my position as Golf Superintendent. I have enjoyed our many laughs, a few beers, the occasional round of golf, and the exchange of knowledge about the history and memories of this fantastic golf facility! I hope the golfers will take the time to congratulate Tom on his retirement and tell him thanks for all that he has done to facilitate their ability to enjoy a round of golf among the fantastic views afforded to us on Black Hill overlooking another Morro Bay icon. "Thanks Tommy and we wish you all the best!"

Cart Traffic and Ettiquette

While I was at our Parks Commission meeting last Thursday evening I was chatting with members of our golf course advisory board about strange things that golfers do or attempt to do while on the golf course. I told them about one of my experiences as a superintendent at a club in which the following commentary took place.


Me: "Excuse me Mr. Smith, but did you happen to notice the signs, ropes, and stakes on hole #14 directing traffic away from some wet areas in the fairway?" (Mr. Smith was now playing the 17th hole)

Mr. Smith: "No, why do you ask?"

Me: "Because they are missing, but I think that I found them." (I went to the rear of Mr. Smith's golf cart and removed about 25 - 30' of ropes and stakes that were being dragged since he played the 14th hole) "By the way, since we received 4" of rain yesterday we are cart paths only until things dry out. "

The moral to this story is don't let yourself become Mr. Smith, by following proper cart rules and etiquette so that our playing surfaces on our courses are more easily maintained without unnecessary inputs or maintenance. Golf carts have been proven to be one of the most destructive elements to turf conditions as they cause compaction, rutting, and tearing which result in thin turf or instances of total turf loss.

Turf is only as healthy as the soil that it is growing within. The three above elements are caused by individuals not realizing the impacts their actions have on soil conditions. Golf Superintendents hate to use stake and ropes as it creates work for staff because the ropes and stakes need to be moved and reset to mow the turf, not to mention that they break up the beauty of the landscape and clutter up the course. That being said there are few barriers that are as economically efficient at controlling cart traffic.

Thoughtfulness about where you are traveling and would go a long way towards preserving the golf course conditions and minimizing maintenance practices. The next time you are playing golf pay attention to the bare areas just off of the cart paths around tees and greens and I am referring to nearly any golf course. These bare areas are often times unlevel and sunken, which means drainage is an issue, but also that golf carts are being parked with two tires on the path and two tires on the turf. It is best to park all 4 tires on the path and any cart needing to get around can drive around your cart. The 90 degree rule is something that all golf courses promote through signage, but is rarely witnessed on the course throughout the day. The 90 degree rule requires that carts leave the paths at a 90 degree angle to their ball and return to the path at a 90 degree angle to the path. Think about your own cart habits ( now be honest) and I would venture to guess that you hit your shot and immediately drive on a straight line to your ball instead of returning to the path. Pairing up in golf carts is also a large help to reduce costs and maintenance because it simply reduces the amount of tires traversing the course. Not only that, but it aides in the social aspect that golf is known for.

Areas surrounding greens and tees are exceptionally susceptible to cart damage. These areas are smaller and more frequented by all players as compared to fairways. How many rounds of golf do you you hit every fairway? How many rounds of golf do you not tee off or hole out on half of the holes? Greens and tees typically have minimal entrance and exit points and thus have areas of specific traffic flows both foot traffic and cart traffic. Green surrounds receive a lot of play and no one likes to play from bare areas or thin lies any where on the course let alone when you have short sided yourself trying to get close to that pin four paces onto the green.

I just want everyone to think about their own specific golf cart driving habits and try to improve upon them. By being more conscious of how your actions effect your playing conditions and the conditions of golfers to follow maybe the golf gods will smile down upon you during your next round. At least it will reduce the number of times the marshall stops your group or the superintendent contemplates roping off every single hole. If it keeps you out of the ponds I my staff is happy!


I opened my email the Friday morning after my parks meeting and received these pictures from golf course personnel from earlier that week.

This is just a reminder that accidents do happen, but if we are all careful and think about what we are doing many mishaps such as this can be avoided. For more information and videos copy and paste this link to the USGA into your browser and scroll to the bottom of the page. http://www.usga.org/course_care/articles/video/Educational-Video-Clips/

Drive safely and pay attention to cart etiquette!

"Every day you miss playing or practicing is one day longer it takes to be good." - Ben Hogan