Quail Hollow a treat

During this past summer, I feel I have made the most of my internship experience through the University of Guelph as I traveled to North Carolina. I was fortunate to get a job at the Quail Hollow Club taking part in a wide variety of tasks that are essential for top golf course results. I am very pleased with my time at Quail Hollow and so I strongly suggest that anyone applying for a work placement, make the most of the opportunity and go for the greatest experience possible.

Quail Hollow offered an intense intern program that advanced my knowledge in the turf industry considerably. Nine other interns and I experienced a PGA tournament, transition from Ryegrass to Bermudagrass as well as  essential practices for optimum success on a golf course. We had the chance to watch for wilt and treat Bentgraass greens in a warm southern climate. It was also beneficial to work alongside ten interns as well as 50 volunteers for the tournament. These contacts will certainly be useful in the future as a turf grass manager.

As I head back to school this fall, I can say that I am happy with my decision of going down south for this internship. I strongly suggest to anyone feeling hesitant about  traveling and working in a new golf course environment, to just go for it and make the most of it. Do your research on the golf course and never look back!

Blogging a useful tool

Throughout this semester, my classmates and I have participated in writing these blogs every week to discuss and provide input on turf related issues. We were challenged by our professors, Owen Robers as well as Anne and Andrew Douglas to stay up to date on these blogs and come up with important topics within the industry. At first, myself and others in  my class were unsure with the whole idea of writing blogs for turf grass. Many of us had the mindset that there was no need to write blogs for our industry. Our work occurs outside and therefore there shouldn’t be any need to write about how grass grows. That’s what we thought though.

Within the first few weeks of this assignment, I think myself and others were getting into blogging more and more. We were able to discuss topics and we were able to learn from each other through our experiences. In class, we would often look at our blogs and discuss them as a group. After speaking with some superintendents, they agree that blogging is an effective tool for communicating. It can be a tool used to communicate with other people in the turf industry but also members at a golf course. More and more superintendents are using blogging.

Blogs are effective yet easy ways of communicating any points and opinions. It can be used for entertainment, but certainly be used for work purposes. The turf industry is one that is finding its place with blogging.

Symposium Very Successful, Effective

Turf symposium a success. Those words seemed to travel within our class pretty quickly on the afternoon of November 27. After weeks of preparation for our turf symposium, we were able to pull through with a fantastic result that was beneficial for everyone that attended. Many guests, from all over southern Ontario, were very satisfied with the outcome of the event. Having a high-class venue like The Cutten Club, along with the highly recognized speakers made way for a successful symposium.

The theme of our symposium was “Doing More With Less: Turf in Tough Times.”  All three speakers, Ron Schiedel, co-owner of Green Horizons Group of Farms Ltd., Keith Bartlett, superintendent of St. Georges Golf and Country Club; and Tom Hsiang, a U of G environmental sciences professor were able to capture this theme within their talks. Each coming from a different side of turf, they were able to provide various views of the industry, which was very informative for everyone attending. During breaks, all the guests including students, golf course superintendents, sod farms and sports field managers were able to network with each other to discuss and compare effective techniques used at their work. The Cutten Club provided an exceptional lunch to top off the very informative turf symposium.

Attending a turf symposium is a great way to gain knowledge to be more efficient and productive. At this time of the year, when the golf season is over, superintendents have a little more availability to attend a symposium. Listening to knowledgable speakers and networking with each other leads to a more productive work environment for everyone.

Aeration leads to perfection

The quality of a golf course strongly depends on how much work is put into it. It is usually quite obvious to tell how much work the maintenance staff puts towards the golf course by the condition of the course. One critical time of the year for many golf courses is when they shut their course down for a day or two in early August for maintenance purposes. Although it may cause some upset members, these two days are vital for quality playing conditions for the remainder of the golf season.

Usually aeration is performed on the majority of the course during this time. Aeration has a huge influence on how successful grass can grow. These are some key points that lead to a quality playing surface because of aeration.  

