UPCOMING EVENTS
May
| Date | Event |
| 01 | New Rates and Dues |
| 02 | George Strait Concert |
| 04 | Blue Ridge Co Op Invitational (9am shotgun) |
| 05 | Regional High School Tournament (PM tee times) |
| 06 | Clemson Chemical Engineering Outing (PM tee times) |
| 07 | CAFLS Tournament (9:30am shotgun) |
| 11 | Course Closed for Maintenance |
| 14 | Senior Interclub Match (AM tee times) |
| 15-16 | MEMBER INVITATIONAL |
| 18 | Open Monday (11AM) |
| 19 | PING Demo Day (PM) |
| 25 | Open Monday (11AM) |
| 28 | Mizuno Fitting Day (1PM-5PM) |
| 30 | Arthrex Corporate Outing (2PM shotgun) |
June
| Date | Event |
| 01 | Course Closed / Shop Open |
| 06-10 | Clemson Golf Camp Week 1 |
| 08 | Course Closed / Shop Open Senior Interclub Match (AM tee times) |
| 13 | Ping Demo Day (10AM) |
| 13-17 | Clemson Golf Camp Week 2 |
| 15 | Course Closed / Shop Open Senior Interclub Match (AM tee times) Super Senior Interclub Match (AM tee times) |
| 20 | MEMBER-MEMBER |
| 22-26 | Course Closed Annual Full Course Maintenance Course Open (Recovery Conditions) |
| 29 | Course Closed / Shop Open |
GOLF PRO NEWS
Brent Jessup, PGA Head Golf Professional
Member Invitational
Our 30th annual Member Invitational Championship will take place on Friday evening and Saturday morning (May 15/16). Walker Course “members” may either invite a guest or play with another Walker Course member as their partner. Both players must play from the same color tee markers and have a current GHIN handicap index to compete in the net division.
Practice rounds are available Monday through Friday, the week before the tournament, for a cart fee charge only. The first official function (Low Country Boil Cookout) gets underway on Friday afternoon at 5:30pm on the Solé patio for players only. Following the “boil”, teams will be committee-paired to form a foursome for nine holes of “adventure golf.” The best two (of four) scores “combined” on each hole will be the team score and will count as each individual team’s first round score. In addition to the first-round score, adventure golf will feature a Cash Skins Game for those who wish to pony up $$.
Saturday’s final round begins with a 9 am shotgun start. Each team will play “best net” on the front nine and “best gross” on the back nine with full handicap stroke allocations. Friday and Saturday rounds will be combined to determine the overall team score.
Following play on Saturday, a “team” short game contest will take place while scores being tallied. The awards ceremony will take place in Solé On The Green with drinks and snacks. Winners will be awarded in each tee division. Entry fee is only $300 per team and includes everything except the practice round cart fees and the optional “Cash Skins Game” on Friday evening.
There is no tournament round on Sunday, but players are encouraged to stick around and play for an additional cart fee. (Advanced tee time reservations are required.
Additional information is listed on the sign-up flyer in the golf shop. We are limiting sign-ups to the first 36 teams. Call the golf shop now to sign up!
Match Play
The final day to sign up for this year’s match play championship is May 3rd. First-round matches will be posted on May 5th, with a 4-week window for each match to be completed. Call the golf shop to sign up.
Handicap Committee Report
At the April committee meeting, we reviewed reports detailing the timely posting of scores and a handicap analysis report on all members. While there has been an improvement in the postings on the “day of play”, there are still a few who have difficulty remembering to post “day of.” Your handicap index is recalculated after each round posted. In the future, the committee will notify players who do not post at least 80% of the rounds on the day played. A report has been posted in the golf shop showing the number of rounds for your review.
The committee is required to review all handicap indexes at least annually and make any adjustments highlighted during the review. The most recent report recommended adjustments for 13 members. After the committee’s review, no adjustments were deemed necessary. Keep in mind the committee may run this report again and make adjustments as it deems necessary to reflect a player’s scoring potential.
The committee is aware of groups that use their own methods to calculate handicaps for group play. However, some of their members play in other groups and events that use the GHIN system. Therefore, those individuals need to post a score in GHIN regardless of the method used within that group. If you have any questions or comments, you can reach the committee at: Handicapcommittee.walkercourse@gmail.com
Couples Twilight Winners
Last month, the annual Couples Twilight was held, with Larry & Janal Walton teaming up with Arnold & Mary Brock to win with an even-par 36, taking a two-shot victory over the Jessups and Smiths. Congratulations!
Directory Update
We are beginning the member directory update process and will email members to verify their contact information. Please respond to the email even if no changes are needed. With everyone’s prompt response, we hope to complete the update within the next couple of months.
