DURING THE MONTHS OF DEC, JAN and FEB PLAY ON THURSDAY WILL BEGIN AT 9 AM

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1 Saddlebrooke Ranch Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 Overseed Or Not Overseed An Equation For chipping Success 6 Golf Humor The Board and Committee Chairs.9 Patronizing Our Sponsors.11 Remember Our Sponsors.. 12 Mark Your Calender.12 A NEW WATERHOLE ON THE SBR COURSE. (Guess which hole this is on. The answer is given at the end of the newsletter) DURING THE MONTHS OF DEC, JAN and FEB PLAY ON THURSDAY WILL BEGIN AT 9 AM 1

2 Saddlebrooke Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 TO OVERSEED OR NOT TO OVERSEED THAT IS THE QUESTION My good friend Pat Larkey provided this timely and interesting article that I think you will enjoy reading. We tend to take for granted that in the fall we will be subjected to the nuisance of overseeding. Read on to become enlightened as to what is going on. Finally the long period of course closure (for overseeding) is over, it seems appropriate to ask why it makes sense to loose three to six weeks of some of our best weather for playing golf at our home course to course maintenance. Below is the best summary statement that I can find of overseeding practices and their implications for turf management and cosmetics. It was published by the top organization in the golf course maintenance business, GCSAA.There is apparently more witchcraft than science on the overseeding business. There is a paucity of rigorous experimental evidence from agronomists. Does overseeding improve the turf for play over a full year? And, if you overseed, does traffic on newly planted seed harm turf quality going forward? The answers to these questions and the actions that follow materially influence the quality of the golf amenity for residents. On the second question, I have anecdotal evidence. The men s group in Bella Vista, AR in about 2008 had many elderly and infirm members who objected to the standard practice of closing each of seven courses for overseeding followed by two more weeks of cartpath only play. An insurgent group convinced management to run an experiment. The experiment was to overseed but allow cart traffic under a 90-degree rule on every other hole immediately after overseeding. The experiment ran for two years. At the end of the first 2

3 Saddlebrooke Ranch Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 year and then the second year no one could notice ANY difference in turf quality on odd and even holes. In a sub-experiment, outside players were asked in a somewhat systematic fashion what they believed to be the best and worst conditioned holes. The result was, as it had been for members, no noticeable difference attributable to traffic. What are the benefits in turf quality and aesthetics of keeping carts off rough areas that have not been overseeded? Overseeding: 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. To put it in another perspective, if the love of money is indeed the root of all evil, then overseeding is a necessary evil 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 bermudagrass, which goes dormant in winter. Courses that overseed will prepare their bermudagrass for overseeding through a combination of processes that include aeration, verticutting and scalping. The ryegrass seed is then distributed on top of the bermudagrass and nurtured for several weeks as it germinates and grows in the upper profile of the bermudagrass that is entering dormancy. In late spring as the weather warms up, the golf course superintendent will encourage the bermudagrass as it comes out of dormancy and the ryegrass is losing its ability to withstand the warmer weather. It could also be said that overseeding is one of the more visible signs of the state of modern golf and the care of its venues. As the playing and paying customers flee the northern climes beset by 3

4 Saddlebrooke Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 winter, they are truly in search of the green. Thus, superintendents across the nation's southern tier of states avoid the brown -- dormant bermudagrass -- and perpetuate the green by overseeding with a cool-season grass. 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. Nowhere in the country is this more evident than in the Southwest, where scores of new facilities spring up every year to accommodate throngs of golf-hungry customers from the north. Many issues have been addressed along the way, such as impact on play, costs, water usage and chemical removal of the ryegrass in transition because of its tendency to hang on too long in the Southwest. 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 bermudagrass uses far less water than overseeded perennial ryegrass. Uninterrupted play in the fall Courses avoid the disruption and course closure often required for overseeding. No spring transition problems Without competition from overseeded ryegrass, bermudagrass can green up earlier in the spring. Ease of weed control It is easier to control annual bluegrass and weeds in dormant bermudagrass with selective and non-selective herbicides. Sustain a stronger strand of warm season grasses Many courses experience a gradual decline of bermudagrass density after years of renovation and overseeding. Without overseeding, courses can build a 4

5 Saddlebrooke Ranch Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 strong strand of bermudagrass throughout the fall that will provide better density and playing quality the following spring and summer. Lower maintenance costs Courses that do not overseed may save $750 to $1,000 per acre by not purchasing seed. Overall costs are lower for water, fertilizer and mowing; plus there is less wear on equipment. On the other hand, dormant bermudagrass has produced golfer complaints based on its lack of green color; worn areas, especially in high traffic zones; and slow recovery from divot damage. Nonagronomic advantages to managing dormant bermudagrass 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 dried. Pat Larkey 5

