Things I Wish My Superintendent Understood.

Perspectives from the green committee.

  The relationship between the superintendent and green committee is vital to the successful operation of any golf facility. Superintendents like to think they are in the golf course maintenance business, but they are really in the customer service business. As any successful business person knows, an important part of good customer service is listening to your customers. Superintendents usually hear from the very vocal 10 percent of golfers or committee members who are not shy about expressing their opinions. But what is the other 90 percent thinking?

  In the article “The Things I Wish My Green Committee Understood,” Jim Skorulski surveyed several superintendents to identify the key attributes of a successful committee from the superintendent’s perspective. In this article, however, we take the opposite approach and reveal the qualities and skills of a successful superintendent from the perspective of the green committee. This information was derived from a 2012 survey of green committee members in the eastern and western United States. The following questions were posed to this group:

 What does a superintendent need to understand regarding your perception of the golf course and enjoyment of the game?

 What do superintendents do well, and what can they do better to improve the working relationship with the green committee?
The feedback was very revealing. Based on the responses, five broad categories emerged:

Playing golf and seeing the course from the golfer’s perspective.

Communication.

Management.

Agronomy/technical skills.
Personal qualities.


SEEING THE COURSE FROM THE GOLFER’S PERSPECTIVE     
 This was one of the most common responses in the survey. Green committee members want the superintendent to play golf and have an appreciation of how the course plays. They want superintendents to “take off their agronomy glasses and experience the course as a golfer.” Testing the course with a club in hand reveals much more than just the appearance and quality of the turf. It enhances the ability of the
superintendent to relate to golfers and influences his or her performance in the other categories mentioned, i.e., communication, management, agronomy, and personal qualities. As one green committee member noted, “A good chef never lets food out of the kitchen without tasting it; likewise, good superintendents should test their product on a regular basis.”

COMMUNICATION

  The responses stressed that superintendents need to be good communicators. Golfers and green committee

members are not always well versed in the complexities and duties associated with maintaining a golf course, but they want their observations and concerns to be taken seriously, and most are eager to learn. Issues most often mentioned include:

Superintendents should take the time to listen to golfers and understand their vision of the golf course. Whether their opinions are right or wrong, this is a prime opportunity for superintendents to educate golfers about maintenance programs and existing conditions on the course.

Superintendents should be able to communicate the vision and direction of the maintenance program. Golfers and committees want to know the superintendent has a well-thoughtout plan for maintaining the golf course both now and in the future.

Avoid speaking “turfease.” Using overly technical terms is a turnoff for golfers and committee members.Although superintendents may feel they are demonstrating their knowledge when mentioning terms like trinexapac-ethyl and Rhizoctonia solani, non-technical terms like “plant growth regulator” and “disease” are preferred when talking to committee members.


MANAGEMENT SKILLS

  Green committee members were well aware that the maintenance of a golf course involves many moving parts. Superintendents must have good management and leadership skills to guide the staff and efficiently manage resources. Specific areas mentioned in the survey include:

Proper marking of the course was the most frequent response in this category. In addition to being vitally important for playing the game according to the Rules of Golf, proper course marking adds definition to the course and lets golfers know that the superintendent is paying attention to the details. It also adds to theenjoyment of a round of golf.

Committees want a superintendent who not only knows how to solve problems, but one who can “see around the corner” to predict and prevent future problems.

Budget management and financial responsibility are critical skills, especially in a down economy. Committees expect that the superintendent accepts this charge seriously and takes the necessary steps to properly manage resources and avoid wasting money.
The image presented by the staff and having a motivated workforce are important to green committee members. They want to see that the staff take pride in their work.

Committees recognize the knowledge and talent of superintendents, yet they understand that it is impossible to know it all. Superintendents should not be afraid to ask for help when needed. Committees felt that this was a sign of strength and not weakness.

AGRONOMY AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

  It was very clear that green committee members value and admire the agro-nomic skills of superintendents. There was widespread recognition that the job of the superintendent is highly technical and requires a wide range of expertise. Responses to the survey indicated that superintendents should focus on honing and updating their skills in the following areas:
Participation in continuing education to stay up to date on technology and information that can help the course.
The superintendent must be computer literate. It is no longer an option — it is a necessity.
Responses from both the East Coast and West Coast emphasized the need for superintendents to be expert water managers. Although committee members recognized that proper water management was important for growing healthy turf, they were more focused on the role that water plays in the overall playability of the golf course.
Although the term “consistency” can be interpreted in many different ways when it comes to golf course conditioning, committee members mentioned the importance of establishing programs that promote the consistency of greens and bunkers.