Walker Course Newsletter
The Walker Course newsletters have been temporarily removed from our website due to new accessibility requirements at Clemson University. We are working to have them added as soon as possible and will notify you once they are available online again. We are sorry for the inconvenience!
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
| Daniel Waldsmith Hatcher Beach Anthony Craig John Frasier Brent Davis Amanda Regan Ryan Allen Bart Hardy Michael & Laurie Howley Greg & Debbie Johnson Tyler & Maggie Grisham Stephen & Beth Cothran Nicholas & Katie Reilly Mark & Lauren Todd | Burke & Suzanne George Mackenzie McCrary Jason Todd Evan McDow Markell Strang Kyle Cannon Kendall Thompson Will Lawson Jennifer Parker & Randy Coleman Mary Ann Sims & Jesse Tingle Dylan & MacKenzie Meyer Travis Furbee David & Donna Joye Tim & Sherri Guin |
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT
Don Garrett, CGCS — Course Superintendent
April Status
The first three weeks of April were very dry, as we endured a 40-day stretch without significant rain. The 2.5” we received last week of the month has perked things back up. The turf was really starting to show the effects of no rain, heavy traffic, and continued up-and-down temperature swings.
Work completed:
The mats were removed from the tees on holes 8 & 17. We were able to clean up the weed problem that had built up over time by leaving them dormant this winter.
The greens were micro core aerated on the 13th.
All bunkers were edged.
Tees received an extra shot of fertilizer to help them recover from the wear and tear from record amounts of play.
Aerified and top-dressed the new practice green. As I mentioned last month, we will be doing this frequently this growing season as part of the growing process.
Two trees struck by lightning, one between 12 & 13 and one near the white tee on 16, were removed.
May Goals
During the month of May, we transition to more summer routine maintenance, which means lots more mowing of tees, fairways and roughs as the nights warm up and the bermudagrass starts to take off. In addition, we will be treating the course for fire ants.
On Monday, May 11, we are scheduled to aerify the tees. Hopefully, we get some warm nights, the fertilizer kicks in, and they recover quickly. As beat up as they are, we may consider postponing this work until they are growing more actively.
We will also be getting a little more aggressive with greens maintenance. We will be grooming the surface more often and begin top-dressing regularly.
The greens will also be treated for nematodes in early May.
We are also experiencing significant staff turnover. This is typical as we transition from the Spring semester into summer. However, this year, we have more than usual. There will be many new faces on the course, and we will train them as quickly as possible.
| 5,796 Rounds Played This Month. Last year, I wrote that we had set a record for rounds in one month, with 5,321. Well, this April, we bested that by over 400, a new record. Ball marks, divots and especially cart traffic are evident. Some areas are so worn that they will require re-sodding. As we did last year, we will utilize some rolling cart restrictions. On a day where it would otherwise be the 90-degree rule, we will be Cart Path Only on a couple of holes to give the turf a break. It’s amazing how the turf bounces back after just a few days with no traffic. You can also help by properly using the 90-degree rule. Many golfers think the 90-degree rule means that they can drive wherever on the fairways. You see everyone enter the same spot at the beginning of the fairway and then exit at one area just short of the green, which causes significant wear and tear there. If you are unsure exactly what the 90-degree rule means, or just need a refresher, Google “90-degree rule for golf carts”. There are many explanations and videos that cover it. |
Congratulations to our Graduates
Congratulations to our three graduating seniors, Cauthen Best, Logan Denton, and Charlie Gilsenan. I appreciate all their hard work and service to the Walker Course over the last two years and wish them success as they begin their careers.
Congratulations to Brian Gosnell
Congratulations to Senior Assistant Superintendent Brian Gosnell. Brian has accepted the position as Golf Course Superintendent at Timberlake Country Club in Chapin, SC. Brian has been an assistant at the Walker Course for the last three years, as well as working on the crew while a student at Clemson. April was a big month for Brian as he also became engaged.
Please join me in thanking Brian for his service to the Walker Course and in wishing him success in his new job.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
| Operating Hours: Pro-Shop: Monday: 11 am-7 pm Tuesday-Sunday: 7:30 am-7 pm Practice Range: Closed Mondays, Tuesday-Sunday: 8:45 am-4 pm (Weather permitting) Key Contacts: Head Golf Professional Brent Jessup, 864-656-7516 Course Superintendent Don Garrett, 864-656-1814 Accounting Azenda Thompson, 864-656-0595 Golf Pro-Shop 864-656-0236 Sole On The Green 864-656-7444 The Martin Inn 864-654-9020 The Madren Center 864-656-7155 | Membership by the Numbers Individuals 190 Family 102 Life 25 Non-Resident 104 Young Alumni 48 Inactive 6 Legacy Life 12 TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 487 New Members See page 4 Member Resignations Jimmy Dean |
