James Houchen has helped to turn Sand Creek Station GC into a municipal gem that has defied the odds since opening in 2006.
There is a golf course in south-central Kansas that has hosted a USGA event, a national collegiate golf championship, received acclaim from numerous golf publications, and draws visitors from all over the world.
Actually, this description fits two courses in that part of the state. The most familiar of the two might be Prairie Dunes Country Club, the Perry and Press Maxwell design in Hutchinson, Kan. But the profile also applies to Sand Creek Station Golf Course in Newton, Kan., 30 miles due east of Prairie Dunes. A municipal facility, Sand Creek is a Jeff Brauer design that opened in July 2006 and has drawn rave reviews since.
SUPER IN THE SPOTLIGHT
James Houchen
Position: Golf Course Superintendent, Sand Creek Station Golf Course (2005-present)
Location: Newton, Kan.
Education & Training: Kansas State University, B.S. Horticulture/Golf Course Management Program, 2001
Years at Sand Creek Station: Nine
Years in Golf Course Industry: 21
Previous Employment: Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, Shoal Creek Golf Course, Kansas City, Mo. (2000-2005)
Certifications: Level I, II, III Certification of Green to a Tee (KemperSports environmental program); Certified Audubon Sanctuary Golf Course
In creating Sand Creek, the city leaders of Newton (with a population of just under 20,000) set out to offer its citizens a high-quality facility, and forged partnerships to make it a reality.
First, an agreement was struck with developers to get land donated, along with a $600,000 contribution and $2,400 assessment for every lot sold. The plans call for 560 lots around the golf course; approximately 80 homes have been built to date.
The arrangement with the developer helped to pay for construction. In addition, a federal grant was secured to create a pipeline from the city water treatment plant for effluent water that provides all of the water the course uses for irrigation.
And while the course is owned by the city, it is managed by KemperSports.
COURSE & GROUNDS OPERATIONS PROFILE
Annual Course Maintenance Budget: $400,000
Staff Size: 11 (late spring, summer, early fall); four during rest of year
Other Managers: Donovan Scott, Assistant Superintendent; Mike Goerzen, Mechanic
Water Source and Usage: Effluent from City of Newton, Kan.
Aerating and Overseeding Schedules: Greens in spring/fall; fairways in fall
“There is an immense amount of pride for this course by the citizens,” says James Houchen, Sand Creek’s Golf Course Superintendent. “[The city] wanted a top-level golf course, and they were going to look at all means to make it happen.”
Despite opening just prior to a major economic downturn, the course has operated in the black every year, according to the Wichita Business Journal. Even in a competitive market, Houchen says the success has been achieved by providing a great product and quality customer service.
C&RB: What type of challenge and entertainment does the layout at Sand Creek offer?
Houchen: This was farmland that had a creek running through it, so other than trees along the creek, it was mostly open land. So some of the strategy was based on the creek layout, but they had to move more than 400,000 cubic yards of dirt to create some mounds and build some lakes. We have 66 sand bunkers and many, many grass bunkers. So you have to think a few shots ahead at a time. Then in the summertime, you have a prevailing south wind that can make things interesting.
C&RB: Despite being off the beaten path, the course has hosted some impressive events. How has that come about?
Houchen: The Kansas Golf Association has conducted several events here, and that provided a test run for national tournaments. The National Junior College tournament was here in 2012, and we get it back in 2015.
The last USGA amateur public links championship was held here last summer. That event has been at Torrey Pines and Bethpage Black, so for us to get it says a lot about our staff and the course.
Hosting the high-profile tournaments has also helped to get the word out about Sand Creek. Newton is a small community, so we have to market outside our city limits. About 75 percent of our business comes from the Wichita metropolitan area, about 30 miles away, but we get groups from all over. Several from Kansas City, which is three hours away, are regulars. We also get golfers from Minnesota who come down early in the season when they still have snow on the ground.
We can stretch the course to 7,550 yards, but it has never been played at that length. We have multiple tees, so it challenges golfers of all abilities.
C&RB: What are the agronomic challenges?
Houchen: Getting the use of effluent water dialed in takes time. The salinity is higher, so you have to deal with that. We have a sulfur burner and then add gypsum to the soil to balance it out.
We are not connected to the city water supply and do not have a well for the golf course, so that is our only supply. That is generally enough for us, but Newton is small, so the effluent flow can get dicey during the hot summer months.
Even though we are close to Prairie Dunes, our soils are clay and unlike what they have, which are sandy. Wadsworth, our construction company, did an excellent job in creating good drainage, or it would have been more difficult.
We are also a bentgrass course for greens, tees and fairways. We might be the most southern course to have bentgrass fairways. It gets hot in the summertime in Kansas, so we have to watch it closely at times.
GOLF COURSE PROFILE
Sand Creek Station Golf Course
Website: www.sandcreekgolfclub.com
No. of Holes: 18
Type: Municipal (managed by KemperSports)
Designer: Jeff Brauer, ASGCA
Year Opened: 2006
Golf Season: Open year-round, weather permitting
Annual Rounds: 30,000
Tees, Fairways, Greens: Bentgrass
Roughs: Fescue
Honors and Awards: 2013 Finalist (of four) for National Golf Course Owners Association Course of the Year; Top 10 Course You Can Play for under $75 by Golf Digest; Second-best public course in Kansas by Golfweek (2007)
C&RB: Tell us about two special features of the course: “The Beast,” and the railroad.
Houchen: “The Beast” is our 10th hole. It is a par 5 that was originally 648 yards from the tips, but is usually played in the 620-yard range. Still, it is the longest par 5 in the state. It has water on the left off the tee and then on the right on the approach. What makes it more difficult is it plays into south wind.
We also have two sets of railroad tracks. One is along three holes on the front nine, and another separates the front and the back nine. I have been told that in a 24-hour period, 30 trains pass through the course. You get used to it quickly. It does not affect maintenance or pace of play.
C&RB: What environmental programs do you have?
Houchen: KemperSports has been a leader for managing its facilities in an environmentally sound manner, because it is not only good for the environment, it can save money. Kemper has a Green to a Tee certification program that focuses on reducing inputs for the whole facility and managing the outputs. We have achieved all three levels of certification for that program.
We have wildlife habitat, use effluent water, have buffer strips around water, and do little if any preventative chemical applications. This has been key to our being recognized as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. You see deer all the time and several bald eagles. They are impressive as they fly over the course.
The course has also been a Groundwater Guardian Green Site program participant since 2008. That was established to demonstrate how various land uses can be managed in a way that protects groundwater supplies.
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