A fresh example for me is when they renovated the NCGA offices. They started the process of tearing out the exterior walls in December 2005 and we moved our offices into the cart barn several months later. I can vividly recall some refreshingly cool mornings as the winter wind whipped through the tarps that doubled as my wall. By June we were moving back into the renovated offices. Our brief inconvenience slowly became a distant memory.

As for renovating golf courses, the biggest question is why? Why tear up something that provides a source of recreation for countless people, revenue for the owners, city or company, jobs for employees, habitat for wildlife and satisfaction or dissatisfaction (depending upon how you most recently played) for the game? The simplest answer I can think of is “The Joneses.” As in keeping up with the neighbors.

Golf course architect Bill Love, who recently completed improvements at The Olympic Club, claims that renovation is “being competitive in the marketplace. Golf courses change over time – they are living and breathing entities,” noted Love.

Here are a few examples of changes or worse yet, deterioration on the golf course:
• The turtle shell tee syndrome – divots are constantly filled by sand and seed mixes which form a turtle shell shape on the tees.
• Sloughing off of bunker slopes caused by golfers exiting the bunker slope (high side) versus walking out the low point of the bunker
• Elevation of bunkers lips caused by the constant splashing of sand from golfers hitting explosion shots from a common collection area in a bunker.

“By sticking with status quo – you are getting passed by,” said Love. The facilities who embrace improvements in technology and materials will ensure improved playability in addition to providing a fun and appropriate challenge for every golfer.

Constant splashing of sand can cause elevated bunker lips.

As with every challenge, there comes a new level of unknown. Renovating a golf course has various stages of disturbance which directly corresponds to degrees of frustration for golfers. The first level of disturbance generally contains some small to medium cosmetic changes. These may include rebuilding a tee, reshaping a bunker as well as installing some fairway drainage. The project may alter the hole for a day or two. After a few weeks, everything is back to normal. The golfer can tell that something is different, but hopefully nothing too dramatic-much like a new coat of paint in your living room.A remodeled kitchen or bathroom poses more than just a little inconvenience. On a golf course, this could alter play for several weeks or months. The project may force you to play temporary greens or makeshift par threes as the holes undergo improvements. Once the dust settles and the tee is clear, everyone will notice the improvements. Function and form are paramount and the end result is an improved experience for the golfer.

Completely remodeling your home/golf course is a huge ordeal. Provisional quarters are a must as the contractors gut, strip and tear up your worn and comfortable establishment. The walls that withstood many stories and held pictures of memories are gone temporarily. Once the demolition has occurred and the new construction has started, the hassle of displacement is replaced with anticipation and the vision of the new facility and amenities. In most cases, the new and improved home or golf course has a dramatic effect on the senses. The smell, look and feel of new is as satisfying as a well struck iron – crisp and clean.

There comes a point in time when every golf course faces the inevitable – change. Changing things for the sake of change just does not cut it anymore in this fast paced and ultra-competitive golf industry. How club officials and regular golfers embrace this fact determines the amount and length of anxiety. Planning and due diligence by qualified professionals as well as a close working relationship with course management and select committees will hopefully bring the level of discomfort to one that is acceptable and brief.

Without going into excruciating detail regarding every practice superintendents use on a regular basis, what follows is a simple multiple-choice quiz to see if golfers can tell the difference between cultural practices utilized on courses today.

Match the proper cultural practice with the corresponding piece of equipment.

Aerification – removes small plugs from the greens. This removes organic matter and promotes root growth, improves water infiltration and helps alleviate compaction.

Verticutting – removes a small amount of material from the green, grooms the surface

Deep verticutting – removes a great deal of organic matter from the green

Topdressing – smoothes the surface, fills in damaged areas; sand is the material of choice

Planet Air – small slits on the surface, minimal surface disruption

The surface quality of putting greens is a delicate balance of providing satisfactory playing conditions (firm versus soft), plant nutrition, trueness (smooth versus bumpy), disease suppression, plant water requirements and root zone fitness. Factor in environmental considerations such as excessively high temperatures, strong winds, artic fronts and sheets of rain or blankets of snow and the surface quality dynamic is challenged even more.

