Maintenance Standards Manual
The Maintenance Standard Manual for the Marquette Golf Club
(MGC) provides the guidelines for all maintenance practices associated with the
care, conditioning and upkeep of the golf course grounds and playing
surfaces. The Golf Course Superintendent
develops these standards with the direct input from the Greens Committee. Definition of the overall preferred goals and
desired conditions of the golf course are approved by the Board of
Directors. The Board of Directors are
elected to their position by the membership of MGC, thus they represent the
membership. Implementation of the
standards and practices to achieve these goals will be the responsibility of
the Golf Course Superintendent and Assistants, working in coordination with the
Greens Committee Chairman. The
specifications outlined in this manual are designed to provide the best
possible golf course playing conditions as allowed by the current MGC budget
and climatic conditions. The golfing
season is defined by the time our turf starts to grow in the spring until it
stops growing in the fall. (Mid-April
thru Mid-November)
This Manual will outline
-Goals and Standards of specific turf areas
-Cultural practices
-Irrigation practices
-Operating/Capital Budgeting
-Line of Supervision
This Maintenance Standard Manual is to be used as a
guideline by the Greens Committee, Board of Directors, Assistant
Superintendents and the Superintendent as a tool to achieve the best annual
playing conditions possible with respect to MGC resources. This manual can be updated or reviewed for
changes with recommendations from the Greens Committee. Annual review of this plan will take place
based on agronomic needs determined by the Superintendent or a change in
equipment. Changes will be based on
management decisions concerning budget or a change in maintenance
philosophy.
Maintenance Standard Objectives
The Maintenance Standard Manual is essentially the business
plan for the grounds department of MGC.
The objectives contained in this manual will address priorities,
expectations and is a documented guideline of maintenance practices. This manual also gives the MGC a base to
address suggestions for improvement and to create a measure of
performance.
Additionally, the Maintenance Standard Manual should act as
a communication tool from the Greens Committee and Superintendent to the
membership with the purpose of describing the objectives stated above.
Mission Statement
It is our goal to adequately and professionally maintain the
Marquette Golf Club to provide an excellent experience for all members,
member-guests and daily-fee players. The
players of MGC reflect a wide range of golfing handicaps. We will maintain greens, tees, fairways and
approaches at a moderate level of difficulty to assure an optimum level of
enjoyment for all members. With respect
to the variety of player skill levels, amount of play, budget and resources at
MGC, high standards of difficult tournament conditions are not achievable on a
daily basis nor are they recommend based on long term turf health.
Vision Statement
Working within budgetary requirements, it is our goal for
MGC to become one of the most enjoyable golfing clubs in the country. We want to be at the forefront of new maintenance
technologies and practices while remaining at one with nature and the
environment. We feel the MGC is adding
to the beauty of the land and we will do everything possible to remain
environmentally responsible to protect our local ecosystem for future
generations. The Greens Department will
continually work to achieve these goals in order to provide a very unique golf
experience unequalled by any other club.
Greens Maintenance
The outline described in this section is priority number
one, the maintenance of our Greens. The
Greens should be the only surface on the golf course with a pure
expectation. With good climatic
conditions our Greens should play firm and roll true. A smooth ball roll is the goal for our greens
at MGC. Changing climatic conditions
have a large impact on ‘target green speeds’ thus daily consistency from Green
to Green is the goal. Various cultural,
mechanical and synthetic practices will be used to achieve these goals. It also must be noted that the membership of
MGC needs to help create these smooth rolling conditions by repairing all ball
marks and lifting, not dragging, their feet when walking on the greens.
All practices need to be in balance to achieve a high
quality-putting surface on the Poa annua/bentgrass greens of the
Heritage course and L-93 bentgrass greens of Greywalls.
Mowing
During the peak golfing season greens will be mowed on a
daily basis with the exception of a rain day (mowing during saturated
conditions caused increased compaction and scalping). The bench set height of cut (HOC) for our
triplex mowers will be 0.125” or 1/8”.
Off-season (early spring & late fall) HOC will be
slightly higher at 0.140” for plant health reasons. Greens will also be mowed on an as needed
basis, determined by the Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent because
turf growth is slower at these times of the year.
Mowing after topdressing will be completed using ‘sand
reels’ set at the same or slightly higher HOC for about one week or until no
significant amount of sand is evident in the mowing baskets. Sand reels are simply an older set of reels
used after topdressing as a way of protecting our good mowing reels from the
damage sand causes to the bed knives and reel blades.
Vertical
Mowing
Vertical mowing is a practice of de-thatching the greens
with vertical blades, it also lifts the turf, increases smoothness, repairs
imperfections in the putting surface, stimulates new growth and creates
channels for topdressing sand to work into, which dilutes the thatch or mat layer.
Vertical mowing will take place several times in the spring
and fall in conjunction with topdressing.
Vertical mowing during the peak summer turf stress months will be
completed only if absolutely needed and if cool climatic conditions allow this practice
to be completed. Vertical mowing will
also take place after aerifying greens with ¼” mini tines. Vertically mowing these cores will break them
up, distribute the sand and soil back into the turf canopy leaving only thatch
balls on the surface, which can be blown off and cleaned up with ease.
