PineNeedler
MARCH 2016
MEMBER NEWSLETTER
Pine Lake Country Club Since 1952 | Country Life . . . Club Setting
From the General Manager by Travis Dale
Spring time in the Carolinas is a time of confusion. 75° days, 30° nights and snow flurries…that was just this week! This month is just full of surprises.
Our Discover Pine Lake membership promotion is doing very well. This week we were fortunate to have four new member families join Pine Lake, bringing us to a total of 14 new members for 2016! Additionally, we have a few applications in process waiting for approval and many great prospects looking at the club. Danielle has been very busy providing tours and answering questions. If you know someone who would be interested in joining the club, please stop by to see Danielle. She can provide you with all of the information and resources that they will need for membership. Plans have begun for a New Member Orientation program and we have formed a Pine Lake Ambassador Committee. We will have more details to share with you in the weeks ahead. If you have not picked up your packet from the annual meeting, you may have received an email from the club to do so. Please help us increase our membership, stop by the club and see Danielle for your packet. Pine Lake is in the news! Did everyone have an opportunity to see Pine Lake featured in the Mint Hill Times? They wrote a multi-page story about the club that made the front page. Have you had an opportunity to congratulate Jim Beaver and Larry Fesmire for their hole in ones? Two hole in ones on the same hole and the same foursome! We will keep you posted as this news story is about to explode! This month we have a multitude of events taking place. Swim Team Registration, Guest Day, Opening Day Mixer, Live Music and Craft Beer Night, our Dress for the Decades Party, St. Patty’s Day specials, Shrimp Night Tuesdays and a Fish Fry, just to name a few, are on the calendar for your enjoyment. Please be sure to make your reservations early. You will not want to miss our fabulous Easter Brunch on Sunday March 27th. We will have a special guest appearance by the one and only Easter Bunny! We will also have a photographer on hand for family photos. We are looking forward to a great spring at Pine Lake. All we need is a little more sunshine and the grass to turn green! My team and I look forward to seeing you at the club!
Travis
Travis Dale General Manager
Main Phone/Reservations 704-545-4513
Travis Dale General Manager 704-409-3161 Travis@PineLakeCountryClub.com Abby Brand Club Controller 704-409-3164 Abby@PineLakeCountryClub.com Lori Fitzpatrick Club Accountant 704-409-3160 Lori@PineLakeCountryClub.com Danielle Landers Membership & Communication Director 704-545-4513 Danielle@PineLakeCountryClub.com
Mark Collins Assistant Clubhouse Manager 704-409-3162 Mark@PineLakeCountryClub.com Ken Snyder Executive Chef 704-409-3170 Ken@PineLakeCountryClub.com Brittanie Cockrell Catering and Events Manager 704-409-3163 Brittanie@PineLakeCountryClub.com
Richard McDanel Golf Course Superintendent 704-545-5995 Richard@PineLakeCountryClub.com Luke Smith Head Golf Professional 704-409-3165 Luke@PineLakeCountryClub.com Robert Stephens Tennis Director 704-409-3168 Robert@PineLakeCountryClub.com
photo by Ellen Sheehan
Course Report by Richard McDanel, Certified Golf Course Superintendent
It’s time again to prepare your lawn for the upcoming
growing season. The key to a beautiful lawn is to maintain a healthy grass plant. Just because your grass is green and growing doesn’t exactly mean it’s healthy. Proper timing of aerification, fertilization and pesticide applications is crucial. Most of us have some variety of fescue as our primary grass of choice. The biggest mistake is to cut it shorter than the optimum cutting height of 2.5 to 3.5 inches. In this height range, the grass has more leaf blade, allowing it to take advantage of photosynthesis, which is the process it uses to produce carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are simply the food source the plant needs to survive. Optimizing carbohydrate production is the key to producing the best root system, which is the most important part of the plant. Roots not only anchor the plant, but also provide water and nutrient uptake. The main goal is to produce the best root system possible, to ensure the plant’s survival. The key to a successful fertilization program is through soil testing. Testing materials can be obtained by contacting your county Agriculture Extension Agency. The test results will help you properly balance the nutrients in your soil, and best of all, it’s free. Use a balanced fertilizer with some slowly available nitrogen. If the soil test results recommend any additional nutrients, they can be purchased separately. Always apply fertilizer when the grass is dry to avoid burning the foliage and allowing the particles to fall down around the plants to the soil where it can be watered in. Apply the majority of the recommended fertilizer in the fall and limit the amount in late spring. Forcing excessive shoot growth in the spring will reduce the root system just prior to the summer stress months.
