Legendary golfers and prestigious events are integral to the history of Portland Golf Club, which is gearing up for its 100th anniversary—and a course-and-grounds team, led by a superintendent who is well-schooled in tradition, is properly preserving the past while preparing for new chapters to come.
By Betsy Gilliland, Contributing Editor
The list of legendary golfers who have strolled the fairways of Portland (Ore.) Golf Club (PGC) in its first 100 years reads like a Who’s Who of the game: Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Greg Norman, Payne Stewart, Kathy Whitworth, Nancy Lopez, and many more.
When a group of nine businessmen assembled to form the new club in 1913, they launched a long history of holding international competitions, from a PGA Championship to the Ryder Cup, at the site. PGC’s first nine holes opened for play on May 30, 1914, and plans ranging from golf tournaments and 100th anniversary logos on merchandise, to black-tie events and a $3 million clubhouse renovation, are already underway for next year’s centennial celebration.
“The history is such an integral part of Portland Golf Club,” says General Manager Greg Hoover. “The club saved the Ryder Cup after World War II [see box, pg. 46], and so many legends of golf have played our course. We take great pride in being part of such a historic property, and the golf course is our number-one asset.”
Portland GC has about 3,000 trees and a creek that runs through the property. The club
is currently in
the process of
obtaining Audubon
certification.
The Dorn Identity
That pride in PGC’s tradition and heritage started with its original members, who labored to burn brush, level fairways and form greens to build the golf course a century ago. And today’s staff is just as vested in the club’s distinguished history.
Golf Course Superintendent Jason Dorn, who came to PGC in 2011 from the historic Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., where he was Superintendent of the Upper Course, was attracted to the position by the Oregon club’s venerable past.
Dorn’s background at Baltusrol, which has played host to 16 national championships on its two 18-hole Upper and Lower championship courses, including seven U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship, has given him a deep appreciation for golf’s rich history. He also gained valuable tournament-preparation experience during the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to work at a place that’s hosted the events both places have had, with the players who have walked down [both courses’] fairways,” says Dorn.
Golf Scorecard
Portland Golf Club
Website:
www.portlandgolfclub.com
Golf Holes: 18
Designer: George Turnbull; Robert Trent Jones (1950)
Property Type: Private
No. of Members: 450
Year Opened: 1914
Golf Season: High season, April–October;
low season, November–March
Annual Rounds: 30,000
Fairways: Poa Annua
Greens: Poa Annua
Rescuing the Ryder Cup
In 1947—two years after he shot what still stands as a course-record 63 at Portland Golf Club en route to winning the Portland Open, and a year after capturing the PGA Championship on the same course—Ben Hogan came back to PGC and led the Americans to a Ryder Cup rout over the British team at the historic course.
Ben Hogan (far right) started a remarkable three-year run at PGC with a 63 that still stands as the course record.
The true hero of that match, however, may have been Portland GC President Robert Hudson. The Oregon fruit grower and canner most likely saved the Ryder Cup that year when he came forward to bankroll Great Britain’s travels to America, after the financially strapped team could not afford to make the trip because of the costs of World War II.
The Ryder Cup had not been contested for 10 years because of pre-war tensions and wartime strife, and after the war finally ended, America and Great Britain longed for normalcy—and the resumption of golf. Hudson, also a member of the PGA Advisory Committee from 1946-68, offered Portland GC as a host site. He met the British team in New York when the players arrived on the Queen Mary, and joined them for a 3-1/2-day rail journey to the Pacific Northwest.
Food rationing was still in effect in Great Britain at the time, and following the event, Hudson sent Christmas baskets of food to all members of the British team and others he met in 1947, and again in 1951.
Following the Ryder Cup at PGC, the PGA of America’s Tournament Bureau scheduled as many exhibition matches as possible throughout the nation for the British team. Taking the cue from Hudson, the Professional Golfers Association of Great Britain also started to build funding for the event on its own.
So perhaps Hudson is also to “blame” for facilitating the full rebound that players from the UK have made—and for their contributions toward recent defeats of the U.S. in Ryder Cup competition, as part of the European team.
“We take great pride in being part of such a historic property,” says Portland GC General Manager Greg Hoover (above), who is directing a $3 million clubhouse renovation in preparation for next year’s centennial celebration.
Working under Certified Golf Course Superintendent Mark Kuhns, Baltusrol’s Director of Grounds and a past President of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Dorn was well-prepared for his first position as a head superintendent when he assumed the reins at Portland GC.
“Mark has had a tremendous influence on my career; I owe everything to him,” Dorn says. “More than anything else, he ingrained in me passion and the importance of hard work. He tried to give you a sense of home at the workplace, and I’ve tried to carry that on in my own management style.”
Like Kuhns, Dorn also values attention to detail and understands the importance of providing impeccable golf course conditions every day. At the same time, he is forging his own identity as a superintendent.
Dorn’s biggest adjustments to overseeing course conditions in his current time zone have been the need to tend to turfgrass all season long, and to maintain poa annua on the West Coast, as opposed to bentgrass on the East Coast. In addition, he now deals with disease pressures only in the fall, spring and winter.