Brushing
Brushing the greens with a triplex mounted brushing unit
will stand up the grass and allow another mower to come behind and clean-up the
surface. Brushing helps reduce the
amount of lankiness in the turf creating a more upward growth, which in turn
creates a smoother ball roll.
Brushing will be completed the week before a topdressing
application is scheduled. Brushing also
will take place with a flat drag mat pulled by a cart after a topdressing
application has been applied; it is a way of working the sand into the turf
canopy.
Topdressing
Topdressing with pure sand is the backbone of any solid
greens management program. Topdressing
is a practice used to smooth out the putting surface, repair any imperfections
and dilute the thatch layer, which accumulates with healthy turf growth. Keeping the thatch layer in check not only
provides a smooth ball roll and firm conditions but also helps with pathogenic disease
management.
Topdressing is scheduled to take place every third Monday as
long as climatic conditions are in our favor.
The sand will be applied using a Cushman mounted Turf-co 1530 wide-spin
topdresser. The sand will be left on the
greens to dry, then a flat cocoa-fiber drag mat pulled by a cart, will be used
to work the sand into the turf canopy.
Given perfect climatic conditions the whole topdressing process will
take 5 hours on the Heritage course and 7 hours on Greywalls, hence the reason
the courses will need to be closed till noon on those given days.
Spiking
Spiking is a shallow aerification process used to break up
any surface tension on our greens allowing an increase in air exchange and
water/nutrient penetration thus helping alleviate any potential localized dry
spots (LDS).
Spiking usually takes place the day of topdressing using either
a Cushman mounted spiker unit or triplex mounted spiker heads. The sand from topdressing will fill the spike
marks and after the sand is drug in with the flat brush most spike marks will
have been eliminated. With the
completion of mowing the next day with our sand reels, very little evidence of
spiking will be left.
Rolling
Greens’ rolling is a heavily studied subject and has been
proven to increase overall plant health, because you can increase your bench
HOC without loosing any green speed.
There are many different types of rollers on the market today; currently
MGC has a set of triplex mounted vibratory greens rollers. These rollers mount on our Jacobsen triplex
mower the same way reels do. When
lowered to roll the greens, the lightweight rollers vibrate and provide a
smoother putting surface.
Rolling may take the place of mowing and occasionally
rolling may be coupled with mowing on the same day. Those days will be determined by the
Superintendent based on other variables.
Aerification
Aerification is a cultural practice that will alter
subsurface stoloniferous and rhizomatic ecological zones beneath the putting
green to allow for the infiltration of aqueous solutions and the beneficial
exchange of gases, primarily oxygen. In
other words aerification reduces thatch by physical removal, increases air
exchange, allows water and nutrients to enter the root zone easier, and reduces
compaction of the soil.
Core Aerification of the greens will take place in the
spring and additional aerification of the clean-up pass around the perimeter of
the green surface will take place in the fall. We will use a Jacobsen GA-24 aerifier to
complete this process. If aerification
cannot take place on the scheduled day due to weather or any other factor, it
will take place on the next available day.
Nine holes will be shut down per day to allow the maintenance staff to
perform this duty. Tine size and spacing
will be determined by the Superintendent based on the balance of
organic-inorganic compound ratio in the turf surface of our greens.
*Additional aerification may need to take place at
the discretion of the course Superintendent.
These additional applications are a key part of a preventative
maintenance program and will be done as necessary.
MGC also owns a Hydro-ject aerifier, which inject
high-pressure water into the turf surface with very minimal disruption to
playing conditions. The Hydro-ject is
not a replacement for core aerification; it is an additional tool that can be
used to increase plant health during the peak golf season. Hydro-jecting will be completed at the
discretion of the Superintendent throughout the growing season.
Fertilization
A base fertilizer program will be written every fall by the
course Superintendent as a means of budgeting for the upcoming season. All actual fertility applications will be
applied to the greens based on an optimal needs assessment made by the course
Superintendent and his assistants. This
assessment will factor in fertility needs of the turfgrass plants, condition of
the greens and playability of the greens.
Additionally, fertility needs will be monitored and adjusted on a
regular basis determined by need, time of year and climatic conditions. A combination of granular and foliar
applications will be made during the course of the year.
Chemical Treatment
To maintain healthy turfgrass at 1/8”, chemical applications
will need to be made to aid in the survival of the grass. Chemical applications will be based on an
Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM).
The MDA defines Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as:
The
use of all appropriate and economical strategies to manage pests and their
damage to acceptable levels with the least disruption to the environment. Using many different tactics to manage pest
problems tends to cause the least disruption to non-target organisms and the
surroundings at the application site.
Relying only on pesticides for pest control can cause pests to develop
resistance to pesticides and may cause outbreaks of other pests. IPM provides the applicator with a diverse
pest management program that avoids sole reliance on one technique and its
potential shortcomings.
IPM
involves monitoring, identifying pests, determining threshold levels, selecting
management tactics and evaluating the results.
To
solve pest problems, pest mangers must:
*Determine pest management
goal(s).
