Playability or Aesthetics - What Really Matters?
Tom Vlach • Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations, TPC Sawgrass Bill Hughes • General Manager, TPC Sawgrass Collier Miller • Director, TPC Agronomy
Presenting sponsors:
Aesthetics, or Playability
What Really Matters?
Collier Miller, CGCS, Director, TPC Agronomy
• Network Philosophy / Perspective on golf course conditions
• Success Story - TPC Summerlin
Tom Vlach, CGCS, Dir. Golf Course Maintenance Operations, TPC Sawgrass
• Saying Goodbye to Overseeding and creating firm and fast conditions
Bill Hughes, General Manager, TPC Sawgrass
• Managing Member and Customer Expectations
• Club Performance
Appearance
How it plays
TPC Network Agronomic and Conditioning Philosophy is
consistent with PGA TOUR Player Expectations
Firm, fast playing conditions are the priority
Touring Professionals want firm and fast playing conditions
and have less concern for visual
appeal.
Industry Challenges:
1. Fighting the “green is good” syndrome. Green and lush does not necessarily = good playing conditions.
2. Economic and Environmental Sustainability
3. Changing Member and Customer expectations
Reality:
1. “Firm and Fast” is not always sustainable, but should be the goal
2. Not always achievable – lots of variables
3. Turf must be kept healthy and actively growing to combat pests, traffic, etc.
The key is balancing the playing conditions with the environment, economics, and still providing a product people will pay for.
• TPC Summerlin is considered by tour players, members, and market competition as consistently providing excellent playing conditions
• Opened 1991
• High end private – 450 members
• Bermuda and never been overseed
• The only club in their market that does not overseed
• Hosted 19 consecutive PGA TOUR events and 4 Champions Tour events
Club is marketed and sold on playing
conditions
Focus is on providing the best “year round”
playing conditions
Educating and selling the membership is critical (Brown
“can” be beautiful)
Winter
Spring / Fall
Summer
Overseeded?
Not Overseeding allows for -
1. Water conservation and drought restrictions while minimizing any negative effects on playing conditions
2. Allow for use of poor water quality3. Easier to manage for dry and firm conditions4. Reduced inputs5. No spring/summer and fall transition6. Positive public relations
Effect of Soil and Drainage on Playing Conditions -
1. Organic / Thatch Management – aerification, verticutting, topdressing
2. TPC Summerlin is blessed with good draining soil - manufactured 3/8 minus
3. Adequate drainage system
utilizing sheet flow, inlets,
and drain tile
Water and Moisture
Management is
Critical
Irrigation Control system
Irrigation System Design and Distribution
A must – to utilize available technology
and management tools
Irrigation Control System
Water and Moisture Management is Critical
Moisture Meter
Weather Stations / ET Soil Probe
Hand / Spot Water
Turf Removal
and Alternative Playing
Surfaces
You can’t get much better than this when it comes to ball lie.
Brown “can” be very good
Tom Vlach, CGCS, Dir. Golf Course Maintenance Operations, TPC Sawgrass
• Saying Goodbye to Overseeding and creating firm and fast conditions
Overseeding A Case Study
History of TPC Sawgrass
THE PLAYERS Stadium opened in 1980
• Major Renovation 2006 – Re-branding Effort
• THE PLAYERS: May 2007 – Present
– Goal of firm and fast conditions
History of THE PLAYERS Stadium Golf Course
• The Players Championship in March 1982 – 2006
Overseeded entire Stadium golf course each year in October
- 36,000 lbs. seed
- 50,000 lbs. fertilizer
- 1500 man-hours
- 25% electrical increase
- $20,000 transition sod, 2 acres -
Overseeding Concerns
• Costs: $150,000 per year
• Playability
– Fall seeding window
– Spring and Summer Transition
• Organic Matter Accumulation and its negative effects
Non-Overseeding Benefits
• Firm and Fast playing conditions
• THE PLAYERS
• Improved (Fall/Spring) year round
conditions
• Savings of variable expenses
• Labor reallocation
• Weed control
Non-overseeding Challenges
• Customer expectations in winter
• Winter wear patterns
• Divots and ball marks
Thatch and organic mat management are critical to providing firm conditions
Thatch and Organic Mat Management
TPC Sawgrass took the fast track
Thatch and Organic Mat Management
Regular topdressing required to maintain firm conditions
Alternative to rebuilding and longer term strategy is through core aerification and topdressing program.
# 17 Overseeded
# 17 Non- Overseeded
Divots # 9 – Non-Overseeded
#18 Overseeded
# 18 Overseeded
# 18 Non-Overseeded
Managing Member / Customer Expectations and Effect on
Club Performance Green is good, but Brown “can” be
beautiful, too!
Bill HughesTPC Sawgrass
General Manager
Making the Reservation
• Communicate during the initial phone call about course conditions
• Talk about “Firm and Fast” conditions versus the overseed conditions of the past which were “Soft and Slow”
• Fully disclose all agronomic practices that a guest could encounter during their time at the facility
“Due to our desire to provide our members and guests with firm and fast conditions throughout the winter months, we have moved away from overseeding. It is better for the golf course from a playability perspective and much better for the environment due to a significant reduction in the water and agronomic requirements.”
Communicate !
Arrival - the Moment of Truth
Warm, sincere and genuine greeting of the Members/Guests/TOUR Players at Bag Drop Area
Arrival and Greetings
• Starter-Reconfirm course conditions and Greens Speed/Pin Position at First Tee
• “TPC Sawgrass prioritizes firm and fast conditions on a daily basis in providing the members and guests with tournament quality conditions and golf experience.”
• Player Ambassador Welcome - “The Golf Course is playing Firm and Fast today”
Impact on Club -
• Member and Customer Satisfaction
• Reputation Stadium Course
• Rounds of Golf
• Financial
Green is Good
But,
Brown is Beautiful, Too
Before and After
• Par 4, 18th Hole, PLAYERS Stadium
Before and After
• Par 5, 16th Hole, PLAYERS Stadium
Maya Angelou
Famous American biographer and poet:
You will forget what I say, you will forget what I do, but you will never forget how I
made you feel!