PERSONAL QUALITIES  An unexpected yet heartening aspect of the survey was the number of responses expressing care and concern for the well-being of superintendent. It was clear from the responses that committee members cared about their superintendents and did not want to see them overly stressed or burned out. Specific personal qualities mentioned most often included:
Maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Committee members recognized that it is healthy and important for the superintendent to have a meaningful and rewarding life outside the golf course.
Demonstrate enjoyment and enthusiasm for the job. It was important for committee members to know that the superintendent enjoys his job and fosters that same attitude with the staff.
Have fun! It was clear that the people responding to this survey loved golf, and they want their superintendents to love it too and have fun performing their duties.

CONCLUSION  The insights gained from this informal survey were very revealing and can be beneficial to superintendents as a tool for self-evaluation and further discussion with members of the green committee. It was clear that committee members recognized the agronomic expertise of superintendents but wanted them to focus on adapting that knowledge to benefit the playing

quality of the golf course. Critical to this endeavor was the need for superintendents to play the golf course on a routine basis to relate agronomic issues to how the golf course plays and to the game of golf in general. The need for effective communication was another main point of emphasis. Superintendents can have the greatest agronomic program in are not listening to the concerns of golfers and communicating the short-term and long-range vision of the maintenance program, then their efforts will not be effective. Paying attention to the proper marking of the golf course was mentioned frequently as an important detail superintendents need to know that adds to the enjoyment of the golf course and proper playing of the game. Finally, although superintendents can feel weighed down by the many problems and challenges of the job, it was clear that committee members expressed a personal concern for the health and well-being of their superintendents and want to be sure that the job is fun and enjoyable.

  Folks, I can't tell you how close this article hits home base with me. Years back the superintendent was one to never be seen. He had no communication with the membership, everyone always visits the golf pro when they have questions about the conditions of the golf course. In today's time, the superintendent (at least for me) is all about communicating with the membership and meeting there expectations NOT MINE!!! I do appreciate all of you who do take the time to express the good and bad, I learn from both of them.

THANK YOU FOR BEING A MEMBER!

Thanks

Willy Plowman

Golf Course superintendent

#4 Green Rock Wall

 During the day hours the rock wall in front of #4 green partially collapsed. We are aware of the collapse, and intend to move forward in figuring out the repair as well as looking into the finding out what is causing the erosion factor to happen. Please be patient with us in getting this repair completed, I want to do it right so I don't have to come back and do it again.

Serafin Laying the rocks

1st day four rows were laid. Going to let the cement dry.

Half way there!

The rock wall is completed!

#8 Green Drainage

 Going into #8 we had a bad feeling about this one. We knew the piping was located underneath the trees on the left side of the fairway. The trees are much larger today than 22 years ago.



The picture above was our first find of the drainage pipe.
The picture below shows we had cut the pipe and water was found inside the pipe, not good

We didn't give up, thinking we may find some damaged pipe. However as we kept digging the water level was rising with it. We had also found the wye connection from the sand trap in front of #8 green.

Time for a new game plan.

Where we found the wye leading to the sand trap in front of #8 green:

1. Trenched a new ditch for the a new drain line.

2. Connected into the wye that had been found along with the main line drainage from the green.

3. The new pipe connects to an existing drain line in #8 fairway.

Along the way of trenching two different separate drain lines were cut.

1. By looking at the picture the upper cut was a drain line installed in the fairway to simply help drain a low spot.

2. The lower cut is the drain line installed to drain the fairway bunker on the right side of #8 fairway. It was quiet clear that the drainage was not working here also.

All drainage has been repaired to the green. The pipes that had been cut by the trencher are repaired and connected to the new drain pipe.

 Another job well done by our staff.

Willy plowman
Golf Course Superintendent

#18 Green Drainage Repair

 Green #18, no problems in the past have occurred. But to be on the safe side we checked it out anyway and here/s what we found.