• Improved root development
• Increase of water intake
• Thatch breakdown
• Higher oxygen intake
• Less soil compaction
• Improved tolerance for heat and drought

All these components of turf growth are improved when aeration is completed. It is a necessity for golf courses to do some form of aeration for the conditions to be the best possible. The only setback is the first week after the aeration has completed.

Members at a golf course are always expecting perfection. When they are told that the course is closed for two days and then come back to a course with plugs and sand covered on the greens, it is common for them to be mad. However, aeration is crucial for the course to remain playable for the whole season. Playing a course after it has been aerated is a lot better than playing one that has dead grass from lack of maintenance.

Still work to do…

It’s that time of the year again. The crisp, cold temperature is coming to Canada quick and the golf season is wrapping up. Many golf courses have already closed for the season. If there are no golfers out on the course you’d think a golf course superintendent wouldn’t have much work to do during the winter season. However, a superintendent has an endless amount of work to be completed to get the golf course ready for the following season.

Even though it may be cold out and snow on the ground, work can still be done to improve a golf course. A common task that a lot of courses take part in is tree removal. Some trees on golf courses are not positioned in suitable areas for play and the winter season is a good time to cut trees down since there are no golfers. Another important assignment to complete is sharpening reels from the lawn mowers. It is vital to have clean cut grass in the golfing season and sharpening reels is one crucial aspect that leads to this. Winterizing irrigation systems is a must to avoid any cracks or breaks within the lines. Painting and cleaning machines, steaks, signs and benches is a regular winter job at any golf course. This adds a fresh, clean look to a golf course. Also, a superintendent is faced with a lot of paper work during the winter season. Hiring employees is an important process.

I did a CO-OP at Highland Country Club from September through January of 2008 and I was able to see all the work that is required during the winter season. It is a quieter environment in the winter season, which isn’t always a bad thing for a superintendent!

Communication is the answer

Communication is imperative in every aspect of our busy lives. Through work, school and in our social life, effective communication between one another will go a long way for success. This was one of the points Tim O’Connor talked to our turf class about this past Monday. Tim is the president of O’Connor Golf Communications and so he has had a huge impact in the Canadian golf world. He plays a big role with Nike Golf and has spent some time with Tiger Woods. Tim emphasised that proper communication for any type of work is required to make any progress. The golf industry definitely requires proper communication.

Mr. O’Connor provided a lot of insightful points that help people communicate with each other.  An important thing to remember is to be connected with people but also make new connections. At a golf course, it is recommended to meet new members and staff members. Answering questions honestly reflect a sincere and open person. Tim said it is important to know facts and stick to these facts. It is important not to say things you don’t know. Staying up to date with current news is helpful for conversations. A key thing to remember is to play a lot of golf. It is a very social sport in which you can meet with a lot of people, whether it’s work related or not.

Tim O’Connor is definitely someone we can all learn from. He feels very strongly that communication is essential among each other to get anywhere in life. It is something everyone has to deal with no matter how uncomfortable someone can feel about it. Positive outcomes will occur frequently when proper communication is used.

Students optimistic with symposium

In todays world, the economic setback has had an affect in all businesses in some degree. The turf industry is no different. Some budgets have been slashed because of the drop in members at some courses. Dealing with this, along with the possibility of a pesticide ban, the turf industry sits in a difficult situation. Our turf class has many ideas to cope with the set backs and make the most of everything in a turf working environment. We are hosting a turf symposium titled ‘Doing more with less: Turf in tough times.’

The event will be held at the Cutten Club in Guelph, Ontario on November 27. The idea behind this symposium is to bring turf related specialists together and discuss ways to improve the way a successful business in run. Educating these people will go a long way in order to maintain thriving turf businesses. Our turf symposium will offer three quality speakers all within the turf sector. Ron Scheidel, co-owner of Green Horizons Ltd, Keith Bartlett, the golf course superintendent at St. Georges Golf and Country Club and Dr. Tom Hsiang from the University of Guelph will all be talking about ways to maintain and create successful turf working environment. Invitations are going to representatives of all areas of turf grass. People from the golf course, sod and sports field industry are all taking part in the event. Other guests include students, University faculty as well as the general public.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our turf class as well as turf specialists to network together to gain experience and understanding of what the turf industry holds in the future. For us as students, it will be a tremendous learning experience meeting with professionals in the business. Overall, this event will offer information and advice for all sectors of the turf industry.

