TPC Eagle Trace Family Course Program

On Monday of this week we began installing the new Family Tees here at TPC Eagle Trace. Bryan, Derek and I decided to institute this program as a way to give juniors and beginning golfers a way to enjoy playing the game while taking a little of the "bite" out of the golf course. The goal of the program is to make the game enjoyable for every member of the family and players of every skill level. 

Step #1- Locate teeing area

The PGA Family Course Program is a joint effort of the PGA and U.S. Kids Golf with the aim to draw more people to the game of golf without having to play the full yardage of the golf course. This allows players the opportunity to learn the rules and etiquette of the game without the frustration or intimidation of long holes and forced carries.

Step #2- Make the hole

After we received the 36 plates (18 gold “Level 2” or long plates and 18 blue “Level 1” short plates) from U.S. Kids golf we went about installing them. First Bryan and Derek went out and painted the areas where we wanted to install the tees, keeping in mind these guidelines: the blue tees are 3000 yards and the gold will be playing to 4000 yards. Most of the tees ended up in the fairways for the par 4’s and 5’s with a few in the walking paths. The par threes feature the plates installed on the current teeing areas or drop zones and also a few in the walking paths. After the teeing areas were chosen my crew and I followed with the actual installation of the plates. We started by using our 7.5” sprinkler head trimmer to cut a hole over the mark that Bryan and Derek painted. We then cleared out the hole and added some green sand to level out the bottom of the hole. After adding the sand we used a rubber mallet to pound the PVC stake included with the plates into the sand/ soil in the hole. Finally we screwed the plate on the end of the stake and pounded it into its final resting place on the green sand making sure to keep it aligned with the direction of play. We installed the plates to be just below the surface grade, much like a sprinkler head, so we are able to mow the areas without hitting the plates. We will be edging them when we edge the sprinklers to keep them looking nice and maintain visibility.

Steps #3 & 4- Fill with green sand and pound in stake

     As of Tuesday, all of the plates are installed and ready to use. We feel that this is a great program to help get more people out enjoying the game. Take a minute and talk with the golf shop staff for more information about the program as well as scorecards for the new courses!

Final step- Screw on plate and align direction of play!

Here is a link to US Kids Golf with tons of great information:  http://www.uskidsgolf.com/eng/familyCourses/sectionLandingPage.cfm?cmSectionId=234