Golf News
Life doesn't get much better than summertime at BCC! The golf course is lush, green, and fast. The kids are splashing around the pool. Long days lead into tremendous sunsets. We have had a great start to summertime 2024 and we are just getting started.
The month of June started off with the Senior Men's Member Guest, which was ultimately won by Ken Travis and his partner, Steve Mullins. The Men's Member-Guest, aka The Stakes, was later in the month with Eric Sams and Patrick Dolan becoming first-time champions. June also saw the continuation of the PGA Jr. League, and so far team BCC has been on a roll with a 4-1 record through the end of the month.
Guest play is now permitted on a limited basis, and the feedback from these golfers playing the new course for the first time has been tremendous. If you are bringing guests to play, please remember to check in with the Golf Shop before your round. As a reminder, all guest fees must be charged to a member account.
As we look forward to July, one of the necessary evils returns in the form of greens aerification which will take place July 8-10. On the flip side, we recently announced the lifting of cart path-only restrictions. Please remember to keep your golf carts out of the native grass areas and at least 30 yards away from all greens and tees. We will be monitoring the impacts of increased cart traffic and will make adjustments accordingly. Thank you to Brad Erickson and his team for allowing us this opportunity and keeping the golf course in such great shape.
We also took one more step towards the return of fully normal golf operations by changing tee time intervals from 12 minutes back to 10 minutes. As the second half of the year is upon us, we now look forward to the rest of the tournament schedule which will include the Calcutta, Club Championships, Member/Member, Thursday night league play, and both 9HL and 18HL Member/Guests just to highlight a few.
Remember to come see us in the Golf Shop to take advantage of great savings with the Buyers Club program as well as some new and exciting summer merchandise.
Tommy Baxter Head Golf Professional
The Stakes: June 20th - 22nd
Junior Golf Corner
PGA Junior League Mid-Season Update
The PGA Junior League competed in five matches during the month of June. Four of those matches were at home and our BCC juniors enjoyed the home course advantage. Our first away match of the season was at Richland Moving into July, our team is 4-1 with four matches to go! It has been great to see our team learn something each match and grow over the course of the season!
Thank you to all members for your support of our junior golf activities! As a reminder, all home matches will begin at 5:00 PM, so the tee sheet will be “blocked” beginning at 3:00 PM on match days All play will resume at 5:10 PM on hole 10 We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding as we provide our juniors with more on-course opportunities than ever before! BCC Junior golf is heating up!
Summer Camps
Summer Camp 1 and 2 are in the books! Campers enjoyed physical activity stations, golf skill stations, numerous water breaks, snacks, and fun activities to end each day of camp Summer camp is a great way to introduce your young golfers to the game! All of our campers have the opportunity to learn etiquette, technique, and meet new friends The emphasis is on fun experiences at the club, not just the nuts and bolts of the swing!
We have one more camp this summer. Summer Camp 3 will be held Monday, July 22 through Friday, July 26. The camp will incur slight disturbances to some of the practice facilities each day. We will do our best to keep it to a minimum.
Summer Camp 3 Information Register for Summer Camp 3
Inaugural Junior Member-Guest
The Inaugural Junior Member-Guest will be held on Saturday, July 6. The tournament committee, chaired by BCC junior golfer and BHS rising Junior, Graham O’Neal, has planned a great event! All participants will receive multiple tee gifts (commonly referred to as a “ swag pack”), lunch before play, snacks/beverages on the golf course, and dinner following play. During dinner, we will crown the Overall Champions and award all prizes.
For more information on the 2024 BCC Junior Golf Programs, please visit our website www bcctn org, or contact Andrew (andrew@bccgolf org)
Coaches Corner
Understanding Attack Angle and Low Point
Many golfers have been lead to believe that being steep is bad for their short game! We associate hitting the ground behind the ball with steep and conversely, topping the ball with shallow! These assumptions are many times, but not always, incorrect! If you struggle with contact, trajectory control, and creating spin in the short game, defining attack angle and low point is key in understanding how steepness, or shallowness, can help! Take a moment to read the information below, from Trackman:
ATTACK ANGLE
When you hear someone talk about hitting down or up on the ball, they’re referring to Attack Angle A negative number means the club is traveling downward at impact, while a positive number means the club is traveling upward at impact.
