The need to overhaul the bunkers and irrigation system at Des Moines Golf and Country Club ultimately led to a complete, four-year renovation of its two 18-hole golf courses.
Once the management team members at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, get started on a project, they just keep on going. And if their duties could be measured with a Stimpmeter, they would be rolling about a 15 now.
The property is in Year Three of a four-year renovation of its two 18-hole golf courses. So, how will the staff finally unwind when the renovations are complete? By taking on host duties of an international event, of course. In 2017, the top female golfers from the United States and Europe will vie for Solheim Cup supremacy on a composite of the two Des Moines G&CC golf courses. (The 1999 U.S. Senior Open was played on the same composite grouping of holes.)
Golf Scorecard Des Moines Golf and Country ClubWebsite: www.dmgcc.org Golf Holes: 36 Course Designer: Pete Dye Property Type: Private No. of Members: 750 golf; 1,570 all categories Year Opened: 1897 Golf Season: March to November Annual Rounds of Golf: 50,000 Fairways: Penneagle Bentgrass Greens: Penn A-4 Bentgrass |
The renovations to the club’s North and South courses—the only ones designed by Pete Dye in Iowa—were prompted by the need to redo the bunkers on the layouts, which opened in 1968 and 1969. The sand was contaminated, and the bunkers did not drain well.
“In the process of looking at the bunkers, we realized there were a lot of other things we should do,” says Director of Grounds Rick Tegtmeier, a Certified Golf Course Superintendent and a Master Greenkeeper.
For instance, the aging irrigation system needed to be replaced as well.
“The membership agreed that the bunkers and irrigation system needed to be redone, and it was a snowball effect from there,” notes Jim Cutter, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. “The game has changed so much over the years.”
Those changes have largely been tied to the development of modern-day golf equipment, which has advanced beyond the persimmon-head drivers that were popular in the 1970s, when Des Moines G&CC’s golf courses were in their infancy. This eventually led to the need to alter the layouts so they would adequately challenge players of all abilities.
“With the changes to the clubs [as well as to] the golf ball, a lot of the hazards had become obsolete,” Tegtmeier explains.
On the South Side
As a former North Course superintendent from 1983 to 1989, Tegtmeier had worked on a renovation of that course in 1987. After returning to Des Moines G&CC in 2006 to take his current position, he spearheaded an effort to put a master plan in place.
Updates to the North Course, which was renovated in two phases, were completed in April 2015, and renovations to the South Course are now in progress. The club has overhauled nine holes a year, and the renovations have been performed in nine-hole quadrants. Currently, renovations to the southwest side of the South Course, which includes holes 1 through 7, 17, and 18, are underway.
“It’s easier to do the renovation in composites of nine holes, versus front nine, back nine,” Tegtmeier explains.
All of the tees have been converted to a sand base in this phase of the project, and five new greens have been built, to replace greens that were either too uneven or in the wrong spot. “Very few of them are in the original position,” Tegtmeier adds. “The pin placements became tight and small, because they were so undulating.”
Superintendent Profile |
The work on the greens and tees is now complete and with the new tees, Tegtmeier reports, the golf course can challenge players with lower handicaps.
Workers have also removed and replaced sod on two of the greens and recontoured the putting surfaces as part of this phase. About 100 trees were removed as well. The membership had initiated a tree-planting program on the property, which was built on farmland, about 20 years after the courses were built. But the trees had started to affect the golf course and in addition, many of those that were removed were ash trees, which are susceptible to insect infiltration.
Two creeks, which crossed fairways, were filled in to give the golf course a more professional appearance, and irrigation updates have been completed as well.
“We had an old system with small piping down the middle of the fairways,” says Tegtmeier. “The main irrigation line is installed in the rough now, and laterals are hooked to that.”
The new irrigation system makes it easier to distribute water on the golf courses that are laid out on the 475-acre property. In addition, with the new system, the courses now have 10-inch pipes instead of three-inch pipes.
