Golf Notes: Five Inch Par
Golf? It’s all about the rain. The course was closed last Saturday and Sunday due to rain, and I dropped by the course yesterday curious about how much water the rain gauge attached to the entrance post registered. Five inches. That corresponds to what other locals also say they found in their rain gauges Sunday morning. Five inches. That is a hunk of rain for a short period of time and we are so thankful to have it even though in the short run it means no golf. The course closure due to rain is not to protect the golfer, there are always a few mudders who somehow enjoy wet golf but to protect the greens from damage. Many of the greens had areas of standing water and a saturated green is vulnerable to damage resulting from squishy walking. You can imagine.
Last Friday course supervisor Terry Stratton and crew were busy creating and renewing the cart path water bars. Just in time. Water bars of course divert the water in key places from slushing down the path out onto the fairway carrying gravel and sand. Without the bars, Jim Ehlers or Phil Dunn might hit their ball into the slushy delta and not like it. They might cuss, and we don’t want that. Thanks, Terry. With the coming of the rain…rain, wow, just like days of old trees down, gutters flooded, puddles… with the rain there is talk of winter rules. Yes! Us below and average golfers greatly welcome the declaration of winter rules. These rules allow the golfer to improve their lie. No, no not improve their untruth of what they shot on the last hole but improve where their ball lies on the muddy wet course. The golfer can also clean the ball of mud and water. So if Jim Ehlers lands and then lies on a water bar delta he can pick, clean, and place.
Players at the recent Campbell Scramble and the Rotary Tournament as well as the everyday golfer might have noticed the new very well constructed and placed 150yard markers. The markers were hand-made by local golfer Dennis Hartsock and placed in cemented holes by loco I mean local golfer Jim Ellis. They really are very nice and easy to see. Thank you much, Dennis and Jim.
The golfing community would like to respectfully acknowledge the recent passing of 96-year-old local golfer Hugh Paddock. Hugh was such a steady strong presence on the course. You are missed, Hugh.