Key insight: For iron shots, a negative number (hitting downward) is typically preferred, whereas drives tend to benefit from a positive number (hitting upward). To determine the ideal numbers for your swing, consider consulting your local Trackman coach.
LOW POINT
This number is accompanied by an A or B after the value, indicating After or Before It denotes the moment when you reach the lowest point in your swing In simpler terms, it reveals whether you make contact with the ball before or after hitting the ground For instance, if you're hitting a 7-iron and the low point number has a B, you are striking the ground before reaching the ball.
Key insight: Iron shots typically benefit from an A, signifying that you strike the ball before hitting the ground. Conversely, when it comes to the driver, a B is preferable. This implies that the lowest point occurs before striking the ball, and your club is ascending (positive Attack Angle) at impact. This generally results in a higher launch because the ball is teed up
Using the definitions and insight from Trackman, a steeper (more downward) angle of attack moves the low point after the ball, promoting ball first contact! If the swing arc is too shallow as it approaches impact, there is a higher probability of hitting the ground before contact and getting a medium (dirt, grass, sand) between the ball and the clubface That medium makes the contact, ball speed, and spin less predictable The table below compares steep and shallow attack angles, and how they pertain to the big three in the short game (Contact, trajectory, and spin)
When contact suffers, the short game becomes total guess work. Next month, we will discuss a few technique adjustments to improve your contact in chipping and pitching.
If you want to learn more about angle of attack and low point control, contact Andrew (andrew@bccgolf.org), or book a lesson with one of our many knowledgeable PGA professionals!
See you on the range, Andrew Kincaid
PGA Director of Player Development
Golf Course Maintenance
BCC Members, Summer is in full swing and I hope you've been enjoying the club this year. July will be a very busy month for us, as we will be aerifying greens and tees and verticutting fairways right after the holiday weekend. We will be using a similar size coring tine (hole) as we have typically done in the past, and that will ensure the greens will heal and return to normal rapidly. In fact, we have already aerified #1 and #10 greens earlier this year, and they healed very quickly, so I expect very little disruption to your golfing experience. We will also be finishing up and planting the new nursery green on #5, and it will be nice to have that area filled in and usable in the near future. Our team continues to work on fine-tuning our grow-in, sodding small areas, adjusting some native areas, and trying to ensure your golfing experience is second to none. We have enjoyed growing, grooming and getting to know our new golf course and the challenges it presents. We hope you have too.
We hope you enjoyed your 4th of July celebrations and we look forward to seeing you on the links!
Brad Erickson Golf Course Superintendent
From the Kitchen
Hello BCC Members,
Welcome to summertime here at the club and things are heating up. We are coming off a wonderful month of June, with the pool in full swing, golf course blooming, busy restaurants and our nations holiday just days away, what exciting times. On July 18th, we are hosting our second annual “Lobster Night” and starting July 6, we will bring back our popular Saturday Seafood Platter. This bounty of fresh seafood will have a mixed bag of offerings. We will have at least 3 different species of fish paired with simple accoutrements. The price will be $25 and we will be preparing a limited amount each week (depends on weekly demand), so pre-order yours so to reserve it as last year this was a popular dish. We will offer this Saturday Seafood Platter through August, so don’t miss out.
We want to take a second to thank you, Brentwood Country Club Members, for the support you show us by utilizing your club. We are working hard to elevate our service and expectations through nightly meetings and staff coaching. As we address issues, we all understand this is a perpetual process. We will not let our guard down as the next dinner served is the most important one. If you have any requests, please don’t hesitate to reach out and allow us to fulfill your wishes.
Take Care and see you around the club.
Sincerely,
Chef Perry Seal Culinary Director
Summer Musical Quotes: Summer, it turns me upside down. Summer, Summer, Summer…it’s like a Merry go Round. Red and White. . Blue suede shoes. . I’m Uncle Sam….how do you do?
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