The process of becoming a certified builder, bonding, and working with golf course architects and superintendents were the topics at hand last month as members of the Golf Course Builders Association gathered for its annual summer meeting – this year in Chicago. Heads of allied associations provided updates about their organizations as well.
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Giving an update on the Golf Industry Show, Steve Mona, c.e.o. of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, said bunkers will be built in Anaheim in February – a follow-up to the “building of the green” that happened in Orlando in 2005. During the GIS, GCBAA members can attend GCSAA sessions at the GCSAA member rate. Also, there might be more partners as part of the GIS in 2008.
Mona cited Bill Kubly, c.e.o. of Landscapes Unlimited, who currently is serving as head of the Environmental Institute for Golf, as an example of associations working together.
Mona said the environment is the No. 1 issue facing the GCSAA. In relation to that, the first phase of the GCSAA’s golf course environmental profile, which contains information from 3,000 members about the characteristics of their courses, is complete. The next phase of the profile is water. There are five phases, which will take three years to complete. Then, going back to the first phase, the same questions will be asked to collect data and show progress.
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“We’re often asked what the industry is doing to improve the environment, and we say a lot, but there are times we don’t have the data to support our claims,” Mona said, citing the need for the profile. “We want to change behavior. Through education and information, we want to influence regulators that govern golf on the regional, state and national levels.”
Mona also emphasized that GCSAA members are focus on the success of the facilities at which they work.
“Golf is a business with limited resources, so everyone needs to be on the same page,” he said.
Mike Tinkey, deputy c.e.o. of the National Golf Course Owners Association, gave an update about the NGCOA that included items such as:
- 60 percent of golf course owners in the United States are members of the NGCOA.
- There are 35 state, regional and local chapters in the United States.
- Owners have more access to capital at better rates than in years past.
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Henry DeLozier, v.p. of golf for Pulte Homes and president of the NGCOA board of directors, suggested golf course builders visit the National Association of Home Builders Web site (www.nahb.org) to see what’s coming down the pike. DeLozier said home building accounts for about 70 percent of new courses coming on line.
Based on a report from Smith Travel Research, Tinkey says lodging and travel have increased during recent months, and that reflects the mood of the nation’s spending habits, which are related to golf.
The 60-year-old American Society of Golf Course Architects is working on a long-term plan – 10 years out – and many initiatives, including educational and collaborative ones. Some of those include:
- More than 5,000 inquiries were made to the association about how to execute golf course renovations, said Chad Ritterbusch, executive secretary. He said the ASGCA encourages golf course builders to push the need for master planning.
- The ASGCA’s Remodeling University has educated decision-makers at 2,000 courses to renovate more effectively.
- Golf Course architect and ASGCA member Mike Hurdzan, Ph.D., wrote a book about building a practical golf facility.
- The ASGCA is working internationally and will support a U.K. architecture magazine.
- Seminars will be available for ASGCA members to help them make a business case for renovations. It’s more about the education of the financial aspects of renovating and building.
- The ASGCA is working on a third edition of a book about golf course development and the environment.
- The ASGCA is working with the GCBAA, GCSAA and Golf Industry Show to promote, among other things, golf courses as good stewards of nature and the environment.
- The society has been weak in the area of vendor relationships, Ritterbusch said. “We need to have a broader tent in our membership,” he said, hinting at having suppliers as allied members.
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A super view
In addition to association heads, builders listened to superintendents and their perspectives about working on construction projects:
“The more a superintendent is involved from the beginning of a renovation or new construction project, the better.” – Tim Anderson, Naperville (Ill.) Country Club
“The superintendent, contractor and architect are part of a three-way relationship that’s about quality control. Having input with the other two partners can make it easier for a superintendent to maintain the course once it opens.” – Dave Ward, Coyote Run Golf Course in Flossmoor, Ill.
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“A renovation is more different than a new-build for a superintendent because he’s communicating to members and helping explain and set expectations about when the course opens after a renovation. A course needs time to mature, and the conditions won’t be the same as when a course closed for the renovation.” – Thomas Pritchard, The Ivanhoe Club in Woodstock, Ill.
“I’m often asked by the powers that be how much can we do in-house. My feeling is let the builder do the work to get it done right in a timely fashion.” – Dan Dinelli, North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill.
“Some architects have renovations out to bid, and others have a short list of contractors they’re comfortable with. Superintendents don’t really influence the choice of contractor. In this day and age, with players’ expectations, I don’t see the reason why you would cut corners, because if you do, you’ll live with it for many years.” – Thomas Pritchard
“Superintendents need communication tools. A construction timetable of what to expect when and what to plan for will help close the communication gap between the members and those working on the project.” – Dan Dinelli
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Another example of a communication tool is the three-person communication team at Naperville Country Club that put out a newsletter every two weeks to update members about the progress of the renovation it did.
Bonding and certification
Golf course builders also discussed increasing the number of certified builder members. Small builders asked why certification requires a bond because it’s expensive and risky to do. Some smaller builders won’t get a bond if they’re not sure owners will pay them because they have to put up a lot of money to get bonded. This is an issue because certification requires being bonded, which means a builder is financially capable of doing the work. The heart of the matter, though, is whether a company is financially solvent enough to be certified.
The certification board of governors – Douglass Carrick of Carrick Design, Bruce Charlton of Robert Trent Jones II International, Paul Eldredge of Rainmaker golf Development, Jim Kirchdorfer of ISCO Industries and Tommy Sasser of Weitz Golf International – discussed alternatives to bonding, such as having a third party ensure the builder is financially sound.
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The downside to that is a certified public accountant approval would cost money. Bonds were easier to get five years ago, according to some small builders, but banking is different now and bonds require liquidity.
Greg Muirhead, architect with Rees Jones and president of the ASGCA, says telling owners a builder is bonded or certified is a selling point and architects are supporting certified builders.
One of the reasons why certification is done every year is because builders have lost certification and fallen through on jobs.
Builders and the certification board discussed the value of being certified, and the consensus seems to be that if you work nationally, certification is worth it. It cost about $10,000 a year for certification. The board has agreed look more closely at possibly changing the testing and requirements for certification.
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Smoother projects
Builders also received insight from architects about construction projects. Bob Lohmann of Lohmann Golf Designs said he talks to builders to see how long it will take to do a job. He likes to know that up front so he can tell owner how long it will take. He also said the bigger the projects get, the sooner they need to get done.
Rick Jacobsen of Jacobsen Golf Course Design says architects and builders need to be fair because they will work on many projects together throughout the years, unlike the relationship with an owner, which can exist only once on a project.
One big issue with development is to wean the owner off the architect and builder because the owner latches on to and depends on the architect and builder longer than originally agreed on because a maintenance crew isn’t in place yet. Defining a hand-off point when the owner will take responsibility is the key. Jacobsen said the golf course superintendent is the key to the grow-in and makes everybody look good.
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Muirhead voiced concerns about locking in prices for materials. Some builders say they put in escalation clauses in their contracts to help prevent unknown costs for the owner.
He said he’s seeing a lot of complete remodels, work in the Caribbean and real estate/housing new-builds. Jacobsen said interest rates are increasing and he’s interested in what that effect will have three to five years from now.
Playability is the key to golf courses for owners, and the person who buys a lot on a golf course will want to play the course daily, Muirhead added. He said there’s a need for builders and architects to convince owners to be more patient with the grow-in.
Panelists also said irrigation is one of the main reasons why the cost of building a golf course has increased throughout the years, but it all goes back to selling lots and the course looking good on day one. GCN