*Detect and identify the pest(s)
and determine whether control is warranted.
*Know what management strategies
are available.
*Evaluate the benefits and risks
of each tactic or combination of tactics.
*Choose a strategy that will be
most effective and will cause the least harm to
people, non-target organisms and the environment.
*Use each tactic in the strategy
correctly.
*Observe local, state, and
federal regulations that apply to the situation.
*Evaluate the strategy and make
adjustments as necessary.
*Control a pest only when it is
causing or is expected to cause more harm than is
reasonable to accept.
*Use a tactic or combination of
tactics that will reduce pest numbers to an
acceptable level.
*Cause as little harm as
possible to everything except the pest.
*Prevention – keeping a pest
from becoming a problem
*Suppression – reducing pest
numbers or damage to an acceptable level.
*Eradication – destroying an
entire pest population. Eradication is
rarely a goal in outdoor pest situations because it is difficult to achieve. Usually the goal is prevention and/or
suppression.
Natural
and applied techniques are used to manage pests. Proper identification and knowledge of the
pest’s life cycle, the pest’s density, and its relationship to the plant’s or
animal’s stage of development allow applicators to choose the right tactic or
combination of tactics to manage the pest in the most economical and least
disruptive manner.
All chemical applications shall be determined by the
Superintendent, using pesticides and wetting agents that are approved for use
in the State of Michigan . All administrative records concerning
application and storage shall be kept by the Superintendent in his office. All copies of MSDS sheets are kept in the
Heritage shop maintenance building in a file hanging on the wall by the
chemical storage room. Additional MSDS
copies are also available in the Pro-shop in a red folder behind the
counter. The membership will be notified
of all chemical applications with signs posted on the 1st and 10th
Tee the day of the application.
Chemical applications may take place any day of the week,
but will be made when least intrusive to play.
Chemical applications will include but are not limited to:
Wetting agents- used to control soil moisture and alleviate
LDS
Contact/Systemic fungicides- used to control fungal
pathogens
Herbicides- used to control weeds
Insecticides- used to control insect pests above thresh-hold
levels
Turf Growth Regulators (TGR) - used to reduce vertical
growth of the turfgrass and increase plant density and wear tolerance.
Chemical applications to the greens will be made in late
fall to protect the turf from any potential snow mold damage over the winter
months.
The Superintendent, Assistants Superintendents and staff will
conduct daily monitoring of pests on a daily basis.
Approach Maintenance
This section of the Maintenance Standard Manual is devoted
to maintaining the green approaches.
Following the greens, the approaches are the second most important area
of turf on the golf course. The
practices outlined in this section will give golfers the ability to play a
“bump and run” shot so they will be able to run the ball onto the green if they
choose to do so.
Mowing
Approaches and collars will be mowed on Twice weekly during
the peak golf season. Additional mowing
will take place for special events and tournaments or if the grass is growing
very rapidly. Jacobsen, John Deere and
Toro triplex mowers will be used to mow approaches with a bench set HOC of
0.400” on Greywalls and 0.450” on the Heritage.
Off-season (early spring & late fall) approaches will also be mowed
on an as needed basis, determined by the Superintendent or Assistant
Superintendent because turf growth is slower at these times of the year.
Topdressing
Sand topdressing of the approach directly around the green,
will take place when topdressing greens.
An additional heavy sand topdressing application of the entire approach
will be made in the fall of every year.
Aerification
Approaches will be aerified once per season. The Superintendent will determine the tine
selection and timing of this cultural practice when conditions are favorable
and interference with play is minimal.
Fertilization and Chemical Treatment
A base fertilizer program will be written every fall by the
course Superintendent as a means of budgeting for the upcoming season. The fertility program for all approaches will
consist of a spring granular applications followed by monthly foliar
applications applied with a wetting agent, contact fungicide and growth
regulator. The Superintendent will
determine actual application amounts and frequency based on turf performance
and needs.
Chemical applications to the approaches will be made in late
fall to protect the turf from any potential snow mold damage over the winter
months.
Fairway Maintenance
This section of the Maintenance Standard Manual deals with
the care of our fairways. Fairways make
up the largest area of closely mown turf on both of our golf courses. Improved playability can be achieved with the
use of sound maintenance practices.
Mowing
Fairways will be mowed twice weekly during the peak golf
season. Additional mowing will take
place for special events and tournaments or if the grass is growing very
rapidly. Jacobsen, Toro and John Deere
five-plex mowers will be used to mow fairways with a bench set HOC of 0.625” or
5/8”. Off-season (early spring &
late fall) fairways will also be mowed on an as needed basis, determined by the
Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent because turf growth is slower at
these times of the year.
Aerification
Fairways will be aerified once per season using one of three
pieces of equipment or a combination of all three.
The first machine that can be used is a Toro Procore which mounts
on the three-point hitch of a tractor; it works by impacting the turf surface
with an up and down motion moving the tines in and out of the turf and
soil. This machine has limited use on
the Greywalls course because of our geology (granite). It is used primarily on the Heritage golf
course.
