The summer’s rollercoaster ride of weather conditions turned into a positive for the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. Golf course superintendent Russ Myers, CGCS, leading the preparation effort for the host club, says the turf held up well during the early summer rain and heat during the tournament, leaving greens – and a club – that stood up to the test.
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“I couldn’t be happier with the results of the tournament,” Myers says. “I feel like we presented the club and the city in a good light.”
More than 100 volunteers have departed from the course, and Myers and his regular crew of 52 are halfway to getting the course back to normal after hosting the 89th championship Aug. 9-12.
Preparation for the tournament started in 2004, before Myers’ arrival. The greens were rebuilt with A1/A4 bentgrass, and the bunkers were revamped to improve drainage. The tees, fairways and roughs were regrassed for the weather with U3 Bermudagrass.
This past winter, the crew installed a power source for fans and air conditioning for some of the greens. Myers, who has been at the course for about a year, is pleased there were no major changes required on the course leading up to the tournament.
“We truly got focused on preparation for the event three months out,” he says. “The course is typically in good shape for day-to-day business from the maintenance side. It’s not something we have to work on for years. It’s pretty much managed for championship conditions.”
The course was closed to members and guests 16 days before the tournament began.
Heavy rainfall earlier in the summer prompted Myers to keep carts off the course for a while to reduce turf stress. Then the course experienced triple-digit temperatures during the tournament – possibly the highest temperatures in PGA Championship history. But because Myers expected this, it didn’t cause any setbacks. In fact, temperate conditions might have led to faster greens.
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“On a normal day, the greens are at about 10.5, but during the tournament, they were up around 12 most of week,” he says. “We didn’t have any intention of going over 11.5, but with the hot weather, it grew a little faster, so we had to cut it a little more.”
The right preparation for a tournament is different for each course, Myers learned.
“For us, it was about staying on the defense and making sure we had grass in place at that point in time,” he says.
Myers tries not to put too much stock in what the pros say about the course.
“I’ve seen golf courses in their best condition and still heard players complain.
You can’t pay attention to that,” he says.
Even so, he didn’t hear anything negative.
“In general, golfers respect the efforts going into the course conditions,” he says. “But I have to be fortunate there weren’t any complaints. I don’t know if they expected (worse conditions) or if it was just that good.”
The effort to keep the course at its best was there, Myers says. For many of the staff and volunteers, the tournament was their life during those four days, but the dedication was worth it, he adds.
This was the 22nd tournament Myers has helped prepare for but only his first tournament as superintendent of the host course.
“It was a new experience,” he says. “It was fun. It was all I thought it was going to be. I’m ready to do it again.”
Myers might get his chance. The club is scheduled to host the U.S. Amateur Tournament in 2010.