Resolutions for 2011

Every fall members inquire about what our plans are for the winter, and every year there are a few people that are surprised when I tell them that we cut back to 40 hours a week. Most people have no idea what goes on behind the scenes during the season, let alone when the course is buried beneath a blanket of snow.
The guys have begun working on the seasonal maintenance that preserves the value of our equipment fleet. Without a dedicated mechanic on staff we have a hard time keeping up with repairs and maintenance during the season, so we take a little extra time changing fluids and filters, cleaning and painting, and making sure the fleet is reliable throughtout the year.
I have been in the office wrapping up budgets and organizing thoughts from the 2010 season. I am beginning to develop programs and goals for the 2011 season. Over the last few years I have looked at hundreds of potential projects, some realistic and manageable, others a bit beyond our means. This collection of ideas, images, and daydreams has evolved into a vision for the entire golf course.
Generally I see a golf course that reflects the character of the community. At first glance a quaint simplicity permeates the rolling hills that extend beyond the golf course and into the village and farms that comprise the quiet New England town. Just like the entrance of the club, visitors could drive right through and miss the subtle character unless they knew where to look. After a few visits the simplicity wears off and the character becomes more noticeable. Over time it becomes evident that the golf course, much like the surrounding area, is really a hidden gem to be appreciated and cherished.
Inevitably progress becomes history. Slow, subtle changes are ignored and easily forgotten. Eventually the orignal becomes unrecognizeable to those who have witnessed and participated in the evolution. This is as true of the small developments that pop up over time and convert farmland into suburbia as it is of the trees and bunkers that have been added over time to "improve" the character of the golf course. Although these improvements are sold as progress, the long term affect rarely reflects the original vision, especially when they are implemented in a piecemeal fashion.
As I continue to review old photographs and study the property I am amazed by the strategy and challenge that have fallen victim to tree plantings and poorly designed bunkers. This winter I intend to develop a list of examples of the character that has been lost over time. I will highlight the hollows that the original architect found so valuable he repeated them throughout the course, and reveal the lost vistas of distant hills concealed behind spruces and pines planted to frame the signature hole. Eventually the individual examples will become themes used to develop a hole-by-hole list of projects to be completed over time.
I encourage anyone who is a student of the game, is passionate about our course, or may have witnessed the tranformation to share their opinions, ideas, stories, and pictures with members of the grounds committee. We will use any and all information as we work to develop a realistic, sustainable strategy to preserve the value of the club, and restore its status in the community.

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.

Bunker project almost complete

The renovation project on the 4th hole is almost complete. We have finished laying the sod and will be putting the finishing touches on over the next week or so. I intend to order the sand for delivery next week and hope to have the finished product ready for inspection by the end of the month. It was a long, hard process, but we are pleased with the results and are already getting some positive feedback.
The green will be closed for the rest of the year to prevent anyone from walking on the sod, and perhaps injuring themselves trying to retrieve a ball from the bunker.
I will be taking some more pictures later this week so that before and after comparisons can be made.