Private club rises from the ashes

When Lake Forest Yacht & Country Club’s maintenance facility burned to the ground back in February, Jacobsen’s local dealer was on hand to offer tangible support.

Super Bowl Sunday was a day to remember for all Pittsburgh Steelers fans, but it’s also one that Derrick Sammons, golf course superintendent at Lake Forest Yacht & Country Club will never forget; this was the day his maintenance facility was destroyed by fire.

After surveying the damage, one of his first phone calls was to Bobby Farley, territory sales manager of local Jacobsen dealer, Kilpatrick Turf Equipment.

The private course located in Daphne, Ala., has been in business since 1968. The property, which consists of two courses - the 18 hole Forest and the 9 hole Lake - was obviously in dire need of a replacement fleet and urgently.

With all his turf maintenance equipment lost in the fire, Derrick Sammons literally had to start from scratch. “It certainly didn’t feel like it at the time, but it was actually an opportunity to re-think everything,” he said.

Bobby Farley was a golf course superintendent for 14 years before joining Kilpatrick’s team, and his last six years were at Lake Forest. Ultimately they decided to start afresh with Jacobsen. When asked why he made the choice Derrick explained, “The Classic XP reels with advance relief technology gave me the performance and healthy turf conditions that I required.”         
 
Together Farley worked with Sammons developing an entire new fleet of Jacobsen turf equipment that would be suited for Lake Forest’s needs. The fleet included two LF-3800 fairway mowers, two GA-24 aerators, four Green King IV greens mowers, an AR-522 rough mower and some Cushman Trucksters with a sprayer. Five E-Z-GO golf cars completed the sale.

“Today we have surpassed our pre-fire conditions. I am really pleased with the help Kilpatrick and Jacobsen have provided to our team,” said Sammons.

Perhaps there is a silver lining in every black cloud?