Volume 20 Issue 8
The Divot
INDEX The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
1. General Manager Pg. 1-2
2. The Pro Shop Pg. 3
3. Superintendent Pg. 4-5
4. Ladies League Pg. 6
5. GMCC Handicap Committee Pg. 7
6. Events Manager Pg. 8
7. Rally Pg. 9-11
8. Club Championship Pg. 12
9. Junior Club Championship Pg. 13
10. Gre-Bill Pg. 14
11. Member Member Pg. 15
12. High School JV Pg. 16
13. Fun Trivia Pg. 17
14. Calendar Pg. 18
INDEX
Page 1 The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
From the General Manager
We have had a wonderful spring and summer. Thank you, members, for supporting our club and staff especially with all the challenges that faced us this year. With school approaching, it is still is not too late to bring your family out for a round of golf, swim in the pool, or a patio dining experience.
We had another successful month with membership growth. We currently have 396 golfing members and 109 Social/Social Fitness members. Please welcome to the club the following new members:
Lee Lunsford and Chrissie Nicholls
Kellie Lassila
Mark and Dawn Walters
Dan and Shawn Whyte
Susan Depasquale
Mitchel Woods
Kalli and Bridger Redden
Marti and Nick Kuntz
Julie and Clinton Henry
This is the time of year that we lose some of our seasonal staff. Pool staff, wait staff, bag room at-tendants, maintenance employees and other employees that work hard during the season to provide you with an exceptional experience at Green Meadow Country Club will be heading back to school or working other jobs. Please bear with us as we strive to make scheduling changes to continue and provide you quality service. In the next few days, you will be receiving a link to a survey. Please take the time to answer the survey questions. We utilized the data from the survey to make improvements, measure customer satisfaction, and to address members con-cerns.
I had posted this article last year concerning sand and seed. Please read the article again and take care of our wonderful facility by using the sand and seed bottles and fixing your ball marks on the putting surfaces.
Please read the following concerning course care from the United States Golf Association (USGA).
“To Fill, Or Not To Fill, There Is No Question”
Continued………………….
Art by;
P. Hobbs
Cartoon
cycle from
the 1930’s
Page 2 The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
There are many ways golfers can impact play, not raking footprints in a bunker or improperly fixing ball marks immediately come to mind. While ball marks are sometimes difficult to find and can have a major impact on ball roll, there is no excuse for not fixing a divot. Failing to do this simple act after hitting a shot is not only bad for the turf but has a potential negative impact on players that follow.
Just as ball marks require a certain technique to correctly fix, divots also require attention to detail for proper repair. So, the next time you hit a take a divot please keep the following in mind:
• Watch where your divot went. As you admire your shot – or look away in disbelief – al-ways keep in mind that you may have displaced a small piece of turf. Replacing your divot is always the best option for repair, assuming it has some soil attached. If the entire divot ex-plodes into pieces, look around for any other usable divot that can fit in your scar.
Take your time fixing or filling divots. Regardless of the club used, replacing a divot is a simple act: find the dislodged turf and replace it, making sure to push the divot back into the scar with your foot to enhance rooting. However, if the divot explodes into pieces and cannot be replaced, fill the divot with the divot mix provided by the maintenance staff.
When using divot mix, it is important to avoid over or under filling divots. Under filling a divot will result in a depression that affects golf ball lie. On the other hand, overfilled divots will damage mowing equipment and create poor playing conditions. To properly fill a divot, bend over and directly place divot mix in each divot, making sure the divot mix does not spill onto undamaged turf. Add divot mix until it is even with the base of the adjacent turf. Finally, just as with replacing divots, use your foot to compact and level the divot mix. This will provide better soil-to-seed contact to enhance germination and seedling survival. The USGA Course Care video, “Divot Repair Etiquette,” demonstrates the basics of divot repair for both warm - and cool-season grasses. Make sure to check with the pro shop staff before teeing off for the preferred method of divot repair at your course. And remember: to fill, or not to fill, there is no question.
Sand and seed bottles are available next to the bag rack outside of the bag room.
Next time you play a round of golf, please remember to check into the Pro Shop before you begin.
