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Dan Byrnes

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What is the best time of year to visit either Ballyneal or Dismal or both ;D

Thanks

Dan

Jim Colton

Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2012, 10:27:24 PM »
Whenever your host invites you? :)

Seriously, my favorite time to visit Ballyneal is mid to late September.

Chris Johnston

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2012, 10:49:20 PM »
Dan - For Dismal - If you like it hot, come in Mid July, August to Mid September.  If you want it cooler, or want to see the usual evening lightning show (complimentary), come out June to Mid August.

If you like to see newborn deer, come in July-August.  The Hooker County Fair is in August and MUllen Broncos - 8 man football are Fridays in September.

If you want fun, come anytime.

Eric Smith

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2012, 11:16:34 PM »
I've been out in early summer, mid summer and early fall. All great times to visit. But if pressed to choose a favorite, closing weekend last year (Oct 1-3) was dead solid perfect. Weather was great: warm days, cool nights along with some ball busting winds. But the golf course - wow. It was humming. Very dry, very slick, and very fun!

Brad Isaacs

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2012, 12:38:59 AM »
Mid to late September.  Not July unless you like it hot.

RJ_Daley

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2012, 02:04:51 AM »
While BallyNeal and Dismal are far enough apart to be different weather and temps in Oct-Nov, I think on balance that fall is best for the region.  The sticking point is that Dismal, SHGC, and Prairie Club close earlier than when the weather turns consistently too harsh.  I'm not a weather expert on the region, but I think it is fair to say that around Mullen or Valentine, there may be 30-45 golfable days, with intermittent harsh weather after Oct 1.  If Dismal, Prairie Club and SHGC close first week of Oct., many great to good golf days are missed, all due to the lack of availability of staff, if I may be so bold to offer a probable reason.  But on the otherhand, who is going to come out there without a fair amount of confidence that a 5 day window of good weather in those Oct-Nov days will hold and allow you to play and enjoy... not to mention how college sports and pro f-ball  begin to dominate people's weekends.  For us golf fanatics, it may be worth the risk to seek those magical fall days, crisp, windy, and firm and fast.  But, I'm not so sure it is an attractive economic reward for the clubs to maintain the costs to operate for the fewer fanatics that seek sand hill golf on a thrill factor basis. 

Spring is hardy golf weather as well and attractive for the sort of hardy fans we have here on GCA.  March can have a few great days out that way.  But my preference is fall, after a frost or two at night, when the native starts to lay down a bit and allows more play from the otherwise too difficult lush native when it is warm. 
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Michael George

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2012, 08:45:45 AM »
June 29-July 1  ;D
"First come my wife and children.  Next comes my profession--the law. Finally, and never as a life in itself, comes golf" - Bob Jones

Tom_Doak

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #7 on: March 24, 2012, 08:51:50 AM »
While BallyNeal and Dismal are far enough apart to be different weather and temps in Oct-Nov, I think on balance that fall is best for the region.  The sticking point is that Dismal, SHGC, and Prairie Club close earlier than when the weather turns consistently too harsh.  I'm not a weather expert on the region, but I think it is fair to say that around Mullen or Valentine, there may be 30-45 golfable days, with intermittent harsh weather after Oct 1.  If Dismal, Prairie Club and SHGC close first week of Oct., many great to good golf days are missed, all due to the lack of availability of staff, if I may be so bold to offer a probable reason.  But on the otherhand, who is going to come out there without a fair amount of confidence that a 5 day window of good weather in those Oct-Nov days will hold and allow you to play and enjoy... not to mention how college sports and pro f-ball  begin to dominate people's weekends.  For us golf fanatics, it may be worth the risk to seek those magical fall days, crisp, windy, and firm and fast.  But, I'm not so sure it is an attractive economic reward for the clubs to maintain the costs to operate for the fewer fanatics that seek sand hill golf on a thrill factor basis. 

Spring is hardy golf weather as well and attractive for the sort of hardy fans we have here on GCA.  March can have a few great days out that way.  But my preference is fall, after a frost or two at night, when the native starts to lay down a bit and allows more play from the otherwise too difficult lush native when it is warm. 

RJ:

One of the main reasons those clubs all close early is staffing.  The college kids all have to go back to school, and even the locals and their wives get busier on their ranches in the fall.  The golf courses are still in excellent shape, it's just that the level of service would be difficult to keep up.

Chris Johnston

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #8 on: March 24, 2012, 09:04:50 AM »
Tom - That is true.  It is also a "demand" issue - things slow down alot in the fall with unpredictable weather.  If demand were high, we could stretch the season - Prairie Club did this last year and it didn't work well for them.

We also need time to winterize the course and buildings so an extended season could only be a few weeks.

Kalen Braley

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2012, 10:01:09 AM »
Even in Utah the best conditions were always in the fall...

The courses were in great shape from 5-6 months of growing season and when those temps cool off and the colors start to go, it gets magical.  Too bad it only lasts 2 months or so before its usually all over.

Adam Clayman

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #10 on: March 24, 2012, 12:31:20 PM »
IMO, the best time is now. The native is down, the rains haven't hit and, you get the course to yourself. Screw the mollycoddling. Golfers don't need pampering. Let them buy their own PB&J (John Kirk theory) and let them play without the staff hovering.  Of course theres probably only a handful of us, but you asked.

Otherwise, it's shoulder season.
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Carl Nichols

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2012, 01:28:47 PM »
Adam:
Are any of these clubs open before April 1?