Successfully juggling weather demands, an active tournament schedule and special events while to trying to hit the narrow agronomic window for a quick recovery is difficult. Because of specific time restraints and recovery needs, one can understand why the greens are subjected to cultural practices when they are already in pristine condition.

The above mentioned are just a few examples of cultural practices that are employed on golf courses to enhance or improve the surface quality of putting greens. In order to keep putting greens in top-notch condition now and into the future, golfers must endure some short-term pains.

1	A
2	| B
3	C
4	D
5	E

The answers to the quiz are: Picture 1 – D, Picture 2 – E, Picture 3 – B, Picture 4 – C, Picture 5 – A.
 

The Superintendent Intern Program is designed to train qualified and motivated individuals in the basic skills needed to become an effective assistant golf course superintendent and eventually a superintendent. A key objective of the program is to learn from a seasoned superintendent to speed up the learning curve and gain valuable work experience on the course.

The first of many accomplished people to complete the program was Scott Jorgensen. Scott, currently the superintendent at Santa Barbara Golf Club, had the distinct pleasure of training under John Zoller, then the superintendent at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, in 1975. Jorgensen had little golf course maintenance experience and remembers Zoller as “putting me in the trenches to learn as much as I could.” This learning-by-doing experience was an important aspect of the Superintendent Intern Program, but Jorgensen recalls memories from a more traditional method of learning –– the classroom.

Zoller taught the local turf class at Monterey Peninsula College. It was not uncommon for John to bring in some nationally acclaimed guests, such as the USGA’s Bill Bengeyfield, to speak to the class. According to Jorgensen this was just another way John “could really open doors for you that you thought were closed.”

Fast forward 30 years and Zoller’s legacy is as strong as ever. Justin Janke, a former assistant golf course superintendent at Tehama GC, got to see first hand how a legend of the industry took care of business on a daily basis. A 2005 graduate of the Superintendent Intern Program and now the superintendent at Malibu Country Club, Janke recalls how much drive and dedication John had as the general manager of Tehama when it opened in 1999. “Mr. Zoller was inspiring.” Janke said. “His dedication to the golf course was remarkable. He loved coming to work and he had a great eye for detail about the golf course.”

Both Janke and Jorgensen admired Zoller’s demeanor. “He had this aura about him that is hard to describe” Jorgensen said. “Everybody just respected him.” Janke noticed how stoic Zoller was in his interactions with others. “If Mr. Zoller wanted to tell you something, he would let you know in a very calm and soothing fashion that something was out of place or needed attention.” Janke noted. “You always made sure to quickly take care of the issue; you didn’t want to let John down.”

Obviously, Zoller left more than just impressions on many people. He was known in virtually every aspect of the golf industry from professional tournaments to golf course construction to golf course maintenance. He was a true pillar of the game. A very distinguished amateur golfer, John Zoller will go down in the annals of golf history as one of its most influential members.

There is no doubt John Zoller will be missed. His kind face and a recollection of an encouraging word will put a smile on more than one person’s face and in their hearts as well. For many of the former superintendent interns that got to know and learn from John Zoller, his legacy will continue well into the future.

Due to Zoller’s vision, the Superintendent Intern program is as vibrant and effective today as it was 35 years ago. Just the way The Big Z would have wanted.

Scott Dickson, superintendent of Saddle Creek GC and an alumnus of the inaugural boot camp said, “The NCGA Boot Camp provides assistant superintendents with an educational and networking experience that is normally reserved for their supervisors.”

Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove provides a scenic backdrop for the intense two-day event where participants are able to interact with fellow attendees as well as meet with some of the industry’s top leaders and university researchers.

Todd Newell, a current NCGA superintendent intern at Saddle Creek GC described the event as “very valuable.” Newell noted “the assortment of speakers is a plus and the networking is outstanding. I highly recommend the program to all assistants.”

You can lead a Golfer to Water

This past year I was selected to participate in an educational program called the Water Leaders. The program, directed by the Water Education Foundation, identifies young professionals who have a vested interest in water resource issues.

The Water Education Foundation is the premier source of unbiased, nonpartisan information on water issues for the public. The foundation provides a variety of services such as educational programs for children, publications on water issues and coordination of special activities and conferences.

The one-year program requires participants to attend several conferences throughout the year as well as two water tours. The water tours are extremely valuable as participants learn about local, state and federal water issues from speakers who share insights from multiple perspectives.