“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.” Arnold Palmer
Tod Fitterer, PGA General Manager
From the General Manager
Chad Carlson, PGA
Head Golf Professional
406.442.5750 ext. 3
Page 3 The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
From the Pro Shop AUGUST 4 Rally for the Cure Tue
8/9 GMCC Club Championship Sat/Sun
11th Junior League Championship Tuesday
15/16 Gre-Bill Sat/Sun
22-23 GMCC Member/Member Sat/Sun
24 High School JV (9:00 T Times) Mon
SEPTEMBER 4 President/Speakers Cup Thursday
18 YMCA Friday
25 Carroll College SAA Friday
27 GMCC GRIND Sunday
Chald Sergio “Golf “Amazing Chalk Sidewalk Art
Page 4 The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
From the Superintendent
Well summer certainly arrived this past month and looks to continue throughout August. Tem-
peratures in the mid-upper 90’s present difficult challenges in maintaining all of our golf course
areas. Greens in particular which are hard to manage anyhow become more stressed and vulner-
able. If you take all the greens combined at GMCC it would add up to about 3 of the 100 or so
acres we groom and irrigate. I’ll use this article to talk a little bit about our greens maintenance
programs happening on those three acres.
I have been around this business most of my life and am still surprised how grass communities
within a green can survive at all. They are mowed daily, sometimes twice a day at height range
of .080 to .110 of an inch. They are rolled after mowing every other day. Cups are changed every
other day to combat and rotate the cleated foot traffic of sometimes 220 players per day. This al-
lows previously used areas to heal for a few days before pressure resumes. Inherently over time,
thatch and organic matter begins to build up so we engage in the cultural practice of vertical-
cutting and sanding to top-dress them. This process generally occurs about every third week and
aids in firmness and smoothing of the surfaces while also keeping organic matter at levels within
recommendations. Irrigation gets assigned daily to the greens based on soil moisture monitoring
with a meter, visual inspections, and taking into account the day’s weather. We use plant growth
regulators on the greens to reduce growth throughout a day in an attempt to have them putt as
well in the evening as in the morning. These applications are timed out with growing degree day
calendars and for the months of June – August, averages every two to three weeks. We also
need to apply soil wetting agents every 25- 30 days throughout the season as soils get hydropho-
bic and hard to wet. Because of the volume of water flowing through a greens profile and com-
paction from aforementioned equipment use, pore spaces within the soils diminish and seal off. A
means of aerating greens to relieve this has come in the form of venting the greens with a tine
we’ve chosen that looks like a bayonet. This tool is a great way to aerate, allowing water and air
flow to resume with minimal surface disruption. We have practiced this the last few years
throughout the season once every 5-6 weeks but are still working on how to do so it is more ac-
ceptable. Fertility is a large issue for greens but generally we do a granular application every 4-6
weeks, and supplement that with foliar spray applications about every 10 days. We sometimes
add fungicides to help with diseases which come about when environments are right. There are
literally hundreds of products out there promoted and aimed at greens and golf course manage-
ment in fertility and plant protectants. Finding ones that pertain to our greens needs is often a
trial and error process along with talking with other superintendents about their use of products.
All of this action to these three particular acres occurs daily Sunday-Saturday, between the hours
of 5- 8 a.m. from May through September. They are also practiced in April and October but in re-
duced amount.
Continued…..
Continued…..
The practices mentioned above are in the name of trying to get a golf ball to roll across a surface in
some form of an acceptable manner while maintaining plant health under often tough pressure and
circumstances. I always say there’s about 20 different things that influence how well a ball rolls
across a green and these are a few of them. Firmness, smoothness, and speed are what we evalu-
ate. Faster, smoother, and firmer is what everyone is looking for. It is so easy for any of these three
criteria to get out of line and can happen overnight. Our programs are always evolving and have to
be adaptable because environments change with weather and time. Our goal is day to day quality
and consistent playability. I’ll be the first to admit we don’t always get it perfect, but then again golf
is not a perfect game. I make decisions based on education and things I know have worked for me
in the past. All golf courses are different and can react differently to the same products and practic-
es. Even on our course, green to green can act differently. Things like shade, water quality, and the
grass plants themselves being different species, i.e. (Annual bluegrass vs. bentgrass) all effect con-
sistency and how well a ball rolls across a green. I love the challenge of trying to figure all this stuff
out and we never stop learning or looking for things to bring more consistency, playability, and ease
to achieving it. Thanks for the opportunity to try. None of this is written to offer an excuse for im-
perfection when we aren’t firm, fast, or smooth enough, but rather to bring some informative insight
to some of our practices for those interested in the subject. It is a balancing act where everything
has to work together. It is all part of the game we love to play which occurs on an outdoor very dy-
namic living field.
