Dear Member,
Weather this spring has been unusually dry, and we are currently 4 inches behind in rainfall for the year Dan and his team have been working hard to prepare the course for a great season. Large areas on the right side of #5, and by the cart path on #7, that were seeded in the fall are coming in nicely. Please obey signs and roped-off areas to protect them as they knit in The irrigation system has been pressured up, and we are fine tuning everything before the summer heat arrives
We are gearing up for a very busy summer at Holly Hills The Memorial Day Hilltop Celebration is on Saturday, May 24, and it is the perfect way to kick off summer Come out to enjoy outstanding food and drinks, games, a magician/balloon artist, airbrush tattoo artist, inflatable activities, and an impressive fireworks display to end the evening. The Memorial Day Pool Party is another great event to kick off the summer Please join us to enjoy a poolside buffet with ice-cold drinks, DJ, and cornhole
Renovations in the pool house are almost complete. New ceiling tiles, vanities, LED lighting, paint and ceiling fans look fantastic
Our pool management company has been working hard getting the pool ready for the season It has been drained, pressure washed, deep cleaned and filled. Turf improvements inside and outside of the pool area continued last fall, and the pool area looks great The new pool sign-in process we launched last year worked well and will continue this summer Members and guests will enter the pool through the gate on the snack bar side of the facility and will be greeted by a team member who will collect their information.
The racquet facility officially opened on April 1 The furniture, tent, water cooler and windscreens have been reinstalled, and the courts are ready for action. We are working to schedule additional events including private lessons, group clinics and pick up events We will share the details soon
Locker Room towels must remain in the locker rooms Please place them in the hamper after use Please be sure to leave the black golf cart towels in your golf cart after your round. Range balls are for range use only and not permitted for use on the golf course. The driving range is designed for longer shots (over 200 yards) to be directed towards the right side of the range Please be sure to follow our Dress Code Policies outlined in our Rules & Customs.
This is the perfect time to refer a friend to join the Club We have a great referral program, the Champions of Growth Referral awards include guest passes, an invitation to the year-end grand celebration and the opportunity to win six months free dues in the year end raffle. As you see new faces around the Club, please be sure to welcome them to the Holly Hills family Please reach out to our Membership Director, Trish Flora, at tflora@hollyhillsgolfcom for additional information
Mike Barrett, CGCS General Manager
RESTAURANT MENUS
I look forward to seeing you around the club. CLUB EVENTS
DINING SURVEY
Our golf course maintenance team has now fully transitioned into golf season! This means we are fully focused on daily golf course preparation and the conditioning of the playing surfaces. In addition to golf course maintenance, we are also seeing a lot of green grass and plant material coming to life around the clubhouse, tennis and pool areas In the coming weeks, we will be installing our annual flowers and getting things ready to open the pool.
