All in the Details…

This is always a good time of year to edge cart paths. Mowing turf has slowed but with the course still open, we cannot yet go into full winter work mode. After a summer of cart tires and mowers running over the edges, grass and mud is often pushed out onto the path- sometimes as much as 6” or more. Using this wheel mounted to a Ventrac mower, the edge is re-established. Then comes the labor intensive part- picking up 4 miles worth of grass strips along the edges of the path. It’s actually 8 miles since a cart path has two sides!  Some of the spoils removed look like pieces of sod that could be used to establish a lawn. In the end, it always makes the golf course look better and well kept. 

Bradley Klein Writing

Click on the image to enlarge it to a readable size.

Marking Paint

If you play golf through the next month and see the paint markings on select fairways (specifically #1, 6, 9, 11, 15 and 17), these are the fairways that we’ll be installing drainage under starting on November 10th.  These white paint lines mark irrigation pipe/wire as well as the start and stop points of the project. Part of our contract involves locating irrigation lines for the contractor before they start.  The minor drought we experienced this past month, allowed us the ability to easily spot the irrigation ditches from 2 years ago, thanks to a slight color difference with the turf.  Once the contractor is on site and marks their drainage lines on the fairways, we'll be able to dig up and expose the irrigation pipe in areas they cross.  This ensures their trencher won't damage any of our pipe and wire below ground.  This offseason, we'll be installing 30,000 linear feet (almost 6 miles) of drainage under these 6 golf holes.

Weather Forecast and Details...

We received over 4" of rain yesterday and last night.  Cart path only conditions will persist for the remainder of the week.  The rain was steady and slow and much needed to rewet our soils.  The golf course unfortunately, is not playing as fast!  

Revised Aeration Schedule

 

Fall 2025 Aeration Planning

 Due to the rain this week, tee aeration has been pushed to next week, November 4th!

November 3:  DryJect all putting greens 2 directions.

 November 4:  Aerate Tees on 2” spacing with ¾” tines. Haul plugs to #13, none to shop.

 November 4:  Aerate Croquet Lawns, chipping greens and nursery at the range with 5/8” tines on 2.5” spacing.  Lawns are closed until 12:30PM.

 November 5: Start aerating approaches with ¾” tines on a 3” spacing.

 November 5: Start aerating roughs with the pull behind aerator. Start on the back nine and work in reverse.

 November 10:  Aerate the driving range tee with ¾” tines on a 2.5” spacing.  Drag the plugs and topdress, dragging in sand between applications.

 December 1:  Aerate fairways.

Much Needed Rain in the Area...

We're experiencing some much needed soaking rain in Highlands and temperatures around 42*F.  It has been very dry the past month and so far, as of 8:30AM, 1" of rain has been collected. 

Tim Moraghan Consulting Visit to Highlands CC

On October 23, I brought Tim Moraghan, a golf course superintendent consultant and headhunter, for a consulting visit at the Club.  Tim is someone I've admired for most of my career.  He is best known for his time (20 years) with the USGA as an executive, where he helped with Championship course setup as well as selecting sites for future USGA Championships.  As you can imagine, he's seen a lot of 'stuff' and has endless stories to tell.  The one I find most amusing, is he is the individual that gave Payne Stewart the pair of scissors to cut the sleeves off his rain pullover during the final round of the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst!  More seriously, he is a wonderful source of knowledge and someone I gain a lot from by bouncing ideas off of.  I've always been a huge proponent of consultants, especially for someone like me, who is always looking to be better than the day before and also as someone who comes up with ideas, in rapid-fire pace!  Walking the golf course with him, not only makes me better but it makes HCC better!  I always want to continue adding value to what I give to the Club and this is one way that leads to that.

From the 'About' section on his website:

For 40 years, Tim Moraghan’s talents and work ethic have brought a wealth of benefits to the golf industry.

From grounds crew to construction of new courses to golf course superintendent, Moraghan’s experience encompasses a wide range of talents and expertise in the golf arena, highlighted by serving in the prestigious position of Director of Championship Agronomy for the United States Golf Association (USGA), a position he held for more than two decades.

During his tenure at the USGA, Moraghan worked with countless superintendents, club boards and management to provide optimal playing conditions, while always considering the club and golf course’s needs. His ability to prepare detailed, long-range plans for executing superior conditions in high-profile situations, earned the admiration of golf course superintendents, club management and his fellow staff members.

