Sequoyah Country Club, Membership Involvement

1. Membership Involvement

2. Some past changes…the good
• Short game area
• Changes to 2
– Removal of trees opened up views
– Green left in tact
• Changes to 4
– Removal of trees for more light
– Green left in tact
• Changes to 10
– Removal of trees opened up views
– Green left in tact

3. Discussion points
• Maintain course at high country club levels
• Disapproval of recent changes (3, 14, 17)
• Dislike of bunker style, placement
• Delay changes to 8 and 9 (and 16)
• Governance and communication
• Create/distribute tree management plan

4. Maintaining the course
• Set minimum standards for maintenance
– (http://www.clubresourcesinternational.com/media/59050/gc%20maintenance%20handbook.pdf)
• Staff and invest to meet those standards
• Consider cost/quality of hand watering greens while
investigating new irrigation system
• New bunkers still in bad shape, watered, not raked,
inconsistent sand and condition, more difficult to maintain
• Too many barren areas
• Tree stumps and fallen trees unfinished
• Greens are bumpy much longer than other courses after
aeration
• Inconsistent course green conditions, practice greens rarely
reflect actual playing surfaces
– http://www.gcga.org/documents/speeds_slopes_locations.pdf

5. Disapproval of recent changes
• Drastic changes to course character
• Overly expanded greens
• Clear cutting of all trees from green surrounds
• Odd shaped bunkers, more difficult to maintain
– Many are too steep, too many “fingers”
• Key bunkers removed, moved
– Behind 3, spread of left right bunkers
– Right of 14
– Left of 17
• Opened views to poorly maintained areas

6. Drastic changes and communication
• The Greens Committee – communicate proposed
changes to membership before board
• Stewardship - It has taken 100 years for Sequoyah to
develop, we should protect it from permanent drastic
changes without broad approval
• At 6000 yards there is little to protect the course other
than small sloped fast greens and the strategic tree
• Practically all members here joined a tree lined course
that separated holes visually, framed holes, added
protection, tightened fairways and tee shots, and
added beautiful scenery, with small fast greens
1922: Greens rebuilt and golf course "nines" switched

7. Create tree management plan
• Some trees must go
• There was overplanting
• Some trees should stay
• Some new trees should be planted
• Reuse natural resources when possible (benches,
sell logs or chips, firewood for members, holders
for sand bottles)
• Resources
– http://www.golfcoursearboristtreeservice.com/
– http://cagwin.com/services/treecare_golf.html
– http://www.usga.org/course_care/articles/management/trees/Man-s-Friend-or-Golf-s-Enemy-/
1923: Golf course tree planting project

8. What is the master plan?
• Was the intent of these last changes to make
the course easier?
• How was it approved that we would alter the
character of the course?

9. 3 in the 20’s

10. 3 early 2000’s

11. 3 then

12. 3 now3 now

13. 3 compare

14. 3 then

15. 5 then

16. 5 now5 now

17. 5 compare

18. 14 then

19. 14 now14 now

20. 14 compare

21. 14 then

22. 14 now14 now

23. 14 compare

24. 17 tee shot

25. 17 green

26. 17 then

27. 17 now

28. 17 compare

29. Course maintenance
• It’s generally been good
• But it should be better

30. Right of 4

31. Right of 4

32. Back to 5 tee

33. Front of 5

34. Womens Invitational #5

35. Right of 13

36. 14

37. Back of 14

38. 14

39. 14

40. Right of 14

41. Left of 15

43. 15 tee then

44. 15 tee now

45. 15 compare

46. 16 tee to 14

47. Right of 16

48. Between 16, 17

49. View from 17 tee

50. Left of 17 tee

51. Left of 17

52. Difficult maintenance

53. Large barren areas