by Brian Duthu
Pro Shops
On December 4 we will be hosting a fundraising tournament to raise money for our chosen Winter Celebration Charity, the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum. The format will be beat the pro(s), which will be Brian Duthu (PGA) and Chris Linam (Pro Shop Manager) and will be made up of two person teams. Teams that beat the best ball score of the Pros will equally share the prize pool. The entry fee will be $40 and the event will be held at the North Golf Course with lunch at the Oakmont Center following play. In addition to bragging rights for beating the pro, there will also be a chance at a Pebble Beach Vacation for a hole in one on the 12th hole.
During our Patriot Golf Day Event, $1,210 was raised through the 87 participants and from donations collected in the pro shop. We thank everyone that participated in the event or chose to donate through the pro shops. Nancy Gray was the big winner for the ladies, earning three gross skins and one net skin. Darren Lewis was the top skin earner for the men, earning two gross skins. Patriot Golf Day was organized, with the help of PGA of America, to raise funds for the Folds of Honor Foundation. The money raised is used to fund scholarships for spouses and children of military service men and women killed or disabled while serving our Country.
Congratulations and thanks are in order for Quail Run Pro Shop worker, Mary Rey, who recently reached her five-year anniversary with RCSC. A big thank you is also in order to Irrigation Technician Douglas Rogers, who recently celebrated 20 years of service with RCSC. We also congratulate Mick McKenzie who was recently appointed as Head Starter for the North Golf Course.
Snack Shops
Beginning in October the closing time for snack shops will change to 3 PM. Snack Shops are given the discretion of remaining open longer, based on demand.
Courses
Although it was not completely eliminated, transition this summer was less impactful than previous years. It would appear that our dethatching process in May helped to hasten the process, ensuring a more rapid recovery once the monsoon season began.
Overseeding will begin on October 9th on Riverview, Lakes West, Willowbrook and South. As we did last year, we have a built-in overlap period during which all courses will be closed. The overlap period this year begins October 23 and ends October 27. We will also be continuing with the expanded overseeding around green complexes, which was well received last year.
On September 5 we had our second visit with our USGA agronomist, Brian Whitlark. We visited South, Lakes East/Lakes West and Riverview. This year we scheduled two half-day visits instead of one all day visit, with the purpose of allowing Mr. Whitlark to evaluate our courses post transition. We covered turf, turf reduction, putting greens, green surrounds, bunkers, irrigation, roughs and our golf maintenance buildings. The topic of turf reduction remains a point of emphasis for Mr. Whitlark, particularly at the South course due in part to the immense rough area. Mr. Whitlark was excited to hear the recent changes to Lakes East has reduced nightly watering by an average of 100,000 gallons per night during our watering events. Bunker care and attention to detail around the green surrounds were also an emphasis. Mr. Whitlark promoted the idea of greatly reducing the amount of nut sedge around green complexes and more frequent use of mechanical rakes. The condition of our greens always pleases Mr. Whitlark, though he did recommend that we increase the amount of top dressing during the summer months. Mr. Whitlark was also pleased with the progress Riverview has made between his spring and summer visits. The full report is now available online for review.
Lawn Bowling/Grounds
The Lakeview Lawn Bowl project continues to progress slowly. On September 12, stolons were added to both greens to fill in weak areas. The west green required much more attention, primarily due to wash out that occurred a week after leveling took place. The green at Mountain View also received some stolons to aid in the recovery of some weak areas. All other greens have been verticut and top dressed which has helped to increase the pace.
The softball field and turf areas around Lakeview Center are scheduled for overseeding the first week of October. In the next few weeks we will also be replacing trees at Lakeview due to losses from summer storms or trees that had to be removed due to health reasons.