Monthly Newsletter

LGA

We had a great Fall Classic with seven teams competing leaves

in an 18 hole scramble. Congratulations to the first place team of Dixie Smith, Barbara Thornton and Nancy Armstrong. Second place went to Kathy Knight, Nancy Zipter and Juliet Sweeney and third place to Linda Urey, Susan Gerdes and Carol Kleppin. Thanks to everyone who participated, we all had a great day of golf. We have two events coming up in November to bring the year to a close. First is the Final Countdown on November 8th. This will be 18 holes, open to full members with low gross and low net winners. We will also be holding a 9 hole event on November 20, a step aside scramble open to social and full members. Look for the signup sheets for these in the ladies locker room. Don't forget our final meeting for the year will be our Christmas party on December 11th. Several LGA members participated in the (soggy) member/member, with Nancy Armstrong and Nancy Wilkening winning their flight and Susan Gerdes and Cathy Brennan coming in second.Way to go, girls! One last reminder, we go to a 10:00 tee time beginning in November. Take time out to play some golf as the holiday season gets busy!

SMGA

Just a reminder that there are but two golf outings remaining for the year, Nov 11 and Dec 9. Sign up in the pro-shop. Also, the annual meeting is December 17, we need your ideas for outings and new board members. Should be a good meal and time for all.

Couples Golf

The rain held off, but the skies remained cloudy as we gathered for our October outing; the annual "Walk in The Woods - Backwards Golf" Halloween event. Our thanks to Paul & Lynn Glazer for putting together an exciting event, with the assistance of Phil & Bobbie Bees (who could not join us on Saturday). We all play Pine Forest often, but when we are forced to play backwards, the normally trying front nine takes on a completely different face and more challenges.
Who can forget teeing off from the driving range, over the trees (that seems to get taller each year) to the 9th green or the two holes where we were forced to tee off over Congressional Blvd. We did not receive any reports of cars being hit by golf balls, so it appears everyone was somewhat successful on those holes. Congratulations to the teams of Gerdes-Brennan/Reeves and Urey/Jones who tied for the win with a score of 31.
clock

Our next outing is scheduled for November 15th with a 2 PM shotgun start. Please remember the time change and plan to arrive at the clubhouse not later than 1:45 PM. Our hosts for November are the Scott's and Flemming's and they have promised an exciting round of golf.
Please remember that our Christmas Party is approaching (December 13th time to be announced). Look for more details in the weeks to come. If you are interested in helping with the decorations for this event, please contact Bob or Pattie (821-5462).

Interclub

October 7, 2008
The tenth match of the 2008 season was held at Wescott on Monday, October 6th. Legend Oaks came out on top with 27 points followed by Charleston Municipal with 16 and Crowfield with 14. The rest of the scores were Stono Ferry 13, Coosaw Creek and Rivertowne both with 12, Dunes West 8, Pine Forest and Shadowmoss both with 7, Wescott 4, Patriots Point 3, Berkeley -6 and Miler -10.

Current Standing:

1.  Wescott                 96.5
2.  Legend Oaks          93.5
3.  Coosaw Creek       90.5
4.  Shadowmoss          89.5
5. Pine Forest            89
6.  Stono Ferry          81
7.  Dunes West          80.5
8.  Rivertowne          78.5
9.  Charleston Muni    73.5
10. Miler                      71
11. Crowfield               68
12. Berkeley                 66.5
13. Patriots Point         41.5

Individual Interclub honors went to John Grund of Pine Forest with +15, Steve Windich of Coosaw Creek with +8 and Denis Wheeldon and Bill Nichols, both of Legend Oaks tied with +7. The top scorers for Pine Forest were John Grund (+15), Jim Tully (+6), Lowell McGauhey (+2) and Dick Lee (+1).

Full results can be found on www.chsinterclub.org.
Thanks to Ken Ward and all of the staff at Wescott.
The next match will be at Dunes West on November 3rd at 9.00.
Thanks,
Dave George

Maintenance

Darned if you do and darned if you don't. That's overseeding for you. If there is ever an unnecessary task in golf course management that is by most accounts necessary, it's winter overseeding - an agronomic procedure aimed more at wooing winter play in the southern environs of America than for any meaningful enhancement of turf health. Overseeding is most commonly done by courses that use bermuda grass, which goes dormant in winter. In late spring as the weather warms up, the golf course staff and I will encourage the bermuda grass as it comes out of dormancy and the rye grass is losing its ability to withstand the warmer weather.

8th golf hole

Many courses close during overseeding because of the disruption to play that the process causes. We were not forced to do such because we decided to omit fairways from the overseeding practice this year.To call it a cosmetic practice would be accurate, but also simplistic. The economic viability of thousands of golf courses and the job security of those who manage them loom beneath the pretty, green surface.
The key fact is, golf courses that rely on winter play to be a successful operation must, for better or worse, overseed to achieve that level. Many issues have been addressed along the way, such as impact on play, costs, water usage and chemical removal of the rye grass in transition because of its tendency to hang on too long in the Southeast.
For those superintendents and facilities that choose not to overseed , they often find their course provides variety and challenge as the seasons change. Beyond aesthetics, overseeding does provide better turf conditions in the winter. Without it, many courses have to combat wear and compaction problems caused by player and golf car traffic. However, they have their reasons for avoiding overseeding:
*Water conservation - Dormant bermuda grass uses far less water than overseeded perennial rye grass.

*Uninterrupted play in the fall - Courses avoid the disruption and course closure often required for overseeding.

*No spring transition problems - Without competition from overseeded rye grass, bermuda grass can green up earlier in the spring.

*Ease of weed control - It is easier to control annual bluegrass and weeds in dormant bermuda grass with selective and non-selective herbicides.

*Sustain a stronger strand of warm season grasses - Many courses experience a gradual decline of bermuda grass density after years of renovation and overseeding. Without overseeding, courses can build a strong strand of bermuda grass throughout the fall that will provide better density and playing quality the following spring and summer.
On the other hand, dormant bermuda grass has produced golfer complaints based on its lack of green color; worn areas, especially in high traffic zones; and slow recovery from divot damage. Non-agronomic advantages to managing dormant bermuda grass include the subtle changes in playing quality during the winter. Tee shots often roll farther, different clubs and types of shots are required and hazards that are usually unreachable may now come into play. All of this adds up to a course that provides variety and challenges as the seasons change.
It's the age-old question for golf facilities, to overseed, or not to overseed? The answer, however, is not cut and dry.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this information or the golf course please feel free to stop me on the course or call me at 821-2109. Hit'em Good. Butch