The second machine that can be used is the seed-a-vator
aerifier. This machine also mounts on
the three-point hitch of a tractor and can be used on the extreme terrain and geology on the Greywalls fairways. This machine does not pull cores it is a
solid tine aerifier with limited depth penetration.
The third machine is an old pull behind independent
aerifier. This machine will pull cores
but has large spacing between holes and again is limited on its ability to
penetrate deep into the soil. However,
because of the geology on Greywalls this is the only machine that can be used
to pull cores, as it does not impact the ground but rolls over the ground
giving it the ability to roll over underlying rocks without damaging the tines
or the machine.
The Superintendent will determine the tine selection,
machine to use and timing of this cultural practice when conditions are
favorable.
*Additional aerification may need to take place at
the discretion of the course Superintendent.
These additional applications are a key part of a preventative
maintenance program to alleviate compaction and will be done as necessary.
Fertilization and Chemical Treatment
A base fertilizer program will be written every fall by the
course Superintendent as a means of budgeting for the upcoming season. The fertility program for all fairways will
consist of granular applications, applied with a pull behind spreader. The Superintendent will determine actual
application amounts and frequency based on turf performance and needs.
Chemical applications to the fairways will be very limited
due to budgetary restrictions. Chemical
applications will be made in late fall to the Greywalls fairways to protect the
turf from any potential snow mold damage over the winter months, otherwise only
in the case of a major pest outbreak will chemicals be applied to the fairways.
Other Fairway Maintenance
Yardage markers, irrigation heads and valve boxes will be
trimmed for visibility and proper operation throughout the golf season on an as
needed basis.
Tee Maintenance
This section of the Maintenance Standard Manual deals with
the care of our Tees . The primary function of the teeing surface is
to provide a stable platform for the players of MGC to begin a golf hole. The teeing surface should be of uniform grade
with maintenance and setup completed on a consistent and daily basis.
Mowing
Tees will be mowed on Tuesdays and
Fridays during the peak golf season.
Additional mowing will take place for special events and tournaments or
if the grass is growing very rapidly.
Jacobsen, John Deere and Toro triplex mowers will be used to mow most
tees with a bench set HOC of 0.400” on the Greywalls course and 0.450” on the
Heritage course. Smaller tees will be
mowed with John Deere walk mowers with a slightly higher bench set HOC. Off-season (early spring & late fall)
tees will also be mowed on an as needed basis, determined by the Superintendent
or Assistant Superintendent because turf growth is slower at these times of the
year.
Aerification and Topdressing
Tee aerification will take place once a year. Aerification will be completed by using a
walk behind GA-24 Jacobsen aerifier. The
Superintendent will determine tine size and hole spacing based on agronomic needs.
*Additional aerification may take place to improve playability,
increase water penetration and relieve compaction.
Heavy sand topdressing of the tees will take place in the
fall, if time allows.
Divot repair and Tees Maintenance
Divots on all par 3 and short par 4 tees will be filled by
shovel or hand with a sand/seed/fertilizer mixture and smoothed out using a
lawn level on a weekly basis. This will
help the tees recover from voids left in the surface from golf shots taken with
irons.
A staff member will move tee markers and collect trash on a
daily basis during the peak golf season in an effort to spread out wear
patterns over the entire teeing surface.
Tee markers will be pulled off the tee surface on mowing days and put
back on the tees by the tee mower operator after the tee has been cut.
Ball washers will be drained and refilled on a monthly basis
but checked regularly.
Fertilization and Chemical Treatment
Once again, a base fertilizer program will be written every
fall by the course Superintendent as a means of budgeting for the upcoming
season. The fertility program for all
tees will consist of granular applications, applied with a push spreader. The Superintendent will determine actual
application amounts and frequency based on turf performance and needs.
Granular fungicide applications will be applied to the
Greywalls tees as needed during the peak summer months to keep the dollar spot
and take-all patch diseases under control on the south-shore bentgrass
turf. Previous year disease
outbreaks warrant these applications.
Granular or foliar fungicide applications may be applied to
the Heritage tees, if and only if a disease outbreak gets above thresh-hold
levels.
A chemical applications will be made in late fall to all
tees on both courses as a way of protecting the turf from any potential snow
mold damage over the winter months.
Rough Maintenance
MGC has three categories of rough that will be outlined in
this section; Primary Rough, Surrounds Rough and Native/Natural area
rough.
Mowing
Primary rough makes up the majority rough-grass
playing surface, it is the large areas around and between fairways that is
maintained regularly at a playable HOC.
Mowing will take place on a weekly or as needed basis
throughout the golfing season. Large
area rotary mowers (Lastec) will maintain these areas at a HOC of 2-1/4”;
recovery shots from these areas are completed with relative ease.
Surrounds Rough is the area of turf directly around
all tees, bunkers and greens. These
areas have some degree of slope and mounding to them and are maintained
regularly at a playable HOC.
Mowing will take place on a weekly or as needed basis
throughout the golfing season. The Toro
sidewinder rotary mowers are used to mow these areas at a HOC of 2-1/4”. These are specialized rotary mowers are all
wheel drive and have independently floating decks to avoid scalping.