Construction crews are still doing sod work, bunker renovations, and cart path upgrades. In addition, the number of bunkers is increasing from 24 to 47.
“This year was much more in-depth, because we removed or lengthened some holes,” notes Tegtmeier. “Throughout the project, we put extra drainage lines in wherever we could.”
Renovations to the North Course were similar to those on the South Course, but the South project included redoing two greens in the first year and two greens in the second. While only four new greens were built on the North Course, that layout received all new tees.
In addition, asphalt cart paths were removed and replaced with concrete paths. “In this climate, [concrete] is more durable,” Tegtmeier says. “It looks nicer, and it’s easier to edge.”
Playability and Perspective
During the renovation process, Tegtmeier has often worked 14-hour days, but he never leaves the nine holes that are under construction. With a close working relationship with Cutter and Director of Golf Scott Howe, however, he is by no means operating in a vacuum.
Tegtmeier, Cutter, and Howe have had a longstanding date every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. to tour the golf course together, and that routine has carried over into the renovation. “We’ve walked every hole and said, ‘This is what we want to do,’” Tegtmeier reports.
Course & Grounds Profile Des Moines Golf and Country ClubAnnual Budget: $1.8 million for golf courses; $120,000 for clubhouse grounds Staff: 15 full-time, 35 seasonal Other Managers: Tim Sims, South Course Superintendent; Nate Tegtmeier, North Course Superintendent Irrigation System: Rain Bird (3,500 sprinkler heads) Water Source and Usage: Well (2,808 ft. deep); Jordan Aquifer is main source of water, along with runoff water that is collected in lakes and utilized Equipment: Own all equipment; mix of Toro, John Deere and Jacobsen Technology: The entire property has been mapped by GPS Aerating and Overseeding Schedules: Solid deep-tine aerification in the spring, core aerification in the fall; as a Northern course, does not overseed Upcoming Capital Projects: One more year of four-phase renovation project Duties and Responsibilities: Department takes care of everything outside of the clubhouse; works closely with other departments to make sure operation is run smoothly and efficiently; oversees maintenance of golf cart fleet, clubhouse grounds, two 18-hole golf courses, three driving ranges, and practice facilities |
What they want to do through the renovations is to make the golf courses as enjoyable as possible for the membership, and each of the three men brings a distinct perspective to the project.
While Tegtmeier looks at the renovations from a maintenance standpoint, Howe considers the end result from a golfer’s perspective. As the one with the closest ties to the purse strings, Cutter looks at the process, which is expected to total $7 million-plus upon completion, from a financial viewpoint.
During their meetings and walk-arounds, the three managers discuss which aspects of the project to bid out, and which updates the property can afford.
“We’ve decided that some things didn’t give us enough bang for our buck, and some things didn’t make sense,” explains Tegtmeier.
Tegtmeier and Cutter keep the high-handicap players in mind when making decisions, while Howe makes sure the project also addresses the needs of the club’s more accomplished golfers.
“We talk about the renovations—what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it,” says Tegtmeier. “It’s a great way to do a project. To see your general manager walking through the mud with you to help you make a decision, that’s huge.”
Howe keeps a close eye on the way the club’s golfers are currently playing the holes, to see if they are easier or harder than they expected. With playability and the overall design of golf courses in mind, he offers input about the placement of bunkers or tee boxes. He also watches junior and senior players closely, to see how they are getting around the golf course.
“A lot of updating and innovation on the players’ side had led to the course playing differently,” Howe explains.
In the previous nine-hole renovations, he continues, the overall yardage of several holes was shortened, and two forced carries over water were eliminated on the current nine-hole renovation. In all cases, the goal of the changes is to challenge the better players, while still giving intermediate golfers and the almost 300 players in Des Moines G&CC’s junior program an enjoyable experience.
“We’re looking for the best way to do things for the members of our club,” reveals Tegtmeier. “We’re protecting their interests.”
