Jeff VerCautren has sought the input from team captains Beth Daniel and Allison Nicholas in his preparations at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., for the Solheim Cup, Aug. 17-23.
The biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition features the best U.S.-born players from the LPGA and the best European-born players from the Ladies European Tour.
“I have had a lot of interaction with the players,” said VerCautren, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Class A superintendent at Rich Harvest Farms. “I talk to the captains about how the course is playing, the length, etc. I really tried to get their feel of the course.”
VerCautren and his staff have redone a few tees and bunkers in preparation of the event, but their biggest challenge has been the weather.
“We went from record rain straight into 90-degree heat,” said VerCautren, a 10-year GCSAA member.
With the support of club members and monthly onsite visits from LPGA Tour Agronomist John Miller (a GCSAA certified golf course superintendent), VerCautren’s staff was undaunted by Mother Nature’s challenges, working 14-hour days most of the summer and clocking thousands of overtime hours in the advance weeks to bring the bentgrass/Poa annua greens through in pristine condition.
VerCautren uses an Integrated Pest Management System to ensure the sustainability of the turf in meeting the challenges of weather, disease and wear and tear. Ninety percent of the water features on the property are bordered with native grasses to reduce runoff and filter the water that runs through the property. A state-of-the-art irrigation system also limits use of water. A recycling program that includes staff, membership and guests was implemented and has reduced waste by 40 percent. And this year, Rich Harvest Farms began using biodiesel fuel in its equipment. This renewable fuel source reduces harmful emissions and saves the facility money.
A Port Byron, Ill., native, VerCautren is in his seventh year at Rich Harvest Farms, including two as an assistant superintendent prior to taking his current post as superintendent in 2004. He was an assistant superintendent at TPC Prestancia in Sarasota, Fla., from 1999-2002, and the application foreman at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., the year before that. VerCautren holds an associate’s degree in agribusiness/horticulture from Black Hawk East Junior College in Kewanne, Ill., and also studied agribusiness/horticulture at Illinois State University.
Rich Harvest Farms was designed by club owner/president Jerry Rich and Greg Martin. It was built primarily by Hollembeak Construction in 1997. Influenced by Augusta (Ga.) National Golf Club, Rich also took inspiration from Dick Wilson's Pine Tree in Florida. In 1998, with his life-long friend Don Springer, Rich established the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois, which by 2004 had introduced more than 150,000 Illinois children to the game. Rich Harvest has been the site for the foundation's fundraisers, and more than 40 national amateur events. Much like Wilson’s Pine Tree, Rich Harvest Farms features large greens, sand bunkers and clever doglegs. There are 106 bunkers to contend with, along with wetlands and natural waste areas.