Golf Restrictions Begin to Change for the Better

The Somerset County Park Commission (SCPC) has announced at many of the restrictions imposed due to Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are beginning to be relaxed.

The following changes will be in effect:

Tee times are shifting to 12 minutes starting on Saturday, June 20th

(previously 16 minutes).

All courses will have regular flags and holes. Golfers are asked to not

touch the flags, leaving them in the holes until further notice.

Putting greens are now open with no cups.

Driving ranges are open.

Somerset County courses include: Green Knoll on Garretson Road in Bridgewater, Spooky Brook off Elizabeth Avenue in Somerset; Quail Brook on New Brunswick Road in Somerset; Warrenbrook on Warrenville Road in Warren; and Neshanic Valley on South Branch Road in Neshanic Station.

Golf Course hours of operation:

8:00 AM to 8:00 PM: Monday-Friday.

7:00 AM to 8:00 PM: Saturday, Sunday & Holidays.

For information on Park Commission programs and activities, visit www.somersetcountyparks.org or call 908-722-1200.

Addidional Facilities to Re-open beginning June 13

Based on Governor Murphy’s recent Executive Order allowing an increase in the number of people permitted at outdoor gatherings and the lifting of the stay-at-home order, the Somerset County Park Commission will re-open a number of outdoor facilities with certain restrictions in place.

Leonard J. Buck Garden at 11 Layton Road in Far Hills, NJ will open on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Hours of operation will be 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Tuesdays through Fridays; 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Saturdays; and 12:00 Noon to 5:00 P.M. on Sundays. There are no restroom facilities available.

Garden capacity will be limited to 50 visitors at a time; guests are asked to limit visits to one hour, social distancing guidelines should be followed, face coverings are strongly recommended, and the Visitor Center and restrooms will be closed.

Leonard J. Buck Garden is one of the premier rock gardens in the eastern United States consisting of a series of alpine and woodland garden areas situated in a 29-acre wooded stream valley.

The Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden in Colonial Park at 156 Mettlers Road in Somerset, NJ will open on Monday, June 15, 2020. Hours of operation are 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. Mondays through Fridays (the Garden will be closed Wednesdays for maintenance); 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Saturdays; 8:00 A.M. to 9:30 A.M. on Sundays for seniors only; and 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on Sundays. There are no restroom facilities available.

Garden capacity will be limited to 25 visitors. Visits should be limited to 30 minutes, social distancing guidelines should be followed, and face coverings are strongly recommended.

The Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden is one-acre in size and contains more than 3,000 roses of 325 varieties.

Leash-free Dog Parks at Colonial Park in Somerset, East County Park in Warren, and Skillman Park in Skillman will open Saturday, June 13, 2020 and will remain open daily during daylight hours. There are no restroom facilities available.

The Washington Valley Hawk Watch parking lot off Miller Lane in Bridgewater, NJ will open Saturday, June 13, 2020 and will be open daily during daylight hours. From August through November, the Hawk Watch is features thousands of hawks, falcons, and eagles flying overhead. There are no restroom facilities available.Washington Rock Park on Washington Avenue in Green Brook will open on Saturday, June 13, 2020 and remain open daily during daylight hours. Washington Rock was a valuable lookout point during the American Revolution for General George Washington providing a thirty-mile panoramic view of the valley. There are no restroom facilities available.

Information on Somerset County Park Commission programs and activities may be found at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by calling 908-722-1200.

The Benefits of Planting & Maintaining Trees

Planting and maintaining trees provides an excellent way to show you care about the environment. Trees help connect us to the land, provide cooling shade, and help to restore air quality.

The Park Commission implements a tree management program and has been planting trees in our parks, golf courses, and public gardens for many decades.

Trees provide many ecological benefits essential to the quality of our lives. Some of the ecological benefits and great reasons to plant trees are:

·      Trees reduce carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. Just as people breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, trees help us by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.

·      Trees provide food, shelter, and nesting places for birds and animals. Numerous species of wildlife depend upon trees for their habitat.

