Summing It Up
Course & Grounds IDEAS from Management Companies and Their Properties Certified for the cause…Every golf course managed by Billy Casper Golf registers with the Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Program. “[It’s] our way of ensuring that each course contributes to the health of its community,” the management firm says. Getting past the salt… At courses that it manages in the Caribbean, Troon Golf has pioneered the development of more salt-tolerant turfgrasses. Different varieties of Paspalum being used can tolerate brackish water—a mix of fresh and sea water—used for irrigation. As part of a process now being used at facilities in the Dominican Republic (Cap Cana and The Westin Roko Ki Beach & Golf Resort) and on the island of St. Lucia (Le Paradis), Troon specifies that some of the pump stations’ components must be constructed with stainless steel, to better protect against the rust that can be caused by the water’s high salt content. |
At Bergen Hills CC, superintendents used aerial photos from the 1940s to help replace eroded bunkers and to grass over those that weren’t part of the original design. |
Preserving the Home Turf Advantage In 2003, RDC Golf Group secured a management contract for Bergen Hills CC in River Vale, N.J., a facility that “had suffered from a round-robin of owners who poured little or no money into the facility,” according to RDC President/CEO Christopher Schiavone.
“We recognized the value of this classic Orrin Smith and Donald Ross Design and advised the owners on how to make economical improvements in the course that would improve conditions and play,” he reports.
Once the go-ahead was secured, the RDC team called on the Bergen Hills superintendent and crew to play a key role in the course’s revival.
By using aerial photos from the 1940s, the club’s course and grounds staff headed an effort, Schiavone says, to “painstakingly restore the course’s greens and bunkers to their original size, replacing bunkers that had been allowed to erode over time, and grassing over others that were not part of the original design.” These improvements, along with the introduction of carts and steps to improve pace-of-play, all contributed to increases in rounds, outings, and membership, which now tops 250.
RDC credits the Bergen Hills C&G staff for being instrumental in engineering the type of turnaround all management firms want. This praise speaks volumes about the revered status those firms reserve not only for the golf courses in their portfolios, but also the experts who are responsible for their care and feeding.
Honours Golf is another management firm that feels the overall success of its company “rests on the foundation of high-quality, well-conditioned golf courses, provided at a reasonable cost,” says Kelly Olshore, Director of Marketing Services.
That translates to developing and maintaining courses that are “agronomically friendly,” in addition to player-friendly, she adds.
To achieve that goal, Olshore says Honours implements a tailored maintenance program at each of its facilities that “focuses on consistent and wellconditioned courses, above-average green speeds and attention to detail in the presentation of the course and grounds.”
“We implement regular testing of soil, irrigation water and tissue to provide a baseline for fertilizer input, along with reducing unnecessary applications of fertilizers and chemicals,” she notes.
Honours Golf C&G crews are dedicated to developing and maintaining courses that are as “agronomically friendly” as they are player-friendly. |
Course and grounds departments—either at the individual-property or corporate level—also are at the forefront of efforts by many management firms to distinguish themselves through environmental leadership. This is seen by some as the emerging issue that will make or break clubs and courses in the future—perhaps even more so than how to attract and retain members and guests.
“Environmental management is an important public value and one [for] which the industry’s reputation has— deservedly or not—needed shoring up,” notes CourseCo President Tom Isaak. “We [strive to] lead the industry and have received multiple awards in golf course maintenance and environmental management, including the top ELGA award in the country in 2006.” C&RB
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