From the Golf Shop
Summer is over and the Fall season is upon us. Residents are starting to come back, and the golf course will be open 7 days a week starting October 19th! We look forward to seeing all of the returning members and hope that you have been staying safe and healthy during these unprecedented times we live in now. The Golf Team has been hard at work getting ready for the upcoming busy days, weeks and months ahead. All of our staff are continuing to follow safety guidelines in regard to the pandemic while continuing to provide the best experience possible for our golfing members day in and day out. You may notice some of the adjustments made to the type of services you are used to, so here is a rundown on what to expect at the course going forward.
Outside Services
Dave and the crew are out at the bag drop but they are still not allowed to handle your bags or clean your clubs. All outside staff will be wearing masks while on duty. They will stage the carts every morning and members who require the use of one can take the cart out to their car and load their bag before play. All golfers must single ride with the exception of spouses or couples/partners/individuals who live together. After the round, please throw away your trash, bring your clubs back to the car and return the cart immediately to the bag drop as they will need to clean and disinfect the cart before it is used again.
Please bring your own cup for a round of golf as we do not distribute Styrofoam cups at the water stations anymore. We are also not providing towels on the carts at this time so please bring your own if you need one.
The starter will be located at the Starters Booth as always. He has a protective shield at his station and will also be wearing a mask. Check in with him before your round and he can provide you a scorecard and tees if you need some. There is no need to check in at the Golf Shop anymore unless you have a guest to pay for. Guests are allowed to play after 12:00 p.m. only and must be accompanied by a member.
Bag storage services are currently on hold through the rest of the calendar year. We are planning on starting up again on January 1st. If you have never had bag storage and wish to use this service, please call us and we will put you on the bag storage list. If you had bag storage previously, you will stay on the list unless you wish to be removed from it. All members who are on the list for bag storage as of January 1st will be automatically billed for the 2021 season for the annual fee of $100.00.
The Course
At the start of the pandemic we removed some of the items that are constant touch points: rakes in the bunkers, ball washers, divot boxes on par 3’s, etc. We also put a ball retriever in the holes that make it easy to remove the ball without touching the flagstick. Slowly we may start re-introducing some of these back into use but for now we are staying on the side of caution. The rakes will be put on the fleet carts starting Monday so no longer will you see them in the bunkers. The rakes will be cleaned and sanitized after each cart is returned. With single riding still in effect, this will be the safest way to reintroduce the rakes and keep the bunkers in good shape. Members who have homeowner carts can purchase a rake ($17.00) if they wish by contacting the Pro Shop.
The Blue Discs have been placed back on the course for our handicap flag drivers. All registered handicap flag users have been given a manual that outlines every green complex on the course and illustrates where the discs are located. The discs are placed 20 to 30 feet from the edge of the greens and all handicap flag carts are expected to stay to the OUTSIDE of the blue discs when driving or parking at the green. The manual also illustrates areas around the green where carts are not allowed to travel (near bunkers, close to the lake edges, between the greens and bunkers, etc.). The Rangers will be back starting Monday and they will be monitoring pace of play as well as the enforcement of the handicap flag rules as stated above.
Now that we are getting busier and the rounds will be increasing, the condition of the course will be of the upmost importance. With single riding, traffic wear will be more evident as well. Our maintenance team has done a great job getting the course ready so let’s all do our part to keep it looking beautiful:
Cart drivers – Enter and exit your cart at the green posts located on each par 4 and 5. If your ball is located further up from the enter post, you may also use the cart path until you get close to where your ball is and then enter there. This will reduce the constant wearing down of the turf caused by the wheels. When playing the hole, travel on the cart paths and fairways as much as possible. Do not travel in the roughs. If your ball is in the rough, you may drive to it and park in the rough. After you hit your shot, return to the fairway or cart path to travel to your next shot.
Divots – Use the sand on your carts to fill in divots made when playing a shot. Fill the divot to the top level of the turf and then smooth the surface with your foot or club. When a divot is not filled with sand, the Bermuda grass fills it in as a depression in the turf and leaves uneven playing surfaces.
Ball marks – On the green, please use a divot tool to fix and repair your ball marks. Take the time to repair yours and one other as well.
Score Posting
The handicap posting stations have been removed from the clubhouse as a safety precaution. Please download the GHIN App on your phone or tablet to post your scores. You can also post online at GHIN.com. Starting Monday, the handicap committee will begin monitoring the posting of all scores again for the season. As a reminder, the new handicap system updates your handicap index every time you post a score, so it is very important to post your score the same day that you play. If you are not going to post a score you must tell a member of the Golf Staff before you tee off so they can alert the handicap committee. Reasons for not posting may be that you are playing a format that doesn’t require an individual total (Scramble, Shamble, etc.) or that you are injured and will be picking up on certain holes. Whatever the reason, we need to know otherwise the committee may determine that you failed to post, and you may receive a warning letter.
Upcoming Events/Clinics
Fall season coincides with tournament season and we have some great events coming soon. Check out the WAVE to see details and sign up information on all upcoming golf events. For the rest of the calendar year, all tournaments will be run in a tee time format, no more shotguns. After January 1st we will reevaluate the situation and determine if shotgun starts can begin again. Scoring for all events will be done virtually with the Golf Genius App. If you haven’t done so already, download “Golf Genius” to your phone or tablet. The icon is orange with the world on a tee. Once you have it on your phone there is nothing else to do until tournament day. Each event will have a unique code that you can use to keep score while you are playing, kind of like a virtual scorecard. The scoreboard will be updated in real time while the event is going on. Results will be displayed on selected TV screens throughout the bar and restaurant as well as on the App.
Golf Clinics are starting up soon with schedules set for November and December. Attendance to these clinics now require you to sign up in advance as they are limited to 6 students per session in keeping with proper social distancing guidelines. The clinic schedules are published in the WAVE with sign up procedures as well.
I hope everyone is continuing to stay safe and healthy, wherever you may be. If you haven’t done so already, like and follow us on Facebook by searching for “Pelican Sound Golf Shop”. We will put information on our page to keep you updated on new apparel items in the Shop as well as demo days and sales that will be taking place throughout the year.
Any questions about anything pertaining to the golf operation, stop by and see me or give me a shout at
tharris@psgrc.org or by phone at (239) 948-5235.
