Coach's Corner: September 2020

There are many things that separate the best players in the world from the general golfing public. Let’s state the first obvious one, no one is paying the majority of golfers to play and practice. Golf is most likely a past time and a hobby for you and you do not have the time or resources to devote like the elite do. The second thing is how strong their mental game is.

I would like you to take a second and look over the multiplication table below. After you look over it, think about what you see before you read on.

9x1= 9	9x6= 54
9x2= 18	9x7= 63
9x3= 20	9x8= 72
9x4= 36	9x9= 81
9x5= 45	9x10= 90

I hope that you took some time and studied the chart before you read on. If not, please go back before you continue.

When you looked over the basic multiplication table, you should have picked up on the mistake. I do know that 9x3= 27, not 20, and I am sure that you know that as well. That should have stuck out to you and you may have focused on that.

The point of this and how this should change how you think about golf is as follows…Did you give me credit for getting 9 out of 10 right, or did you focus on that one mistake

What we need to do as golfers, is praise all the good, acknowledge the mistake, but focus on all the positive. Golfers are way too hard on themselves and the mistakes they make and do not think about all the positives.

Most people will remember Bubba Watson's incredible hook out of the trees at Augusta that lead him to win the masters. That shot is shown a lot as well as a ton of other recovery shots that other pros have hit. Rarely does any talk about the terrible shot that put the pro into that position. Bubba was 40-50 yards off the center of the fairway, deep in the wood on the right. TERRIBLE TEE SHOT! But the focus in on the recovery.

I ask you that you try and not get angry, and perseverate on the bad shots, but praise yourself on the good. Remember this game should be fun and relaxing. Try to laugh more than you swing!

The Coaches Corner is brought to you by our Oaks Course Golf Pro, Brad Patton. Brad is the Lead Staff Instructor and PGA Assistant Golf Professional. He has real a passion for golf and instruction and has been part of the Oaks Course team for several years.

24 September 2020

TURF TALK: Greens Aerification

What’s the Science?

One of the biggest questions regarding greens aerification is “what is the purpose of it”? Let’s discuss the science behind greens aerification, and why it is beneficial for the long term health of the greens.

As greens age, they are constantly accumulating a layer of organic material (old plant material) between the soil surface and putting surface. This accumulation of material, called thatch, creates a sponge like consistency which negatively affects the plant as well as the performance of the green (speed and firmness). An increase in thatch makes the plant more susceptible to diseases by retaining water, and negatively affects the playability by making the greens soft. Aerification is an effective way to reduce the amount of thatch that accumulates over time. Although there may seem to be holes covering the putting surface, only about 10% of the turf is impacted. Reducing the thatch layer through Aerification, verticutting and topdressing will result in firmer, smoother greens.

Thatch management is only one of the many benefits of aerification. During the process of aerification, a heavy layer of sand is distributed across the green. The sand is used to fill the holes and make the putting surface smooth again, but there is a significant benefit from applying the sand. The newly applied sand will help create new channels for air, water, and nutrients to get down into the rootzone of the plant. This will increase the root length, ultimately leading to a stronger, healthier plant.

Aerification is not a celebrated process for any golf enthusiast, but it is very beneficial to the long term health and playability of the putting surfaces.

16 September 2020

Buffet and Bloody Mary's

Although it’s only February of the new year, we have been planning for all of the events and new ideas for the members and guests at the Oaks Course that we would like to offer this year. The staff of Putters want to thank you for your patronage of the restaurant and give you a sneak peek at some the ideas we have.

Beginning Saturday, March 14^th, we will be introducing a breakfast buffet every Saturday for you to enjoy. The buffet will consist of biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage and seasonal fruit, coffee, orange juice and water for $10.00 per person. We will also be featuring a “Bloody Mary Bar” for our guests who want a Saturday morning pick me up and go, go, go! We will have all of the extras to make yours just the way you want them.

Just hang in there until March and we plan on making your morning a great one at Putters. I hope you are as excited as we are.

26 February 2020

TURF TALK: Winter Projects

Winter is the time of year that the turfcare staff tackles projects that we otherwise could not get to during the growing season. These can range from tree work to small construction projects. Some projects that we have completed already this winter are:

Tree/Underbrush removal to the right of #8 green
Underbrush removal to the right of #12 tee complex
Detail mowing around all lake and creek banks

We have a few more projects that are either in progress or will begin in the next few weeks. These include

Subsurface drainage project behind #11 green (In Progress)
Subsurface drainage project behind and to the right of #17 green (In Progress)
Tree Removal to the right of #6 tee box
Bunker renovation #8,14,17 green

We plan to have all of these projects completed by the end of March, just in time for Masters week.

Turf Talk is brought to you by Oaks Course Superintendent, John Fields. Stay tuned for more about the turf of our course and additional information as we roll out this new blog series!

18 February 2020

Coach’s Corner February 2020

Indoor Quarter Drill

Georgia weather is something special. One day it is 70 degrees and the next it cold and raining, or like today, snowing. This does not mean that you cannot work on your game inside, and this drill is perfect for you to practice impact!

All you need is a wedge, carpet and a quarter

We have all heard that you need to “hit down” to make the ball go up, but rarely do people do this with a basic chip shot. They try and help the ball in the air and flip their hands at the ball. When this happens, the best case is good contact with way too much loft. The worst case, and what happens most often, is hitting the shot fat or blading it across the green. It is very hard to be consistent with a flipping motion.

For this drill, place a quarter on the ground and practice your chipping motion, trying to hit the quarter across the room (advanced drill is trying to hit the quarter into a bucket). If you flip your hands at the quarter, you will pass the head of the club over top of the quarter, and if you are too steep, the quarter will not have much of a forward motion.

The left picture shows that the club head has been flipped and the shaft is leaning away from the target. The club passes over the quarter and it didn’t move. The right picture shows the shaft leaning forward with the leading edge of the club catching the quarter. This is the same impact that you want to have when chipping a golf ball.

If you can learn to chip a quarter off of the ground, chipping a ball will be a lot easier and much more consistent.

Hope this helps!
Coach Brad

11 February 2020