Each class participant is required to shadow a mentor for a day. The mentors are established water industry leaders and policy makers who are willing to share their expertise and experiences with the water leaders.

The program has been extremely useful in understanding the ever-changing and always-complex water issues in California. My goal is to use the information gained from this program to assist our industry in becoming better stewards of the most important natural resource in the world.

Picking one piece of clothing and wearing it day after day would be difficult no doubt.

Factor in the major heat wave which hit most of Northern California in July and the choice of a wool sweater or the cotton T-shirt suddenly becomes a huge ordeal.

Let’s start with an easy illustration ¾ a person lives in Monterey. What article of clothing would this person choose to wear? Most people who spend time in Monterey would probably recommend the wool sweater. Monterey enjoys a very moderate climate, or for those warm-blooded tourists – it is downright cold. There are several days though in which the temperatures can be warm and mild and the wool sweater would be considered uncomfortable.

Let’s look at another example ¾ Fresno. Depending on the time of year, this choice is a little more difficult. If we had to choose winter, the choice would be easy – wool sweater. However, we also have to factor in the other seasons. Since we have to pick one – let’s choose the cotton T-shirt. Obviously this is the garment of choice for the hot summer months and some of the shoulder seasons of spring and fall. Yet, there would be numerous times in the winter when this person would be extremely cold and seek shelter from the elements.

How do these analogies pertain to golf and turfgrass? Very simple ¾ the articles of clothing are analogous to the choices of turfgrasses. A golf course can grow either cool-season grasses, warm-season grasses or in some instances, both. Growing cool-season grasses in Monterey is a no-brainer as is the clothing article of choice: the wool sweater. Picking the right grasses for Fresno is a little more difficult because the climate can grow both cool and warm-season grasses.

The graphs provided by the PACE Turfgrass Research Institute document 30-year temperature trends in turfgrass growth potential and the calendar year. The blue line (or wool sweater), illustrates how conducive the environment is for growing cool-season grasses. When the blue line drops below 80% in the summer months, cool-season turf stands are being subjected to environmental stresses. The red line or (cotton t-shirt), is the warm-season grass growing potential. Warm-season turf thrives when the growth potential is greater than 50%.

Believe it or not, there are some warm-season grasses growing on the Monterey Peninsula.

Fresno has some great growing conditions for cool season turf in the shoulder seasons. The summer months lend themselves to playing golf on warm-season turfgrass stands or more heat-tolerant, cool-season turf varieties.

What happens to those golf courses whose climates are in between Monterey and Fresno? The turfgrass options are not quite as obvious. There are numerous golf courses in Northern California with playing surfaces that have both cool and warm season turfgrasses. This combination of grasses allows either the cool or warm-season grass to excel when the conditions are favorable. These shifts, much like the fashion designs, are not unusual and can change from season to season.

The best case scenario would allow the person to layer their garments. The cotton T-shirt is the base garment and the wool sweater is added when needed. Unfortunately most golf courses only get to go shopping once. Summer stress on golf courses is unpleasant for everyone, especially for the person or cool season turfgrass plant who is wearing a wool sweater in Fresno in August.

Golfers and golf courses throughout Northern California suffered through the soggy weather. In general, rounds were down and rounds were accompanied by umbrellas, extra towels and rain gear. Many courses had U.S.-Open rough due to an inability to mow caused by the saturated conditions.

Real estate representatives turn the phrase location, location, location when trying to sell property. Golf courses would do well to use the words drainage, drainage, drainage for improving playing conditions. Here are a couple of examples of how courses cope with moving excessive rain off of the playing surface.

Sand capping or plating fairways has become a more popular option for newly constructed or recently renovated golf courses. This process involves installing and contouring six to eight inches of sand on tees, fairways and sometimes even rough. This foundation of sand is an excellent medium for growing turf and allowing excessive water to drain through the profile. This is an expensive option, but the results generally speak for themselves. The payout for these courses is firmer and more playable conditions when other facilities are closed or deemed unplayable. It is important to note that unless adequate internal drainage is installed properly during the plating process some drainage problems will ultimately surface.