Have fun out there!
Derek Hofer
Page 5 The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
From the Superintendent
Golf I is a painting by Jim Grady
Jim Grady is figurative, still life, wildlife, landscape and sports
painter using oil medium
Page 6 The Divot Volume 20 Issue 8
From the ladies League
TUESDAYS ARE LADIES DAY AT GREEN MEADOW COUNTRY CLUB – PLEASE JOINT US
WOW!!!!!! Another month on the golf course. July was hot and we have August coming up.
We held the Grannies Tournament on July 30th. Congratulations to Jan Paulsen(Granny winner)
and Mary Bryson. A fun time was held by all and I want to congratulate all of you grannies.
Thanks go to Mary Bryson for Helping to pull this together.
I’d like to shout out to the ladies that played in the state tournament in Bozeman: Mary Bryson,
June Briceno and Jinny Kerr. I understand that they had a great time playing with ladies from all
over the state. I also understand that the greens were very large and fast. Next year the state
tournament is going to be held in Great Falls at the Meadowlark Country Club at the end of July
20201. I hope all of you ladies mark your calendars.
Upcoming in August are some great events. August 8th
and 9th
will be the Club Championship. I
encourage everyone to play as it is a fun event and a time to play with other members.
We also have the Gre-Bil match play event scheduled for August 15th
and 16th
. It is our annual competition with the Bill Roberts Ladies Association. We hope to retain the trophy. Please call Jan Paulsen 431-4597 or Jan’s email at [email protected] if interested. We love to have all you great ladies participate. The final fun event is the Member-Member tournament at the end of the month – August 22-23
rd.
It is a great time to invite another member to play with you in this team event. It is similar to the
member-guest, only way more fun of course because we ladies participate. Be on the lookout for
more information from the club.
Come join us any Tuesday --- morning or evening for a fun time with some great ladies!!!!
Linda Cockhill, President
Women Golfers
By
JC Leyendecker
Over the course of his artistic ca-
reer, Leyendecker completed 322 illustra-
tions for The Saturday Evening Post and
countless others for magazines such as
The American Weekly, Success, and Col-
lier's. ... His work brought him financial suc-
cess and international notoriety during the
golden age of American illustration.
Page 7 The Divot Volume 20, Issue 8
GMCC Handicap Committee
The Rules Corner
This month in the Rules Corner I thought I would talk a bit about the Pace of Play. With so many
new members at Green Meadow (welcome to you all!!) we may find ourselves on a busy course, try-
ing to finish that 9 or 18 in less than the 2 or 4 hours allotted. What are some things that we can do
to encourage all players to be aware of their own “pace of play”?
Play at Good Pace and Keep Up. It is a group’s responsibility to keep up with the group in front of
them. If there is a clear hole ahead of your group and you are delaying the group behind, con-
sider letting that group play through. Remember, we are looking ahead – keeping pace with
the group ahead, not behind.
Be Ready to Play. You should be ready to play as soon as it is your turn to play. We use the term
“ready golf.” To be ready, get to your ball quickly, determine the distance and club you intend to
use, and address the ball as soon as it safe to do so (others in your group have hit their ball and it
is your turn). Then “hit away.” Leave the putting green as soon as play on the hole is completed,
and move to the next teeing ground.
Lost ball. I discussed this situation last month, but it is worth repeating as I believe we have a lot of
lost balls at Green Meadow. .
If you think you may have lost your ball, you should first play a provisional from the point you
last hit your ball. If you find your first ball (within the 3-minute timeline), you must play
that ball. If not, play your provisional, applying the stroke and distance penalty.