Native/Natural area rough is the area of turf that is
only mowed on a yearly basis in the fall with rotary mowers at a HOC of 3-4”,
mowing of these areas is performed only to keep the grass from laying over,
matting up and smothering itself over the winter. A controlled burn is a good way to manage
these areas, but MGC is located in Marquette
city limits, which does not allow burning.
The turf in these areas is made up of primarily fine
fescue and is allowed to grow naturally throughout the year. These areas of rough are designed to define a
hole, keep player focus within the boundaries of the hole and are very
aesthetically pleasing and add interest to the overall game. Environmental habitat is also created by
having these areas on the golf course. This
rough also acts as a buffer strip filtering nutrients before they enter surface
water. Recovery shots from these areas
can be very challenging, but when completed successfully they are very
satisfying. Native/Natural areas are
only to be entered by foot and no carts or other vehicle traffic are allowed in
these areas, as vehicle traffic will destroy the look, feel, playability and
integrity of these areas. Having these
areas on a golf course reduces labor, saves fuel and as mentioned above gives
MGC diverse environmentally friendly ecological areas, which will be inhabited
by many birds and other wild species of our area.
Some specific areas of Native/Natural rough areas on
Greywalls receive irrigation coverage from green and fairway irrigation heads
and tend to grow excessively. These
areas will be groomed monthly during the season to keep the grasses in these
areas playable. A checklist of all these
areas is used to assure the job is finished to completion every time.
Aerification
Rough aerification will be completed on a limited basis with
the need determined by traffic and turf density considerations. The Superintendent; based on agronomic need,
will determine tine size, hole spacing and the decision of what machine to
use. An over-seeding program will be
developed and implemented on an as needed basis.
Fertilization and Chemical Treatment
Budgetary restrictions do not allow for regular
fertilization of these areas nor are they regularly needed. Spot fertilizing of the primary and surrounds
rough will be implemented to problematic areas when fertilizing fairways and
approaches. No fertilizer applications
will ever be made to Native/Natural rough areas.
Chemical applications will only be made in the rough to spot
treat weeds, if the level of weed growth goes above thresh-hold levels.
Invasive weed and sapling growth in the native/Natural rough
areas will be controlled by hand picking and pruning during the season; when
the MGC is at maximum staff levels.
Bunker Maintenance
Bunkers are hazards and are
a vital part of the design and playability of a golf course. Bunkers create interest in the game of golf,
which are designed and placed as a means of guiding or directing a golfer:
forcing them to play a particular type of shot and avoid them. If a shot is poorly struck it will end up in
the bunker and the player will face the penalty of have a more difficult shot
to play. Un-like popular belief, bunkers
are defined as hazards and shall be played as such, manicured daily conditions
and consistency is not the goal. Perfect
conditions provide predictable circumstances making bunkers play more like a
bail out area than a hazard to avoid.
Bunker Raking
During the peak golfing season, bunkers will be mechanically
raked using a Toro sand-pro when we have staff availability to perform the
task; normally 3 times a week. Track
raking by hand (smoothing out only the deep imprints left un-raked by golfers)
will take place on days the bunkers are not mechanically raked with the
sand-pro. Some bunkers are too small for
a mechanical rake thus these hazards will be raked by hand.
*These guidelines are subject to change depending on
climatic conditions and staff levels.
Bunker rakes will be provided in every bunker for golfers to
smooth out their tracks after their shot has been played. This should be done as way of being courteous
to the players behind you and is part of proper golf etiquette.
Bunker rakes will be placed inside the bunkers with the
handle end laying on the bunker edge creating a gap between the handle and the
sand surface. Bunker rakes will also be
placed on the low side of the bunker and parallel with direction of the hole;
if at all possible. The staff will put
the rakes in this position after raking and they should be put back into that
position by golfers after they are used.
Exiting and entering bunkers should only be done on the low side of the
bunker, so the tender bunker edges are not destroyed by foot traffic.
Other Bunker Care
Bunkers will be edged with a lip when conditions warrant
doing so, to maintain a clearly defined edge between the hazard and the
surrounding turf. Greywalls has a
naturally defined edge while the Heritage has a more circular defined bunker
edge design.
Pulling out rocks and removing weeds growing in the bunkers
will be performed on a weekly basis in conjunction with the basic care and
raking.
The Heritage course is in need of a complete bunker overhaul
but because of budgetary reasons this major project has yet to be planned. We will maintain these bunkers to the best of
our ability until funds are provided for a complete overhaul. It only makes sense to complete this bunker
overhaul during the much talked about restoration, because the shape and sizes
of these hazards will likely be changed back to the Langford style of
design.
Course Setup
Course setup is one of the most talked about and important
jobs accomplished by the maintenance crew.
Course setup involves the placing of the pin to provide a fair test of
golf with a good variety of hole locations.
The Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent will extensively train
all setup employees for this duty.
Placing of the Pin
We will follow the 6-6-6 rule when cutting cups. Six pins will be located toward the front
third of the green, six in the middle third and six in the back third. Pin locations will also vary in their left,
center and right position, in a similar fashion.
