The Oaks

March 1, 2017

PGA Junior League Golf…Growing in New England

  Part 2 of our 2017 Guest Blog Series – This post is written by Brian Bain – Regional Manager of the PGA of America Player Development in New England   PGA Junior League Golf (PGA JLG) is a fun, social and inclusive opportunity for boys and girls, ages 13 and under, to learn and enjoy the game of golf. The program is designed for kids of all abilities and skill levels, which gives juniors the opportunity to play a […]
February 22, 2017

Three Things Golfers Should Know About Winterkill

Winterkill is an easy problem to define but difficult to understand. Winterkill simply put, is when turf dies during the winter. However, understanding the mechanism’s that cause winterkill whether it be ice, crown hydration, low temperature kill or desiccation is not that simple. Creating effective prevention strategies and formulating actual recovery tactics can be complex, time consuming and at times experimental. What causes winterkill? Winterkill is a catch all term describing winter injury to turf that can occur through a […]
February 8, 2017

US Senior Open Returns to Salem!

Written by Eddie Carbone, Executive Director of the US Senior Open Championship: Take it from someone who recently spent ten years working in a very different part of the country: New England has a rich sports history. From Bobby Orr scoring “The Goal” in 1970 to Adam Vinatieri’s field goal in Super Bowl XXXVI to current legends like David “Big Papi” Ortiz and… how about Sunday’s incredible Tom Brady Super Bowl dramatics. New England has a sports scene that few […]
February 1, 2017

A Year In Review

Do you enjoy learning cool aspects about the game of golf… about the latest foods trending among golfers… about specialty drinks being served in the country’s best 19th holes? Last year we introduced the CandiaOaks BLOG called “OFF THE TEE”.  Each week one of our team members posted some cool stuff about golf technique, course maintenance, the game’s new gadgets, 19th hole treats, some tidbits of golf history, an occasional personal story, even a tip or two about creating the […]
December 20, 2016

Winter Covers… Good For Some Greens — Not Necessarily For All

There are two reasons for covering greens turf during the winter months in the northern climate of the U.S. 1) To protect the turf from cold, dry winter winds. 2) To help prevent the forma on of ice on the greens surface. But, not all cultivars on our northern greens are the same… some need extra protec on and some actually benefit with no protection. The most susceptible turf species to winter damage is Poa Annua (poa). Poa plants are […]
November 29, 2016

Golf Goals… Do You Have Them?

Do you set any golf goals?  Have you ever wanted to improve some aspect of your golf game?  If you have ever wanted to improve some part of your game, you need to have a plan. Not all goals are created equally.  These goals do not have to be all about scores.  Before you set your goals, you should set SMART goals, for a higher success rate.  SMART goals are defined:  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely goals. For example: […]
November 23, 2016

The Ebb And Flow Of A Tee Sheet

One of the main responsibilities of a golf professional is to develop and maintain a “Tee Sheet” (a.k.a. Daily Tee Time Listing). I’ve been told by my staff that I’m quite the expert in designing & managing our Tee Sheet. This is probably a result of my experiences at busy daily fee, resort and private golf clubs through the years. You’re probably thinking to yourself, what’s the big deal… it’s just a list of daily tee times…? Believe me, if […]
November 15, 2016

Hospitality—A Family Industry?

Those of you who have never been involved in the hospitality industry have likely never considered the stress on family that can come for those of us who have selected a career in a field which prime time literally matches traditional family time. Dinner service interrupts a time of day that is usually reserved for family. And, in the hospitality industry, weekends and holidays almost always create a conflict between work time and family time. But, my passion is food; […]
October 18, 2016

5 Tips to Improve Your Pace of Play

Following the theme of my previous post [Click Here to read Pace-of-Play Myths], I will continue to tackle the pace-of-play elephant on the course. There is an abundance of resources but I found some tips on USGA.org and wanted to add some comments.  “Tee It Forward” unless you are consistently able to reach greens in regulation from the back tees. In other words, play from a set of tees that is comfortable for you – one where you are more […]