Next to the Sierra Nevadas, Martis Camp, an expansive Tom Fazio-designed course lined with Jeffrey pine and camphor trees, must endure all four seasons in preparation for a condensed golf calendar.
An elevated location means grounds superintendent Jonathan Moulton and his team must prepare a course for play amid more than 50 feet of snow.
Although Truckee, California, didn’t experience a lot of snowfall this past winter, Moulton says climate change plays a role in the severity of its winters, producing colder temperatures.
Truckee is located in northern California bordering Nevada with an elevation of 6,125 feet and an extreme ultraviolet intensity, resulting in either “bluebird days,” when the sky is clear and blue, or extreme weather.
“When you’re on the edge like that, any kind of climate change is really noticeable, so we’re getting more extreme,” Moulton says. “This season it was cold, and the snow line was above the golf course.”
Growing up in Maine with a passion for skiing, Moulton and his wife — who was then his girlfriend — moved to Truckee, to live near ski lodges. He began his career at Martis Camp as a part of the agronomy team and returned to the course in 2022 as the grounds superintendent.
The colder weather does not faze Moulton, yet the thought of allowing the snow and ice to melt on their own concerns him.
“We worry, that’s what we do in the winter,” he says. “It’s hard because doing nothing is an option, which is hard as a superintendent because we’re paid to do things, and sometimes it’s best to not clear snow, not to clear ice.”
Moulton adds that clearing ice can break the semi-dormancy or dormancy of the turfgrass plant, waking the grass plant up and causing crown rehydration or desiccation.
The process of preparing the course for the spring can be broken down into five steps.
Before starting the five-step process in the fall, Moulton and his staff, which consists of individuals from the H-2B program, complete their agronomics, aerification, topdressing and heavy verticuttings of the course.
“Then we basically pick the place back up again like you would at a course that’s just been dormant for six months, and we have 100 days to try to impress our members,” he says.
With the snow line above the golf course, there was a good amount of ice, which Moulton describes as “the killer of grass.”
“We have about 90 to 120 days, so we’re trying to mitigate ice all season, and it was … kudos to the guys, because it really paid off,” he says. “We’re actually the first course to open in North Tahoe, and I think a lot of it had to do with how hard the guys worked this winter.”
The first step of preparing the course is melting the snow and ice using black sand and dark colored organic compost from a vendor in Reno, Nevada. The compost “will actually hold heat throughout the night as well and will keep the snow from either turning to ice or hard ice … it just keeps the melting process going longer,” Moulton says.
Once the 3 to 30 feet of snow Martis Camp receives melts, ensuring proper water flow channels becomes important.
“We’re always putting in drainage, even after 17 years,” Moulton says. “Water likes to move, especially in the mountain between the rocks and the soil. You can put a drain in, and next year the water literally moves 6 inches away from the drain.”
Moulton and his staff remove debris and start mowing playing surfaces after the course dries.
During storms, Truckee experiences wind speeds of more than 60 mph, while the mountaintops experience 120 to 130 mph wind speeds, causing debris to accumulate on the course, he says.
“Basically, Category 3, Category 4 hurricanes on top of the mountains, and that translates to about 40, 50, 60 [mph winds] down here, so there’s quite a bit of debris,” Moulton says.
Since south- and west-facing green exposures will grow faster than the others, Moulton says mowers at different heights and cuts are needed to keep the greens at even levels.
“That’s a whole kind of balance. I joke it’s like a symphony or ballet where it’s like, you know, you’re pushing over here to do this with that mower, going over here to do that,” he says.
The last step of preparing the course for private play is polishing it. The course opens as cart path only to protect turf exiting dormancy. Understanding members and a dedicated staff help Moulton handle the four-season challenges.
“I’m very grateful to have a membership and leadership team that supports us through these times and understands the battle that we face every year, pretty much opening a new golf course every year,” he says.
Adriana Gasiewski is a Kent State University senior and Golf Course Industry’s summer editorial assistant.
Tartan Talks 108
Trey Kemp
collaborated with golf course superintendent Branden Phillips to revive Rankin Golf Course. Before he met Phillips, though, Kemp engaged in numerous conversations with school superintendents.
Reviving the West Texas 9-holer involved an unconventional arrangement, as the Rankin Independent School District acquired the course in 2022. The district then hired Kemp to transform a course that opened in 1953.
