2010 Year in Review

Each December, as we put the finishing touches on this golf season and begin to prepare for the next, I try to reflect on what I have learned and accomplished over the last year. Last year at this time I was trying to recover from one of the most challenging seasons in my career. The relentless rains in early summer significantly reduced the number of days that members could enjoy the course, and much of the property was water logged well into the fall. By the end of the season I was so tired of working in the mud that I was hoping it would never rain again. Be careful what you wish for.
The dominant theme in golf for 2010 was the extreme weather conditions that challenged superintendents at every club, in almost every part of the country. The cold winter in the south had courses in Florida struggling to generate revenue in an already difficult economy. The dry spring created problems for many courses with limited water resources or outdated irrigation systems. Summer came with a vengeance for most regions and brought with it extreme heat and extended disease pressure. Public or private, modern construction or classic design, nearly every golf course was forced to modify their management strategies, and adjust their standards, or risk significant turf loss on critical areas of the golf course. In spite of the hard work and dedication of superintendents along the entire east coast, sometimes it just wasn’t enough. Hardly a day went by that I did not hear a new story about someone playing another course that was suffering some level of damage, and in some cases complete failure of greens. Thankfully we made it through with minimal impact on the health or playability of our greens. We did suffer some damage on a few tees and fairways, much of which I believe is related to the wet weather we endured last summer, but overall the majority of the members were pleased with condition of the course throughout the season.
Last fall the funds raised by the first bunker bash allowed us to correct many of the drainage issues that have plagued the seventh green complex for years. While the results were not perfect and require some continued adjustment, they inspired a second tournament that, in spite of a difficult economy and reduced membership, raised more money than the previous year. Initially we were hesitant to be too ambitious in fear that we would not be able to raise enough money to complete a large project and effectively resolve all the issues. Once again the core group of members stepped up and we were able to address the drainage issues in front of the 4th green.
I am pleased to report that the renovation project is complete and has already been tested by Mother Nature. We added new drains, reshaped the bottom and sides, and laid new sod. On November 30th we spread almost 20 tons of sand throughout the floor of the bunker, mostly by hand. On December 1st we received over 1.5 inches of rain during a storm that included periods of heavy rainfall and driving winds. I was pleased to discover that although there were a few spots where the sand had washed down, there was no puddle in the floor of the bunker and much of the sand remained in place. I am confident that once the sod becomes established and the surrounding work area recovers that the drainage will be more than adequate to handle the rainfall and runoff associated with most rain events.
The new features reflect the original design as well as recommendations found in the Ken Dye master plan. I am confident that the new design will provide a suitable penalty for shots that fall short of the green surface, but will offer a much better chance for recovery than the old bunker. At the very least it will make every golfer think a bit longer when they are preparing for their approach shot, which is all bunkers are supposed to do in the first place.
This was an extremely challenging project for my staff and me. The scale of the project was a bit larger than I had anticipated, and various challenges consumed much more of our time and effort than I had expected. We are already fielding questions about next year’s project, specifically about when we will start the bunker on the other side. I am not ready to start thinking about doing this over again, but I definitely take it as a compliment that people are pleased with the work we are doing.
None of this would have been possible without the inspiration of Don Goss and the Grounds Committee who planned and promoted the Bunker Bash, or the hard work of my staff. I would like to extend my special thanks to Tom Wilkerson who generously donated the use of an excavator and trailer that allowed us to work much more efficiently and create features that would not have been possible with our own equipment.
We will be spending the next few months preparing for a fresh set of challenges and building a foundation for another extremely successful year at Suffield Country Club. On behalf of the Grounds Committee and my staff I wish you a healthy, happy holiday season and look forward to seeing you all again in the spring.