Editor's notebook

Kickin’ it in Kentucky

A witty meteorologist provided a golf twist on weather during the Golf Course Builders Association of America summer meetings in Louisville. The following are divots from a presentation by John Gordon, the enthusiastic chief meteorologist of the National Weather Service office in Louisville and avid golfer.

You’re more likely to get struck by lightning in an open field than under a tree. Forty-five percent of lightning strikes occur in open fields compared to 23 percent under trees, according to Gordon. Golf courses account for 6.5 percent of all lighting strikes in the U.S.

Gordon’s advice when lightning threatens? “When it roars, goes indoors,” he says. By the time Gordon reached the lightning part of his presentation, the room was engaged enough to repeat his simple message on command.

At the beginning of his presentation, Gordon referenced Lee Trevino, a major champion struck by lightning at the 1975 Western Open, and compared placing percentages on weather possibilities to organized crime. “It’s like the mafia,” Gordon says. “Once you get in, you can’t get out.”

Heat, though, poses more danger than organized crime, and Gordon says more Americans die annually because of heat than floods, lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes combined. Golf course maintenance workers and builders are in peril because many spend large chunks of their careers working outdoors in toasty months. Gordon recommends staying hydrated, wearing light-colored clothing and slowing your pace to combat oppressive heat.

Valhalla, the site of the 2014 PGA Championship, is one of the courses in the 59-county region Gordon serves. Gordon appeared at the GCBAA meetings on a Wednesday, one day before Valhalla hosted the 2014 PGA Championship. Nobody in the crowd asked him to forecast the four days that followed.
 

Ready for primetime

The drink-a-bottle-of-water-a-hole heat left Louisville before the PGA’s opening shot. That doesn’t mean the Valhalla grounds crew and volunteers experienced a comfortable week.

Rain started early Friday morning, turning areas outside the ropes into golf’s version of a sloppy rock concert. The dousing continued until Sunday afternoon, which made a Sunday evening finish seem as likely as hitting a trifecta at Churchill Downs on Derby Day.

Valhalla’s enduring maintenance lesson is never underestimate a determined crew. Led by 36-year-old superintendent Roger Meier, a team consisting of 40 Valhalla workers and 70 volunteers cleared enough water from the course to arrange a memorable finish.

Forging forward with the group ahead of his, Rory McIlroy edged Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson with a two-putt par on the 18th under skies presenting more black than blue. The tournament posted a solid 6.0 television rating on Sunday, with the number peaking at 9.2 from 8 to 8:30 p.m. More than 11 million viewers watched the tournament’s conclusion. Professional golf needed the television boost, because major championship ratings had been plunging.

If the Valhalla crew doesn’t end a grueling week with the maintenance version of an eagle, the PGA doesn’t end on Sunday. If the PGA doesn’t end on Sunday, it ends on Monday, likely posting another disappointing television number.

Squeegees, syringes, pumps and 110 determined workers created a surreal ending and saved us from another winter of “Nobody watches golf on TV anymore” stories. We’ll say what PGA of America President Ted Bishop failed to mention in the Sunday night trophy ceremony. Awesome work, Valhalla grounds crew. Awesome work.
 

Roots for cash

Growing healthy, strong roots has become a competitive endeavor. For the second straight year, Holganix is staging its “Holganix Roots for You!” competition.

The winner receives a $500 cash prize and $500 donation made in its name to the GCSAA. Last year’s champion Noble Hawks Golf Links of Indiana boasted a 9∂-inch root. We know 10- and 11-inch roots exist. We admire them weekly on our social media feeds.
 

From the Feed

GCI’s “Fast and Firm” enewsletters, which hit inboxes every two weeks, are must-read publications. If you don’t get them, you can subscribe at bit.ly/1vjopSe. A subscription is free. One of August’s e-goodies included Todd Quitno of Lohmann Industries describing how footgolf can help a facility compete in its market. Quitno’s story, which can be found at bit.ly/1sQ6S3b, led to plenty of kicking on Twitter.

Andy O’Haver @andyohaver
@GCImagazine my traditionalist response was a turned up nose. Now I’m ready to give it a go. #footgolf

Jason Goss @gossturf
@andyohaver @GCImagazine you guys might want to think about snowshoe foot golf #shortseason #wheresmyplow

Brandon Horvath @UTTurfPath
Question—Why not #frisbee golf bskts too? Not seeing how #footgolf will grow golf anymore than frisbee golf. #zero

CDGATurfgrassProgram @TurfResearch
@GCImagazine what about kids playing soccer against other kids at the golf course – mom n dad get 9 holes

Jon Lobenstine @jlobenstine
@GCImagazine golf and @FootGolfUSA co-existing on the same 9 (18 holes footgolf). same amt of time. Lots of outings already. (Soccer clubs)

Lohmann Companies @LohmannCo
@GCImagazine @UTTurfPath Hard to say if it will grow golf yet, but Dundee getting up to 100 footgolfers weekends to help fill tee sheets

Join the conversation on Twitter @GCIMagazine!
 

GCI’s webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 30 features a presenter who can help you grow healthier roots. Dr. John Kaminski, the director of the Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program at Penn State University, will discuss how a club can create an effective internship program. The free webinar begins at 11:30 a.m.
 

Standard Speed

Green speed is one of the most sought-after bits of information about a course from day to day by players, and one of the first accused culprits when a round goes sour. Each superintendent has his own way of handling it, despite pressure from media coverage and players to run greens at tournament speeds.

Whether the green speed is in double digits or a closely guarded secret, being able to talk about the reasons the green speed is at that level is just as important as the number itself. We got in touch with a few people in the industry with some strong opinions about why.

Larry Gilhuly, director of the northwest region of the USGA, says the priority to emphasize should be smoothness of the green first, then green speed. Older courses aren’t designed for high speed greens, and it ends up in stressed turf and limited hole locations. Most important, though, is that fast greens usually mean slower play.

“It’s just a fact that you’ll have more putts, and it slows down the game when the greens play too fast,” Gilhuly says. “We have three things in the game that we have to address: it’s too hard, it’s too expensive and it takes too long.”

Talking about green speed with players can mean facing down high hopes, but just agreeing to those demands can set up unrealistic expectations, he says. Read more at bit.ly/1leIeGX.

Oakmont Country Club is known for its fast greens, and superintendent John Zimmers responds diplomatically to players by setting course standards at the beginning of each season, to give players a clear idea of an end goal.

“It’s always good to set standards,” Zimmers says. “Green speed is just one of those standards, like the height of the rough, or how many times you’re going to rake the bunkers.”

Staying consistent helps members know what to expect, but it may also just be more realistic to reserve faster speeds for special events, he says. Read more at bit.ly/1vmpVD8.

Check out stories like these on communication with members and managers by keeping up with our Talkin’ Turf enewsletter.