So, what’s your stance on trees?

I loathe how the wrong ones in the wrong places cause unnecessary hassles for our readers, followers and listeners. I love being surrounded by them.

Yes, I’m conflicted.

Last month, I visited Redwood National and State Parks in far Northern California. The center of the 139,000-acre park, jointly managed by the National Park Service and California State Parks, is closer to Bandon, Oregon (154 miles) than it is to San Francisco (313 miles). Pockets of towering coast redwoods rising to 380 feet are attraction 1a, with a ruggedly refined section of the Pacific Coast representing attraction 1b.

The six courses at Bandon Dunes are the most well-known golf options near the redwoods. Unfortunately, this trip didn’t include a trek that far up the Oregon Coast. Next time! The KemperSports folks managing Bandon Dunes are marketing wunderkinds and label the resort on the website as being “true to the spirit of Scotland’s ancient links.” First translation: Bandon Dunes is your place if you want to experience something akin to the “Home of Golf” in this country. Second translation: proceed elsewhere if you need trees lining turf.

Coast redwoods are ancient (up to 2,000 years old) and majestic specimens. Walking beneath them produces solitude and meandering landscapes filled with them offer opportunities for reflection and introspection. Naturally, my mind wandered to golf and this magazine a few dozen times on the trip. Sorry, Lindsey. I promise I wasn’t thinking about golf as the sun perfectly peeked through Stout Grove on the evening of Sept. 13, 2021.

On your journey through these pages, you will encounter a story about — what else? — tree management (page 46). John Torsiello spoke with superintendents, architects, agronomists and consultants to a craft a feature titled “Has tree removal become an easier sell?” Calculated tree removal also represented a commonality in the efforts to restore, honor and reveal the Golden Age architecture at Blythefield (Michigan) Country Club, Montclair (New Jersey) Golf Club and Baltusrol (New Jersey) Golf Club, a trio of private courses featured in our “Construction and Renovation” section.

The acceptance of tree removal, especially at private clubs, as a necessity for the peerless conditions that members demand is one of the best boardroom developments over the past decade. Expectations for modern green performance are soaring higher than a redwood, and more sun and air, and fewer surrounding roots, make the seemingly impossible objective of repeating member-guest Saturday multiple times per week somewhat possible.

The benefits of tree removal are articulated in Torsiello’s story and illustrated in the imagery supporting this month’s course features. If you’re encountering trouble convincing your owner, board, committee or general manager why the wrong trees must be cleared, subtly hand them this entire issue.

A successful tree management program requires patience and compromise. The right trees do exist, and they are likely a reason why golfers spend significant time and money experiencing the course you maintain. Attempting to punchout at 90 degrees under and around a cluster of feeble maples can be agonizing. Trying to fade a 6 iron around a robust oak can be mesmerizing. People need a place to chill for a minute or two when playing 18 on a sweltering afternoon. Trees provide that spot. Sometimes looking up, and seeing green, red and yellow can help reset a cluttered mind.

Acknowledging the role of the right trees can make it easier to remove the wrong trees. Even better, the industry employs hundreds of architects, consultants, arborists and agronomists equipped to handle the politics of tree tussles.

Don’t judge all trees by the unsightly elms blocking sunlight trying to reach the 12th green. Don’t judge all trees by the towering redwoods serving as the perfect backdrop to a lifechanging moment.

We need trees in our lives and along most of our courses. We just need them in the right numbers at the right places.

Shirts. Hats. Coolers. Golf balls.

If you have worked in the golf industry long enough, you have a closet or desk filled with “traditional” swag. It’s time to introduce something unique to the industry — but we’re going to make you work for it.

As part of the #TurfheadsGrilling campaign sponsored by AQUA-AID Solutions, Golf Course Industry is distributing 12x17-inch maple cutting boards for recipes with accompanying imagery that are selected for publication in the debut “Turfheads Guide to Grilling” appearing in the sixth annual December “Turfheads Take Over” issue. Recipes and high-resolution images can be submitted by entering bitly.com/GrillingSwag into your web browser or via email to editor-in-chief Guy Cipriano (gcipriano@gie.net). In addition to being eligible to earn a cutting board, everybody who submits a recipe will receive a #TurfheadsGrilling koozie. Deadline for submissions is Nov. 10.