Local Rule E-5. At Green Meadow we have adopted a local rule for a lost ball. In lieu of the
stroke and distance rule, if you believe your ball is lost, you can take a two-stroke penalty
and drop a ball in the fairway at the point where you believe your ball may be lost. This
helps us speed up play. Be aware that this rule may not apply during tournament play.
Recently I had the opportunity to apply the Lost Ball local rule. It led to some questions by my play-
ing partners on just how that worked, especially since we are allowed to drop our ball in the fair-
way. I like to think of it in terms of playing a provisional (as far as strokes go), but not having to go
back and hit from the spot that I last hit. Let me know if you have questions, or feel free to talk with
Chad or Ryan to clarify any of these rules.
Mary Bryson
Page 8 The Divot Volume 20, Issue 8
Events & Marketing Manager Greetings Friends,
I hope you enjoy the golf art that is featured throughout the Divot. All artist names or source are listed for your information and reference.
The Cover was created by Val Gregory. Awesome Golf is a 1991 golf video game developed by Hand Made Software and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe exclusively for the Atari Lynx.
[1][2] The first project to be
created by Hand Made Software, players have the choice to compete either solo or against other human players using the console's ComLynx system on matches set in any of the three available countries across any of the game modes available. Its gameplay mainly uses a two-button configuration.
I hope the golf art inspire you to share your favorite golf story. Whether your story entails family history, a funny occurrence, something strange or touching. Please send your stories and or photos to Kristina Smith at GMCC Events [email protected]
My Best to You All & Wishes for Many Blessings!
Kristina Smith
GMCC Events and Marketing Specialist
(406)442-5750 ext. [email protected]
406-868-7914 cell
Animator Art Babbit is credited
for developing his character. In a
1930s lecture, Babbitt described
the character as: "Think of the
Goof as a composite of an ever-
lasting optimist, a gullible Good
Samaritan, a half-wit, a shiftless,
good-natured hick".
Hi!
I am pleased to announce that we will be able to go forward with a Rally for the Cure event this year! Of course it will be somewhat different to accommodate for the restrictions in place due to Covid-19. We will still have a Ladies 9-Hole Evening Scramble but without the gathering prior for golf contests or after for an Awards Banquet. Instead we will notify winners the following day and get them their priz-es. We will ask for players to arrive no more than 30 minutes before the 5:30 p.m. start and to leave following their round.
We are also designating the whole day as RALLY DAY. To help make up from some of the lost fundrais-ing opportunities that won't be happening with the restrictions, we are encouraging anyone to play prior to the scramble and make a $20 donation. The donation will make you eligible to win any of the hole prizes. GMCC has generously offered to reduce green fees for nonmembers to $20 to come out and play. This is a great opportunity to invite some friends who are not members to come play with you and help support this cause. They will also be asked to make the $20 donation to be qualified for the hole prizes.
Besides golfers, we also need sponsors. There are opportunities for individuals and businesses. Please see the flyer that describes the different ways you could help support Rally Day. For only $10 you can have a sign on the Wall of Honor to recognize a survivor, be in memory of a family member or friend or in dedication to all those who have fought the breast cancer battle.
Please contact me with any questions you may have regarding Rally Day 2020.
Jena Sabatini
Rally Coordinator
Cell - 406.461.8784
Page 9 The Divot Volume 20, Issue 8
Green Meadow Country Club - Tuesday, August 4th
Sponsorship Request
Hole Sponsor: $75 Each Quantity ______ Total $________ (Choose 2 to be visible to all golfers. Front 9 & Back
9 holes.)
