FROM THE PRO: Valentine's Day Edition

BOUNCE & GRIND

Julie Roberts, PGA

Director of Golf

The good news for women who love to play golf and are straight bored of getting flowers and chocolate… Callaway’s Mack Daddy 4 Chrome wedges are available with custom specs for women!  YES, finally!

But what the heck is bounce and grind?  Are we dancing or playing golf?

Grind is well described in the following post from the Callaway community golf forum (click to graphic to enlarge):

The degree of bounce further helps players define the correct wedge setup to match their specific needs and style of play.  A standard is 12 degrees as the chart below shows.  If more bounce/grind options are needed, customizing a men’s wedge works too!  Ideally have your coach or golf instructor show you what works best for you in a ‘real grass’ situation, but if you are glued to your phone right now try this link so you have an idea in mind. (Click graphic below to enlarge)

Having a good set of clubs without the proper wedge(s) is like having the perfect outfit but no coat to go with it, what’s the use?  Too often a short game lesson reveals a student rarely uses the ‘S’ club as it is only being selected for sand shots and it happens with women most often.  What’s worse is the sand wedge is poorly fit to their game so it’s a double negative.  Know this…if you aren’t using the Sand wedge for a variety of shots, you are for sure losing strokes.  So if scoring lower is your goal, it’s time to break out of your Sand wedge ‘box’ and bring on the Bounce & Grind!

No Weeds? No Problem!

     It’s Pre-emergent time in North Texas including at Indian Creek Golf Club, we manage the full gamut of weeds, so whether it’s your .25 acre lawn or our 200+ acre golf course, getting the proper treatment applied at the right time is crucial.

     We were visited by our friends at the TDA (Texas Department of Agriculture) recently and are happy to report we are compliant and passed the inspection with flyer colors!  Speaking of color…in the next few days (during calm winds) you may notice a greenish-blue dye in places.  This dye indicates where the pre-emergent has been sprayed to ensure proper rate of application.

     The fairways on the Creek course have active winter rye growing so they will not be in the mix, only dormant areas qualify for the ‘round up’ of weeds for both post and pre-emerge application. 

     Our greens are fighting a bit of Poa Annua at the moment and our treatments have begun.  Frequent low dose applications of a growth regulator will keep the Poa in check, basically ‘sickened’ to help negate the effect of an uneven putting surface (hence the appropriately named Negate, our choice for this post emergent application).  Poa is identifiable by it’s bright green color and fast growth as it invades the dormant Bermuda.  It’s pesky for sure but like most golf courses we treat it as it comes.  You will start to notice the Poa’s unhealthy appearance during the next 4-6 weeks as treatment continues.  Our green surfaces total approximately 3 acres of delicate turf, we hope we are through with ‘tarp season’ and won’t have to cover greens due to freezing for another year or so!

For home lawn tips about Poa Annua, check out this short video.