May 2020 Newsletter
NEWSLETTER by Bart Wolfe, PGA General Manager on May 3, 2020.
Dear Wildewood Members,
THE WILDEWOOD GRILL
Our Grill is open daily for takeout. There is a new menu and daily specials.
Please call (803) 788-8000 Option 2 to place your order.
Hours of Operation:
11:00 am- 4:00 pm on Monday & Tuesday
11:00 am – 6:00 pm on Wednesday through Sunday
GOLF MAINTENANCE REPORT
I hope this finds everyone well and as excited for May as we are down at the Agronomy department. Winter is always a good change of pace for us and allows us to accomplish many projects that get put off until after growing season however nothing excites us like the smell of fresh cut grass in the morning.
April was a good month for us as we figure out what the new normal will look like for us on the golf course. Our biggest goal for April was the first round of re-sodding tees. These have all turned out great and we look forward to doing a second round this Fall in either late September or early October.
We also have seen significant turf green up in the past two weeks though I know many of you were concerned we weren’t as green as some of our neighboring courses. It was planned and expected with the application of our Spring pre-emergent. I am currently very pleased with where we are, and I apologize that I did not fully prepare/communicate to everyone about the delayed green-up.
Weather dependent, over the next few days we will be able to get one more herbicide application on our most weedy holes. With this application we can expect significant yellowing of the Bermuda for about 10 days, but with all hopes we can get some control of the Poa Annua on holes 8-10, 15, and 17. We sent a sample to Clemson University for Genome testing and herbicide resistance tracing so that we can have a better understanding of the underlying issue and help us plan our attack for this coming Fall/Winter.
This month we will begin spraying out part of the chipping green and the surrounding area. We will apply several applications of roundup and fusillade to kill as much of the regular Tifway Bermuda as possible before replacing the area with plugs from our greens aerification this summer. The current plan has us doubling the size of the chipping green and have it grown in by this fall.
We will also be adding 3 part time or seasonal guys to the staff as we rev up mowing and irrigation repairs. These staff members will also help us as we attack some of the overgrowth along the property lines. I have ridden the course with some of our board members and we identified areas on almost every hole. Most of this work is what I would consider winter work, or things that can be done when the grass isn’t growing. We will pick certain areas that we can check off the list on days that it is too wet to be on the course or that we have outings. If you see us working but we don’t quite make it to your yard know that we will be back. It might be later this year, but the course tee to green is a priority this time of year.
As mentioned in the last newsletter we want to apologize in advance for any weeping heads or leaks around the course. Much of this irrigation system is original and has well outlived its life expectancy. We are trying to address each leak as fast as crew size and parts delivery will allow. Sometimes this slows down when trying to get matching parts or parts to retrofit 50-year-old plumbing.
As always, I would like to thank everyone for the support and look forward to seeing you all on the course. If there is ever any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me at Grayson@thewildewoodclub.com.
FOOD DRIVE TO BENEFIT HARVEST HOPE FOOD BANK
Due to a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Northeast Columbia, the food drive and concert for the Harvest Hope Food Bank scheduled for Friday, May 8th, HAS BEEN POSTPONED. A new date for the event will be sent out soon. We are still collecting food and donations for Harvest Hope Food Bank. You may still drop off your donations through Friday, May 8th. Thank you for your support!
https://give.harvesthope.org/ge/tbpupwwc
Text THEBLUEPICKUPS to 44-321 to donate.
Date: Friday, May 8th, 2020 POSTPONED
Time: 5pm-7pm
Location: The WildeWood Club Parking Lot by the Pool
Sponsors: The Blue Pickups Band, The WildeWood Club
Please join us at The WildeWood Club on Friday, May 8th for our Food Drive to benefit the Harvest Hope Food Bank. You may drop off your donations starting on Wednesday, May 6th if you are unable to attend. The Blue Pickups Band will be playing in the parking lot. Strict social distancing guidelines will be met. You may sit in your car and listen to the band or sit in a parking space with a chair-6-foot minimum distancing.
We can accept the following items:
• non-perishable foods
• baby supplies (diapers, wipes, formula, foods- no jars)
• hygiene supplies (soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner)
• feminine hygiene products (tampons, pads)
• adult diapers
• paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, napkins)
• cleaning supplies (Clorox wipes, sprays, toilet items, dish detergent, etc.)
