You are responsible the health, well-being and viability of a 2,100 acre property, which appears to be a daunting task. Are your responsibilities ever overwhelming and/or do you ever feel isolated. Finally, where do you go when you have an issue and you need assistance? If I have an agronomical problem, I solicit assistance from the University of Florida’s Disease and Nematode Labs. Insects are pretty easy to distinguish, but you might not know the specific disease. You can easily misdiagnose a disease; thinking the problem is a leaf spot and it winds up being pythium blight.
I assume you are active in a superintendent association(s) and please explain your C.G.C.S. designation? I am. In Palm Beach County, I was very active with the Palm Beach Golf Course Superintendents Association (Palm Beach GCSA). I was President on two occasions, progressing into the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association (Florida GCSA). I was the Educational Chairman of the Florida GCSA for five years, then becoming their President in 2000.
The C.G.C.S. (Certified Golf Course Superintendent) designation is a certification. I have been a certified superintendent for twenty-five years. To become and remain certified, you are required to pass a six-hour test, you are reviewed by your peers and you need to keep current with continuing education points. Approximately ten percent of the superintendents are certified.
Please walk us through an average day: First thing in the morning we concentrate on the key jobs, getting ahead of the first players out. We want to get the tees, fairways, approaches, collars and greens mowed, cups cut and the bunkers raked. I encourage my crews to have a sense of urgency, to get the key jobs done so we can proceed to the secondary jobs which include edging, weeding, trimming, rough mowing and spot spraying. By the time the second jobs are assigned, our golfers are on the course. It is important that we are courteous and show proper etiquette to our clientele.
Once you get your crews out on the golf courses with their various assignments, what are your priorities: I am anxious to get out on the courses with my crew, getting involved, supervising their efforts and checking to insure the mowers are cutting properly. Once things are in order, I frequently hop on a sprayer, engaging our fertilization program, our fungicide program and/or our insecticide program. In addition, I apply granular fertilizer on the fairways, roughs and tees. I would like to think I am considered a “hands on guy”. My “hands on” philosophy may be a bit of a weakness as I should do a better job training my crew to handle the various applications.
Please share your organizational chart, the various roles and the number of individuals employed to take care of the golf courses. Pine Barrens Golf Course is budgeted for sixteen people, Rolling Oaks Golf Course is budgeted for fourteen people and the Short Course is budgeted for four people with a supervisor. Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks have superintendents as well as assistant superintendents. The assistant superintendents double as irrigation technicians. We have three mechanics in our Shop. Paul Newhart is our Head Mechanic, along with an assistant mechanic and a mechanics helper.
Costs continue to rise. I make the assumption you are doing more with less. What are the non-negotiables? We have to have fertilizer, we have to have chemicals as we have to be able to combat whatever Mother Nature throws our way. I believe we have done pretty well in that respect. Our equipment is dated, so keeping our fleet of equipment operational is absolutely critical. Our shop does an outstanding job.
You have two distinct eighteen-hole golf courses. Do they need to be managed differently and if so, how and why. Let’s start with the similarities. The fertilization application is consistent as both courses have Bermudagrass, specifically Tifway 419 fairways and tees. Our greens have four different varieties of Bermudagrass. Pine Barrens greens are eighteen year old Floradwarf, which has been obsolete for the past ten years. Rolling Oaks greens are TifEagle, which has been a better fit for many of the golf courses in the Florida, Georgia area. Short Course greens are twenty-five year old Tifdwarf, which was introduced in 1969. In addition, we have Mini Verde grass on our Pine Barrens 12th Hole (left green). The Mini Verde grass was a trial by a previous administration, ultimately electing to proceed with TifEagle on Rolling Oaks. TifEagle, as well as Champion are the predominant Ultradwarf’s in our area.
Now the differences: Pine Barrens greens are over seeded while our Rolling Oaks greens are not over seeded. In the winter time, we raise the height of cut on our Rolling Oaks TifEagle. Due to the over seeding on our Pine Barrens Floradwarf with Poa trivialis we are able to cut the greens a little shorter.
Note: Floradwarf is no longer available in sod form. In the event we need to patch a Pine Barrens green, we take plugs from the surrounding area of the green itself, inside the collar.
What is the longest period of time you have been away from one of your properties? Actually I have been away for two weeks on several occasions. When I was thirty, I had the opportunity to travel to Scotland, Whales and England to play fourteen courses in thirteen days including many of “The Open” courses including St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Gleneagles, St. Annes, Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale, Muirfield, Turnberry and Royal Troon. That was back in the days when I had a four or a five handicap. I really enjoyed having to play the knock-down shot and the bump and run.
Do you ever get the chance to go out on the courses, look around and admire the canvas, or are you just constantly working on the canvas. I spend the majority of my time working on the canvas. When my dogs Muggs and Kylee were around, we would frequently take rides on the courses, stopping periodically, allowing them to stretch their legs. There would be times when I would finish checking a greens mower, turn around to look for my well behaved animals and they would be gone. Eventually, one would come running with the other in tow. In Boca Raton, I would often work weekends, because I knew my dog, Kosmo Kramer, wanted to go for a ride on the course. Those were some very good times.
If you had five or ten minutes and wanted to visit your favorite location on the property, where would you spend your time? World Woods is a spectacular property with surprising elevations. Hole #8 eight on Rolling Oaks is a really good view and a very photogenic hole. Hole #15 on Pine Barrens is very pretty, especially when he muhly grasses are in bloom. October/November is when it is at its best.
Next week; the final installment of our time with David!
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