August 2023 Palmetto Hall Around the Clubhouse

AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE

IN THIS ISSUE: AROUND THE CLUBHOUSE

Dinner Hours

Wednesday - Friday 5pm-8pm

New Palmetto Hall Golf & Country Club Members:

Paul & Felicia Brennan – Social

If you have any interest in participating in this event, please visit their website at Kingdom Cup • Kingdom Magazine for information and registration.

HERITAGE GOLF TEXT CLUB

MANAGER'S MESSAGE

By Rob Ciapanna

Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club is home to many alligators who move about the community between lagoons on the golf courses.

The high summer temperatures increase an alligator's metabolism, which means they seek prey. The optimal temperature for an alligator is between 82-92 degrees. There have been reports recently of close calls between alligators and others fishing in the course lagoons. The important thing to understand is that a community can never remove all alligators from an area, when one is removed another takes its place. Alligators are indigenous and plentiful. For this reason, it is incumbent on everyone to use caution and not to provide optimal conditions to encounter an alligator, such as fishing on lagoons.

You may encounter an alligator when walking near the water, participating in recreational water activities, or if the alligator has been fed and become habituated to humans.

We want to take this opportunity to remind all members to always use caution around bodies of water and to remain vigilant of their surroundings. Fishing in lagoons creates an environment that entices alligators to approach humans. For this reason, effective immediately, the club is prohibiting fishing anywhere on the golf courses. Trespassing on private property such as a lagoon bank behind another property owner's home or lot is prohibited. Property owners who live along a lagoon own the land to the edge of the lagoon, so entering these areas is deemed a trespass.

Alligators are large carnivorous predators and should be respected as such. A few precautions on your part can help both humans and alligators coexist safely.

MANAGER'S MESSAGE

By Rob Ciapanna

What should I do if I encounter an alligator I believe to be aggressive or habituated to humans?

Alligators are regularly observed in and around bodies of water in Palmetto Hall. If you encounter an alligator on the golf courses that are aggressive or have a safety concern, please contact me directly (843.342.2582) or rciapanna@heritagegolfgroup.com.

How does the club handle reports of aggressive or habituated alligators?

SCDNR establishes procedures for managing alligators and permits the removal of alligators who exhibit aggressiveness, habituated behavior towards humans, illness/injury, or inhabit a recreational swimming area. When the club receives a call, a third-party wildlife service provider is contacted to locate and monitor the alligator. The club will rely on the recommendation of the wildlife service provider in determining if an alligator should be harvested.

What happens to an alligator once removed?

Once they become too familiar with people, alligators lose their fear of humans, necessitating their removal for the safety of everyone concerned. All removed alligators are exterminated per South Carolina State Law. Relocation is illegal due to the creatures' strong homing instinct.

Alligator Safety

Concerns about having negative encounters with alligators can largely be dissolved with common sense and an understanding of alligator behavior. Below are several tips for safety. We encourage you to share these with your visiting family members, friends, and guests.

MANAGER'S MESSAGE

By Rob Ciapanna

Do not feed alligators. When alligators start associating people with food, they will be more likely to approach you. Do not feed ducks, turtles, fish, or any other animals inhabiting water either. This food source attracts alligators and similarly trains them to associate humans with food.

Be aware of your surroundings. If you're in an alligator-friendly habitat—just about any body of water in the Lowcountry—be mindful of your environment. Keep your distance. If you encounter an alligator, walk backward and back away from it. A safe distance from an adult alligator should be maintained at about 60 feet. If the alligator hisses or lunges at you, you are too close. Keep your pets and children away from alligators. Alligators do not recognize the difference between domestic pets and wild food sources. When they are hungry, alligators act on their hunting instinct. Do not allow pets or children to swim in, fish in, drink, or play at the edge of waters inhabited by alligators. To an alligator, any splash potentially means a food source is in the water.

TOPDRESSING

by Patrick Hensley

Why do you put so much sand on the greens? I get this question more often than you would think.

We try and apply a light layer of sand to our putting surfaces 1 time per week during the growing season. We do this for several reasons. The first is it helps keep them smooth, it helps keep them firm, and it helps us dilute any of the organic layers build up. Now, anyone who has met me knows that I love to put sand out. We apply it with a machine that is a spinner-type topdresser and then most of the time we use a carpet drag to incorporate it. Sometimes we might run some water behind it to incorporate it, but the drag mat works better. Bermuda grass loves sand especially when it’s growing, so I intend to give it to it!

We always try to balance the amount of grass clippings that we collect when we mow greens with how much sand we apply. As I said, the greens love sand and it’s a tremendous help with ball roll, firmness, and smoothness.

Enjoy the pictures below of the putting green after we applied sand and the photo where we are using the drag mat to incorporate the sand.

Hope to see everyone on the course!

PARKER'S POINTERS

by Parker Mulford

We live in the Lowcountry. And therefore, we are less subject to the elevation changes that other regions offer golfers. That being said, we are still faced with certain lies where the ball is above or below our feet. This month we will explore how to proceed with these challenging shots.

For a ball below our feet, we need to concentrate foremost on our body’s elevation. A deeper knee bend is essential for maintaining posture and our relationship to the ball. Should we not keep that posture and raise up, consequently we will top the shot or hit it thin at best. Secondly, those below the feet shots have a tendency to “bleed” toward the downhill side. We can compensate by aiming a touch to the uphill side and making a through the target line planned swing. The ball position would be 1 ball closer to our front foot than a flat lie shot.

A ball above our feet requires a different approach. The stance would be slightly more upright. In addition, we may need to choke up on the grip to compensate for the lie. It should be noted that a longer club may be needed as choking up reduces the length of carry… example: 7 iron normal carry is 150 yds, you may need to use a 6-iron to cover the same distance after choking up. The ball flight may tend to go left on this lie, so aim points should be slightly right off the target.

Both are challenging shots, but with these tips in mind, and relying on a smooth and controlled tempo combined with confidence in ability, they become a routine shot in our repertoire. Enjoy the diversity and enjoy the season.

PALMETTO TIDAL WAVE

FROM THE BAR OF KATI SCHROEDER

2OZ OF TITO'S

2OZ OF MALIBU

1OZ OF PEACH SCHNAPPS

3OZ OF PINEAPPLE JUICE

1/2 OUNCE OF BLUE CURAÇAO

TOP IT OFF WITH GINGER ALE

AUGUST 2023 PALMETTOHALLGOLF&COUNTRYCLUB

LADIES GOLF CLINICS

BAIRD'S PUB DINNER