Keeping things going in Kentuckiana

Respected turfgrass researchers classify their region as “The Armpit of the U.S.” for growing grass. The label doesn’t offend the thick-skinned, turf-loving members of the Kentuckiana GCSA.

A group of curious and outgoing industry professionals gathered at remote Chariot Run Golf Course earlier this month for the association’s annual fundraiser. Chariot Run is a resort course in Laconia, Ind., population 50. Laconia is in Harrison County, population 39,163. 

The Horseshoe Southern Indiana, a hotel and casino along the Ohio River, sits 15 minutes away and filters guests to the Bill Bergin-designed course. The Horseshoe is 20 minutes from downtown Louisville, Ky.

Golfers can play Chariot Run for as little as $29. An annual pass costs $1,500. Chariot Run demonstrates the correlation between location and pricing. Superintendent David Beanblossom and his crew are so good at what they do and the holes offer enough variety that if you squeeze Chariot Run into the New York City metropolitan area or the Capital Beltway, an owner could easily charge $150 for a weekend round.  

Chariot Run provides five-star conditions the old-fashioned way: through long hours, grit and a little creativity. Beanblossom and his crew used materials from a grain silo to rebuild a revetted bunker on the par-4 sixth hole. (For more on Chariot Run's unique bunker renovation, check out "The Redneck Way" from February's GCI)
 
The other turfgrass managers in the Kentuckiana GCSA are a lot like Beanblossom and his co-workers. They find ways to endure – and even flourish – in situations others might describe as impossible. The Kentuckiana GCSA encompasses the entire state of Kentucky and the southern parts of Indiana, which are flush in the Transition Zone.
 
As other associations struggle to keep fundraisers alive, the Kentuckiana GCSA attracted 112 participants to Chariot Run on a damp and chilly early June afternoon. The association hasn’t skipped an annual golf outing since staging its first one in 2001 at Lake Forest Country Club in Louisville. “It’s amazing that It’s had this longevity,” former Oxmoor Country Club superintendent David Sullivan says. 

Sullivan, now a vendor in the region, considers the tournament chairman a key cog in the event’s viability. Wildwood Country Club David Hawes organized the tournament at Lake Forest, and Sullivan says he “set the tone for the success that we have had.”

Valhalla Golf Club superintendent Roger Meier served as this year’s tournament organizer. Meier is one of those indefatigable figures in the industry. Valhalla hosted the PGA Championship last summer, and Meier’s crew was preparing for a member-guest scheduled for the same week as the Kentuckiana GCSA outing. Neither fact stopped Meier from treating the fundraiser like a major championship. Sixty-four businesses, including this publication, sponsored tee signs. The outing rotates sites. Meier happened to be organizing a fundraiser on a course he once managed. Before arriving at Valhalla, Meier served as Chariot Run’s superintendent. Beanblossom was his assistant.    

“You have to have the boots in the ground,” Meier says. “From a vendor standpoint, we have been very successful. And we always have the venue. We struggle a little bit. It’s the whole association thing. Golf events are down, but we have been very successful the last few years. I think it’s the venue and we have the supporting bodies in this area, and this is a market where people come out and participate.” 

Ego-free members who enjoy being around each other also help the Kentuckiana GCSA. Colleagues aren’t somebody you run into once a year. They are resources when something goes awry. And, remember, we are discussing the Transition Zone. Confounding stuff inevitably happens.

“It’s like a fraternity,” Beanblossom says. “The guys are really friendly and helpful with each other. Everybody is always talking. If there’s an issue, there are six guys that you feel like you can call any day. You can just call them and say, ‘Hey, help me out here.’ Guys would come out here and take a look at your golf course and try to help you get an answer. That was kind of one of my motivations to become a superintendent.”

Funds raised from the golf outing help the region’s superintendents cope with the daily challenges they face. An endowment was established 12 years ago. A significant portion of the endowment, according to Sullivan, will be directed toward Transition Zone-centric research. “We hope to fund national studies one day that will pertain to us,” he says. 

Sullivan enthusiastically described the reason behind the fundraiser for more than an hour after last week’s outing ended. A dozen men sat alongside Sullivan in an otherwise empty clubhouse. Some drove more than two hours after overseeing morning maintenance to participate in the event. Their next work shift was fast approaching.   

The “Armpit of the U.S.” for growing grass might be the golden locks of the turfgrass world for fellowship. Nobody wanted this phase of the year to end.

“It’s definitely a tight group,” says Elk Run Golf Club superintendent Max Mercer. “I don’t know what it is. The vendor support is good. We have a lot of distributors that work in the area. I don’t think there’s one dominant person in the association. Everybody supports everybody.”

Guy Cipriano is GCI’s assistant editor.