Let’s keep it real folks! Are we really good enough to blame our mishits on anything other than ourselves? I mean who is swinging the golf club, it’s certainly not the condition of the turf, the putting green or the elements that surround us. We control the outcome 100% of the time. Rivers Edge is committed to providing our customer with the best possible conditions and service each time they visit our

#15 tee box before renovations

facility. If you have played Rivers Edge it’s no secret you may have come across difficult turf conditions on the tee boxes of our scenic hole #15, a 200 yard Par 3 which requires a serious carry over the marsh. Due to restrictions on space and the close proximity to the wetlands the teeing ground is a very small piece of real estate. With the high demand to play Rivers Edge our tee boxes receive an abundance of traffic from a very diverse field of players. It has been a historical challenge growing grass on these tee boxes since the course opened in 1999.

Installing synthetic teeing ground

We now have the solution! It’s time to “think outside the box”, outside the teeing box that is. Rivers Edge has taken a drastic step and committed to forward thinking when it comes to enhancing our facility. On Thursday October 26, 2017 we completed the final step in renovating hole #15 tee box with the installation of a synthetic surface by TurfHound Tee Products. The product provides the customer with a level lie, consistent conditions and even the ability to utilize a natural tee!

TurfHound Tee Product is receptive to a natural tee

While we anticipate and have already received a very warm reception to the changes and certainly excitement from our members I can hear some of the cries in the distance; “I hate mats”, “I can’t hit off mats”, “Oh that mishit was because of the mat”. Let’s break it down, here are the facts produced by an Iron Byron automated swing machine. A machine that makes a perfect swing, if there every was one, each pass at the ball.

Information from Trackman August 8, 2014. Mat vs Grass- What’s the Difference?

So in conclusion, you are welcome. In solving a historical problem we have also gone one step further and given the golfer a better chance at hitting a quality shot! After spending some time on the tee box, welcoming feedback and observing the outcome of swings, I was blown away at how many quality shots were hit! Could this be a solution we see used more widely in the future?