Established in early 2021, #TurfheadsGrilling honors the connectivity and creativity demonstrated through grilling, smoking and barbecuing. The program is designed to inspire turfheads to celebrate the camaraderie provided by outdoor cooking.

Follow @GCIMagazine and @Solutions4Turf and use #TurfheadsGrilling to join the conversation on Twitter. Everybody in the industry is encouraged to participate in the program and submit a recipe.

Course news

One of the Gothic masterpieces of 1920s golf architecture is getting ready for a major restoration. Yale Golf Course, a university-owned and -operated property designed in 1926 by Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor, is going to be the focus of a new operational plan funded by Yale alumni and restored by architect Gil Hanse. The comprehensive plans, funded to the tune of some $25 million, include a complete restoration of the golf course, updating of the clubhouse interior and expansion of the driving range.

Golf course architect and former Augusta National superintendent Billy Fuller oversaw the first phase of a greens renovation and enhancement project at Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee. The renovation included the redesign of six new greens, a newly designed practice putting green, and a conversion of all putting surfaces to TifEagle Bermudagrass.

Rees Jones is currently overseeing a redesign and renovation at Westchester Hills Golf Club, in White Plains, New York, which started Oct. 5. The project will include the expansion of 14 greens, the creation of new greenside pitching swails, reshaped fairways, the renovation of all current bunkers and the addition of strategic new bunkers, and the installation of a new irrigation system.

Eagle Mountain Golf Club in Fountain Hills, Arizona, recently completed a four-month golf course renovation and enhancement project. Troon oversaw the planning and management of the project, which focused on enhancing agronomic conditions and bunker playability at the 25-year-old property.

Tartan Talks No. 63

Todd Clark grew up in a Kansas family that owned a golf course … with sand greens.

“Back in the day, in Kansas, there were a lot of them,” he says. “There’s probably a handful still around today. It’s an affordable way to play golf.”

The family no longer owns the course. But Clark and his family still play plenty of golf together.

Clark, the President of CE Golf Design, joined the Tartan Talks podcast to discuss a variety of subjects, ranging from primitive putting surfaces to multi-generation golf experiences. CE Golf Design is part of Kansas-based Clark Enterprises and the golf course design portion of the family business is going strong. Clark and his cousin Brent Hugo are handling 12 active projects in 2021. None of those projects include sand greens. On the podcast, Clark ponders designing a modern course with sand greens.

“That would be interesting, because today we would do it different (than in the past),” Clark says. “We would put in a lot of movement and do something so you wouldn’t have to rake it and roll it all the time and make it so it can receive a shot.”

Establishing a relationship with superintendents, placing tees in the right places, his experiences as a college father and working with the late Dick Nugent are among the other topics Clark discusses on the podcast, which is available on the Superintendent Radio Network page of Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular distribution platforms.

Industry buzz

Brad Coleman is the new superintendent at The Club at Pasadera in Monterey, California — where he is also a member — after working the last three years at San Jose Country Club. … Former superintendent Justin Ruiz is now the West Area territory manager for Quali-Pro. … Dr. Stacy A. Bonos received DLF’s 2021 Excellence in Research award for her contribution to the development of new turfgrass cultivars that deliver superior performance with less resource inputs.

In our business, fall likely means you’re either starting to shut down for the year if you’re in the northern half of the country or gearing up for the busy season in the southern tier. I’ve lived and worked in both and I understand the yin and yang feeling many superintendents have in autumn. For me, the perfect analogy is Halloween: For some this is a season of good things (treats), while for others it’s crazy and unsettled (tricks).

Trick or treat is also a good way to look at all our lives right now, which are being significantly affected by the whipsaw effect of COVID-19 and the unexpected golf boom. What follows are what I see as the “tricks” and “treats” of our business, which I hope prove that no matter where you are, we’re all in this together, facing the same things — good and bad.

