Is a golf course a man-made sculpture or a managed wilderness? Where did you draw the line between forcing nature to behave and working within its boundaries?
Let’s discuss part one of these two questions and maybe dabble in the second part.
I have worked with six different Golf Course Architects in my 52-year career and thousands of “Armchair Expert” architects. Have you? How did you do? If not, are you prepared?
Most golf courses have been built with a vision and a purpose in mind. Could be from a golf architect, an owner of the land, a group of investors, a government agency, etc. So here is my answer to the first question:
The golf course was sculpted by nature and man from a piece of land - created by God, and that sculpted wilderness is managed by man and mother nature. Make any sense?
A quick answer to the second part, for me, is that nature forces me to behave and work within its boundaries. Nature has about a ninety-nine percent control of that land that God made and will constantly remind you of that fact! When man disappears, the golf course will go back to the way God created it, and the nature around it at that time will control it.
OK, enough philosophy. How does this play out for the Golf Course Superintendent? I refer to past blogs discussing the importance of COMMUNICATION. Your voice must be heard when any kind of changes are talked about to the golf course. You and Mother Nature are the closest things to God’s creation and understand all involved with change the most. You are there every day almost 24-7. You and Mother Nature have a close relationship most of the time and know what’s best.
I have learned that change is a desired thing by human beings, so expect the different committees, different generations, different owners, different board members, different golf pros, different architects, and different members - desiring different things.
You will still be there every day and must work with the changes – good or bad. Fortunately, today’s architects are geared toward helping God and Mother Nature with vision and purpose.
Please read this important link! > Today’s design culture – Golf Course Industry
I learned to have my say or deal with what I thought would not work within the budget, with the existing irrigation system, with the terrain, etc. As a private club superintendent, I had to also work with folks wanting to leave their “Legacy” on the golf course architecture. New ponds, new trees, flowers, bridges, memorial trees, etc.
I always go back to the original design and creation of the golf course and “Why.” Work closely with the new architect, and the committees making the changes… Remember again that human beings desire change. That is good, but be a part of making them work for YOU and MOTHER NATURE.
Try to connect the words to the correct pics! These are things that I have heard over the years.
How would you handle these situations and discussions? Always have paperwork backup of concerns, discussions, and resolutions!
“We need staircases in the bunkers!”
“Let’s mow all the fairways in one direction so that our drives go farther!”
“I can get 100 White Pine trees cheap to plant behind greens, and tees to frame out the holes!”
“We need more flowers on the course!”
“I want one of those “Alp” greens really-high and as straight up the sides around it as possible!”
“We need to tag all the trees on the golf course with name, genus, and species! Your staff can clean them once a week!”
“Don’t worry about the steep slopes, have your guys fly mow them all!”
“One of the Memorial Trees is dead and falling!”
“Let’s plant Bradford Pears as 150-yard markers!”
“Can we have blue water in our ponds every day?” (A week later) “Why is my dog blue?”
“I want the original style steepest slopes down to the bunkers and the greens to go right to the edge of the drop off!”
“We need more bunkers! The course is playing too easy.”
“You have enough staff to rake all the bunkers by hand every day. It’s done for tournaments on TV.”
“Let’s plant lots of azaleas, just like Augusta!”
“I want lots of grass tufts in the bunkers!”
“We need mowed walk paths from all of the tees to the fairways, so our shoes don’t get wet!”
“There needs to be more mounding around the entire hole!”
“Let’s save a bunch of money in the budget by creating as many environmentally sensitive areas as possible!”
“I want a pond with a fountain, trees, stream, bunkers, and bushes to protect from anyone cutting the corner on that hole!”
“I want the highest flashed bunkers in the state. This will make a name for us!”
“I want a bunker in the middle of the green!”
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-Mark S. Merrick, CGCS Retired
Introducing ‘Merrick Mondays’, a segment where we hear from Mark Merrick, our resident brand Ambassador, Chief ‘Cool” Officer, and general source of wisdom and secrets of the universe, to spotlight a dose of interview-style content, weekly.