Play at one of the best Spring Golf Destinations in the South!

There is nothing better than playing golf in the beautiful spring weather along the Alabama Gulf Coast in  March.  Average temperatures range from low 60’s to upper 70’s…and, you can typically expect lots of sunny days this time of year. 

Honours Golf offers 81 holes of championship golf along Alabama’s Gulf Coast.  In Gulf Shores, play the two award-winning Palmer-designed golf courses at Craft Farms Golf Resort or take in 27-holes at the  4 ½  star Golf Digest rated Peninsula Golf Club.  You can expect outstanding golf course conditions and customer service at both golf clubs.

A scenic drive from Gulf Shores, you’ll discover the 18-hole, player-friendly layout of Rock Creek Golf Club, nestled in the charming town of Fairhope. Unlike many coastal golf courses, Rock Creek has rolling terrain with impressive elevation changes which is definitely unique to the southern Alabama region.

In addition to great golf, visitors to Alabama’s Gulf Coast can enjoy relaxing on the 32 miles of the sandy white beaches, swimming, fishing, boating, outdoor music concerts and lots of shopping…making this a great family destination. 

Lodging options vary from hotels, and golf villas to luxury beach-front homes and condominiums. Dining options are numerous as well, but fresh seafood is the area’s specialty.

Alabama’s Gulf Coast is accessible by Interstates 10 and 65 and the Mobile Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport.

If you are headed down to Alabama’s Gulf Coast this spring, book your tee times in advance and check out our latest golf specials.  Visit www.HonoursGolfVacations.com for stay and play packages.

Repairing Divots on a Golf Course

A divot is created by the majority of iron shots that are hit off of the fairway.  After contact is made with the ball, the club continues on into the ground lifting a layer of turf and the underlying soil of the fairway. Divots are both the turf that is scraped up, and the scarred area in the fairway where the turf had been before the shot. Today we discuss the divot in terms of what they tell you about your golf swing, the importance of repairing them, and the correct way to repair a divot.

Upon first glance a divot may just look like a patch of earth that has been removed after a golf shot. However, a divot is much more than just a piece of turf and soil, it gives you a lot of information about your golf swing. Lets take a closer look.  A divot tells the direction of your swing path and also how well you struck the ball, depending on angle and placement of divot.  The direction the divot is pointing is the direction that your club traveled through impact. This can be a great tool to look at if you are struggling with alignment on the course.  There should be contact with the golf ball before there is contact with the ground. If there is a divot in front of where the ball rested then you have made proper contact.  A deep divot tells you that you hit a “fat” shot while the opposite will show you that you hit a “thin” shot.

While divots are an important teaching tool, they also can tear up a golf course if they are not repaired correctly. By repairing them correctly the golf courses we play on can stay in great shape and be enjoyed by each golfer that plays there.  There are two ways to properly repair a divot. One, if the divot comes out in one piece then the divot can be placed back where it flew from.  The second way is to fill the divot with sand so that the grass can go back in more quickly and effectively.  This helps insure when the turf recovers it is level with the surrounding turf.

Divots are more than just patches of removed grass, they teach us more about our golf games and how to get better.  Lets do our part and repair our divots properly to preserve the beauty of the courses we play.  At Honours Golf we know that getting the most out of your game is important, so take these tips with you to the course the next time you play.  Enjoy your next round at well-manicured Honours Golf Course, where golf is more than a game.

  

Introducing the Honours Golf Quarter-Back Club

Just in time for football season, Honours Golf is now offering a new Quarter-Back Club. Each time you play, you save! Here's how it works: 

Pick your Golf Course
Select Honours Golf courses are participating, including FarmLinks, Limestone Springs, Highland Park, Cider Ridge, Lagoon Park, Gateway, Rock Creek, Bay Point and World Golf Village.

Get a Quarter-Back - 25% Off - your next 3 green fees!
Play at one of the participating Honours Golf courses and receive a Quarter-Back Club card allowing you to receive a "quarter"-back (25% Off) you next 3 green fees at that course!

Play for FREE!
After you've played 3 times at 25% Off, your 4th green fee is on us!

Win Prizes!
And you thought we were finished...
Well that's not all! Each completed Quarter-Back Club card will enter you for a chance to win some Huge Prize Giveaways! Some of these prizes include tickets to the 2011 Iron Bowl, tickets to the 2011 Gator Bowl, and Golf, Resort and Spa packages!

So, start saving and visit your favorite Honours Golf course this fall and get your Quarter-Back Club card!

Honours Golf Celebrates Patriot Golf Days

Honours Golf is honoring our service men and women by participating in Play Golf America’s -  Patriot Golf Days from September 2-5, 2011.