Specific location of the pin placement will be made at the
discretions of the employee completing the course setup task based on condition
of the green, moisture level, stressed or diseased turf areas and proximity to
old cup plugs.
Pins will be placed no closer than 9 feet from the edge of a
green and in a place suitable for putting.
Course setup will take place on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
and Sunday. Daily inspection of the cups
will take place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and additional changing will
take place if heavy wear or damage to the lips of the cup warrant doing
so.
Additional Responsibilities
Course setup employees will also be in charge of scouting
the course for potential problems, replacing broken or missing course equipment
and most importantly moving cart traffic ropes and signs as a way of diverting
traffic onto different areas of turf.
Practice Area Setup
The driving range tee will be setup on a daily basis by the
grounds staff. Setup will be completed
by moving the markers as a way to spread out the wear and divot patterns over
the entire surface of the tee. We
utilize the bump system – bumping the hitting stations one length back everyday
until the rear of the tee is reached then they are move back to the front of
the teeing surface.
The maintenance staff, on a consistent basis, will fill
divots on the range using the same method as mentioned in the tee maintenance
section.
Artificial driving range hitting mats will be utilized in the
spring of the year and may be used during the season to allow time for proper
turf growth and recovery.
The practice greens will receive the same care and
maintenance as the greens on the golf course.
During the peak golfing season cups will be changed on the putting
greens weekly.
The Short game area will be maintained on the same days as
the driving range.
Irrigation Maintenance and Practices
Irrigation Philosophy
The Superintendent will follow the “wettest spot” philosophy
of water application, which will result in some brown or dry spots during the
peak summer months. It is recommended by
the USGA Green Section to water in this fashion and is practiced by all
environmentally sensible golf courses.
This philosophy of irrigating with only enough water for the wettest
spots will provide the best possible playing conditions and help us grow deeply
rooted healthy turfgrass; plus it reduces our energy usage, which lowers our
electrical bills.
Variety in textures and appearance should be the goal of our
playing surface and not a monoculture of green.
Unique bounces add an element of excitement to the game and with a
perfect very predictable surface you take away that element, thus eliminating
the “rub of the Green”. A soft cushy
over watered surface creates a one-dimensional aerial game and eliminates the
ground game option in shot making, which golf was founded on.
Over watering will create conditions for increased
compaction, shallow rooting and disease outbreaks, all of which causes an
increase in chemical and mechanical inputs driving up the cost of maintenance
and player inconvenience.
A bit of brown turf on the fairways should be expected and
desired to not only increase the enjoyment in shot making options but to create
points of reference when hitting a shot, plus it keeps maintenance costs and
dues down.
All irrigation repairs will be completed as quickly as
possible to maintain the system in good operating condition.
Actual Irrigation Application
Actual irrigation amounts are determined on a daily basis by
monitoring both golf courses. The
Superintendent or Assistant Superintendents will make daily adjustment to
specific irrigation areas and individual heads accordingly. Isolated dry areas or areas of LDS on the
greens will require constant attention and may even require some hand watering
at times of extreme dryness. Proper
water management is very critical to the health of the turfgrass and is a very
time consuming process.
Irrigation systems
The Greywalls irrigation system was installed during course
construction in 2003 and will be maintained by the maintenance staff for many
more years of reliable use.
The Heritage irrigation system was installed in the 1980’s
using some piping from the previous system plus the same old inefficient pumps
from the 1960’s. Many leaks and yearly
failures to the piping, heads and pumps makes this system very unreliable and
in need of total replacement. There are
no current plans to replace this system any time soon, but some repairs have been
made in the last five years including pump/motor rebuilds and a control upgrade. The maintenance staff will do the best it can
to adequately water the Heritage course with these worn out and outdated
components.
Water Supply
The Greywalls water supply comes from a well located on the
14th hole and is transferred to an irrigation holding pond by the
maintenance facility. The Greywalls
pump-station is located at the pond edge and supplies the course with water
from a wet well inside the building.
The Heritage water supply is from its original source, the
Orianna creek retention pond. The water
is pumped from the retention pond to the irrigation pond on the golf course
through the old original metal pipe-line.
The Heritage pump-station is located at the pond edge and supplies the
course with water from a wet well inside the building.
This supply proves to be inadequate for two reasons: 1.) The
pump at the retention pond and pipe size from that area to the irrigation pond is
not large enough to replace the daily amount of water demanded on dry days and
2.) During dry times the creek flow rate drastically declines leaving us a
minimal water source. The water supply
issue forces the irrigation habits on the Heritage golf course to be very
minimal. During dry times water will be
conserved for the greens and tees only and moisture conditions on the fairways
will become very thirsty. Another
concern is the Heritage irrigation pond.
Over the last 50 years the bottom of the pond has accumulated a thick layer
of organic debris from vegetative growth and is in dire need of dredging. It would be in our best interest to dredge
this pond and place a rubber liner on the bottom; this would increase our water
holding capacity thus increasing our water storage for irrigation needs.
Miscellaneous Maintenance
Landscaped Areas
The beautification committee maintains the landscape beds on
the Heritage course and around the clubhouse with some assistance of grounds
staff members.