A healthy stand of turf and a good preemergent herbicide program are pivotal in achieving a weed free lawn. Preemergent herbicides must be applied in early March for the control of summer annual weeds, and around Labor Day for winter annual control. It is best to irrigate immediately following the application of your preemerge. The March application is controlling crabgrass, goosegrass and broadleaf weeds, while the fall application controls poa annua and winter broadleaf weeds. Any additional broadleaf weeds that emerge in summer or winter, can be controlled with herbicides containing 2,4-D. The liquid formulations are far more effective than the granular. If you do apply a granular, do so in the morning when the turf is damp, to insure that it sticks to the plant. Avoid any irrigation for 24 hours. When seeding in the fall, make sure the lawn is aerified and seeded by the beginning of September. Delay the application of a preemergent herbicide for approximately 4 weeks after seeding, due to the fact that they have a 120 day residual. Even though following seeding, you are applying the premerge a little later than recommended it will still be worth the investment. Remember, when applying chemicals always follow label directions concerning safety and application. When establishing a tall fescue lawn, a seeding rate of 5-7 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. is the recommended range. When overseeding in the fall, use from 1-5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Overseeding rates that exceed 5 lbs. create an overcrowded growing condition that forces the plant to stay in a juvenile state. If the plant does not properly mature, it will not be able to survive through the stressful summer months. I hope you find this information valuable and achieve lawn conditions that allow for more time on the course!
Richard
Richard McDanel, Certified Golf Course Superintendent
From the President by Gene Lee
Dear Fellow Members, I would like to thank you in advance for your support of this year’s Pine Lake Country Club Board of Directors. The Board and I look forward to serving the club this year. It’s definitely going to be a busy year with the lounge renovation and the urgency to bring new members into the club. Nothing comes easy that’s worth having. I truly believe with the support and involvement of the membership we can bring in several new members throughout the year. The introduction of Dietz Group Online Media Management and the Creative Golf Marketing programs, puts Pine Lake out in front of the competition, with a good game plan to bring in new members. New members are critical to the clubs survival. Please don’t forget your participation in the membership drive can reduce your club bill by a significant amount. If you have not picked up your personal membership package, please stop by the club and see Danielle. The Board of Directors is committed to keeping the membership informed. We have established a new position on the board, club communications, which will be chaired by Rhyne Cannon. I believe in keeping people informed as to what is going on in their world. Good communication prevents rumors and insights positive attitudes. It is my intention to send out a monthly president’s letter regarding board activity and the state of the club. Mark Kovel, our Treasurer will also be sending out a quarterly financial dash board. Once again thank you in advance for your support.
Eugene Lee
President Pine Lake Country Club
Course Conditions & Posting Scores GOLF COURSE CONDITIONS DIVOTS This time of year, especially when the carts are on the path due to the course being wet, does not lead itself to making sure that we all repair our divots during the round. As I am sure that you are aware the bermudagrass is dormant this time of year and it is not growing back over any divots that are made, however if you leave the divot without filling it with sand, when the grass comes out of dormancy the surface will be very uneven and it will actually slow down the process of the grass repairing itself. With that in mind please make sure that if you are walking or riding that you have a sand bottle to fill your divots and any others that you see. Ball Marks: If we don’t want our greens to look like this.... :-)
Then we need to do this.... :-)
BUNKERS There is more to raking a bunker correctly then meets the eye, just ask Richard and his crew. Try to enter and exit the bunker from the point that’s closest to your ball, but most level to the adjacent playing surface. Don’t try to climb out by going up a steep bunker face (you can damage the lip of the bunker and displace too much sand) Always rake the bunker immediately after your sand shot. Be careful not to pull excess sand to (or over) the lip of the bunker. The best practice is to alternate between pulling sand toward you and pushing it back with the tines of the rake, thus making a relatively even surface without displacing too much sand. According to the USGA, the guideline for placement of the bunker rakes is “out and down.” The rake should be placed outside the bunker, lying flat on the ground, and pointed in the direction of play (parallel to the likely flight of the ball). By the way, the USGA also reminds us that the proper term is “bunker” and never “trap.”
FILLING OUT A SCORECARD & POSTING OF SCORES
Please see the example below of a correctly filled out scorecard:
There are many interesting facts about this scorecard: 1: I shot 63 and was low man of the group! 2: Brian and I beat TWO Major Champions and World #1’s! 3: Beautiful penmanship! 4 (Most Important): Full name, all holes have a score, signed and dated Please remember to fill out the scorecard in all its entirety before you post the card in the box. Please make sure that you use Equitable Stroke Control (Please see explanation and what that score is based on your handicap below) and that you post your score in a timely manner.
