The surge in golf course renovations has put a premium on purchase-or-lease decisions that must be made for mowing and maintenance equipment now needed for new layouts or turf.
Whether a golf course property undergoes a capital project to restore its layout to its original beauty and design, or to take advantage of the newest turf varieties, a major renovation requires careful planning to ensure a successful outcome. And sometimes, the turf and the layout aren’t the only things that need to be upgraded. To help the grounds crew maintain the new look, golf course renovations can prompt a property to update its capital plans for equipment replacement as well.
Full-Scale Revival
The golf course at Oaks Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., reopened on June 1 of this year after a year-long, $3 million renovation of its 1921 A.W. Tillinghast design. To formulate plans for the project, the architect used an old aerial photograph, base contours of the original greens, and a study of bunker styles on well-known Tillinghast layouts. The project included the installation of new greens modeled after the original contours, new bunkers, and improved grass on the fairways.
SUMMING IT UP• Golf course renovations can influence capital planning for course maintenance equipment needs.
• While mowing and maintenance equipment has become much more advanced and precise, it has become more expensive as well, requiring careful study and comparison before buying decisions are made. • Equipment needs vary from property to property. A hilly golf course could require machinery with all-wheel drive, while quiet, electric equipment is often better-suited for properties in residential areas. |
A total of 52 tees were added to enhance playability for all skill levels, and the tees were positioned to bring the golf course to modern standards. Significant length was added to the championship tees as well.
Cart paths were cleared and repositioned to restore the historical fairway widths seen in the aerial photo. A new pond created a recycling-recirculating water feature, and two new pump stations were also added.
“The greens were the ‘dynamite keg’ for us,” Golf Course Superintendent Dan Robinson says of the putting surfaces that were more than 25 years old. “They were struggling year after year after year.”
Singular Focus
In other cases, upgrades to one feature of a golf course can give it new life while also restoring its old appearance. Stillwater (Minn.) Country Club, which opened in 1925, renovated 33 bunkers this year to bring back the character and charm of its original nine-hole course, which was laid out by Tom Vardon (brother of Harry Vardon, the six-time British Open champion). The three-month project ran from April until early July.
“The architect told us our traps ‘looked tired’—that was a good description,” says Golf Course Superintendent Marlin Murphy.
Many of Stillwater’s members assisted in the construction of the original layout, and the property added nine more holes in 1957. The club built a reputation as a quality venue as the golf course matured, but little money was invested in updates and capital improvements in recent years.
Last year, however, Stillwater launched plans to create a renovation project to reconstruct the bunkers, restore the golf course’s classic character, and reduce maintenance. Existing bunkers were removed while new bunkers were constructed. A centering bunker was repositioned on the par-3 seventh hole, and new fairway bunkering enhanced the fourth, fifth and 12th holes. The property also reduced the sand in its bunkers and improved drainage.
“For years we did in-house trap renovations,” says Murphy. “Now we had pros do it. They have better construction equipment, and we got a good-looking project.”
Anniversary Present
River Place Country Club in Austin, Texas renovated its golf course, with input from the original golf course architect, in time to celebrate the property’s 30th anniversary last summer. The golf course was also modified in the early 1990s to become more playable, and playability again was an object for last year’s renovation, to increase golfers’ enjoyment of the game.
“We wanted to update the turf grass cultivar on our greens,” says Golf Course Superintendent Steve Karsh. “We wanted to get better play on the greens, and we were trying to keep up with nearby competition.”
Hatching the PlansCapital planning for the renovation at Oaks Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. started in the fall of 2013, when Golf Course Superintendent Dan Robinson and Head Golf Professional Rick Reed approached the club’s Board about the project. A long-range planning committee was developed, and Oaks CC hired a consultant and an architect. The consultant gave a presentation about capital improvements and conducted a survey to gauge interest among the membership.
“When we realized we had overwhelming support, we dove in,” notes Robinson. The Oaks CC staff also held town hall meetings for the membership in which property management, the architect and the consultant outlined plans for the project. “Our short-term goal was to make the greens better, especially in the summer, and to provide a higher-quality putting surface,” Robinson explains. “Our long-term goal is to make our club more of a family-friendly country club. We want to identify ourselves as the family country club in Tulsa. We also wanted to make the golf course harder for good players, and easier for the players who are not as good.” As part of its renovation, Oaks CC also built a six-hole, pitch-and-putt golf course beside the swimming pool. The holes range in length from 45 yards to 70 yards, and Robinson sees everyone from children who are experimenting with golf to experienced players on the course. “It’s a good place for good players to practice their short game,” he reports. Stillwater (Minn.) Country Club had a long-range plan to renovate the bunkers on its golf course in place for eight to 10 years, notes Superintendent Marlin Murphy, and the property increased dues and saved money where it could for the $315,000 project. The funds to finance the project were in hand after about three years, Murphy says, and once they got serious about it, the staff approached the greens committee members, who then contacted a builder. River Place Country Club, in Austin, Texas, undertook its golf course project a year after renovating its clubhouse by updating its gym, conference rooms, ballrooms, restaurant, and bar area. The property formulated its capital project after talking to the owner, who wanted to increase membership and improve the golf experience. “We didn’t have a master plan, but after talking to the original architect, he told us it was time to get going,” notes Golf Course Superintendent Steve Karsh. |
River Place spent $750,000 in the 60-day project to restore the greens to their original shape and contours, which are now 20 percent larger. The property also replaced the TifDwarf Bermuda turf on the greens with TifEagle, an ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass.