RJ_Daley

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2012, 01:43:05 PM »
Chris, I forgot if you told me or if I asked... but do you cover all of the Nickaus greens, some of them, none of them, and did you cover the Doak newly seeded greens this past winter?
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Bruce Wellmon

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Chris Johnston

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #14 on: March 24, 2012, 01:53:44 PM »
Chris, I forgot if you told me or if I asked... but do you cover all of the Nickaus greens, some of them, none of them, and did you cover the Doak newly seeded greens this past winter?

Dick

We did an experiment this winter.  We covered some of the greens with permeable syntheric green covers, and covered the rest with Don Mahaffey's recommended Hydro Mulch.  The Hydro mulch was cost effective and worked well.  Furthering the experiment, on a few of the Hydroed greens, we left lower spots uncovered by anything.  Green are in good shape.

Pretty sure if weather was a factor and I don't think we came to any conclusions.  Its been quite warm...to the point where we had to water in February.

I'm a fan of the Hydro Mulch as covers get abused by the wind and they are a pain to tack down.  The Mulch staying in place all winter and the turf underneath was quite hearty.

RJ_Daley

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #15 on: March 24, 2012, 02:17:11 PM »
Chris, I don't get Golf Course Management magazine anymore, so don't keep up as much as I used to.  But, I never heard of the hydro-mulch slurry as greens cover.  Though it makes sense.  I've heard of heavy top dressing with sand and sweeping it off in spring, and natural mat straw covers, etc.  But slurry is a new one for me.  Is this a recent technique being done by supers, or a Don Mahaffey inovation.   ;D  Either way, I think it is another example of some forward thinking by you guys at Dismal.  And, then leaving the lows unmulched, with the greater undulations you have there, is another interesting concept and seems tailor made for the mulching approach.

But related to the question of closing in fall;  by what date do you do this hydro-mulching?
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Chris Johnston

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #16 on: March 24, 2012, 02:26:10 PM »
Chris, I don't get Golf Course Management magazine anymore, so don't keep up as much as I used to.  But, I never heard of the hydro-mulch slurry as greens cover.  Though it makes sense.  I've heard of heavy top dressing with sand and sweeping it off in spring, and natural mat straw covers, etc.  But slurry is a new one for me.  Is this a recent technique being done by supers, or a Don Mahaffey inovation.   ;D  Either way, I think it is another example of some forward thinking by you guys at Dismal.  And, then leaving the lows unmulched, with the greater undulations you have there, is another interesting concept and seems tailor made for the mulching approach.

But related to the question of closing in fall;  by what date do you do this hydro-mulching?

We did the Hydro Mulching just before Thanksgiving.  The slurry was Don's and Jaggers idea, it is easy to get where you want it, and it mows out in the spring.  The turf was protected, held moisture, and actually grew nicely under the mulch.  I think we spent less that $3,000 to do the Nicklaus course and the Doak Greens.  With wind, we haven't had much luck with tarp durability and tarps are very expensive.

Hope you can make it out this summer.

Adam Clayman

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal? New
« Reply #17 on: March 24, 2012, 07:36:32 PM »
Adam:
Are any of these clubs open before April 1?

Carl, not the privates. But we have been playing Bayside all winter. West winds too, until the dryness caused a closure January 31st.
Wild Horse closes late and opens early. Not exactly sure when they opened, but I suspect it was March 1.

Bayside has been heavy topdressing the last two winters and the results have been great.

An article several years ago in Supt. News stated a likelihood that tarps cause an increase in Poa.

The winters are mild here, for the most part, and NOT having them open during what is easily the best time of year to play the ground game, shows a certain dichotomy.
« Last Edit: March 26, 2012, 11:06:54 AM by Adam Clayman »
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Scott Szabo

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #18 on: March 24, 2012, 07:39:01 PM »
I prefer late September early October, but don't turn down a chance to play either at any time of year. 
"So your man hit it into a fairway bunker, hit the wrong side of the green, and couldn't hit a hybrid off a sidehill lie to take advantage of his length? We apologize for testing him so thoroughly." - Tom Doak, 6/29/10

Pete Balzer

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #19 on: March 24, 2012, 08:16:54 PM »
Tom - That is true.  It is also a "demand" issue - things slow down alot in the fall with unpredictable weather.  If demand were high, we could stretch the season - Prairie Club did this last year and it didn't work well for them.

We also need time to winterize the course and buildings so an extended season could only be a few weeks.

What didn't work to well?  By the way, they are opening early this season, 4/21, walking only for the time being.

Chris Johnston

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #20 on: March 24, 2012, 08:21:20 PM »
Pete - the volumes early and late are low when you have to carry all the costs of being open.  Unless you have limited services at same time, it is hard to pencil.

Matt MacIver

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #21 on: March 26, 2012, 10:03:05 AM »
Chris, I don't get Golf Course Management magazine anymore, so don't keep up as much as I used to.  But, I never heard of the hydro-mulch slurry as greens cover. 

We did the Hydro Mulching just before Thanksgiving.

Are there any pictures to give give us a better idea? 

Chris Johnston

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Re: What is the best time to visit clubs like Dismal or Ballyneal?
« Reply #22 on: March 26, 2012, 10:41:23 AM »
Chris, I don't get Golf Course Management magazine anymore, so don't keep up as much as I used to.  But, I never heard of the hydro-mulch slurry as greens cover. 

We did the Hydro Mulching just before Thanksgiving.

Are there any pictures to give give us a better idea? 

Apologies, Matt.  We didn't think to take photos.