·      When trees are sited and planted to shade hard surface areas such as asphalt driveways and cement, the shade cools the air by decreasing ambient day and nighttime heat.

·      Trees improve air quality by filtering harmful dust, pollen, smoke, and other pollutants.

·      Trees reduce erosion and absorb water which helps to prevent flooding and reduce the amount of storm water runoff. By slowing the rainwater so it can be absorbed into the ground, trees also help to increase recovery of ground water.

·      Evergreen trees planted on the north side of a house can function as a windbreak, reducing the cooling effects of winter winds, thus reducing heat loss from the house.

·      Trees absorb and reduce noise pollution and can be intentionally sited to screen unappealing views.

·      Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides of a house provide cooling shade in summer, but in winter the leafless tree branches enable sunlight to pass and help to keep the house warm.

·      Trees are visually appealing, provide environmental sustainability, and can be a living legacy for upcoming generations.

For information on Somerset County Park Commission programs and activities, visit www.somersetcountyparks.org or call 908-722-1200.

Don't Feed the Wildlife

Among the many advantages to living in Somerset County is a remarkable combination of urban and suburban environments. Somerset County residents enjoy easy access to major commercial and cultural centers while living in a “green” county with open space purchases by the Board of Chosen Freeholders serving to ensure in excess of 15,000 acres of green space preserved in perpetuity.

These extensive active and passive recreation areas have created a unique interaction among humans and waterfowl, one that should remain at arm’s length because feeding may be harmful or fatal to wild birds.

Waterfowl have patterns by which they seek out and feed on nutritious marsh and grassbud plants. In our region, extreme cold and snow severely reduces the quality and quantity of important foods. Most waterfowl migrate south in search of a habitat that will support them before returning in the spring to their breeding grounds where they are a familiar part of the Somerset County landscape.

Many of these migratory birds are sidetracked when they stop to feed or rest in the lakes and marsh areas found in Somerset County. These new homes become even more appealing when they are fed by well-meaning individuals, delaying their migration and enticing them to become permanent residents.

Very often, the food provided is “junk food,” including popcorn, potato chips and bread. Unfortunately, though willingly accepted by the wildfowl, these foods lack important nutritional value, resulting in the birds becoming dependent upon handouts, no longer seeking the natural, more nutritious foods that they require.

In the end, the seemingly kind and generous act of feeding waterfowl can foster a continuing cycle of spreading disease and creating a nuisance by damaging park land, golf courses, residential lawns, and creating water quality problems caused by droppings in ponds.

Please remember that these marvelous creatures are wild animals that should be enjoyed through observation and photography, not through feeding.

Current information on all Somerset County Park Commission activities may be found at www.somersetcountyparks.org or by calling the Park Commission at 908-722-1200 or NJ Relay at 711 for individuals with a hearing or speech impairment.

Custom Club Fitting Returns to Neshanic Valley

Following the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Somerset County Park Commission has announced that the Callaway Fitting Center at Neshanic Valley Golf Course Learning Center is again accepting appointments for custom club fitting performed by Callaway-trained professionals

The Callaway Fitting Center is located at 2301 South Branch Road, Neshanic Station, New Jersey.

To maintain social distancing and remain in compliance with Governor Murphy’s Executive Orders, all fittings will be done on the driving range using the “Trackman” system. “Trackman” is the foundation on which all analysis and performance enhancing software are developed. The system provides the the data that allows fitting professionals to dissect and understand the DNA of any given swing and recommend the ideal club and shaft combination.

Measurements include club head and ball speed, launch angle, side angle measurements, backspin and trajectory shape, sidespin measurements, swing tempo, attack angle measurements, lie angle, impact efficiency, and trajectory results.

The Performance Center features clubs by Callaway, Ping, and Taylormade. To make a fitting appointment call 908-369-8232 or email fglass@scparks.org

Information of all Somerset County Park Commission facilities and programs may at www.somersetcountyparks.org.