There are no plans to ever have maintained landscape areas
on Greywalls. The natural beauty of the
course and surrounding landforms is enough.
Pond
A non-mowed buffer strip will be maintained on the banks of
the irrigation pond between holes number 2 and 3 of the Heritage course. The buffer strip acts as a natural filter
reducing the amount of nutrients entering the pond, which causes algae
blooms. Algae blooms smell, are
unsightly and they clog the irrigation intake pipe, which in-turn cripples the
irrigation system. Because of past algae
bloom problems, algae treatments are made weekly to the pond by using a product
called TLC. TLC is a biological control
agent consisting of natural bacteria that out competes the algae for nutrients
and in-turn feeds on any dead algae.
These treatments have been taking place since 2003, are 100%
environmentally safe and are working very well.
Occasional physical removal of algae will still take place on an as
needed basis.
Marking the Course
The golf course hazard stakes will be repaired and, if
needed, painted or replaced each spring.
They will be monitored and repaired for the rest of the golf season on
an as needed basis.
The Golf Professional and/or Superintendent will complete
tournament course marking i.e. ground under repair, prior to any major club
tournaments.
Tree Care
Tree management on a golf course is vital. In order to grow quality turf, trees must be
managed and not over-planted or misplaced; yet this situation has happened over
the course of many years on the Heritage course. A detailed tree plan has been written by the
Greens Committee and approved by the Board of Directors to help remedy the
situation. The grounds department will
thin, prune and manage the MGC tree population according to the adopted
plan. This tree management plan will not
happen overnight and will take place over many years when time and resources
are available to do so.
Managing trees the proper way will increasing airflow, decreasing
shading and it reduces root infiltration; all of which are essential for proper
turfgrass growth and performance.
Tree management for Greywalls will follow the three-D rule
of removing any dead, dying or diseased trees.
Plus trees will be removed if they are directly affecting turf health
and vigor.
Some exploratory work is being done to manage the forested
areas on and around Greywalls and between Greywalls and the Heritage
course. The thought is to selectively
harvest wood from these areas to create a forest of more desirable hardwood and
less hazardous softwood trees. The wood
harvested from these areas will be sold for profit and the forested areas will
become more valuable for possible future harvesting, plus the resulting wooded
areas will be much more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Equipment Repair and Maintenance
MGC will employ two seasonal Mechanics, their job will be to
maintain our fleet of mowers and maintenance equipment in order keep them
running and cutting properly. They will
be directly supervised by the Superintendent to assure proper repairs are
adjustments are made in a timely fashion for all upcoming course duties.
Quality cutting and properly running equipment cannot be
over stated. If equipment is not running
or not running properly maintenance tasks will be delayed or not completed at
all, both of which will affect the playability of the golf course. The quality of cut a mower puts on a grass
plant is the first defense against disease and undo turf stress. If a grass plant is mowed with a dull mower
it will tear the plant opening it up to disease and stress. The grass plant will then have to use energy
to repair the wound rather than growing stronger and thicker.
Just by using sharp
mowers one can attain a high quality of turf.
Winter Maintenance
Every fall a detailed equipment inspection will take place
and a master list of parts, needed for repair, will be completed and ordered as
needed. During the late fall when mowing
frequencies decrease our mechanics will begin grinding/sharpening all of the
cutting units. Over the winter months
the Superintendent will finish all disassemble and grinding of the reel heads. Bearing and seal replacement will take place
before grinding, if excessive wear or failure in evident. All reels will then be reassembled and put
back on the machines. All other
accessible equipment will also be inspected and repaired as needed.
It is essential that these tasks be completed before the
crew reports back to work in the spring, this assure mowers and equipment are
ready for use and avoids chaos in the shop.
Regular Maintenance
The following maintenance will apply to MGC during the golf
season.
-Greens mowers will be checked and adjusted on a daily basis
-Fairway mowers will be checked and adjusted after each
mowing
-Tee and Approach mowers will be checked and adjusted after
each mowing
*If any of the above mowers can not be adjusted to
adequately cut a piece of paper they will be back-lapped; to sharpen the
cutting edges, and the bedknives will be faced with a file or grinding
tool. If the reel still will not cut
after completing these sharpen procedures the reel will be removed from the
machine disassembled and ground.
-Rotary mowers will be checked weekly and sharpened as
needed
-Oil levels will be checked in the AM on all equipment
before it is used
-Oil changes and tune-ups will be performed on all equipment
based on manufacturer recommendations.
-Repairs will be made in a timely fashion to assure required
maintenance procedures on the course are being completed.
Maintenance Records
Records of all equipment repairs will be completed by the
Mechanics or Superintendent in a file kept in the maintenance building.
Adverse Conditions Policy
The intent of this section is to outline adverse
conditions. The goal is to keep the
course open for play except when severe conditions warrant closure.
Frosted or Frozen Conditions
The golf course will remain closed in the event of frosted
or frozen conditions. As the sun and air
temperatures rise and the condition is alleviated, the golf course will open
for play. Any traffic on frozen or
frosted turf will harm the roots and cell walls respectively causing plant
damage or even death.