“There’s no disease pressure in the summer,” he says. “It’s nice to have 50-degree nights.”
Paying attention to tree issues has been a top priority at the Oregon property as well. With about 3,000 trees at Portland GC, the golf course maintenance staff has a comprehensive program in place to monitor and treat the trees for disease.
Water usage is another environmental concern as well. “We recycle water when we wash equipment. Our wash pad collects, treats and cleans the water,” reports Dorn.
In addition, the staff tests Fanno Creek, which runs through the property, every two years. “We test it at the entrance and exit to the property, to make sure the water quality is up to standards,” Dorn adds.
Portland GC has also spent $200,000 on a new golf course drainage system this year, as part of an ongoing project.
“These drains are bigger and last longer,” explains Hoover. “They can take the effects of the weather, and they improve the playability of the course. We’re always looking for ways to improve the course.”
Dorn is also working toward obtaining Audubon certification for PGC, a process that will take several years to complete. Another item on his to-do list is to develop an intern program similar to the one at Baltusrol, with an emphasis on career advancement and education.
Now that he is a head superintendent, Dorn has found that he must deal with more off-course concerns as well. These new responsibilities require an adjusted schedule, to allow for “the amount of time I spend away from the golf course dealing with things other than turf problems,” ranging from permitting issues to keeping neighbors happy.
All told, Dorn feels his duties at the two golf courses are more alike than different. “There are different challenges, but at the end of the day, we’re still trying to do the same thing,” he notes. “It’s not easier or harder, just different challenges.”
Superintendent Profile
Jason Dorn
Education and Training:
Penn State University, two-year program,
graduated 2001
Years at Portland Golf Club: Two-plus
Years in the Golf Course Maintenance Business: 15
Previous Employment: Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N.J.
On Camera
While communicating with the surrounding community is an important part of golf course operations at PGC, keeping in close contact with the membership is even more vital. Thanks to a suggestion by the club’s Golf Committee, the department heads have found an innovative way to connect with the members.
Course & Grounds Profile
Portland Golf Club
Annual C&G Budget: $1.2 million
C&G Staff: 14 full-time; 8-10 seasonal
Other Managers: Mike Cortner,
Assistant Superintendent; Matt Bollie,
Equipment Manager
Irrigation System:
Toro; 1,400 heads
Water Source: Lake Junor
Equipment: Lease and own Toro, Jacobsen and John Deere equipment
Aerating and Overseeding
Schedules: Aerate twice annually
Upcoming Capital Projects:
Drainage and bunker renovations
Shortly after Dorn and Head Golf Professional Tim Hval joined the staff two years ago, they, along with Hoover, made videos and posted them on YouTube. The short takes allowed them to introduce themselves to the membership and share golf course etiquette tips. The Portland GC website has a link to the videos as well.
“Since there had been some turnover in my position and the golf pro position, we thought it would be a good opportunity for members to see our faces and to get to know us,” explains Dorn. “With today’s technology, we have that opportunity. Getting to know the members is a big part of the job, and this is a good way to do that. When they recognize our faces, they’re more inclined to come up to us and say ‘hi.’ ”
A hand-held camera was used to film videos describing the proper way to replace divots and repair ball marks, as well as to explain the need to avoid driving on wilting grass. “The videos help educate our members about the proper use of the golf course. Sometimes doing it in video form is a lot easier than printed instructions,” notes Hoover.
“The whole golf experience is extremely important for our members and guests.”
—Tim Hval, Head Golf Professional
Touching Base
Hoover also stays in close contact with Dorn and Hval via e-mail, text and telephone. The property has staff meetings once every two weeks, and Dorn, Hoover, and Hval stop by each other’s offices once or twice a week to touch base. Hoover also has lunch with the two men every week, to discuss golf issues that might not apply to other department heads.
“Greg gives us a good amount of freedom to run our departments, but staff meetings help us work things out and we can get information out through committee meetings,” reports Dorn. “And Tim will have feedback from the golfers about the condition of the golf course.”
Hval also shares information about details such as bunkers that don’t have enough sand in them, or improperly working water fountains. Dorn, in turn, keeps Hval in the loop about planned maintenance activities. “I can inform him, and he can have a more informed response for the golfers,” Dorn adds. “We try to maintain champion conditions on a daily basis.”
The membership—which includes third-generation member Ben Crane, a four-time PGA Tour winner who learned the game as a PGC junior golfer—takes its role to heart in ensuring that the course stays in top condition as well.
“Our members police the golf course pretty well,” notes Hval. “We make sure we listen to our members. Perception is reality, and taking care of the members is our number-one priority.”
To give the golfers the finest experience possible, the staff might provide chilled towels on the course when the thermometer climbs above 85 degrees, or take hot coffee to golfers on colder days.
Hval, who was born and raised in the area, is well aware of the property’s rich history, and realizes the significance of upholding Portland GC’s reputation in the community.
“The whole golf experience is extremely important for our members and guests, from the time they pull into the parking lot until the time they leave,” says Hval. “The course has to be in tip-top shape.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.