Page 43 - GBC summer 2015

It is then allowed to grow right through tournament week and, depending on growing conditions, usually reaches 4-5” by the final round. Following the tournament’s end, we mow it at 3” Tuesday and cut it again on Thursday at 2 1⁄2”. The following Tuesday, it is cut at 1 3⁄4”, which is our normal height-of- cut. During the reduction in height, we will disperse any clippings with our tow-behind blower. Our Club Championship is the weekend following the event; therefore it is very important to return the rough to a condition that is fair and playable for our members.
There is a large amount of infrastructure that needs to be taken down post-tournament. The municipality donates the fencing, staging, barbeques, tables and chairs, but we like to remove these items from the golf course ourselves so that the course is not damaged. We also have to remove the numerous portable toilets that were placed around the property to accommodate players and spectators. The volunteers and the Tour look after all the roping at green and tee sites.
“The Tour wants a naked golf course for the pros. This is a great opportunity for photos because the golf course looks incredibly clean and photographs extremely well.“
A very time-consuming issue is the on-course accessories. My wife Stacey and two kids, Addison and Paxton, come out on Sunday afternoon before the event begins to help remove all the accessories and to spend some time with Dad before he disappears for a week! We remove all tee blocks, ball washers, yardage poles, divot boxes and all directional signage for carts. You forget how much is out there until it’s all in a pile in front of the shop! I took a picture to show the Greens Committee how much there is to move every day doing golf service and mowing. The Tour wants a naked golf course for the pros. This is a great opportunity for photos because the golf course looks incredibly clean and photographs extremely well. Sunday night is also a great time to apply one last spray application to the greens because the ropes go up on Monday at all green and tee sites which makes it extremely difficult to manoeuvre when spraying.
Following the event, greens are rolled for a few days with no vibration to reduce stress. A fungicide is applied the week following to keep the turf strong heading into fall and ensure it’s not using energy to fight off disease rather than using it for recovery after a week of increased stress.
Any hotspots on greens are needle tined and brought back to more favourable moisture levels rather than pushing them right to the edge. As previously mentioned, the Club Championship is the weekend following the event and I begin all my final granular fertilizer applications on greens, tees, fairways and rough on the Monday (Sept. 15) following the Club Championship.
By this time, accessories have slowly made their way back out on the course and things are getting back to normal. However, the workload keeps right on going as we head into aeration season.
What does an event like this mean to the maintenance staff? With the same staff as last year, it meant they knew what to expect. They knew what the potential of our golf course was when we were able to dial it up and really show what we can do. It put the staff, who are in at zero- dark-thirty everyday and often never seen by golfers, in the spotlight. Yes, everyone is there to watch the golfers, but they are watching them play on the product we produce. The pro golfers took the time to come over to the maintenance building to commend our staff for their efforts and then asked where the rest of our staff was! That type of recognition is pretty great and rewarding for the crew. It’s a long week, but we wouldn’t trade it for any other. I always tell my staff (most of whom don’t golf) just go to the range and watch them hit some drivers; it’s pretty incredible!
Article first appeared in the January / February 2015 edition of GreenMaster. Reprint permission granted by the CGSA.
Golf Business Canada
Golf Business Canada 43