Patriot Golf Day was created by Major Dan Rooney to support the Folds of Honor Foundation.  This 501c (3) nonprofit organization assists families of fallen and disabled service men and women, who have served and sacrificed for our country, by providing postsecondary education scholarships and other services for their children and spouses.  Since its inception during Labor Day weekend in 2007, the Folds of Honor Foundation has raised over 5.3 million dollars from the donations of golfers nationwide.  

During Labor Day weekend, every golf club under the Honours Golf umbrella, will request from golfers a $1 or more donation to their green fees to help support the Folds of Honor Foundation.  In addition, some clubs will also be selling Patriot Golf Days logo’d ProV1 golf balls which allow $3 of every dozen sold to be donated to Folds of Honor along with special golf rates to all law enforcement, fire, and military service personnel.  Click here for more information.

Bent vs. Bermuda on Putting Greens

Today we tackle the differences between bentgrass and bermudagrass on putting surfaces. Courses that use bermudagrass on their greens typically use a strand known as TifDwarf Bermuda or Champion (Ultra-Dwarf) Bermuda. Golf courses use different strands of bentgrass on their greens including; Colonial, Creeping, or Velvet. In addition to these strands there are other strands of bermuda and bentgrasses that are used on golf course greens.

For a long time bentgrass was considered the King of the putting surface. Bentgrass is great to putt on because of the way that it grows. Bentgrass grows straight and can be cut short which allows it to look good and play fast.  Bentgrass is predominately used on golf courses located in the mid to northern latitudes of the U.S. where the climate is more temperate year round. There are some courses in the southern U.S. that use bentgrass greens as well. Southern courses with bentgrass greens often have to use special fertilizers and industrial cooling fans to keep the bentgrass from overheating during the hot summer months.

Meanwhile, bermudagrass has made great strides over the past few decades. Many in the south now view it as the superior alternative to bent.  With new strains like Champion (Ultra-Dwarf) Bermuda being used, the grass is less grainy than other strains of bermudagrass have been in the past. It also grows really well in warm, humid climates. One great feature of Champion Bermuda is that it can be cut very short, even during the summer months.

Both bentgrass and Champion Bermuda are great choices. But, during really hot summers keeping bentgrass alive can be a challenge. For this reason many golf clubs in the Southeast have been switching to Champion Bermuda. But, when properly maintained both can make great putting surfaces. Both bent and bermudagrasses are used at various Honours’ Golf courses around the Southeast.  At Honours Golf we pride ourselves in maintaining top of the line green conditions year round. So, go out and enjoy a memorable round of golf at an Honours managed golf course near you. We promise that you will enjoy the pristine green conditions regardless of whether you putt on a bermuda or bentgrass green.

Stimpmeter Demonstration with Cider Ridge Assistant Superintendent Michael Mays

Just What is a Stimpmeter?

I often hear people at the golf course saying "what are the greens rolling today?"  Immediately, I think “I wonder if they know what that means?” To many golfers this may mean nothing. Hopefully this post will help clarify this type of situation.

The stimpmeter was invented by Edward Stimpson, Sr. in 1935, the year he attended the U.S. Open at Oakmont. He was watching Gene Sarazen, of whom the Honours’ Golf Course Slammer & Squire is named. Mr. Stimpson saw Gene “The Squire” Sarazen putt a ball completely off of the green. When Stimpson witnessed this he thought that the greens were too fast and were playing unfair. Because of this day, Stimpson invented a tool to measure green speeds.   Named after Stimpson, the stimpmeter is a 36 inch angled piece of aluminum that is held at a 145 degree angle and allows a golf ball to roll down a ramp like structure and onto the green. The distance of the golf ball’s roll out is measured on a flat spot on the green. The speed of the green is measured by how many feet the ball rolls after rolling down the stimpmeter. To ensure that the speed is correct three balls are rolled in two opposite directions. The average roll out of all of the golf balls is determined, which gives the green speed. 

The USGA began using the stimpmeter in 1976 when they changed it from wood to aluminum. It is used to measure the green speeds for each USGA event. The USGA recommends the following speeds; 4.5 feet for slow greens, 6.5 feet for medium greens, and 8.5 feet for fast greens. In addition the stimpmeter is an essential tool to golf course superintendents. This tool allows them to keep green speeds consistent on each hole of the golf course.  Golf courses managed by Honours Golf have greens that roll a minimum of 9 on the stimpmeter.

Next time you hear one of your buddies say “what do you think the greens rolling” you can impress them with your vast knowledge of the stimpmeter.