Each spring seems to bring different challenges to which we must adjust and adapt our maintenance practices to. A few of our major hurdles we must attend to each spring are poa annua seedhead suppression on greens, pre-emergent applications throughout the property, and greens aeration I will begin by saying we have had great success this spring in controlling the seedhead development of our poa annua populations on our putting surfaces Our putting greens, as most in the midAtlantic region, are a mix of creeping bentgrass and poa annua (annual bluegrass) Creeping bentgrass needs warmer weather than poa annua in order to grow at a normal rate but will not produce any seedheads when mowed at greens height Poa annua, on the other hand, will produce mass amounts of seedheads (or inflorescence for the botanists out there) typically in March and April To prevent or reduce the disturbance to ball roll which these seedheads can cause, we are able to spray the greens with a plant growth regulator For this application the timing is critical and is based on the warming of the air and the soils, day length, soil moisture, etc With these applications in early to mid-March, we were able to keep our greens nice and smooth
Greens aeration can be a touchy subject for anyone who enjoys playing golf on smooth greens
The 3 main goals of greens aeration are to relieve soil compaction, remove organic matter, and promote root growth. Organic matter builds up naturally over time and if not managed properly can cause a spongy, soft layer on the top surface of the putting green Some factors which increase organic matter are sunlight, water, and fertilizer Basically, if your plants are growing, they are producing organic matter, so it’s not a bad thing to
have some Our aeration plan will vary each season and each year based on our observations and lab testing of the soil’s organic matter If we can properly manage our inputs such as fertilizer and irrigation, then we can usually reduce the amount of disruption we create when we aerate This spring we used small coring tines (25” diameter holes), cleaned up the cores and brushed in a moderate amount of sand into these holes. The greens responded very well to this process and were smoothed out quickly with repeated rolling with our greens roller
Our pre-emergent herbicide application began in early April. This year we will be applying the product through our large area sprayers As of the writing of this article, we have sprayed a total of 85 acres of the property with a product made to prevent crabgrass and other summer annual weeds. Having the ability to apply this product through a sprayer is extremely accurate and very cost-effective Although it is time consuming, the result will be less crabgrass for golfers to hit out of, and less crabgrass for us to try to kill later in the summer For these products to work properly, they need to be applied before the weed germinates The product needs to be watered in or receive rainfall to activate it in the soil, meaning our areas of the course without irrigation in the rough need to be sprayed in advance of a rain event – which we haven’t had much of lately
As our seasonal grounds team is getting rounded out, we will be training our operators daily on how to achieve the best possible result whether they are mowing greens, changing cups, or filling tee divots If you see our team while you are playing, please be patient, as many of them do not have much experience and it is sometimes difficult to see golfers coming up from certain angles on the course Also, please help us out by fixing EVERY ball mark and raking your bunker footprints whenever you play. Whether you are playing a late afternoon 9-hole round, or a competitive weekend round, it is always important to try to leave the golf course in the same condition you found it
I hope to see you on the course soon.
Dan Wildeman, GCS Course & Grounds Superintendent
Dear Member
Spring is in full swing, and we couldn’t ask for better weather to enjoy the game we all love. The golf course is in outstanding condition greens are rolling true, fairways are pristine, and the overall playability is exceptional thanks to the hard work of our dedicated Course & Grounds Team If you see them while out on the course, please say thank you for all they’ve done to keep our course in fantastic shape!
It’s been wonderful to see our female members so active on the golf course with normal play and our Operation 36 programs. While we are disappointed the weather didn’t cooperate for the Ladies Opening Day (twice!), we are really excited about all the upcoming events like Game Night, The Black Eyed Susan, as well as Ladies Nights on Wednesdays, starting the first week of May.
We’ve had a fantastic start to the season with several great events Men’s Opening Day set the tone with a strong field and great energy. The Captain’s Cup showcased some excellent competition, while our March Madness Match Play was welcomed at Holly Hills as a new event. The field for 1977 Cup is set and our season-long Two-Man match play is underway We’ve also officially kicked off our popular Tuesday Night Men’s Twilight League, and it’s been wonderful seeing so many familiar faces back enjoying golf in the evening hours
The Golf team is proud to report that our Junior Golf Program is off to a strong and enthusiastic start this season.OurPGAJr.Leagueteamhas begun practice, and the energy and commitment these young players bring is truly inspiring They’re working hard, learning quickly, and getting ready for what promises to be an exciting season of matches ahead
Whether you’re here to compete, practice, or play a casual round, we encourage everyone to make the mostoftheseason
As a friendly reminder, please be sure to check in at the golf shop before your round, even if you’re walking or heading straight to the first tee This helps us manage pace of play, monitor tee sheet activity, and provide the best possible experience for everyone. Also, we kindly ask all members and guests to be in proper golf attire while on the course and when using practice facilities. All members and guests should always have their shirts include the shirt tails tucked in Maintaining our dress code standards reflects the pride we take in our club and ensures a welcoming environment for all
We’re looking forward to seeing yo around the club and out on th course If there’s anything our go team can assist with lesson fittings, or event info please don hesitatetoreachout.
