Prep time

Golf Course News, Jul 2005 by Thomas, Rob

THE EXTRA EFFORT AND HOURS LOGGED BY SUPERINTENDENTS AND THEIR STAFFS LEAD TO BETTER EXPERIENCES COME TOURNAMENT TIME

Whether it's a member-guest tournament or the PGA Championship, superintendents have many things to consider when preparing a golf course for an event. Some courses are made more difficult, while others add to the aesthetics. Either way, tournament preparation leads to extra hours logged by superintendents and their staffs.

Ross Santjer, golf course superintendent at Moccasin Creek Country Club in Aberdeen, S.D., hosts five club events each year, including a 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifier. He makes sure the course peaks at the right time when getting set for a tourney.

"The first thing I do to prepare for a tournament is check my fertilizer and spraying schedules," Santjer says. "When hosting a tournament, the last thing you want to worry about is lack of growth or a disease coming in."

Roger Slaven, superintendent at Dodge City Country Club in Kansas, hosts 25 or more tournaments annually, ranging from member tourneys, to collegiate and high school events. For tournaments, he lets the rough grow from two inches to three inches. He also lets the native grasses grow. He says the first thing he does to prepare for a tourney is check with those in charge of the event.

"It depends on what the tournament committee wants," he says. "Sometimes they want the greens faster ... sometimes they don't."

Slaven says the greens at Dodge City can run as fast as 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. Like many superintendents, he avoids lowering the cutting deck to achieve faster speeds. Slaven and his staff will double cut the greens and roll them twice a week leading up to an event.

Santjer says he increases green speed from nine to about 10 by rolling and verticutting more than usual. He doesn't change the height of cut on the greens or roughs.

"The only thing we do special with tees and fairways is mow them more during the week of the tournament, from three times up to six times," he says.

The majors

A little more goes into tournament preparation for Brad Kocher, CGCS, and Mark Kuhns, CGCS.

Kocher, vice president of grounds and golf course management at Pinehurst in North Carolina, and Kuhns, director of grounds at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ., began preparing for the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, respectively, years in advance.

New to the grounds at Pinehurst were 65 2,400-square-foot air-conditioned tents for the corporate village. Asphalt was laid down on the practice range for roads and walkways, which were removed shortly after the tournament June 16 through 19. Then work began redoing the range.

Other holes on neighboring courses were used for everything from tents to shuttle turn-arounds. Bleachers to accommodate 23,000 seated spectators began going up in March. Also, a 40,000-square-foot merchandise tent had been in place for months before the Open.

At Baltusrol, Kuhns has interns digging trenches and installing conduit underground for everything from fiber optics and cable to potable water lines for corporate tents and television networks. His crew also had to install two fire hydrants to meet city code.

Though Kuhns is hosting his fifth major tournament as a superintendent, this is the first PGA Championship for him. He says he's enjoyed the experience and team atmosphere as he readies the course for the tourney, which is scheduled Aug. 11 through 14.

"We're working very closely with the PGA, and we assist them wherever we can," he says. "It's a partnership. It's to both our benefits to make things work successfully."

Kuhns halted guest play and members' cart traffic July 19 on the Lower Course, while play continues on the Upper Course. Eventually, hospitality tents will be placed on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes of the Upper Course. Temporary roads are being installed, and 150 tractor trailers are coming in with everything from flooring and scaffolding to bleachers and tents.

Like Santjer, Kuhns tries to stay one step ahead of any problems that might occur heading up to the tournament.

"The hardest part of hosting an event in August in this climate is just getting to August," Kuhns says. "We have to really concentrate on alleviating stressful situations. The last thing I want to be doing is playing catch-up."

With higher standards throughout the year, Kuhns won't have to do as much to Baltusrol to get it tournament ready.

"We've had one mandate since I got here," he says about maintaining championship conditions on a day-to-day basis. "Create a higher level of maintenance, not only with equipment, but with grounds."

Kuhns has the greens double cut seven days a week throughout the year, and he'll occasionally roll them to increase speed but doesn't go overboard for fear of overstressing the turf. He also uses growth regulators.

The greens generally roll 10.6 to 11.6 on the Stimpmeter, and according to Kuhns, they'll be at or above 11.6 for the PGA. Also, his staff will adjust accordingly to PGA requests.

Take away lightening-fast greens, and the yardage alone will present a challenge for pros. The par-70 course will be playing at 7,400 yards - longer than 7,200 yards when Lee Janzen won the U.S. Open at Baltusrol in 1993. Holes one, three and seven are all par-4s measuring longer than 500 yards, and the No. 17 tee has been moved back 30 yards to lengthen the hole to 650 yards.