Whether you prefer a short and wide course or a long and narrow one, there is always that brief moment of overwhelming stress when you hear the words “course maintenance.” Our members don’t fear these words; instead, they get to play on our other course. As we begin our aerification process for our short and wide Bobcat Course, our long and narrow Bear Course is wide open for play! While the dilemma of aerification is a necessity for course maintenance, it can hinder many avid golfers from enjoying teeing off for weeks at a time. With the benefits of having two courses at The Forest, you can play elite golf year-round, no off-seasons, no waiting for your tee times, and the words “course maintenance” don’t wreak havoc on your golf game. So while some may be waiting for their course to reopen, our members are teeing off on one of our individually challenging 18- hole golf courses. But is having two courses that much more of an advantage for country clubs? Absolutely! Let us explain why!

All Playing Styles are Honored

The diversity of tracks is one of the key factors that makes golf fun and exciting. The option of two different courses offers individuals with various playing styles an opportunity for a fun and challenging game of golf. Each of our courses is challenging in their own way, not only by offering individuals different play styles but also a challenging game for golfers of varying skill levels. While some may prefer the short and wide, Bobcat Course, others enjoy braving The Bear. Our courses welcome tree-lined fairways, which some may say allow golf to become more of a pure execution test than tactics. What do you think?

Like most golfers, we like to play different courses and embrace the wide variety of play styles available to us. The Bear Course (long and narrow), involves a level of imagination to your style while embracing creativity and key shotmaking. The tree-lined fairways offer a beautiful aesthetic and ambiance to your golf game, but is also an excellent natural hazard. If you tee off on The Bear in the morning, you can tee off The Bobcat in the afternoon for a change of pace. With two courses that have contrasting looks, each is immensely enjoyable in their own way. Our courses embody tactful challenges that range from sharp doglegs, lakes, bunkers, narrowing fairways, and towering trees. Both courses are a fun and stern test of one’s ability for shot shaping, the ability to fade and draw the ball on command, ball striking, accuracy, and short game. Whether you are a scratch or a beginner golfer, both courses offer a fun and challenging play that exceeds the expectations of all who experience it. Of course, with 36 holes of exceptional golf, the courses’ condition are essential to the overplay and makes the course that much more enjoyable. Thanks to our dedicated members who also actively seek out to repair ball marks and course conditions, our course maintenance team keeps the greens and fairways in prime condition year round!

Course Maintenance Does Not Hinder Playing Time

Since golf courses are a living ecosystem, this month kicks off the Bobcat Course’s first closure for maintenance. The course maintenance involves aerification, reclaiming areas of the repent that were lost due to encroachment, and more. To learn more about how we preserve our courses, you can check out our Golf 365 Days a Year blog here. To keep the Bobcat Course looking fresh off its 3.85 million dollar renovation, our course maintenance team is strong at work to maintain its immaculate condition. The Bobcat has an abundance of lakes, preservation areas, beautiful oaks, and cypress trees, and of course, lush fairways and gorgeous greens. Time after time, the design, beauty, and condition of this course presents a new challenge.

Our staff highly prioritize the course conditions, and since both are separate courses, each much be cared for in their own way. Our specialized team consists of our Director of Golf Course Maintenance, John Gallagher, and superintendents for both courses, Carl E. Michael and Harold Davis III. We have Carl working on the maintenance of the Bobcat regarding aerification, the removal of unwanted grass, and reclaiming the grass on the collar. The grass on the collar is more aggressive than the green’s grass. Therefore, this process must be done every few years. As we aerify our greens, we push the plugs to the trenches, which keeps our original grass in the reclaimed areas without bringing in sod from an outside source that may not match up. In addition to our Bobcat maintenance tasks, we are amending the tees with a compost type material. When the tees on the Bobcat were initially constructed, straight sand was used, which does not hold water or nutrients very well, causing them to dry out more rapidly. A program of incorporating the compost over the next few years will help the tees out tremendously.

When doing any form of course maintenance, ideal timing and weather are essential, allowing the course to heal properly. Poor turf health or turf loss can add four to six weeks to the closure of the course. So, while mother nature is sometimes unpredictable, course closure and limiting golf play is no threat to our avid golfers at The Forest!