Seeing green: keeping standards high, costs low in golf course maintenance.

As a blazing summer sun rises each morning over the East Coast of the United States, golf course superintendents across the region worry about how much water it will take to keep their lush, manicured greens from burning up in the heat. It's a typical seasonal concern, one would assume; certainly something that an experienced superintendent would be prepared to deal with. But 2002 is not just another summer along the Eastern Seaboard: It marks yet another year in a prolonged drought that dates back to 1997. The end result --sapped water resources and maintenance crews whose abilities have been stretched to the limit.

Containing the costs of course upkeep is always of paramount concern to any club--especially during the last year or so--but for the clubs in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states, the drought has made the business of maintaining high-caliber golf standards extra challenging.

Combine these factors with another emerging trend: According to a poll of 800 course superintendents conducted by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), golfers nationwide are coming to clubs with increased--almost unreasonable--expectations for course conditions.

Tommy Witt, director of golf course management at the Kiawah Island Golf Club in South Carolina, has experienced these expectations first-hand. "Within the past 10 years, especially at private clubs, members expect virtual perfection at all times."

While it is no secret that private club members are a select group of customers with discriminating tastes, the ability to meet this amorphous idea of "perfection" in golf course maintenance is beyond the capabilities of the average club. In the survey, 54 percent of the supervisors polled believed that expanded coverage of televised golf events has given golfers unrealistic expectations of what they should see at their club.

"The golf on television definitely affects that," Witt said, "But we also have people with a lot of money that are members of several different private clubs. People inevitably start comparing one course against another."

Reducing Costs

There is a great deal that the average club course can do to save money on their maintenance budget. For the average golfer, making some slight compromises in your course upkeep will not detract significantly from their golf experience. Mowing the grass one less time per week will save some money when projected over a period of time. Furthermore, raising the height at which you mow in the rough could reduced the number of times you have to mow even further.

There are other maintenance tasks that can be delayed that have no noticeable impact on the flow of the game or the quality of play. Putting off tasks that are non-essential such as tee-leveling and bunker renovation or tree pruning can free up time for the maintenance crew to work on other projects.

Performing some of the duties at night can also help save money on the power bill. The reason is this: power companies in most states charge lower rates for what are considered the off-peak hours between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. and all day on weekends. Irrigation pumps, wells, and especially golf car batteries should ideally be recharged during these lower-rate hours. Statistics from Golf Agronomy International suggest that a club can expect an energy savings of up to 90 percent just by taking this simple step.

Of course, before club management makes any of the above decisions, it is wise to consult the golf course superintendent to see how much change is feasible without impacting the quality of the course. According to Witt, the superintendent has a tendency to be overlooked when it comes to cutting areas of the maintenance budget.

"No one knows more about the course than the superintendent as far as what resources are available, and what decisions will make a particular impact," he said.

Consider also that the course superintendent is also the best investment that your club can make in terms of the golf course budget. In other words, hire the best superintendent that you can afford. "The superintendent is the CEO of the golf course operation," Witt explained, "Today's superintendent is not just someone who's out there mowing and watering the course; they are well-educated and possess a tremendous amount of business savvy."

The practical side of paying more for a good superintendent is that their know-how will translate into increased savings in material expenses. For example, a club may spend from as little as $1,000 a year on fertilizer to upwards of $30,000 or more. A skilled superintendent will know exactly how much is needed for the desired level of play without any waste. This could save a large club tens of thousands of dollars in fertilizer costs alone.

Dealing With Drought

The greatest impact of the drought in the affected regions has been the state-imposed water restrictions that golf courses must legally adhere to--sometimes bordering on the ridiculous. In 26 counties in Pennsylvania, courses have been forced to cut their water use by 30 percent. Other restrictions were made on a state-wide basis: Maryland by 10 percent, Connecticut by 20 percent, and New Jersey by 50 percent.

