What's expected

Golfer expectations have increased throughout the years partly because of the beautifully manicured courses seen on television. Golfers expect those pristine conditions on the courses they play, however, many don’t understand the cost to maintain them. Expectations vary from course to course, but one thing is certain – what golfers pay for a round influences or determines what they expect.

What golfers pay for a round determines the enjoyment they expect to get from a course, says Jack MacKenzie, certified golf course superintendent at the private, 18-hole North Oaks (Minn.) Golf Club. MacKenzie says many expectations are evaluated at the end of a round and depend on how well a golfer played.

"There are so many variables beyond the superintendent’s control," he says. "The weather, whether it’s a big event or a foursome – all that is a reflection of the round."

Expectations of public courses vary because there are different types, such as mom-and-pop courses that are less expensive and newer ones that cost $80 or more a round. David Webner, golf course superintendent at Westwood Country Club in Rocky River, Ohio, also says expectations are tied to the cost per round.

"We want people to say ‘wow’ when they’re done," Webner says. "I can go to a course and pay $20 a round and say ‘wow’ because my expectations are lower, but the place can still impress me. It will take a whole lot more to impress me at a place like Pebble Beach.

"I’ve played some places that aren’t expensive but have nice greens," he adds. "I can play at nice places but find the trees aren’t trimmed nice and neat. I would expect no weeds in the flower beds at Pinehurst. I’m impressed with the guy who’s got a smaller budget and has a real nice course."

What to expect

Many times golfers’ expectations are what they think they deserve after seeing golf courses on television – lush and green all the time and smooth, fast greens all the time, according to Barry Mueller, certified golf course superintendent at the public, 18-hole Franklin Canyon Golf Course in Hercules, Calif.

"The caliber of golfers here are high handicaps," he says. "If I had the speed of the greens that fast, the golfers wouldn’t be able to keep their balls on the greens."

The expectations at Franklin Canyon aren’t to have super-fast greens. They are to have smooth greens at a reasonable speed and to have a decent stand of grass in the fairway, considering the irrigation system is old and is being upgraded by replacing irrigation heads and moving them to achieve more uniform water coverage.

Mueller, who’s been a superintendent since 1974 and is employed by American Golf Corp., says golfers generally don’t have any concept of what it costs to maintain a golf course. And meeting their expectations are difficult because of budget constraints and labor shortages.

At North Oaks, expectations include changing cup locations every day during peak season, having a clean bathroom on the course, having a staff that’s respectful to members, tuning up the course for special events, and mowing and rolling the greens daily.

"We don’t do anything different, but it’s the golfers’ expectations and perceptions that change," MacKenzie says. "We’re always ahead of the curve. We provide members and guests the most optimal course possible within the budget and weather conditions."

At Westwood, Webner says the staff struggles with the club’s expectations.

"Our members’ average handicap is about 18 or 19," he says. "They don’t enjoy super-fast greens, but there’s a small group of good golfers that want lightning-fast greens and deeper, thicker rough.

"What the first-time golfers here walk away with is what they will remember forever or until they come back," he adds. "We shoot to please every guest that comes in here. We struggle with money. Do we do a little too much? Maybe we ought to spend less. Some ask, ‘What does it take?’ so I ask, ‘Do you want to be the best on the west side of Cleveland or the best in Cleveland?’ Our mission statement once stated the condition of the course was to be the best in the state, and one guy said that was unrealistic, but that’s what were shooting for. It ties back to potential members. We want to exceed their expectations."

To meet or exceed those expectations, Webner says he and his staff do a lot to make the course look neat and clean, such as edge the bunkers constantly, hand mow greens and tees, and cut the fairways five days a week. In season, the cups and markers are changed daily.

"We strive to not have disease," he says. "Color is not the most important thing. The course needs to stay dry, firm and be as fast as possible."

A budget makes the expectations, according to Webner. Most of the bigger golf course maintenance budgets are tied up in labor. As an example, Webner says his staff hand double-cuts greens every day and rakes bunkers. But he says maintenance budgets don’t compare well and one has to look deeper.

"For example, we pay for city water – there’s $70,000 a year," he says. "Compare that with a course that’s pumping water out of a lake and just pays for the electricity to pump it."

Brain Mabie, golf course superintendent at the 54-hole Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, says private clubs spend more money on their courses, which is the nature of the beast.

