If it's the fall, it must be time to overseed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The fall brings clear skies, changing leaves and lower humidity throughout the North Carolina Piedmont. It also used to mean overseeding and aerification at many courses from Charlotte to Raleigh.

But a number of high-end daily fee Metrolina courses, like the Stonebridge Golf Club in Mineral Springs and Birkdale Golf Club in Huntersville, are opting for green aerification only while allowing Bermuda fairways, tee boxes and rough to go dormant. Other courses, like the Ballantyne Resort course in south Charlotte, overseed tee boxes only.

A straw poll of a handful of local area superintendents reveals the reason why: it's just not worth it. A heavy rye grass overseed often inhibits the regrowth of Bermuda grass in the late spring and early summer. Because Charlotte relies primarily on local play during the winter months, supers and golf directors are not worried about appealing to traveling golfer's need for lush green playing surfaces.

It's a different story in the nearby Sandhills region, however. A majority of the courses in the golf rich towns of Pinehurst, Southern Pines, and Aberbeen overseed for the winter. While fall and spring are the peak seasons in this golf mecca, the winter shoulder season still appeals to traveling golfers on a budget.

As far as aerification of bentgrass greens; the majority of Piedmont courses punched greens over the past two weeks, and putting surfaces should be in optimum condition by the end of the month.

Bill Miller honored at Club at Longview

A lot of friends of the late Bill Miller of Charlotte will be on hand Friday, Sept. 26, at the new Club at Longview in Charlotte for a charity outing that will honor Miller's memory. An avid Tar Heel fan, Miller died last year of cancer.

Former basketball coaches Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge will be in the captain's choice event along with ex-cagers Bobby Jones and Dell Curry and a host of other dignitaries. They will play the new Jack Nicklaus-designed course that is getting rave reviews. The course opens officially on Oct. 20 with an exhibition by Nicklaus.

All proceeds will go to the Hospice of Avery County and the Grandfather Home for Children.

Old North State retains Audubon distinction

The Old North State Club on Badin Lake has retained its designation as a "Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" for the third straight year. The course is one of 450 around the world that was cited for its outstanding efforts to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat and protect natural resources. The ONS course is rated as the second best in North Carolina by the panel of North Carolina Magazine.

Tidewater Golf Club praised in Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated (SI), the nation's top sports weekly, recognized Tidewater Golf Club as "Myrtle Beach's top course" in its September 8, 2003 issue. In its announcement that it has designated Myrtle Beach as "South Carolina's Sportstown" in conjunction with SI's 50th birthday, the magazine ran a photo of one of Tidewater's most picturesque holes with the caption: "The 12th hole at Tidewater, Myrtle Beach's top course."

SI has more than 3 million subscribers and estimates that it is read by more than 20 million people each week. Its recognition of Tidewater is the latest in a long list of kudos that the course has received since its opening in 1990 when Golf Magazine ranked it among the nation's "Top 10" new courses and Golf Digest recognized it as "best new course." Dubbed "The Pebble Beach of the East" by golf writers, Tidewater's recent honors include "Top 100 Places You Can Play" (Golf Magazine, 2002); "Top 75 Resorts in America" (Golf Digest, 2002); and 4 1/2 stars in "Places To Play" (2002-2003).

The new Lost Chimney Golf Learning and Performance Center at Mountain Air Country Club

Presently, the center offers a practice area consisting of bent-grass tee areas, elevated above the practice fairway that has four target greens identified by in-ground tee granite yardage markers and a "lesson tee" at the opposite end of the fairway.

The indoor facilities include a Golf Shop, 4 indoor 15'x15' hitting bays with heat, lighting and fans and a state-of-the-art video room featuring the V-1 Coaching System which is used by many top-rated golf instructors and academies, including Butch Harmon's programs. The video room (18'x18') has four cameras and studio lighting, all designed to give the student immediate feedback for optimum learning and video take-home capacity as well.

The Short Game Area features a putting green of 6,000 sf with 3 distinct putting levels surrounded by 4 bunkers, fairway-length chipping areas, rough chipping areas and 2 tees to practice 50-90 yard pitch shots. This spectacular short game area has been designed to replicate virtually any shot that will be encountered at Mountain Air.

The Lost Chimneys Sports Village will be completed in 2005 and will include a Golf Cabin, restaurant and clubhouse, 4 tennis courts, 2 swimming pools and new putting complex.

September 17, 2003