Furthermore, in some areas, watering is restricted to certain times of the day, such as in Pennsylvania, where watering is only allowed twice daily at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Bill Wall, superintendent at Dauphin Hills Golf Club in Pennsylvania, was quoted in the June 19, 2002 issue of Golf Course News as saying, "We don't mind restricting water use, but we [want] to be able to have the ability to use the water how we see fit at our courses. If they want to cut the water back, they should let us as professionals decide how to use [it]."

The restrictions have made it difficult for some clubs to meet the ever-rising expectations of the average member golfer. Witt explained, "There's some places that are going to look great 12 months of the year, while some places won't."

Reaching a Compromise

With all the challenges associated with keeping a club course budget- and member-friendly, how does management achieve a balance between the two?

"Different courses have different niches, so you have to position yourself to be something special," Witt said.

A little bit of creativity can go a long way toward differentiating yourself from other clubs. One novel idea comes from the Chicago Golf Club, where Golf Superintendent Jon Jennings has created a weekly e-mail newsletter he sends out to members who sign up for the free service.

"I basically started doing the e-mail about two years ago," Jennings said, "It's a simple one sheet summary of what the member can expect from their playing experience on the course for that week."

Jennings breaks down the weather conditions and what that means in terms of play, a discussion of what chemicals and other treatments have been applied to the course, and a mention of new staff members and other turf issues of note.

"We have a limited membership of around 115 members, and about 36 members have signed up to receive the e-mail thus far," Jennings explained. "I've received many positive comments about how the newsletter's improved the members' playing experience."

Jennings estimates that the e-mail only takes about an hour and a half of his time each week to produce with copy and the inclusion of digital photos. With such a small time investment (and virtually no financial commitment), Jennings has offered a distinct member-benefit that the membership can identify with.

The newsletter concept also goes a long way in helping to create realistic expectations of the course in the minds of the members. Assuming that the member knows about your course's drought situation only serves to perpetuate false notions of what the course conditions should be. Including the member in the discussion of course issues also fosters a sense of community--of a shared challenge that requires teamwork.

Also, don't overlook the little expenses on the course than nibble away at the balance sheet--small accessory items like tee markers may bear specialty logos that can add up to thousands of dollars in the long run.

Trust Your Superintendent

The importance of your club's superintendent--the person who knows the most about everything that happens on the course--cannot be underestimated.

"Golf courses cannot be run out of an accounting office," Witt said, "Too many times, changes are made on the management side and the superintendent is the last to be informed."

Making budget decisions without all the proper input, therefore, is not advised. "The golf experience is directly related to what the superintendent brings to the table," he said.

The key question for any course-related decision, according to Witt, is: How much can we spend/reduce without reducing quality? All decisions should flow from the answer to this question. At Witt's Kiawah Island Club, for example, management decided to combine the club's two separate courses under a single operation whereas they used to work independently. "We have more control over decision-making which has resulted in improved agronomics," Witt said.

By evaluating your club golf course in terms of your specific problems--and then calculating your resources in terms of material and personnel--management can still provide a quality experience for its members without breaking the budget.

RELATED ARTICLE: High-Tech Maintenance

The process of golf course irrigation--a time consuming task that usually relies solely on the knowledge and judgment of the green-keeper or course superintendent--can now be made more efficient through the use of wireless data technology.

Adcon Telemetry, a specialist in wireless data transmission and irrigation management, has introduced a variety of high-tech irrigation monitors for the golf industry. In addition to the "Lite" Station--a wireless weather station that has been available for several years now--Adcon has created Aquaflex, a wireless soil moisture sensor that monitors greens and provides specific data for optimal water management.

Aquaflex is specifically designed for turf and requires minimal digging for installation. It is the first product to measure soil conditions over an extensive diameter range as opposed to an extensive range of levels. The wireless technology allows for minimal course disruption during installation and usage.

The system provides the superintendent with continuous records of the conditions in the root zone. By sampling and reading conditions up to two feet in the soil, and ten feet in diameter, Aquaflex overcomes the problems associated with measuring soil moisture at one point only. The tool sends an electrical pulse along a transmission line embedded within the probe, extracting data that is transmitted every 15 minutes to a personal computer via radio waves from Adcon's wireless weather stations.