In terms of internal drainage, the process of installing a permanent underground backbone for drainage is not very popular with golfers. This method has long been considered mess and disruptive for play. Thankfully, there are a variety of pipe alternatives and companies that can be contracted to provide a more palatable process. The time it takes to complete drainage projects has been greatly reduced due to improved machinery and techniques. Frequently, golfers don’t even notice the disruption to the playing surface after a drainage system has been installed. The addition of internal drainage plus a good surface management program should keep the subterranean plumbing viable for many years.

Surface management doesn’t only apply for greens. Many golf courses are employing cultural practices once exclusively used on putting greens on tees and fairways. Topdressing ¾ a light coating of sand ¾ is one of the industry standards for smooth turf surfaces. This cultural practice also helps provide a drier surface as well as speed up the recovery of any damaged turf due to divots. Most golfers will not see the benefits of topdressing fairways overnight. It takes several applications of sand each year for continuous years before the golf course begins to reap the benefits of firmer and drier fairways. This program requires the course to make a long-term commitment of resources in order to slowly but surely change the playing surface.

Now that summer is in full swing with high temperatures and clear, blue skies, the cool, damp spring is a distant memory. Taking time now to bury issues such as drainage, golf courses across Northern California will hopefully not get bogged down by embedded balls and wet socks in the future.

The golf courses inside the gates of 17-Mile Drive have been using recycled water for 12 years. Inevitably, there are times during the year when the courses have to supplement their water needs with potable water due to climatic reasons, seasonal demand, and maintenance of the wastewater facility. The Achilles heel of the recycled water conversion process is lack of storage.

Just down the street from the NCGA offices, a unique blend of private and governmental agencies have been trying to develop a solution to the problem that has been haunting them since day one: adequate water storage. This group developed an ambitious plan to solve the water shortage issue once and for all by improving the quality of the recycled water as well as refurbishing an abandoned reservoir originally built in 1887.

This new two-phase project, which featured a four-way public and private partnership and a $30 million price tag, is a 12-year testament to the resolve of agencies who provide valuable water savings for all of the communities on the Monterey Peninsula. An estimate of the potable water savings once the project is completed will be 100 million gallons a year, which will free up enough potable water to serve about 1,000 homes annually.

The original Forest Lake Reservoir built inside the Del Monte Forest in Pebble Beach near the turn of the 20th century was functional for close to 100 years. New state safety standards forced the local private water purveyor to shut down and drain the reservoir in the early 1990s. The new Forest Lake is now seismically fit and sealed with a vinyl liner which has put the finishing touches on phase one of the project. The $12.5 million facelift includes sophisticated leak detection monitoring equipment and state-of-the-art pumping equipment as well as micro-strainers for algae removal. All of the water sequestered behind the earthen dam will irrigate the eight golf courses, athletic fields, and selected landscaping inside the confines of 17-Mile Drive.

Down the hill at the Carmel Area Wastewater District treatment plant, phase two of the project has begun in the form of construction for the new buildings housing the advanced treatment equipment. The incoming wastewater will be screened with micro-filters and then further cleansed through reverse osmosis membranes. Officials predict the new treatment of the previously used water should be online in late 2007. Once fully operational, the plant will supply the recently renovated reservoir with 1.5 million gallons of “demineralized” water each day. The quality of the new wastewater will be almost as good as the clear liquid that flows through the taps in most residences.

Golf courses were considered a problem for only using water once, but courses have become the solution to the problem because they are using the precious commodity twice.

Repairing a run down reservoir which ultimately stores an improved quality of Recycled water is indeed a gain for more than just golf courses. The Reward of helping all of us who live, work, and play on the magnificent Monterey Peninsula is as refreshing as a cool drink of water.

This past October marked the fifth anniversary of the Assistant Superintendent Boot Camp. What began as an event to prepare assistant superintendents to rise to the next level has started to pay off. Approximately 20 individuals who attended past boot camps are now golf course superintendents.

Scott Dickson, superintendent of Saddle Creek GC and an alumnus of the inaugural boot camp said, “The NCGA Boot Camp provides assistant superintendents with an educational and networking experience that is normally reserved for their supervisors.”

Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove provides a scenic backdrop for the intense two-day event where participants are able to interact with fellow attendees as well as meet with some of the industry’s top leaders and university researchers.

