Have you often wondered about how you can make your lawn at home look like a golf course? Multiple times throughout the year, we are asked “What do you guys do to keep your grass looking so alive and green?” People see the beautiful bluish green colors and are amazed at how well the grass looks. With some proper care and grass knowledge, we are excited to share with you how to make your lawn look like the golf course.
The first step in having a beautiful lawn is to understand your soil and the climate you live in. Here in the Mid-Atlantic region, we have one of the toughest climates as it can get as hot as the south in the summertime, and as cold as the north in the winter. You can always pick different grasses that blend together and bloom when one goes dormant, but it’s important to choose when you want your grass looking the best.
For most people, summer is when you want your lawn looking the prettiest as it is when you are able to enjoy it the most. Because of this, you should pick a grass that does well in warmer weather. Fescue, Rye, and Bermuda grasses are a few types that we have on the golf course, and they do well in different ways. The Fescue and Rye can sustain the summer months when properly watered and not cut too short, while the Bermuda doesn’t require much water at all, but only keeps it’s green colors in the hot summer months. If we were to suggest which grass to choose, we recommend going with a fescue and cutting it no shorter than 3 inches, and allowing it to grow a little longer in those scorching hot summer months of July and August.
After you understand your soil and climate, and choose the right grass type, it’s also important to have irrigation. When it’s not raining on a consistent basis, your grass needs to be watered to stay alive. The important thing to know when watering is that you don’t want to over water because the sitting water can cook the grass in the middle of the day, and that you should try to avoid watering overnight as that becomes the time when fungus and other diseases thrive. We suggest watering early in the morning for the sun to help dry up the excess water, and occasionally watering throughout the day to help keep the grass cool. When you see us watering on the course in the middle of the day, it’s not to grow the grass, but to keep it cool and prevent it from burning up.
If you want to have a beautiful lawn, not as much work and effort is required as you would think. Understand your soil and get it aerated every now and then to allow oxygen to get to the roots, and choose your desired grass type and water it correctly. If you do this process in the Fall and overseed again in the Spring, you will be very happy with the results.
Knowing this information will help turn your yard around in no time, and you’ll be able to take those practice swings you’ve always wanted. . . at least until you take that first divot and cry a little inside after all your hard work and money gets chopped up. We can tell you that in this moment, you will finally know how it feels to work on the grounds crew at the golf course. Enjoy your grass though, and let your neighbors be jealous of how beautiful it is.
-Austin Ebersole, Head Golf Professional at American Classic Golf Club
Many golfers, including myself, have been patiently waiting for the weather to break so we can get back onto the course and into the swing of the 2021 golf season. The weather has been pretty terrible this month, and the cold temperatures, rain, and snow we have seen here in Delaware have not been optimal for golf. Wednesday’s 55-degree day proved to be a bright spot on a pretty horrible month weather-wise and provided us with optimism and hope that the golf season is not too far away. I certainly saw the enthusiasm from our golfers here at the American Classic Golf Club that Wednesday as the tee sheet quickly filled up with golfers excited to finally get out and play again.
While many beginner and experienced golfers are starting to get ready for the 2021 season, many others have interest in playing but do not know how to start or what they need to get into the game. Understanding the basic golf essentials needed to get into the game can seem overwhelming for those who have never played, but it is a lot easier to get started than it seems. Hopefully this blog will help get you one step closer to hitting the course!
If you are sure you want to get into golf, having a set of golf clubs is definitely needed. A few weeks ago, I wrote an in-depth blog on all things golf clubs, so I will just cover the important details here. The main golf clubs include irons, woods, hybrids, and wedges. While club manufacturers sell these clubs individually, I recommend purchasing a full set to start out. There are many affordable full sets available for men and women that will have all the clubs you need to get started. There is absolutely no need to spend a ton of money on your first set of clubs and purchasing a full set can be an affordable way to get started. I would also like to mention that many golf courses have clubs available to rent, so if you wanted to play a few rounds before investing in your own set it could be worth it to rent first.
