Let’s all take steps to maintain our great golf course! It’s every members responsibility and only we can do it. We have created short, but helpful videos with tips and best practices when caring for the course. Don’t forget every time you play, please care for our course!

Proper Ball Mark Repair

  • Unrepaired ball marks or improperly repaired ball marks will leave a scar that will cause a ball to bounce or jump offline for weeks.  Always seek out your ball mark and repair any others that you may find.
  • When repairing a ball mark it is important to not use a prying up motion.  Gently insert your repair tool of choice into the ground behind the ball mark and work your way around the mark by carefully pushing the displaced turf back towards the center of the mark.
  • Finish by tapping the turf down with a flat surface.  A putter works well.

Bunker Etiquette

Footprints and/or depressions in the sand can cause an unfair lie to players behind you.

· When fixing the bunker always use the rake provided.  Not your foot or club.

· Always enter the bunker from the low side of the bunker.  Not only is it safer, but it helps to protect the steep turf slopes.

· Use long sweeping motions applying just enough pressure to smooth the sand.  Be sure to rake your shot area along with the footprints made entering and exiting the bunker.  Take care to not pull sand out of the bunker as this can weaken turf over time.

· Don’t always pull to the edge but push away lightly as well to keep sand even and smooth.

· Leave rake just out of the bunker with handle parallel to line of play.

Golf Cart and Push Cart Etiquette

· Care and common sense when operating a cart helps to prevent turf damage and keeps riders safe.

· Avoid rapid starts, stops, and sharp turns.  All of this causes unnecessary damage to turf.

· Avoid low areas and around drainage basins.  These areas tend to more wet following rain events and are more susceptible to soil compaction and turf injury or “ruts”.

· Always obey signage that guides the flow of traffic.  They are there for a reason and that reason is to prevent turf damage.

· Avoid the “herd mentality”.  People almost always take the shortest distance between two points which leads to wear patterns.  Learn to notice stressed areas due to excessive traffic and avoid driving in these areas.

· Always keep all 4 tires on the path.  This is especially important around tees and greens.  Avoid the urge to drive around a playing partner that may be in front of you and recording their score.  Wait on them to start driving before you start driving.  This will minimize the bare turf areas that are often seen on the opposite side of the cart path from the curbing.

· Push carts also cause wear patterns, especially around greens.  Never should a pull cart go between the green and bunker.  They should always be kept at least 15’ away from putting surfaces.

Practice Area Etiquette

• It is important to note that there is signage on the range tee displaying the best way to take divots while using the range. The sign is there to help us get the maximum amount of usage of our small driving range tee.

• A linear divot pattern is the best way for two reasons: 1. It uses less space than the other divot patterns. 2. It heals faster than the other divot patterns.

• Avoid using the scattered divot pattern. It uses the most amount of turf and requires more time to fully heal. Given that our practice tee is too small to accommodate the amount of activity we experience this becomes very important as we rotate the tee line hoping to have a fully healed surface when we rotate back to the area.

• Avoid a concentrated divot pattern. A concentrated divot pattern leaves very little, if any, viable turf within the divot area and takes the longest amount of time to heal.

• Avoid throwing tees randomly in your practice area and leaving them when done. It is unsightly, wasteful and creates work for staff as they must be picked up before mowing.

• Please clear practice greens of balls when done practicing. Please be considerate of those members that follow you providing balls to practice with and a clean green to play to.

• Proper attire is required on all practice areas as well as the golf course.

• Shirt tails should be tucked in, caps worn bill forward, cargo shorts/pants with sewn on packets are unacceptable and tee shirts/sweatshirts are not allowed.

• Practice balls are for use in practice areas ONLY and are NOT to be used for play on the course.

Broken Tees and Divot Repair

Broken Tees
• Broken tees scattered all over the tee not only look bad, but are also damaging to mowing equipment. One broken tee hit by a mower on the first tee can cause a poor quality of cut on the rest of the tees on the golf course.
• This one is simple. Pick up the tee and put it in your pocket, in your cart/pushcart, or in a broken tee receptacle located in the sand boxes on the par 3 tee boxes. When you pass a garbage can, the broken tees can be discarded.

Filling Divots
• Get in the habit of grabbing your divot repair mix and taking it with you to your ball. This will ensure that the you will fill your divot and also saves time.
• Fill the divot to the top with repair mix but avoid overfilling it.
• When done filling the divot always be sure the smooth the sand level with the turf surrounding the divot. It is important to not forget this step because the mounded sand dulls mowing equipment causing a poor quality of cut which equates to a poor appearance.
• Additional sand bottles are located at the practice area, 2, 6, 11, and 15 tee boxes.

Meet the Team!

Ashley Davis, CGCS
Golf Course Superintendent

Ashley was born in Columbia, South Carolina and spent the first seventeen years of his life in Batesburg, South Carolina.  During those years numerous hours were spent helping out on the family farm.  These were valuable years that exposed him to the world of Agronomy and helped in making his career choice.

During the college years, summer months were spent getting the crucial “hands-on” experience at Dataw Island Club and Musgrove Mill Golf Club.  In December of 1994 he graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture and a minor in Agronomy. 

Following graduation, he began his professional career as the assistant superintendent on one of the golf courses at The Club at Seabrook Island.  Through years of hard work and dedication he obtained the Director of Golf Course Maintenance position over the 36-hole facility in January of 1999.  During his time at Seabrook the golf courses were the first in the state to become certified members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a 2.3-million-dollar golf course renovation was successfully completed, and he obtained the highest status in the industry by becoming a Certified Golf Course Superintendent.

In February of 2003 Ashley, his wife Robin, and newborn son Elijah moved to Hilton Head Island and started the proudest position of his career; Golf Course Superintendent at Long Cove Club.

Mark Lewis
Senior Assistant Superintendent

I am the Senior Assistant Superintendent, I grew up in Claxton, GA.  Attended Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College, during the summer of 2014, I was an intern at Long Cove Club, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Turfgrass and Golf Course Management.  I’ve been at Long Cove for 3 years now and was the superintendent at Indigo Run before returning to work at Long Cove Club.

Jordan Feathers
Assistant Superintendent

I am an assistant superintendent here at Long Cove Club. I am originally from Johnson City, TN, but have been here at Long Cove Club for almost three years. I have a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from The University of Tennessee, and I also have an associate’s degree from Horry Georgetown Technical College in Sports and Turfgrass Management. During the summer of 2018 I was an intern at Long Cove Club during the golf course renovation.

Logan Holland
Assistant Superintendent

I was born and raised in Thomasville, GA. I have been working at Long Cove Club for 4 years in total and as an assistant superintendent for a year and a half. Prior to working at Long Cove Club I worked on the island as a sports performance trainer. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology Degree from Valdosta State University in 2016 and an Advanced Turfgrass Certificate from Florida Gateway College in 2019.

Thank You!

Executive Producers: Don Calhoon, Fred Del Gaudio
Assistant Producers: Lindsay Finger, Bob Patton, Ashley Davis, Leon Crimmins
Talent: Amelia Howe, Niza Hall, Diana McGlocklin, Ed Howe, Tom Nowak, Jim Magruder, Fred Del Gaudio, Bob Patton, Ashley Davis
Videographer: Ryan Greco, Moonlight Productions