Golf Course Management
Philosophies
Bentgrass Management
Growing Environments – Reducing shade, maintaining proper airflow, and ensuring sunlight at all times of the year are all recommended. Bentgrass has a high light requirement and likes to see a minimum of eight hours of sunlight a day.
Data Driven Decision Making – Utilize clipping yields, moisture meters, infiltration rates, organic matter level percentages, and growing degree day models.
Cultural Practices – Dryject, solid tine/coring tine cultivation, topdressing, and brushing are important. Timing must be accurate to minimize Poa annua invasion while also balancing member expectations and the golf calendar.
Biological Management – It’s important to promote a healthy soil to promote a healthy turfgrass stand, and it all starts with working with the soil below to incorporate beneficial fungi/bacteria.
Fertility – Foliar applied soluble fertilizers as opposed to granular applications allow for more control and ensure that you are only feeding the Bentgrass what it needs.
Moisture Management – Deep and infrequent watering works well with supplemental moisture being delivered via hand watering with the use of moisture meters.
Deep tine aeration for successful Bentgrass management provides oxygen and gas exchange to the roots and also encourages deep rooting for Bentgrass.
The use of moisture meters is important to ensure that over watering isn’t taking place. I believe that water management is crucial to Bentgrass management but also members expectations and the golf course playability.
Proper cultivation practices are important for healthy greens but also from a playability stand point to ensure that firm putting greens surfaces can be achieved. The timing of all practices is important to ensure you are cultivating when the Bentgrass is at a competitive advantage to minimize Poa annua invasion
Staff & Communication Management
Daily Course Information Sheet – Daily information sent to department managers and professional shop staff on current golf course activities, upcoming activities, cart rulings, reminders, and daily weather provide necessary communication for cohesive success.
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Staff Handbook – Pocket size handbooks are provided to ensure consistencies for the member experience on the golf course. These booklets include valuable information for the staff with regards to mowing directions, rake placements, tee block placement, and traffic patterns, to name a few.
Staff Management – It is important to set the expectations for your staff at the beginning of each season so that these expectations can be translated onto the golf course. I believe that it’s important to give your staff the tools to succeed at their job but also to ensure that some ownership and accountability can be taken. Without the buy-in from your team, it will be very hard to ensure proper execution on the golf course. My philosophy is that your staff members are one of your most important assets.
Golf course handbooks are often the size of yardage books and are useful for staff to carry while on the golf course to ensure all expectations are being met and delivered.
The golf course grounds team members are important in completing the vision and mission of both the department and the club.
Member Communication – Weekly or bi-weekly member communication is important to provide information on activities on the golf course and upcoming practices. It also serves as a good way to communicate about golfer etiquette and course care. Below is a sample golf course update provided to the membership.
Financial Management
Financial management is one of the most important responsibilities of a golf course superintendent, in my opinion. It is important to meet the objectives of the club and the membership and also ensure a quality final presentation of the golf course utilizing the available funds.
Prior to each budget year, it is necessary to go through each operational expenditure and budget accordingly and look for opportunities to find room for savings.
Labour is the largest budget category, so adjusting hours based on the golf season is beneficial while also realizing savings opportunities throughout the season.
Download a sample labour budget spreadsheet below.