July 2012
Butternut Creek Golf Course
News for Members
Larry Garrett
Director of Golf
Summer
Well here we are in full swing of the height of golf season. Despite the summer heat many of you are
Season
playing more often than any other season of the year. Hopefully you are enjoying the best golf of your life
this year. Butternut Creek is busy with lots of players, various golf tournaments, course events, and
outside community events in the community center. The View offers good food from the grill in a fabulous
setting. Make The View Grill a favorite spot for lunch or dinner.
Message from the Pro
What a year of transition! After many, many years we are finally operating out of the new Union County
Community Center facility; from the fond memories of the old Pro Shop & Recreation Pool, to the
construction period of our double-wide trailers, to our new grand Tourism/Pro Shop and The View Grill. It’s
an exciting time, as we hope to bring in more members and outside play to experience the “jewel” that
Butternut Creek Golf Course is. We are very thankful for our loyal players, as you all have helped create
what Butternut is all about. Thus, we appreciate everyone’s support during the transitions, as we hope to
continue to bring more to the table for everyone. Although, we will never be a country club, we want to
help provide the best service, merchandise, and experience with the most reasonable prices we can
provide. Please let us know if you have suggestions, recommendations, and ideas to better our Pro Shop.
-Larry Garrett
Welcome New Members
Stan Wyllie
James Turner
Terry & Ruth
Bramlett
Jeff Jenkins
Jane Childers
John (Jack) Reis
Mark Alexander
John & Barbara
Carew
Michael Connell
Dave McLuckie
Joseph & Glenda
Stefani
Bill Seiler
Bob Wiley
Jerry Peace
Philip Jenkinson
Sid & Kristen
Eshleman & family
Donald Mull
Dan Hover
Richard & Sara
Gaskins
Bobby Orick
Allen Spence
Aaron Chapman
Grant Schuette
Randy & Sheila
Watkins
Chris Archer
Susan Cheek
Jamie & Terah
Blackwell & family
Chris Miller
Hal Callaway
Jerry Davenport
Fred Cone
Drew & Ashley
Phillips
Robert Bruno
Thomas Womack
Shawn & Shelli
Brown & family
Jim Burnough
Chester Berry
Jeremy Herum
James Rismiller
Barry Ryals & family
Message from the Course Superintendent
With summer here there are several things you as a golfer can help the health of the golf course; repairing
ball marks, filling divots. One of the worst things for the course is compaction. Some of the causes are golf
carts running on and off the cart path at the exact same place. If everyone would work on doing a true 90°
it would help enormously. Walking on and off greens at different locations is also helpful. So if everyone
can do their part it would help the overall health and appearance of the golf course. -Andy Ladd
Page 2 of 3
Butternut Creek Golf
Course
Message from your Golf Tournament Committee
The goals of golf tournament committee:
Provide relaxed networking opportunities for members and
friends of the golf course
Event Winners
Par 3 Tournament
May 17
1st Place
Jim Roper, Thomas Bush,
Jerry Henderson, Jim Curtis
2nd Place
Tom Sneddon, Paulette
Holzinger, Odena Gibson,
Lewis McAfee
3rd Place
George Stapleton, Jim
Holzinger, Mary Lou Nash,
and Mike Thomason
4th Place
Betty Taylor, Rhae
Martinez, Steve Windham,
Richard Myers
5th Place
Beau Ballard, Lilly Adams,
Charlotte Maddox, Steve
Windham
Nine & Dine, June 5
1st Place
George Stapleton, Bruce
Dell, Ray Myers, Frank
Martinez
2nd Place
Lewis McAfee, Lilly Adams,
Larry Mancini
3rd Place
Harold Gibson, Bob Ives,
Rhea Martinez, Paulette
Holzinger
Nine & Dine, Aug 14
July 10 event was canceled
due to inclement weather
and is rescheduled for
August 14. There are a few
more spaces available.
Everyone who was
previously signed up will
remain in the tournament,
unless you call and
withdraw. If you are not
registered, call and sign up
at the Pro Shop.
A nine hole scramble
with cart, dinner, &
prizes for $15.00.
Events are for FUN!
Plan events for golfers of all skill levels to enjoy a fair
tournament and get acquainted with other players
Offer competitive play, food, and fun for everyone to enjoy
A great opportunity to enjoy the new clubhouse, patio, and
The “View Grill”
Join us for every event. Enjoy old friends and make new ones! Let the committee
members know what type events you would like to have at Butternut Creek.
Tournament committee members are Dot Vining, Bob Ives, Steve Foster, and Kathie
McAfee.