EQUITABLE STROKE CONTROL
“Equitable Stroke Control” (ESC) is the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a player’s potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the player’s Course Handicap. ESC is used only when a player’s actual or most likely score exceeds the player’s maximum number based on the table in Section 4-3.
HOW MANY HOLES DO I NEED TO PLAY TO POST A SCORE?
All members should post 9 hole and 18 hole scores. A 9 hole score will combine automatically with another 9 hole score posted at a later date. The player must play 7 holes to post a 9 hole score and 13 holes to post an 18 hole score. On the holes that you did not complete due to not finishing your round, the player must post what they should make based on their handicap. (If you are expected to make a bogey on that hole, record a bogey for your score).
WHAT HAPPENS IF A PLAYER DOESN’T POST A SCORE?
If a player fails to post an acceptable score as soon as practical after completion of the round the Handicap Committee has three options: 1: Post the actual score made by the player 2: Post a penalty score equal to the lowest/highest differential in the scoring record 3: Post the actual score & the penalty score I hope that you found these articles interesting, if you have any questions on them, please don’t hesitate to contact Brian or myself in the Golf Shop. Thank you in advance for taking care of our golf course and for protecting the integrity of the game.
Luke
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MEMBERSHIP REFERRAL PROGRAM
PUT CASH BACK IN YOUR POCKET & ADD FRIENDS TO OUR PINE LAKE FAMILY
Contact: Danielle Landers Membership & Communications Director (704) 545-4513 | Danielle@PineLakeCountryClub.com
Lisa Lane NC Licensed Massage Bodywork Therapist # 13098 www.ncmassagesanctuary.com Like us on Facebook 7900 Matthews Mint Hill Rd., Suite 107 E, Mint Hill, NC 28227 704.773.6863 (phone) Proud member of PLCC and Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce I can help with sciatic pain management, rotator cuff issues, pain when golfing or participating in sports, arthritis, low back pain, all types of conditions that cause discomfort and affect your quality of life.
March Sun
6
Mon
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Tues
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17 ST PATRICK’S DAY 5-9PM
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CRAFT BEER NIGHT 6-9PM
27 EASTER
BRUNCH & EGG HUNT 11-2PM
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Sat
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BRUNCH 10-2PM
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LADIES BUNCO
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2016
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ITALIAN WINE DINNER 6-9PM
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DECADES PARTY WITH DJ 7-11PM
25 FISH FRY 5-9PM
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OPENING DAY MIXER
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April Sun
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2016
Wed
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2 NIGHT GOLF & COOKOUT 6-9PM
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LADIES BUNCO 6:30-9PM
BRUNCH 10-2PM
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20 CRAFT BEER NIGHT 5-9PM
24 BRUNCH 10-2PM
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HOURS OF OPERATION Pine Lake Country Club
PINE LAKE LOUNGE MONDAY CLOSED TUES 11 AM - 5 PM WED - SAT 11 AM - 9 PM SUNDAY - 11 AM - 7 PM
DINING ROOM CHECK THE CALENDAR FOR ALL EVENT DATES AND TIMES
DRIVING RANGE
MONDAY CLOSED TUESDAY - SUNDAY 7:30AM - 30MIN BEFORE DUSK
GOLF SHOP
TENNIS COURTS TUESDAY - SATURDAY 8 AM - 9 PM SUNDAY 8AM - 8PM CHECK WEBSITE FOR COURT CONDITIONS
MONDAY CLOSED TUESDAY - FRIDAY 8 AM - 5 PM SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 7:30 AM - 5 PM
FITNESS CENTER
BUSINESS OFFICE
SNACK BAR
MONDAY CLOSED TUESDAY - FRIDAY 7 AM - 5 PM
MONDAY - CLOSED TUESDAY - SUNDAY 7 AM - 8 PM
MONDAY CLOSED TUESDAY 11AM - 4 PM WED - FRI 10 AM - 7 PM SATURDAY & SUNDAY 7 AM - 7 PM
PLEASE NOTE, UPDATED HOURS STARTING MARCH 15TH ...
LOUNGE SNACK BAR TUES - SAT 11 AM - 9 PM SUNDAY - 11 AM - 7 PM
TUES - FRI 11 AM - 7 PM SAT - SUN 7 AM - 7 PM
Reservations 704-545-4513 | Country Life . . . Club Setting