In addition, River Place rebuilt all of its bunkers and added state-of-the-art liners to them, to prevent contamination of the sand. Some of the bunker contours were softened, while other bunkers were made shallower. In addition, some were converted to grass bunkers, which made the course more playable and cut maintenance costs.
The property also added a new drainage system and filled bunkers with white sand, which Karsh says is better for playability and aesthetics than traditional coarse sand.
Equipped for Success
While renovations require careful planning to improve the playability of a property, the projects can affect the needs of the maintenance staff as well. And sometimes, changes to golf courses create new equipment needs for the crews that must maintain them.
While the renovation project was underway at Oaks CC, Robinson reports, the maintenance staff put its equipment needs on hold. That situation changed, though, when the golf course reopened.
While the property has always purchased its course maintenance equipment, notes Robinson, equipment manufacturer representatives talked to the staff as it began to plan for a new budgeting cycle this August about the possible benefits of leasing.
“A lease fits our needs right now,” Robinson says. “But in the long-term, is it what we want to do? We wanted to hear the pros and cons of leasing versus buying.”
The property’s greatest short-term equipment need is to replace its utility vehicles. “They really took a beating during construction,” Robinson says.
Long-term, the property needs to replace its rough, or large-area, mowers. “They really weren’t affected by the project, but we should have replaced them by now,” Robinson says. During the renovation, he explains, “We still had tees, rough, and fairways to mow. We were using what we had, but we weren’t replacing older [equipment].”
The most challenging part of the renovation, Robinson says, was balancing the maintenance needs of the turf. “We had portions of the golf course that were original and weren’t touched, and we had portions that were brand new,” he notes.
The key to solving that dilemma was proper communication. “We gave our staff members very clear instructions about what we wanted them to do each day,” Robinson says.
The Oaks CC course maintenance staff has a budget of just more than $1 million, excluding capital improvements, and the budgeting process begins each September for the following calendar year.
“We try to take a good look at the last two full years and the current year,” Robinson says in explaining the process. “We start with the actuals—what we really spent. We take the actuals and see if something spiked higher or if we under-planned because of the weather or some other reason.”
He expects to have his 2016 budget nailed down by December 1. “The club is flexible, and we just do what we need to do,” says Robinson.
And while this year was not a typical one for the property because of the renovation, he expects his budget to remain flat. “It was such a unique year because we were closed half the year,” he says. “We staffed down, and then we staffed way up to get the golf course really shiny.”
Regardless of what decisions the property makes about acquiring new equipment, Robinson says, the capital plan for equipment replacement at Oaks CC “is more like a guideline—not a Bible.” However, he adds, “Our objective is to get everything on a ten-year rotation if we buy.”
New Machines in the Mix
Since the bunker renovation at Stillwater CC, some of the maintenance equipment needs have changed. Crew members used to use a sand pro on the bunkers, Murphy explains, but they no longer need it. “Most of it is hand-raking now,” he says.
In addition, because Stillwater has an old, classic layout with steep banks around the bunkers, the crew has changed the way it mows around them.
“A machine won’t go around that steep a bank,” he reports. “We have to use fly mowers now.”
To meet its new maintenance needs, the property bought two fly mowers and more rakes for the bunkers.
“We knew that we’d need it,” Murphy says of the new equipment, “so we budgeted extra in our regular budget. It wasn’t part of the project.”
He also hired two more people this year to help maintain the bunkers. “We had to budget a little more for manpower,” he says. “The traps have to be watered now, because they’ve been sodded.”
Murphy says he would also like to get new rough and fairway mowers. His maintenance budget is $625,000, and he says he will start preparing next year’s budget in the fall.
So far, the renovations to the River Place golf course have not affected the property’s equipment needs. However, those circumstances could change in the near future, Karsh says. “We kept all the same equipment we were using, but we might make some adjustments in our next capital equipment purchase,” he notes.
For instance, the property might now go to a different style of mower for the greens, tee surrounds, and rough areas. “We would like to go to a reel mower in the rough areas and around the tees and greens, instead of a rotary mower,” Karsh says.
Better Value
Whether or not their equipment needs have changed, superintendents have found that the maintenance equipment that’s now available has made significant advances.
“With every new piece of equipment, we upgrade our technology,” says Murphy—who, as the son of a golf course superintendent, started raking traps when he was 11 years old. “Everything is a little more precise—and a lot more expensive.”
Even though turf quality is better now, he continues, it puts more demands on the maintenance staff.
“People want you out of the way more,” Murphy notes. “The golf course has become busier, and people want you out of the way earlier. We need more equipment to get everything done faster and to keep everybody safe.”
Equipment needs differ from property to property, Karsh adds. At River Place, which has hilly, tough terrain, the maintenance staff needs all-wheel drive for transportation and mowing vehicles. But maintenance crews might want to use quieter, electric equipment at properties that are surrounded by residential neighborhoods, he notes.
“Equipment is more user-friendly from a mechanical and operational standpoint,” Karsh adds. “People nowadays have a lot more options.”
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