A GOLF HANDICAP A common topic of conversation among golfers is a golfer's
handicap. However, a high percentage of members at Butternut Creek Golf
Course do not have official USGA golf handicaps. We encourage you to establish
a handicap through Butternut Creek. A golf handicap measures a player's
“potential” ability to achieve a certain score compared to an expert-amateur's
ability to do the same. Nothing in golf, however, says you must have one to play.
Golfers who don't have one violate no rule of the game. You should remember
that a handicap does not represent your average score, but is based on your
most recent “best” scores using the courses rating and slope. It has been said
that golfers shoot to their handicap only 25% of the time.
REASONS TO GET A GOLF HANDICAP
Reasons exist for not having a golf handicap vary. Some players feel they're not
good enough to have one. Others feel that having one is pretentious. Then there
are those who feel that going through the effort to get one is just too much
trouble or are intimidated by the paperwork involved. Despite how what golfers
think, the benefits of having a handicap far outweigh the reasons not to have
one.
One of the biggest reasons for having a handicap is that it can help improve your
game. By posting your scores accurately every time you play, you'll have a highly
effective tool for tracking your improvement and spotting playing trends. You'll
also have a goal to shoot for as you work on your game. For example, let's say
you decide to improve your putting game. If over the course of a year or so and
after lots of practice, you see your handicap dropping you know you are on the
right track.
A handicap allows golfers of different skill levels to compete on a level playing
field, which is great when playing in tournaments or other golf venues.
Butternut Creek will be offering more opportunities to play in fun, competitive
events and having an established handicap will be advantageous. With
established handicaps, players of unequal ability can play on equal footing,
making the tournaments fairer and the game more enjoyable. A golf handicap
will provide some credibility to your playing ability and make it easier to compete
in competitions and tournaments, not only at BCGC, but also at golf courses
everywhere.
Page 3 of 3
Course
Butternut Creek Golf Course
“FROM CORNFIELDS TO GOLF LINKS”
Feature Article By: Lilly Vee Adams
Golf
Handicap
Fees $28.00
See Blair
Golf
Committee
Members
Glen HambyChairman
Gary Davenport
Kathie McAfee
Steve Foster
Now known as Butternut Creek Golf Course, The Haralson Recreation Center
Inc. was opened for business on July 3, 1965 and was built on the Pat H.
Haralson Estate in Blairsville, Ga. The 100 acre farm was converted to a
Recreation Center that included the golf course, fishing enterprises and picnic
areas. The project was viewed as the most important development in
increasing tourism in the mountain area. For the most part, the Haralson
farm was a feed grain and wheat farm, until its conversion. The conversion
was to a 3,085 yard, Par 36, 9-hole Course, so designed that a person of any
age could play the entire course.
In 1962 Congress passed legislation for a trial Cropland Conversion Program
to be administered by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service
(ASCS). The four pilot recreational projects in Georgia was known as the
1963 Cropland Conversion Program of the federal government and Union
County was chosen to be one of only four in Georgia. This project was a
realization of diverting agricultural land producing surplus crops to other
income producing recreational uses and to improve the over-all economic
development in this county.
The Pilot Recreational Program was under the supervision of the Agricultural
Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) now known as the Farm
Service Agency. County committeemen at that time were Everett E. Botts,
W. Ed Dyer and Mr. Edley Burnett. The County Executive Director was Edwin
F. Cook and Program Assistant Lilly Vee Adams. Lilly Vee Adams designed
the first ‘temporary’ score card for the golf course. Federal funds were
through a cost-share program of converting the cropland to vegetative cover.
The Soil Conservations Service worked with the ASCS County Committee and
the Haralson Estate by surveying and planning and supervising the fish ponds
that was built and grading that was needed to shape the golf course.
It is important to acknowledge that the majority of the expense was provided
by the Haralson Estate, which was administered by the late Ben F. Carr,
Solicitor of the Mountain Judicial Circuit. Mr. Ben F. Carr was the husband of
Austine Haralson Carr and son-in-law of Mr. Pat Haralson.
“Butternut Creek-a Diamond in the Rough”
We still challenge every member to spend $100.00 in the golf
shop in 2012 to increase revenue for the operation of the shop
and maintenance of the golf course. Most items are marked
well below suggested retail. Come in and look at the new
merchandise! Remember, gift cards are great to give and to
receive. Gift cards may be used for merchandise in the pro
shop and for food in the View.
We’re on the Web!
See us at:
www.uccommunitycenter.com/golf