6 Saddlebrooke Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 AN EQUATION FOR CHIPPING SUCCESS CLUB CARRY/ROLL Pitching Wedge 1:1 9-Iron 1:2 8-Iron Iron 1.4 To become skilled at any shot in golf, there is an equation that holds true. Understanding + execution = desired result. Golfers often approach a shot from just off the putting surface without clearly defining the shot they are trying to play. As a rule of thumb, this shot is a chip. A chip shot is defined as: A shot from near the green that is designed to roll farther along the ground than it flies through the air. This definition is the key to the understanding portion of the equation. There are many different techniques that will produce this shot. One of the most reliable ways to chip is to treat the shot as a "Putt with a different club." This will allow the player to take advantage of a motion that is easy to reproduce because of the limited number of moving parts. All you're trying to do is to fly the ball safely onto the nearest portion of the green and let it roll to the hole from there. This is the safest strategy and for a standard chip that landing spot should be between three to six feet onto the green, regardless of the distance from the green or the hole. Now, for the execution part of the equation: 1. Ground the clubhead behind the ball with the clubface aimed appropriately. 2. From your normal iron set up position, elevate the grip up approximately four inches and then shift it forward approximately four inches. This action will position the shaft more upright so that it more closely matches that of a putter shaft. At this point, the clubhead 6

7 Saddlebrooke Ranch Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 will be resting on its toe. This makes it difficult for the clubhead to "dig" into the ground through impact. It will lean the shaft slightly forward as well, positioning the grip forward of the clubhead encouraging a descending blow. 3. Establish your posture with a narrow stance set slightly open to the target and set your weight slightly favoring the left foot. The club's butt end should be pointing just left of the body's center with the ball slightly back of center in your stance. 4. The shaft's upright position will position the club's grip more in the palms. In fact, you can even use your putting grip if you prefer. This will encourage minimal wrist action. 5. To execute the chip, make a motion similar to a putting stroke. The club should be swung predominately with the shoulders. After impact, the hands and wrists remain stable as the upper body rotates to a smooth finish. 6. Select the club that will match the carry-to-roll ratio that you will need to pull off the shot at hand. (See above chart). It will require a bit of practice to gauge exactly, but the following ratios will be fairly accurate for most golfers: The entire body should lean slightly forward at impact 7

8 Saddlebrooke Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 By The Rules GOLF HUMOR Two friends were playing golf one day. They decided that they would adhere strictly to the rules with no improving their lie. After a few holes, one guy's ball landed on a cart path. As he reached down to pick up his ball to get relief his friend said, "We agreed that we would not improve our lie." No matter how much the first fellow tried to explain that he was entitled to this relief, the second fellow would not allow it. So the man went to the cart to get a club. As he stood over the ball he took a few practice swings, each time scraping the club on the pavement, taking out big chunks of blacktop and sending out lots of sparks! Finally, after several practice swings he took his shot. The ball took off and landed on the green about 6 feet from the pin. "Great shot!" his friend exclaimed. "What club did you use?" "YOUR 7-iron!" he replied. 8

9 Saddlebrooke Ranch Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 THE BOARD and COMMITTEE CHAIRS President: Mark Klicker Vice President: Sam Rossi 9

10 Saddlebrooke Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 Secretary: Bruce Deverman The Scorecard: communications@sbrmga.org Membership: Tim McCauley membership@sbrga.org Webmaster: Doug Strueber Treasurer: Mike White Weekly Events: Harley Schlachter 10

11 Saddlebrooke Ranch Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 Handicap and Rules: Rob Nemecek AGA Delegate: Mark Martin Pima Cup: Paul Lapatosky PATRONIZING OUR SPONSORS You are probably aware that the various sponsors who have generously given money to the Saddlebrooke Ranch MGA has resulted in an increase in the prize money that is available to the members who play on the various Thursday events. This money is a form of advertising on the part of the sponsors who believe that the membership of our MGA will patronize their establishments and consider using their services. Whenever you can try to show our appreciation by considering using their services whenever you can 11

12 Saddlebrooke Men s Golf Association Nov 2016 REMEMBER OUR SPONSORS For 2016, we are pleased to have three Platinum sponsors and nine Premier sponsors. The Platinum sponsors are Coyote Golf Cars, Golf Cars of Arizona, and Kim Tucker MD The Premier sponsors are Gerry Hause Long Realty, Community Church at Saddlebrooke, Robson Resort Communities, Oracle Ford, Outdoor Creations, Brakemax, Rebecca Williams Morgan Stanley and DDS Patrick Shaffer MARK YOUR CALENDER Founders Cup Dec 1 and Dec 8 Pima Cup Dec 6 Annual Luncheon Jan 19 Answer to the question on page 1. During the monsoon season a nice waterhole developed north of the 16 th hole 12