The next things you will need are golf balls and tees. Golf balls are not included with your round, so you will have to purchase your own. Brands like Top Flite, Spalding, and Wilson are inexpensive golf balls that are perfect to start out with. You can get 15 of these golf balls for 10-15 dollars, while other balls like Titleist Pro V1s and TaylorMade Tp5s can be up to 56 dollars per dozen. In my opinion, there is no reason to spend a lot on golf balls when you are starting out, as you are unlikely to notice any difference between a 5-dollar Titleist ball and a 1-dollar Top Flite ball in the beginning of your golf journey. In the beginning, you will also lose more balls in water hazards and other out of bounds areas on the course, so it makes sense to start with a cheaper ball. When I play a Titleist or another expensive golf ball and lose it in the water or elsewhere, I always think “welp, there goes 5 dollars.” As you begin to improve and start playing more often, upgrading to a premium golf ball can certainly have its advantages and is worth it, but I would recommend starting with cheaper balls.
Golf tees are also essential items when starting out and are inexpensive. You can purchase a package of 50-100 tees for 5-10 dollars, and they are also easy to come by on the course. Tees come in sizes ranging from 1-4 inches and starting with a 2-3.5-inch tee is totally fine. Any package of tees you can find at your courses pro shop or online will be fine and work well for you on the course.
Once you have clubs, balls, and tees, you have just about all of the essential items needed to hit the course! One thing I recommend before taking on the course for the first time is considering hitting a few buckets at a driving range or hitting net. It is best to avoid hitting your first ever golf ball on the 1st tee of a golf course, so hitting at the range or net can be beneficial.
These are the basic and general items needed to get started, and in another blog going forward (Part 2), we will cover the basic etiquette rules and other items that will help you get out onto the course.
Hope to see you all out on the course soon!
-Sam Cresta, Assistant Golf Professional at American Classic Golf Club
Have you ever heard the phrase “you can’t outwork a poor diet”? Well, it’s true! Your body needs healthy fuel in order to perform at its best. Eating healthier foods and staying properly hydrated can help increase your energy, mood, and golf performance. Check out 3 of my golf nutrition tips below!
1. Proper Hydration
In order to perform at your best you need to be properly hydrated. How do you figure out how much water you should be drinking during a day? Calculate half of your bodyweight in ounces and that is how much water you should be drinking each day. The Titleist Performance Institute suggests to drink 25% of your daily water intake when you wake up in the morning, 50% of your daily intake while you are playing your golf round and the last 25% of your daily intake post-golf round and throughout the rest of the day. This only accounts for water; so soda, coffee, and other drinks do not count towards your daily hydration intake.
2. Breakfast IS The Most Important Meal Of The Day
Whether you have an early tee time or a later tee time, you need to make sure you eat breakfast! Eating a nutritious breakfast can actually set the tone for controlling your blood sugar for the day. When you wake up you are in a “fasted” state and your blood sugar is low. So it is important to eat protein, healthy fats, and carbs (in that order). Proteins break down slowly and do not spike blood sugar levels, which make them a great nutrition source for breakfast.
3. Eat Whole Foods
Whole foods are foods that have been changed as little as possible. Examples: animal protein, fruits and veggies, nuts, beans and legumes, and grains. Eating whole foods will give you almost all the nutrients your body needs. So for more energy & more nutrients before, during, and after your golf rounds, choose snacks/meals that are made of whole foods. Example: Instead of getting crackers or cookies to snack on during a round, choose jerky or a piece of fruit or even a handful of nuts.
As a golfer, it is important to have good nutrition, hopefully after reading this blog you have some tools to change your nutrition to improve your swing in the process! Golf fitness training will be available at American Classic GC starting March 1st. For more golf fitness education and training, email me at brittmmorrison@gmail.com to set up a fitness assessment!
-Britt Morrison, TPI Level 2 Fitness Trainer