“When I initially got the call, I didn’t know how legitimate it was,” Kemp says on the Tartan Talks podcast. “I was kind of skeptical hearing that a school district in a town of about 800 people wanted to buy and renovate a golf course. Then, after a few conversations, I realized they were serious.”
Yes, Rankin is a small town.
“It’s in the area where oil and gas are big,” Kemp says, “and Texas high school football is maybe even bigger.”
And, yes, Rankin now has an imaginative and accessible golf course, thanks to the efforts of Kemp, Phillips and dozens of others. A Tartan Talks episode featuring Kemp and the course can be found on the Superintendent Radio Network page of popular podcast distribution platforms.
Course news
The International, a 36-hole facility in Bolton, Massachusetts, opened The Pines course for member play on June 6. Known for decades as America’s longest golf course, The Pines was completely reimagined over the last three years by architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. … Located just 20 minutes northwest of downtown Austin, Texas, Great Hills Country Club is set for a $22.3 million master plan that includes a full golf course redesign led by architect Chet Williams. … Reynolds Lake Oconee is expanding again. The Georgia golf community is adding Fenmoor Golf Club, a private, members-only course designed by Steve Smyers slated to open in Fall 2026, about two years after the last new course opened on the property. … The BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, received approval to construct a new 10-hole short course and a putting course, both to be designed by Rees Jones. … “Cobbs Creek Rising: Headwaters to Horizons,” a docuseries now streaming on the GolfPass website and mobile app chronicles the century-old public course Cobbs Creek’s $150 million transformation. … In an effort to move toward ecological restoration and enhanced playability, The Club at Starr Pass recently completed a transformative environmental project. The club removed invasive species to help native plants to flourish and local wildlife to thrive. … The Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale recently commenced a multi-focused project to enhance its North Course. Scottsdale-based Casa Verde Golf is overseeing and executing the work. ... Construction has begun on Kalamazoo (Michigan) Country Club’s new 11-hole short course, with a full Andrew Green-designed, 18-hole championship course set to follow.
People news
GCSAA senior director of member programs Shelia Finney announced her retirement, effective April 3, 2026. Before joining the GCSAA staff in 2016, Finney, a 35-year GCSAA member, was superintendent at Gaylord Springs Golf Links in Nashville, Tennessee, for 25 years. … Influential former New England superintendent Don Hearn is among seven golf contributors set to be inducted into the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame as part of Mass Golf’s 125th anniversary celebration in October. … Former USGA executive director David Fay has received the 2025 ASGCA Donald Ross Award. Fay changed the landscape of the U.S. Open by bringing the national championship to public courses and showcasing the game’s accessibility and popularity. … After more than 30 years with the GCBAA, Ellen Davis is the recipient of its 2025 Perry O. Dye Service Award, honoring her service, leadership and commitment to the association, its foundation, and the golf industry. … The USGA presented Erin Hills superintendent and co-general manager Zach Reineking, CGCS, with the E.J. Marshall Platter after play concluded at the 80th U.S. Women’s Open. Oakmont Country Club superintendent Mike McCormick received the same honor for his team’s work at the 125th U.S. Open. … Pursell Agri-Tech hired Richard Newman as its director of NPK sales. … Control Solutions, Inc. promoted Jake Wylie to key account manager for Quali-Pro, CSI’s turf and ornamental division. Wylie has worked for Quali-Pro for more than 11 years. … Columbia Seeds hired North Carolina native Chip Garner as regional sales manager. ... Audubon International director of environmental programs for golf Frank LaVardera retired after 45 years as a respected leader in environmental project consultation and planning. ... Baroness USA hired Tyler Dickey as director of sales, Brian Nash as technical manager, and Nathan Cobb as training manager and operational support, and appointed Darren Modin, Aaron Morrison and Bill Corcoran as territory sales managers.
Industry buzz
Steel Green Manufacturing added Razor Tracking GPS Fleet Coordination to its new 2025 equipment direct from the factory. The software platform allows customers to see where equipment is performing on the job site and provides access to spray application records. The company also introduced Opti-Rate, a rate-controlled spray system developed in conjunction with CapstanAG. … The PGA Tour, Deere & Company and the Quad Cities Golf Classic Charitable Foundation announced that John Deere signed a multi-year extension to continue as title sponsor of the John Deere Classic through 2030. John Deere has been the event’s title sponsor since 1998. … In other John Deere news, chairman and CEO John May announced the company will invest $20 billion in the United States over the next 10 years. … KIOTI Tractor introduced the HX1302 and HX1402, the latest additions to the HX Series utility tractor line.
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