From the Superintendent
The leaves are falling and there has been plenty of frost on the pumpkins. That can only mean one thing - we are starting to wind down
the 2014 golf season. This is the time of year where the grass stops growing as quickly and we can move away from mowing to focus on
other aspects of the golf course. One of those focuses will be leaf removal. The crew will spend a bulk of their time blowing, mulching,
and picking up leaves over the coming weeks. We make an effort to remove as many leaves as possible but please be patient as we
may not be able to get around to all the holes in one day.
We are currently working stream bank restoration projects. The project along hole two green and hole three tee has been completed
and a project in the rough on the left of hole 10 is near completion. That leaves a small project behind the red tee on hole 12 and the
stream crossing from hole 12 fairway to hole 12 green. The purposes for these projects is to improve the habitat for an endangered
species, the Roanoke Logperch. These fish are very sight dependent and these projects will help control erosion in turn reducing the
amount of sediment deposited and keeping the water clear.
FROST DELAY… I know this is not what anyone wants to hear in the morning when they are trying to start their round. Please keep in mind that we are down
in a valley and nighttime low temperatures are typically five to seven degrees colder here than they are in town. While you may not have frost at your house
where it is 43 degrees, we may have frost here where the temperatures have dipped to 36 degrees. On some mornings, we have to get out on the course and
perform maintenance before play can begin. While this may cause an additional 20 minute delay, it allows us to get ahead of play and complete tasks in a
timely manner, as well as provide the best playing conditions possible. We make every effort to get you out as quickly as possible, but please keep in mind we
have no control over what time the frost will burn off. To reduce your wait time around the club on these mornings, please call ahead to the golf shop and
follow @bccgolfers on Twitter for updates.
For those of you who have enjoyed our new practice range this year, I want to let you know that the main practice tee is now CLOSED for the season with
only the synthetic mats at the back of the tee open. The short game area will remain open but we ask that you only pitch and take shots that will not result
in divots.
As you can see from the range picture, our
Bermuda grass, which thrived during the summer,
is now going dormant. Our original plan was to
overseed the tee and short game area with rye
grass this fall to keep both areas open this winter.
However, the USGA agronomist consultant that
visited us in August strongly suggested that due
to the harsh winter we had just experienced, it
would be best to let the Bermuda grass establish itself without “competition” for one more season. For those that still want to hit off a grass surface, the back
of the practice range will still be available (close to hole 13 green) for hitting shots toward the closed tee box.
We have heard nothing but positive comments about the new facilities and appreciate your patience as we continue to nurture it along.
Bill Keene
Superintendent
Women’s Golf Association
As the winter season approaches the WGA would like to invite all lady golfers to attend our end of season meeting on November 12 at 7 p.m. We will be
awarding prizes from this year’s golf season, addressing some business regarding the WGA and will hold a social afterwards. Thank you to all for making this
year’s golf season a successful one!
The PGA of America and USGA have partnered to support the “TEE IT FORWARD” initiative
that was promoted nationwide last summer. Many courses are in the process of building
new teeing surfaces that enable golfers having shorter driver carry distances to reach greens
in regulation with a short iron. To join that initiative, the BCC Greens Committee has
identified tentative teeing areas that could be easily bu