According to Cutter, more than 1,000 of the 1,570 in the club’s member families play golf. “It’s a very large part of what we do,” he says. The master plan included a list of objectives to achieve, and the top priority was to make the golf course playable for all ages and abilities.
In addition, Howe notes, the renovations seek to return the property to the vision of Pete Dye. The golf course architect visited in 2009 after the decision to renovate was made and shared his memories and recollections with the management team.
Shortly after the club decided to renovate, the staff members also agreed that they would like to play host to another major tournament. They weren’t interested in an annual PGA Tour event, Howe says, but knew they wanted something special. Things quickly started to fall into place after they reached out to the LPGA and discovered that their contact had attended the 1999 U.S. Senior Open when it was held at Des Moines G&CC. In September of 2013, Des Moines G&CC was awarded the 2017 Solheim Cup.
The property took routing and seating for the international event into consideration for the renovation project, and the management team complied with a request to make one of the tees a certain size for the Solheim Cup. Otherwise, however, the staff has kept the membership front-and-center during the decision-making process.
“The Solheim Cup is only three days,” notes Tegtmeier. “All the work we’re doing is for our members and their pleasure.”
Keeping Everyone in the Loop
The course renovation team extends beyond management staff members at the property. Tegtmeier works closely with the construction supervisors on the project, and he makes any major decisions with Cutter, Howe, and Golf Course Architect Tim Liddy.
“There are no unilateral decisions. We run everything up the flagpole, and that really helps,” explains Tegtmeier.
Even though Des Moines G&CC has contracted out most of the work each year, the maintenance crew members have helped with the project as well. They have laid sod, hauled soil, and helped with the irrigation work.
“Wherever they’ve needed us, we’ve tried to help out,” Tegtmeier states.
Tegtmeier also holds weekly staff meetings with his crew members, so they can ask questions and get updates about the renovations.
The membership is paying close attention to the process as well. In fact, one of the biggest challenges during construction for management has been keeping people off the holes that are being renovated.
To help maintain a good understanding of how the work has been progressing, Cutter and Howe have taken many people on tours of the project during each phase of the renovation. Howe has taken about 200 people on tours of the third phase, in groups ranging from one to 20 people.
“They play a lot of golf, and for the most part, they are very vested in the country club,” Howe says of the members. “They want to know what’s going on.”
Tegtmeier also updates members about progress on his blog, which includes drone flyovers of the holes after their renovations have been completed.
Business as Usual
According to Howe, the way the management team has worked together on the renovation project mirrors how they interact on a daily basis.
“We have an open dialogue, and not just on the project. I view them as partners, not as employees,” Cutter confirms. “We don’t always agree with each other, but we talk it out and come to a resolution.”
Tegtmeier and Howe might discuss frost or other weather issues, or Howe might point out to Tegtmeier if a maintenance issue is causing the course to play unfairly. “Not a day goes by that I don’t see Rick,” Howe adds.
As time-consuming as the renovation project can be, Tegtmeier still has the responsibility of keeping two golf courses—along with the rest of the property grounds—in top condition during the process.
“You have to learn to trust your superintendents and their assistants,” he states. “We never let anything slide on the 27 holes that are open. That comes first. We help the construction crew when we can, but our main goal is maintaining the golf courses.”
And, even though they don’t do it with the same frequency, the maintenance staff members still have to mow the nine holes that are closed for construction.
Des Moines G&CC, an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program property, also places a premium on eco-friendly maintenance practices in its day-to-day operations. The golf course maintenance team has built birdhouses to encourage bluebirds and swallows to nest. The crew members use environmentally friendly chemicals to protect water features and to conserve water usage whenever possible. They also add native and no-mow areas when and where they can.
Balancing their regular duties with the demands of the renovation is just business as usual for the Des Moines G&CC staff. “Our biggest strength is that we each understand each other’s departmental challenges and the things that are important,” says Howe. “The dynamic is very healthy.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.