Wall of Honor Sponsor: $10 Each Quantity ______ Total $________
Please check which option(s) you would like your sign(s) to say for Wall of Honor:
___ In Recognition of Survivor (List Name of Person) ________________________________________
___ In Memory of (List Name of Person)__________________________________________________
___In Dedication to All Who Have Fought the Battle
Raffle Sponsor: Donate item/basket of $75 & up value (Please describe item)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Hole Prize Sponsor: $25 Each Quantity ______ Total $________ or donate two identical items of $25 & up val-
ue
(Please describe item)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Golfer Goody Bag Contributor: Donate 120 golf or breast cancer related items (Please describe item)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Please fill in Sponsor Information:
Name:____________________________________ Company________________________________________
Email:_____________________________________________________________________________________
Address:___________________________________________________________________________________
City_______________________ ST______ Zip_______________ Phone_______________________________
To pay with a credit card, visit www.funeventsmt.com. Checks can be made out to Susan G Komen and mailed to: Fun Events
Attn: Jena Sabatini
1000 Strawberry Drive
Helena, MT 59601
Questions? Please contact Jena Sabatini-Event Coordinator @ 461-8784 or [email protected].
GMCC Club Championship
Charles M. Schulz, the creator of ''Peanuts,'' the tender and sage comic strip starring Charlie
Brown and Snoopy that is read by 355 million people around the world
August 22nd & 23rd
MEMBER MEMBER
Home Our Story
In 1989, Bert and John Jacobs designed their first tee shirt. They knew nothing about the business.
For five years, the brothers hawked tee shirts in the streets of Boston and traveled the East Coast, selling door-to-door in college dormitories. They collected some good stories, but were not very prosperous. They lived on peanut butter and jelly, slept in their van, and showered when they could. Chicks were not impressed.
Original Jake drawing, July 1994 By the Fall of 1994, heading home from a long, less-than-fruitful roadtrip, Bert and John were desperately searching for answers to keep the dream alive. Little did they know, the only answer they needed was back in Bos-ton, hanging up on their apartment wall. Jake's contagious grin, simple as it was, seemed to express everything the Jacobs brothers believed in. First day ever selling Life is good, Cambridge Street Fair, September 1994One fateful September day, they printed up 48 Jake shirts for a local street fair in Cambridge, Mas-sachusetts. They laid the shirts out on their rickety card table. By noontime, all 48 of those tees were gone. A star was born. Soon Jake was introduced to local retailers, and his simple message of optimism was embraced like nothing the brothers had ever seen. As demand for product soared, Jake's team grew, and the Little Brand That Could began to spread across America. Today, the New England based brand stays close to its roots, with an emphasis on sim-plicity, humor and humility. Through Life is good Festivals, positive products, and a steady dose of ping pong, Jake's crew does its best to keep the good vibes flowing.
LIFE
IS
GOOD
Fun
Trivia
GMCC STAFF
Tod Fitterer…….……...……….…………..………....General Manager
Chad Carlson………...……………………...…...PGA Golf Professional
Derek Hofer…………..….....……………..Golf Course Superintendent
Tom Hayes…….…………………………………….Facilities Manager
April Greene…………………………………………...Office Manager
Jeff Hiel…….……………………….…….Food and Beverage Manager
Kristina Smith………….………………..Events & Marketing Manager
Visit our website at www.gmcchelena.com
Mark Burzynski..…..….……………..………………………..President
Mike Wong.. …….…………………………...……….....Vice President
Steve Fawcett....………………..…………….….......................Treasurer
Mary Bryson…………………………………………………..Secretary
VJ Maddio * Dan Mazurek * Jeannie Etchart
IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS
You may reach all departments of the club…………………442-5750
www.gmcchelena.com
Clubhouse Hours Monday –Sunday 8 AM– 8 PM
Dining and Take Out Monday –Sunday 9 am—9 pm
Reservations Required
Pro-Shop Hours Monday –Sunday 7AM-7 PM
Please Make Tee Times
Pool Hours Monday –Sunday 11AM-8PM
Page 12 The Divot Volume 20, Issue 8
August 2020 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31 MCU Coop
GMCC
Bowling
Dan
Henry
Member
Member
Event
Mem-
ber Kiwanis
Board
Member
Event “T”
Rally for Cure
Grannies
Tournament
GMCC
Club Champ
La-
dies
Ladies
League
Ladies
League
Ladies
League
Men's
League
Men's
League
Men's
League
Men's
League
GMCC
Club Champ
Kiwanis
ST Peters
Tourney
GMCC
Member Member
GMCC JV Tourney
Gre-Bill
Gre-Bill
Junior Club Champs