SWEET PEA’S ICE CREAM AND CAFÉ TRUCK VISIT – THURSDAY MAY 7TH
Sweet Pea’s Ice Cream and Cafe will have their Ice Cream Truck at The WildeWood Club on Thursday, May 7th from 3:30pm – 5:00 pm. Bring the kids by for a treat!
From the owner, “We take cards, cash, and all the pay apps. We have single, double, triple scoops, cups, and cones with a wide variety of flavors. We have a dairy free option. We practice social distancing with some signage but ask for everyone’s cooperation. https://m.facebook.com/sweetpeassc
CAPITAL PROJECTS UPDATES
Cart Paths – The front nine holes are nearly complete. The repairs will begin on the back nine next week.
Playground – The playground construction began yesterday. It will be complete by Monday except for one piece that was damaged in transit. We will have the replacement piece in 7-10 days.
Tennis Hardcourts 5&6 – If you haven’t seen the completed work on courts 5&6, you need to stop by and see them. They look fantastic!
Dumpster Privacy Fence – This will be completed by this weekend. We are sorry that it has taken this long to finish.
Pumphouse and Tennis Storage Roofs – New roofs have been installed on the tennis storage shed and the pumphouse at the lake on #18. New doors will be constructed soon for the tennis shed.
Course Cleanup – Grayson mentioned that we have new equipment and staff arriving to start tackling the unkempt areas in the tree lines and property borders. You will see steady progress throughout the year to remove 10 to15 years of overgrowth in these areas.
Swimming Pool – Our new chaise lounges, chairs, and tables have arrived. Our baby pool has been repaired. The large tree that hung over the baby pool has been removed. We still do not have an opening date due to COVID-19, but we will have a grand opening weekend party when the pool opens.
GOLF SHOP UPDATE
Lockers – New locks are being installed this week on the locker’s in the men’s golf locker room. Please see Bart or RJ to reserve your locker. Locker rental is $45/year. We will be ordering the name plates for these later in the month.
Member Bag Tags – The new member bag tags are in production and we expect to receive them in the next 7-10 days. Please display your new bag tag proudly on your bag so that other members and new staff members can identify you.
We have added Taylormade to our vendor list. The Taylormade Clubs, Balls, Gloves, Hats, and Bags have started arriving. We will also have two demo sets that you can try out and the new bags will have the WildeWood logo on them.
TENNIS CENTER
Update from the USTA – “Our latest update from USTA National has extended the suspension of all USTA programs until May 31st at the earliest. We are working hard at all levels, Local, State, Sectional, and National–to determine what USTA League Tennis will look like in the coming weeks & months.
Our main goal, at this point, is to finish the Spring Leagues. These league results are the ones that will determine your year-end rating. Our first priority, once we are able to return to the courts, is to pick up where we left off and finish our Spring season. Once we finish our season, we hope to be able to hold our State Championships for these leagues but this is all speculation at this point. The only definite decision that has been made regarding league championships is that there will be no National Championships for 2020.”
USTA Playing Tennis Safely: Player Tips and Recommendations – To view this great article with tips on how to play safely, please visit:
New Courts and more to come! – Courts 5 and 6 have been resurfaced with he addition of 10 and under lines for our juniors! They look and play brand new and are a great addition to our club. These mark the 5th and 6th courts that have been resurfaced thus far this year! Also, the tennis shed has just received a new roof, and we are about to see the start of the some renovations to the doors as well! We are so excited about all that is going on at The WildeWood Club and we cannot wait to see what else The Club has in store for tennis!
As we start gearing up for the reopening of USTA League Play, we will also be opening our clinic schedule. But until then, we will be continuing to provide only Private, Semi-Private, and Group (3 people) Lessons. With these lessons, we have had some minor changes regarding the handling of tennis balls from the teaching baskets, however we feel confident that we are able to provide the highest of quality lessons while complying with social distancing policies.
Stringing and Lesson Package – Our brand new, state of the art stringing machine is in, and would like to provide this service to everyone by offering a package deal of a free racquet stringing with a purchase of 3 private 1hr lessons! Strings and labor are included, with the exception of natural gut string. Have your own string? We will string two racquets instead of one! Limit one package per person.
Regards,
Bart Wolfe
PGA General Manager
(803) 788-8000 Option 3
bart@thewildewoodclub.com