TRICKS

Labor

Where do you find new sources of labor? Can you afford to compete and pay for the workers you need? Has it ever been this bad?

Face it: You’re going to be working harder and longer than you want to for the foreseeable future. Just as bad, you’re going to have to learn to deal with mediocrity, too. With the minimum wage what it is, the quality of the labor force and the effort those in it are willing to put forth have declined.

With even unskilled workers able to command upwards of $16 an hour, you’re probably going to have to blow up your entire budget. I know of superintendents who’ve had to give $6 an hour raises to their longtime permanent staff just to keep them happy and not jump ship!

There’s not much we can do to fix this situation other than be patient. Also, be sure to let the people in charge know just what you’re up against and to expect to see some (minimal) effects on your course. Chances are they’re seeing the same things happening no matter what businesses they’re in and won’t be too surprised when you come looking for more money to hire better employees.

Member complaints

When members complain — and they will complain — it usually involves a lapse in attention to detail (see “Labor” above). As noted, the new reality means it will take some time to get your course back to the level you and they are used to. Make sure they know that.

But it isn’t just labor. Do you get the entire “Maintenance Monday” to make things right? Doubtful. The one day that is supposed to be for you and your crew to take care of detail work, fine tune and tighten things up is more likely a half-day. If that. Maybe you get from sunup until noon, then the players start to appear, either members or staff or both. Or you lose even more of Monday to outings.

If they’re not going to give you Monday, they need to know they’re not going to get the conditioning they want.

Weather

Even in a good year, Mother Nature can be a pain. But this year? Heavy rain, drought, more rain, fires, hurricanes … In some parts of the country, water issues that have been tough for years are now close to catastrophic. And you’re already extra diligent about water use, to say nothing of plant protectant applications.

Despite this fickle mistress, our job is to provide the best conditions we can. And we do. It’s an uphill battle to please golfers who have no idea of the real impact of a sunny day, much the impact of less rainy, windy or freezing days.

As always, communication and education are key. Do what you can to make sure your golfers know what you and your crew are up against day after day after day. I’m not saying it will help — they’ll still complain — but that, too, is part of the job.

Fighting an army

Fall armyworms are here and are wreaking havoc. There is nothing worse for superintendents or golfers alike than finding the golf course under attack. These bug battalions can turn green grass brown in less than 48 hours.

Dr. Rick Brandenburg, an entomologist at NC State, says this year is “a perfect storm,” unlike anything he’s seen in 40 years. Why? Weather (see above). Before fall’s armyworms became caterpillars, summer storm fronts blew moths farther and wider than ever, letting them lay eggs in new, more fertile areas. Those eggs are now hatching and we’re suffering.

TREATS

New golfers

Lots of them, and many of them on your course. They’re out there enjoying the challenge, the fresh air, being outdoors and being with friends — the same qualities that have made golf enticing for generations. Besides pleasing these new golfers with your success providing a well-cared-for facility, you should be talking to them about what you do and how you do it. Communication and education.

Tools, knowledge and resources

Do you know any other industry that is so encouraging of its constituents to work together? To communicate, share knowledge and help one another?

You don’t have to look very hard to find podcasts, research papers and countless consultants ready to help the modern superintendent. It’s nearly an embarrassment of riches, and if you’re not taking advantage of it, you are missing out.

Every weed scientist, soil physicist and entomologist is a “treat.” Ones you should enjoy.

Work environment

Your “office” spans at least 100 acres of turf, trees, flowering plants, water and much more. Sure beats a desk and filing cabinet. With today’s focus on woring from home and remote offices, we’re lucky to work in spacious, open-air environments with Mother Nature our office mate (until she gets ornery, of course).

We also work with others who like to be outdoors, getting their hands dirty to make something so beautiful. Even with the drought, the rain and the worms, you shouldn’t take where we work for granted.

Summer fun

I love summer, always have. So, I could never understand why superintendents want summer to end. Yes, most of us forfeit our summers for the “good of the game” and for the enjoyment of others. But it’s also the time that we get to do what we do best.

