Indian Creek is honored to be chosen as the host course for 2015 Nebraska Amateur. This annual event begins July 27th and runs through July 30th. This is an honor that isn’t bestowed to just anyone and we are extremely grateful and excited about the opportunity.
An event of this level brings with it a set of expectations
and challenges, not only for the staff at Indian Creek, but also for our
customer. In order to provide the conditions required to identify the state’s
best player, we will need to make modifications to the way we maintain the
course now and through the event’s completion on July 30th. Most
changes will be minor and many will be appreciated by the customer, but some
will make the course play more difficult for the time being.
In particular, increased rough heights, although temporary,
may be an unwelcome change. “Why make the adjustment 3 weeks in advance?” This
is a valid question and there are multiple reasons. The simplest, and maybe
most important, reason is related directly to weather. The unseasonably cool,
wet weather has allowed us the ability to manipulate mowing heights in real
time through this first week of July, which is very uncommon. If weather
patterns remained unchanged we could get away with making height changes a week
out. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is unpredictable. Although today’s weather
would allow for height increases to occur closer to the event, odds are, we
will get hotter and drier and lose the ability to grow the rough out in short
order. We are trying to get ahead of that by establishing tournaments heights
while possible.
In regards to this issue, I cannot stress enough that this
is temporary. Every effort, including bringing in extra mowers from off-site on
the 30th, will go into reestablishing our normal mowing heights as soon as the
event concludes. Please understand that no one at our facility trivializes the
effect that long rough has on playability for any caliber of golfer. Our goal,
everyday, is to provide high-end playing surfaces that challenge the low
handicappers, yet allow the high handicappers an opportunity to enjoy a fun and
fair round.
Trying to manage a facility for both daily fee golf and high
level tournament play is difficult. We have a responsibility to you, our
customer, as well as the NGA and its event. We will do everything in our power
to try and find a balance in regards to course set up and we also ask for your
patience in the process.
For our most loyal and consistent customers, look at this as
an opportunity to show the state of Nebraska that Indian Creek deserves a seat
alongside the best facilities in the Midwest. Take pride in your course as we
prepare it for its biggest test to date.
Thank you all for your loyalty and understanding as we
prepare for this event.