"Golfers expect no ball marks and faster greens than on public courses," Mabie says. "People take ownership at a private course."

Other differences a golfer might expect at a private course compared with a public one include shorter mowed tees, fewer divots, irrigated fairways and roughs, and bentgrass fairways instead of bluegrass or ryegrass fairways (in northern regions).

"All this said, the public guys turn out a great product," Mabie says. "You have your A, B and C courses. You get a lot more for your money than you did 15 years ago on a public course."

To maintain expectations at Firestone, greens are mowed at 1/10 of an inch, fairways at 1/4 of an inch and tees at 3/16 of an inch. The greens and tees are hand-mowed, and the fairways are cut with a triplex mower. The courses are disease free because of the preventive fungicides used, Mabie says.

The squeaky wheel

Complaints from golfers are related to the expectations they have of a course. Superintendents try to remedy those situations but know they can’t please everybody.

MacKenzie says remedying the complaints about North Oaks are related to money and agronomy. For example, the Hispanic help he has ends in October. He says the course should be in better condition but he doesn’t have the manpower that impacts the expectations of those who play late in the year in Minnesota.

"I pursue feedback from members, and 95 percent of the remarks are positive," he says. "Those that have expectations that aren’t met say things like ‘the greens are too slow,’ ‘the bunkers aren’t consistent,’ and ‘the rough is too long.’

"I internalize the comments and say I’ll bring these issues up with the green committee and come to a decision," he adds. "Nine out of 10 people will listen to me with an open mind. My place isn’t to say anything to members, it’s to listen to their complaints. I don’t have many chronic complainers, and everyone knows who they are – that’s parts of being at a private club. Legitimate complaints come from those 95 percent who say the course is great until it isn’t. An example is the tough winter we had in the past causing us to lose grass. Members will say, ‘the course isn’t great, but we see you’re doing something about it.’ I’m fortunate. I have great membership."

At Westwood, Webner receives complaints about bunker consistency, even though 10 percent of his labor pool is spent on bunker maintenance.

"They were redone in the early 1980s, so the sand is 25 years old," he says. "Some members want it really fluffy, others want it real firm. The bunkers and rough are our two biggest complaints."

And green speed is always an issue, too.

"The green committee wants green speed to be about 10 or slightly above," Webner says. "When you get to 11 or above, we get complaints from higher-handicapped golfers.

We shoot for pretty decent green speed. Slightly over 13 was the highest we’ve ever had, but it became unplayable for most of the members.

"I’ll talk to members and explain why we do certain things," he adds. "If I can please 70 percent of the members, I’m OK. I’m not going to please everybody."

At Firestone, Mabie says he doesn’t get feedback directly from golfers.

"We conduct member surveys, and bunker maintenance is the biggest thorn in my side," he says. "We rake them in the morning and after the first golfer, they change."

Firestone members usually bring guests and play during the week. There also are many corporate outings consisting of 30 to 60 people.

"Sixty percent is guest play – that’s why I don’t have a lot of complaints," Mabie says.

Mabie’s ideal way of handling complaints is to talk to a person face-to-face so he can find out specifics about the complaint.

"When I address a complaint, I don’t defend myself and give excuses because it just becomes an argument," he says. "Instead, I ask what we can do to make it better. Most complaints are legitimate and worth looking at."

At Franklin Canyon, the biggest complaints Mueller receives are about the bunkers. He says the course and the sand are 40 years old, and the sand doesn’t drain anymore.

"We are redoing the bunkers in-house as we have the money," he says. "And now that we’re changing the bunkers, some golfers are complaining that it’s too soft, and others are asking when we’re going to do the rest of the bunkers. Our greens fees are middle of the road ($25 to $30 during week, $50 to 55 during the weekend), so I told them as soon as you’re willing to pay $100 a round, then we’ll finish the bunkers this summer."

When dealing with complaints, Mueller explains to golfers the cost of maintaining a golf course.

"We have a bunch of regular players that play here every day that understand," he says. "Some golfers that don’t play here regularly don’t understand. The loyal golfers see the progress that we’ve made during the past four years. They know what to expect."

Mueller says meeting golfers’ expectation aren’t easy, but they’re not difficult either because they’re reasonable.

"The biggest concern I have is with the downturn and reduced budgets, and we’re still expected to meet expectations," he says. "It gets more difficult each year." GCN

John Walsh is the editor of Golf Course News. He can be reached at jwalsh@gie.net.