That said, we each need to find a way to make more of our summers. Perhaps the millennial philosophy of “me time” has some merit. Take time to enjoy your family and friends away from the golf course. Make the most of summer where you work but also in your personal life. Don’t wake up 30 years from now having missed all those summers.

But fall is a treat, too

Shorter days, longer nights, cooler temperatures. In much of the country, leaves are turning, kids are back in school (truly a special treat this year!), and we feel the cycle of life back in step. Apples, pumpkins, football … and maybe a chance to catch our breaths. Even if just a little bit.

And that rare treat … a ‘thank you’

The final, but sweetest, treat is when someone takes the time to thank you for the job you do. For making “their” golf course beautiful and fun, and special to them.

In truth, you shouldn’t need someone else to tell you when the course is just right. You know when you and your team are doing a good job. Never forget to take pride in a job well done — and be sure to let your crew know they’re doing a great job, too.

But if someone else notices and tells you so? That’s the treat we all live for.

LeeAnn Lewis has a unique perspective on the turf industry. An accomplished player, she has qualified for 19 USGA championships and has also competed internationally.

Lewis is now in her second year as president of Southward Ho Country Club, an A.W. Tillinghast design located in Bay Shore, New York, on Long Island. Prior to last year she spent a decade as the club’s greens chair. Lewis has deep and abiding respect for the men and women who earn their living maintaining golf courses.

“I think early on (as a player) I looked at the scenery and playability,” she tells Rick Woelfel on the latest episode of the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast. “But I did not look at any of the turf issues or what you would call superintendent issues until I got involved at my club as greens chair. Like everybody else, you just show up and think the course is magically in good shape. (Southward Ho superintendent) Jim Stewart educated me significantly.”

Lewis praises Stewart for taking time to teach her some of the nuances of his profession. “I would ask Jim, now that I look back on it, very naïve questions,” she recalls. “‘Jim, why do we do this?’ And he was very patient and he explained it to me. So, the fact he would be patient with me and explain it went a long way. He understood that the better educated I was, I don’t want to say the easier his job would be, but he knew I was his advocate.”

And so Lewis has been in the years since, as she shouldered the responsibility of educating her members about the superintendent’s role and responsibilities.

“I think that’s probably the most difficult thing I’ve faced as a greens chair and as president,” she says. “We send out e-mails and news blasts, and the superintendent writes very detailed articles that are archived on our website. I don’t know if people read them, or people don’t want to read them, or people don’t care, but every year, the same handful of people will ask, ‘Why do we aerate?’ We get the superintendent to write an extremely detailed report about why we aerate and then the next year (we hear), ‘Why do we aerate again?’”

Lewis believes her support for her superintendent allows him to “do his job without feeling the pushback. I always thought of myself as a buffer between the superintendent and the membership … and trying to explain to the membership, ‘Fixing your pitch marks is going to make a difference. Raking the bunkers makes a difference.’ So, it’s a never-ending effort to communicate with the membership.”

Lewis has also dealt with the often contentious debates that surround renovation and restoration efforts.

“Probably around 2012 we had a gentleman, Phil Young, come to our club who was a Tillinghast historian,” she says. “One thing led to another and we decided — and myself as greens chair — to do a restoration plan. So, Joel Weiman, a golf course architect, and Phil Young worked together.

“It took us about four years to come up with a document that outlined future projects, or what the course should look like. Say, if somebody wanted to redo the bunkers, this is what they should do. If somebody wanted to redo the greens, if somebody wanted to put in a tree or take out a tree, this is a guideline. It’s not a guarantee that future boards will use it, but we’re hoping it’s there.”

The reader can surmise where this narrative is headed.

“When I went into the boardroom to try to get this approved,” Lewis says, “I would have people raise their hands and say, ‘Well, I think the tree on six needs to stay there.’ And I’d say, ‘I appreciate your opinion, but I would like to go with Mr. Tillinghast’s version of the golf course.’ It’s a lot easier to go back to the architect or go back to a little more detail and keep it away from personal opinions or personal agendas. I find that, as president, the hardest thing to manage is personal agendas and just keeping it about the full membership.”