Cart Usage under Adverse Conditions
As directed by the Superintendent or Assistant
Superintendents, golf carts will not be allowed on the golf course when
frosted, frozen or saturated conditions exist.
Solely at the discretion of the Superintendent or Assistant
Superintendents, will cart be allowed back on to the golf course.
Based on agronomic reasons the Superintendent may place
limitations such as; cart path and rough only, or 90 degree rule only, on cart
traffic at any time.
Members are encouraged to read and follow the eleven guiding
principles for golf cart operation adopted May of 2004 by the Board of Directors,
as a means of reducing the potential wear golf carts present to the
conditioning of a golf course.
Adverse Conditions
In the event of any adverse conditions, the Superintendent
or qualified member of the staff may elect to close part of or the entire golf
course if damage to the greens, fairways or tees would occur with the
continuance of play.
The course may also be closed if conditions are deemed to be
dangerous to the health and well being of the golfer, such as in the event of
lightning, chemical spill or fire.
In the case of a lightning storm the pro-shop staff will
sound of an air horn. All players and
employees must stop playing and working and immediately head for safety.
Operating and Capital Budgeting
Operating Budget
The operating budget reflects the day-to-day operating costs
associated with regular maintenance of the golf course and the club grounds as
prescribed by the Maintenance Standard Manual.
The budget process will begin in November and last till
completion, typically around the first of the year. The Superintendent will use historical
figures to formulate a preliminary budget then make changes to those numbers
based on an increase or decrease in the cost of predicted variable expenses
during the upcoming season. The Greens
Committee will review the budget and upon approval it will be presented to the
Board of Directors at the annual budget meeting.
After final approval by the Board the Superintendent will
prudently manage operating costs during the course of the year in order to stay
within the operating budget.
Capital Expenditures
In order to be a capital expenditure an item must meet two
requirements; it must have a minimum cost of $1000 and have a life expectancy
of at least three years.
Examples of capital expenditures would be new maintenance
equipment, golf course renovations, major drainage work, new irrigation system
and a new maintenance shop.
Equipment Expenditures
A ten-year capital expenditure plan for equipment
replacement will be created by the Superintendent and updated annually. If followed this detailed plan will assure
course conditions do not become negatively affected by the condition and
productivity of the equipment fleet.
Capital Improvements
MGC grounds has several other important capital expenditures
that need to be addressed ASAP when funds for such are available. (Listed according to importance)
1) Complete the maintenance shop at Greywalls
Currently there are some loose ends that need to be finished
at this location.
2) Irrigation System for the Heritage
Outlined in the Irrigation section.
3) Bunker repair and course restoration for the Heritage
Outlined in the Bunker section.
4) Improved Bathroom facilities built on Greywalls
Grounds Department Supervision
Activities associated with the grounds department are highly
visible and at times may be subject to various conversations or critiques
amongst members. The grounds department
staff wishes to be as responsive as possible to the desires of all members and
management, but the information path and direction to individuals must flow in
a formal manner to avoid any potential confusion.
Staff Supervision of Activities
The Grounds Superintendent and Assistants are responsible
for all activities of the grounds staff.
Communication between the Superintendent and Assistants will take place
on a multi-daily basis then directions and guidance will be given to individual
staff members accordingly. The
Superintendent and Assistants will plan the next day’s activities the previous
day then assignment will be written on the employee board clearly and
systematically. In addition no member or
any other person should request or expect to receive any personal service or
have specific tasks completed for their personal benefit from a staff member
while on the clock and working for the club.
Staff Roles and Relationships
The Superintendent is responsible for all daily activities
related to the care and maintenance of the golf course.
The Assistant Superintendents take directions from the
Superintendent and guide the MGC grounds staffs according to the tasks that
need to be completed.
The Green Committee Chairman is actively involved in all
matters relating to the golf course and is in frequent communication with the
Golf Course Superintendent. These
communications may take the form of day-to-day interaction or during Green
Committee meetings. The Greens Committee
consists of a 12 appointed members representing different demographics of the
membership. Discussions topics of course
conditioning and upkeep will take place at these meetings to satisfy the
desired concerns of the membership at large.
Collaborative discussion, suggestions and opinions will flow freely but
systematically at these meetings with a common goal of improving MGC
conditions. The Superintendent and
Greens Committee Chairman will attend bi-monthly Board meetings to report the
concerns and current conditions of the golf course grounds. The Board of Directors has the ultimate
authority on major club decisions but the Golf Course Superintendent shall have
daily decision authority based on Greens Committee suggestion and approved
agendas.
Member concerns regarding the grounds department should be
directed towards the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, Green Committee
Chair or Green Committee member only.
These concerns may be taken care of accordingly or brought up at Green
Committee meeting as a topic for further discussion and decision-making.
Creating and maintaining a high quality golf course environment
is a very challenging endeavor, which is filled with many variables some of
which are only understood by the professional put in place to handle these
tasks; the Superintendent. Maximum
communication between all parties of the club is essential as a means of
pleasing the membership and keeping them informed of necessary maintenance
tasks.
