Course & Grounds

A major golf course renovation at San Luis Obispo Country Club on California’s central coast has the picturesque property set up for years to come.

Assistant Professor Hongxu Dong says that “MSB-264” and “MSB-285” have a more upright leaf orientation than traditional Bermuda grass putting green cultivars. “This has the potential to allow truer putting and to hold golf shots better than existing ultra-dwarf Bermuda grass cultivars,” Dong states.

While some warned Chris Warrick to be wary of Highland Country Club in LaGrange, Ga., he saw the Donald Ross design as the gem it once was with plans to return it to its past glory.

An award-winning renovation that converted a county-run 18-hole golf course into the first reversible nine in Florida has decreased maintenance inputs – and increased interest in playing the two short courses.

A forestry management plan and renovations to several golf holes opened up the Betsie Valley Course at Crystal Mountain Resort in Michigan—and improved maintenance and playability in the process.

Brad Coleman brings multiple perspectives to his position as Golf Course Superintendent at The Club at Pasadera—as a golf fanatic, an accomplished and experienced agronomist, and a former member of the club where he now works.

As with other club departments and for businesses in general, hiring personnel for course-and-grounds staffs has become more difficult—but superintendents have special tools at their disposal to recruit and retain employees for the profession they love.

The 115-year-old club in Sparkill, N.Y. has built on its longtime standing as an environmental leader to complete a decade of improvements to the course and create a buzz among the membership and surrounding New York City metro area.

Dave Braasch set his sights on a course-maintenance career at age 16, and then fast-tracked through turf-science school, internships and assistant positions to land the grow-in opportunity at the Janesville, Wis. club, where he’s remained for 19 years. 

Whether they’re contending with heat waves and hurricanes or winds and wildfires, golf course superintendents strive to be proactive and stay a step ahead of Mother Nature.

By his own admission, Sean Sullivan, CGCS, the Golf Course Superintendent at The Briarwood in Billings, Mont., is a “curious tinkerer.”

Golf course renovations that began as a quest for water independence have distinguished the award-winning Pelham Country Club in Pelham Manor, N.Y., as an environmental leader.

From the age of 15, working on a golf course and learning how to care for turf has always been an integral part of Brian Ray’s life. And that’s a big reason why he’s had notable career stability, with superintendent duties at Long Beach (Ind.) Country Club for his entire professional tenure.

Golf course practice facilities have become destinations with multiple amenities, rather than just places to hit a few balls, and superintendents have adjusted their maintenance of these areas accordingly.

Though it’s off the beaten path, the golf course at Orangeburg (S.C.) Country Club boasts pristine conditions that have consistently earned statewide and national recognition. “We don’t have the ocean. We don’t have the mountains. But we’re a great stop in between,” says Director of Golf David Lackey.