 This shows our starting point. We already knew where the drain pipe from the green entered into the main drain line in the small ditch in front of #18 green. We simply located the pipe and cut it in half and started pushing a 1" water hose inside of the pipe towards the green.
 Where you see the pile of dirt in front of the green is where the water hose stopped moving forward. We then moved forward to this spot and dig it up to see the problem.

This shows you the drainage pipe found and look at the distance we had to dig on the green.

The pipe is clearly damaged, we then removed the damaged area and then found a wye fitting damaged further under the putting surface. The wye you see on the picture below is located on the left side of the picture

The next damaged area was a wye itself, had been crushed in the center. The length of the pipe and wye was the distance we had to dig under the putting surface itself.
 If there is any good news to find pipe damaged in the gravel or drainage area is; the water can drain but just takes longer.
 All the drainage is repaired and is draining well!

Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent

#1 Green Drainage

After finishing off #12 green drainage we moved on to investigate the drainage of #1 green. This is another green that historically no problems have occurred. After everything we have found so far with many of the other green drainage, we were not going to overlook this green.

Here's where the drain pipe was located and the staff began pushing the hose towards the green.
Sure enough the hose came to a stop, and off to digging it up we go.

We are at the front of #1 green digging down to the pipe, If you'll notice 2'0 of the greens putting surface had to be removed in order for us to get the problem area.

Here's what we discovered;

1. A tee had originally been placed on the main drain line.

2. Later in time, the construction crew came back and added a drain line into the back side of the tee making it a 4 way fitting.

3. The pipe was crushed on one side of the tee and the elevation of the pipe from one side of the tee was 7" lower than the opposite side of the tee. Of course the higher/lower sides were on the wrong side.

Take a look, What is already beginning to stand where the crushed pipe is? Water, plus the side of the tee where the water is standing is the #1 green putting surface. the opposite is where the water is supposed to be draining out.

All repairs have been made and moving on to #10 next. We know that we have plenty of work ahead of us on this one. I'll keep you updated.

Willy Plowman

Golf Course Superintendent

#12 Green Drainage

 Green #12, no problem in the drainage was suspected. This green has done rather well in the past, however we have to check it out to be sure.
 We had started tracking the dran line back from the drain basin all was going well until we got close to the green and the hose came to a stop. Not Good.

This picture shows two different sites that were dug up. The one in the background is where the wye (tee) leading to the bunker on the right side of the green is tied into the green drainage.
 The hole on the bottom of the picture is where the problem began.

The drain line took a huge dip in elevation (in the wrong direction of course). The bottom of the picture is the same side of the green, the drain pipe was well below the 2" irrigation pipe that is showing. When you look at the pipe on the top side of the picture, the pipe is six to eight inches higher. Water does not drain upwards on a 90 degree angle.

 A 2nd picture of the drain piping. Look at the difference in the elevation of the pipe on each side of the 2" white PVC pipe.
 If you'll look at the white pipe on the right side you can see where the 4" drain line makes darn near a 90 degree turn. Remember the green is on the left side, the pipe is lower on the left side, really!!!
 All repairs have been made and we are moving on to #16,17,18.

Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent

#11 GREEN DRAINAGE

 What a good way to start off the new year! At least in terms of finding bad drainage in the green drainage system. Hole #11 a huge discovery was found today, at least the damage to the pipe had occurred in the gravel bed 12" below the surface.

 This was our beginning, we had traced the line up to this point. We are right on the edge of the green.

 As we dug down to look for the reason the hose had stopped moving forward this was found.A 4" tee crushed.

 We then began to take a hard look at the pipe and the fitting, as you can see the pipe is totally collapsed. At this point we have dug 6" to 10" into the actual putting surface.

 This shows the size of the hole we had to dig in front of #11 green so we could visually see the problem.

 This shows the total amount of damage found, it amounted to a 4" tee and 5'0" of pipe. The pipe and tee were crushed.

 This picture shows the depth we ending up at on the actual putting surface. At this point all repairs have successfully been completed.

 Another outstanding discovery by the staff that is assigned to greens drainage this winter season. Off to #12 now.


Thanks
Willy Plowman
Golf Course Superintendent