Today, he applies this breadth of knowledge and contacts his own clients through ASPIRE Golf Consulting. Since forming ASPIRE in 2007, Moraghan has assembled an impressive roster of clients, including prestigious private clubs, public courses, municipalities and resorts. The services of the firm include golf course consulting and turf management, golf course master planning, architectural evaluation, superintendent representation and placement, and a unique career development program ASPIRE Higher®.

Through his vast industry resources, he keeps abreast of trends and developments in the field. His expertise and experience drive people to seek his advice and mentoring daily.

To the thousands of people he has worked with over the years, Moraghan has served as friend, mentor, confidant and at times , a motivator.

A popular and knowledgeable speaker, Moraghan regularly addresses industry groups and golf club boards of directors on the topics of tournament preparation and challenges, ultimate conditioning and the need to know the game. Tim’s candid nature and refreshing outlook makes him a frequent resource for the media, as well as a regular contributor to industry periodicals. He writes a monthly column for Golf Course Industry.

Southeastern Pond Management Report Attached

 

As promised, I would make available the Lake Management report from our fish study back on October 16th.   If you enjoy fishing, this is a fascinating and educational report!  To view this 25 page document, click the link below:

CLICK HERE!

If you are having trouble viewing the report, please email me at bstiehler@highlandscountryclub.com and I'll email it to you!

7-Day Forecast

Fall 2025 Aeration Plan

 

Fall 2025 Aeration Plan

 October 28:  Aerate Tees on 2” spacing with ¾” tines.

 November 3:  DryJect all putting greens 2 directions.

 November 4:  Aerate Croquet Lawns, chipping greens and nursery at the practice range with 5/8” tines on 2.5” spacing.  Croquet lawns are closed until 12:30PM.

 November 5: Start aerating approaches with ¾” tines on a 3” spacing.

 November 5: Start aerating roughs with the pull behind aerator. Start on the back nine and work in reverse.

 November 10:  Aerate the driving range tee with ¾” tines on a 2.5” spacing.  Drag the plugs and topdress, dragging in sand between applications.

 December 1:  Aerate fairways with Toro Procore.

If you have any questions about any of these dates, please don't hesitate to reach out to me! (828) 787-2778.

Tuesday

Our big focus right now is leaf clean-up!  Rather than hauling the leaves to a dump site, we blow them into the rough, where they are mulched up and become an organic amendment to the soil.  Custom baffles are installed on the rough mowers, allowing the leaves to be finely chopped up before returning to the soil.

We are aware of some mole activity on the 7th green. We are working to catch the rodent the past two days. 

Finally, I'd like to report that our lake dredging project (scheduled for November 1st start date) has been temporarily postponed.  Dredging requires permitting from the NC Department of Environmental Quality and the US Army Corps of Engineers.  Because of the government shutdown, we cannot get the permitting from the Corps.  The project will be on hold until after the government shutdown ends and we receive the required permits.

Building a USGA Spec Green in 4 minutes...

 

USGA Green Section Record

CLICK HERE!

Click above for the link to the latest edition of the USGA Green Section Record. 

Fish Study in Club Lake

For the last ten years we've made an effort to introduce new species of fish to Club Lake. We continue to add trout, but with our shallow lake getting warmer each year, it just isn't a fair environment for trout, who prefer cold, running water that is high in oxygen content.  Largemouth bass on the other hand, do better in warm water and actually prefer it.  Thanks to green committee member, Reid Freeman, we were but in touch with a company called Southeastern Pond Management, who are experts in the science of maintaining lake environments most suitable for fish.  Spending a couple hours with these guys was fascinating to me.  We asked them to come to HCC and shock the water to be able to study the fish population.  No worries, no fish were harmed during this work!  In the coming weeks, they'll be issuing a report that will tell us what the general population and health of the lake is.  This will give us insight into future stocking needs, both the fish themselves and the feeder fish they rely on for food.  

Above, Blake with Southeastern Pond Management is showing the difference between male and female bass.

The boat has two outriggers that have an apparatus like shown above.  A generator on the boat puts electric current to these, which temporarily stuns the fish.  They are then scooped up and placed in a live well, where they can be observed and studied. 

Again, stay tuned in a couple weeks for the report that we'll be issued if you're interested!

Bear Calculation

This time of year, bears are everywhere, looking for food. Years ago, at a nature center program, I learned Black Bears consume as much as 25,000 calories a day, leading up to winter.  So what does that look like in terms of food? You begin to see why dumpsters are the preferred source of black bear food!  5,526 acorns a day seems a little difficult to swallow without a steady source of water!