Todd Newell, a current NCGA superintendent intern at Saddle Creek GC described the event as “very valuable.” Newell noted “the assortment of speakers is a plus and the networking is outstanding. I highly recommend the program to all assistants.”

You can lead a Golfer to Water

This past year I was selected to participate in an educational program called the Water Leaders. The program, directed by the Water Education Foundation, identifies young professionals who have a vested interest in water resource issues.

The Water Education Foundation is the premier source of unbiased, nonpartisan information on water issues for the public. The foundation provides a variety of services such as educational programs for children, publications on water issues and coordination of special activities and conferences.

The one-year program requires participants to attend several conferences throughout the year as well as two water tours. The water tours are extremely valuable as participants learn about local, state and federal water issues from speakers who share insights from multiple perspectives.

Each class participant is required to shadow a mentor for a day. The mentors are established water industry leaders and policy makers who are willing to share their expertise and experiences with the water leaders.

The program has been extremely useful in understanding the ever-changing and always-complex water issues in California. My goal is to use the information gained from this program to assist our industry in becoming better stewards of the most important natural resource in the world.

Two great examples of superintendents having a detailed set of course records are Dave Sexton, CGCS at the Meadow Club, and Jim Husting, CGCS at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club.

During a routine visit to check on an NCGA intern at the Meadow Club in late August, I saw that the greens had recently been aerified. This cultural practice was traditionally performed later in the fall (the first week in October), according to Sexton. When I questioned Sexton why he went with an early aerification his response was interesting. The Meadow Club had several large tournaments to host in the fall and the historical window for aerification was very small and routinely encountered weather problems.

Sexton decided to check 20 years worth of weather data to see if there was a recurring weather pattern that would allow them to aerfiy the greens prior to the tournaments rather than after the tournaments. After careful examination, Sexton noticed a trend for cooler weather in the third week of August.

The day before aerification the temperatures were in the high 80’s. The day of aerfication, a cool front and fog moved in and the temperature never got above 58.

Some might say that Sexton beat the odds; I say it was from carefully examining course records.

Jim Husting at Woodbridge G&CC was way ahead of the energy crisis – about 10 years, to be exact.

The Woodbridge membership voted to install a new irrigation system complete with a new pump station. Little did they know they were going to get such a big surprise. The new variable frequency pumps were much more energy efficient, 20% the first full year of operation. The savings continued year after year. After ten years of using the pumps, Woodbridge is just now spending as much on electricity as they did when they installed the pumps in 1992. The energy savings essentially bought the pumps and to top it off, PG&E sent the club a 20% refund for lowering their electric bill by more than 20 %.

Another tool that has been invaluable to Husting at Woodbridge is a computer software program designed to track equipment maintenance and course projects expenditures. Husting and the equipment technician have used the program for ten years to monitor preventative maintenance schedules, purchase orders and employee information and data. Husting admitted that he didn’t know how they performed equipment maintenance before he got the program.

Husting prints up the scheduled maintenance list for the various pieces of equipment and gives the list to the equipment technician, who then completes the scheduled maintenance tasks. The program keeps a running total of hours logged on the piece of equipment, cost of all parts, date of purchase, when the next scheduled maintenance should occur as well as other important scheduled repairs and an inventory of parts for those repairs.

Not only does Husting track equipment maintenance records but has used the program to track course projects costs. If the General Manager or Green Committee chair wants to know how many man-hours and how much materials were used to reconstruct the sixth championship tee, it is as easy as a couple of mouse clicks. Voila, exact cost down to the penny.

Granted, it takes time to enter the identification numbers of all the equipment as well as the part numbers, work orders and other relevant information. But as Husting can attest it is well worth the effort.

Retelling the story of setting a course record never gets old. The same holds true for these two superintendents, having records of their courses that also tell stories. If only the audience was interested in the latter as much as the former

Why are native grass plantings becoming more popular on golf courses? Is it because native grass plantings provide economic savings by reducing inputs? Do native grass plantings enhance wildlife habitats on the golf course? Will the golf course blend into the existing landscape when native grasses are used?

The answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes. However, there are some basic premises that have to be understood before all of the benefits of utilizing native plant material are observed.

