November Newsletter
Clubhouse News
· Superintendent's Revenge Results
Gross Division
1st- Chris Sanders-Chris Coco 68
2nd- Bob Eastwood-Aiden Gray 71
3rd- Tyler Chin-Aleong-Bob Clark 72
Net Division
1st- Kevin Petrillo-Chris Lawlor 66.8
2nd- Rick Wilson-Roger Geary 67.4
3rd- Pat Fristhson-Kevin Lally 68.2
4th- Andrew Benfield-Jerry Gould 69.2
· The 50/50 Raffle on the 7th Hole allowed us to donate $365 to the Rowley Food Pantry.
· Turkey Shoot Results
1st Flight
1st- Tyler Chin-Aleong-Tammy White 72
2nd- Chris Coco-Chris Sanders 73
2nd Flight
1st- Rocco Longo-Timmy Dutile 80
2nd- Steve Lyons-Marc Lemire 80
3rd Flight
1st- Connor Morrison-Joe Strangie 85
2nd- Jack Bowles-Neil Sullivan 86
· The raffle for the Turkey Shoot allowed us to bring over 12 boxes of food to Rowley Food Pantry.
· November Hours
Weekdays- 8:00am
Weekends- 7:30am
· Thanksgiving Hours, Tee times will be available from 7:30 until 9:30. All golf carts must be returned by 12pm.
Superintendent's Corner
I always strive to do the right thing for the golf course. It helps that I truly love what I do. As we approach the frost season, I’d like to remind everyone how important it is to leave the turf undisturbed on frosty mornings while the turf is slowly working towards dormancy. This is a period when turf grass goes into preservation mode. All essential nutrients retreat to the root system to sustain life until suitable growing conditions return in the spring. This is an extremely fragile state. Ice crystals can form within plant tissues that can be broken under literally any kind of traffic, foot traffic (both human and animal), motorized vehicles, you name it. This damage is amplified due to the inability of the plant to recover. Preservation mode means there are no resources to spare to repair, even minor injuries, though in some cases recovery is possible.
It is our goal every day to continue to take our course to the next level. We have a very hard-working core and a supportive clubhouse staff/ownership team. We plan on bringing the course to even better heights next season through a massive dormancy seeding, and through our various fall/winter work. I’m excited to continue to provide a very nice, very playable golf course. This is my home away from home and I take pride in what I do and the product I provide. The most important thing to remember is we are trying to allow you to enjoy your course but also to protect your course. With your help, the course will be even more immaculate.
As always, I appreciate your support, and I thank you for helping me maintain this awesome property. I think you guys are awesome and it motivates us to push further and achieve more.
Thank you!
Zack Lamkin
Golf Course Superintendent
Golf Penalties with Mike Farrell, PGA
Last month, we discussed why to have a handicap index and the difference between Match and Stroke Play. This month we are going to discuss penalties that we may encounter during our round of golf.
Penalty Areas (Red and Yellow areas)
The penalty area relief requires a one-stroke penalty and allows you to play:
· From your previous spot (stroke and distance)
· Drop behind the penalty area along the line extending from the hole
· Drop laterally within two-club-lengths of where your ball last crossed the penalty area
When taking your drop, you cannot drop the ball closest to the hole.
Out of Bounds
The out of bounds penalty in golf is stroke and distance, meaning you must add one stroke penalty stroke to your score and replay your previous shot from the original spot. This rule applies if your ball comes to rest beyond the course boundary, which is typically marked by white stakes or lines. To save time, it’s recommended to hit a provisional ball if you suspect your first shot might be out of bounds.
Unplayable Lie
Only a player can declare their ball unplayable anywhere on the course except in a penalty area. For a one-stroke penalty, you have three relief options:
· Stroke and distance: go back to the spot of the previous stroke and play again
· Back on the line: imagine a straight line from the hole through where the ball lies. You can drop the ball anywhere on this line, behind the spot where the ball was.
· Lateral relief: you can drop the ball with too-club-lengths of where the ball lay, with the condition that the ball is not closer to the hole
Unplayable in a Bunker
· If you declare your ball unplayable in a bunker, the same three relief options apply, but you must drop within the bunker
o You have a fourth option for an additional penalty stroke (two strokes total) that allows you to go back on the line and drop outside the bunker
Until next month, Down the Middle solves the riddle