More Than Just Growing Grass

In order for a successful golf course, a golf course superintendent is required to deal with a lot more work other than just growing healthy, green grass.  This was talked about to our turf grass class by Robin Stafford, superintendent of Islington Golf Club, as he toured us around the course on Thursday. Since the course is right in the city, it continuously has multiple barriers because of stakeholders to deal with.  Examples of stakeholders include members, city councillors, environmentalists and neighbours of the property. These people and organizations have a surprisingly huge impact on any golf course.

An issue that Robin brought up was a nearby house just off the property of the golf course. The house was getting hit by golf balls daily and the owner wanted something done about it. A $325, 000 fence was put up to keep the balls on the course property. For Islington to do this, numerous trees had to be cut down, which only increased the number of people to deal with. Members, city counsellors and environmentalists all had issues with these trees being cut down. This situation with Robin is just one example of many issues that golf course superintendents deal with daily.

 The role of a superintendent is a huge responsibility. Every move is very critical. There will always be a stakeholder that is associated with the golf course that has a problem with a decision a superintendent makes. As we work towards this career, we have to be confident with our decision making and try to make as many people satisfied knowing some will not be.

The Abbey still in good hands

My turf grass class and I were very fortunate to visit Glen Abbey Golf Course last Thursday. Designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1976, Glen Abbey has been host to the Canadian Open for 25 years. It has proven to be an excellent venue with ‘stadium’ seating built by Jack, and an excellent clubhouse. The Clublink owned golf course is also home to the Royal Canadian Golf Association and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, which we were able to tour later in the day. A lot of hard work is put into the golf course in order to maintain a high profile as a host of the Canadian Open. Our tour guide for the day, Scott Bowman, has a key influence on the quality of the course.

Scott provided our class with a very insightful tour that showed us how much work is required to a run a successful golf course. Scott was very big on having a ‘vision’ for the golf course five to ten years down the road. Rather than having very big projects on the course all at once, he stressed continually working on small projects and gradually improving the golf course. This was evident during preparation for the Canadian Open in the fall of 2008. He focused on the fairways of Glen Abbey. They double graded all fairways which was crucial to remove a significant amount of thatch. Scott also played a huge role dealing with representatives from the RCGA, Clublink and the PGA for the Open. These organizations all had input on the tournament which created a tough situation for Scott. He was able to execute very effectively, even with the horrible weather the week of the tournament.

I think Scott Bowman is doing a tremendous job at Glenn Abbey. For the golf course to be in the shape as it is is very impressive considering what it’s been through.  From all the wear and tear because of the tournament, the course conditions are still up to par in the middle of October!

Walkers and Riders

At any golf course, cutting greens is a priority every day for superintendents. Golf greens are the most delicate and important part of a golf course, therefore superintendents need to put the most work toward them. Greens are affected significantly when fertilized and sprayed, but how they are treated and maintained is crucial to the health and success of the green. Simply how the grass is cut affects the success of growth.

Various turf machine companies (John Deere, Toro and Jacobsen to name a few) have different models of greens cutters. Two distinct models are the walk-behind and the ‘triplex’ model, each having their advantages and disadvantages. Superintendents have the option of selecting either model based on their budget and size of the course. As far as the triplex machine, initially it is more of an expensive machine. However, using it over time will save money in employee wages. Since it is a bigger machine, having three reels, it speeds up the work tremendously. Being a bigger machine also means it is a heavier machine. Cutting greens the morning after a rainstorm has the potential of leaving tire marks or other damages to the greens. More labour is required using walk-behinds, making the job more expensive. They are better for the greens when they are wet and they also leave attractive patterns on a green, which contributes positively to the aesthetics and appearance of a golf course.

If there is a decent budget for a golf course I think purchasing walk behinds has a significant effect on the quality of greens. A superintendent would not have to worry about damaging greens in wet weather. Further, the appearance of the greens would help to create an overall positive appearance for the golf course.