A superintendent of a newly constructed golf course who has had plenty of experience in planning a native grass establishment is Forrest Arthur of The Preserve in Carmel Valley. Forrest stated that without the commitment to proper planning and documenting the existing native plant inventory, the process would have had disastrous results. Instead, the native grass areas at The Preserve are one of the most intriguing aspects of the golf course.

Forrest developed a good understanding of native grass plantings while serving as Superintendent of The Links at Spanish Bay. However, the amount of area to re-establish to native grasses at The Preserve was staggering. Prior to construction, Forrest and Paul Kephart, manager of Rana Creek Restoration, inventoried the native plant material on each hole. They took notes of the plant material for both the highland areas and the lowland areas.

The permitting processes only allowed Forrest to have 70 acres of irrigated turf for the entire golf course. During the construction process, Forrest estimated they disturbed another 70 acres that had to be revegetated to its original pristine condition. The disturbed areas were hydroseeded with the appropriate blend of grasses to match the existing flora. Supplemental irrigation was used to help the seeds germinate and develop an acceptable stand. Forrest worked closely with regulating agencies to plant the disturbed areas precisely back to pre-undisturbed conditions.

Golf course superintendents need to learn the behavior of native grasses, according to David Kaplow of Pacific OpenSpace, Inc., Most experts agree that it can take up to three years to have an acceptable stand of native grasses. By taking longer to fully establish, Kaplow suggests superintendents have different expectations for native grass areas.

Roger Robarge, Superintendent at California Golf Club in San Francisco, has learned the value of patience when planting several acres of native grasses. Once a major tree removal effort was wrapped up, Roger and the Green Committee wanted to re-establish native plant material in the under stories of the trees as well as cleared out areas which were not in play.

Robarge worked closely with Kaplow to develop a plan and identify plants that would restore native grasses and shrubs throughout the golf course. Roger and his crew devoted plenty of manpower and inputs to keep the newly established areas weed free and well-manicured. This was extremely important to the Green Committee at the Cal Club. Robarge always strived to have the native areas golfer-friendly, in case an errant shot ventured into an established planting. The initial native program was slated to last only two years, but Roger and staff have made a long-term commitment to keep the areas intact.

For as many success stories as there are on establishing native grasses on golf courses, there are probably twice as many failures. The two biggest problems with failed native grass plantings are poor site preparation and lack of weed control. Many superintendents have learned the hard way that there is more to establishing native areas than just sowing seed and waiting for it to germinate.

Paul Kephart suggests that superintendents understand the big picture when preparing a site for native grass plantings. Questions that have to be answered are: percent slope, direction of slope, soil texture and structure, climatic conditions, weed seed bank, maintenance strategies, irrigation availability as well as previously mentioned native grass inventory and seed selection. Once the entire site criterion is addressed, the chances for failure are greatly reduced.

Proper weed control is essential if aggressive weeds are in competition with the native grasses. If this condition persists over time then the native grass stand will not perform up to standards. Every effort should be made to be diligent in weed control efforts. Whether it is herbicides, mowing, hand weeding, etc., regardless of what method of weed control is used, the practice should be timely and uniform throughout the planting area.

Because of the cost, planting native grasses is not a seat-of-the-pants decision. Prices for the seed of native grasses can create some sticker shock when compared to commonly used grasses on golf courses. Some varieties often exceed $10 a pound. However, once these grasses are established, they should be around for a long time.

Another pitfall is planting a mixture of grasses that may not be the right fit for the location, otherwise known as the shotgun approach. Performing an accurate assessment of existing plant material is essential for selecting the ideal grasses for each project. The best plant material for the location is not always the lowest priced.

There are literally hundreds of people, businesses and consultants in the state of California that are connected in some way, shape or form to promoting naturalized areas. There is also a large amount of information available about native grasses on the Internet. An easy-to-understand website with helpful information about native California grasses and businesses that are closely associated with the environment is the California Native Grass Association (www.cnga.org). The website will be changed in the next few months to a more user-friendly site with tons of practical information and tips on how to manage and maintain native grass areas.

There is no doubt that more and more golf courses are re-introducing native grasses. Golf course owners, club managers, superintendents and even golfers are encouraging more native grasses plantings. Developing the native grass areas that blend well with the natural surroundings takes time, money and expertise. Becoming a true California Native is well worth the effort.