BY SHELDON L. SOLOW
Everyone enjoys playing on a well-conditioned golf course. Most of us understand that the superintendent and their crew put in long hours to make this enjoyment possible. But too many of us fail to understand some of the hidden factors that help make it happen.
Irrigation
When golf began, irrigation was restricted to rainfall. In times of little rain, grass died and the ground became hard as a rock. The first recorded artificial irrigation occurred when Old Tom Morris dug wells next to two greens at The Old Course at St. Andrews in the 19th century. But that was many years before fairways were watered. The first systems to water fairways consisted of a single row of heavy metal pipe. In order to water a section of grass, the crew had to attach sprinklers, as there were no automatic heads. Fairways were often narrowed and roughs were not watered.
Fast forward to today. Three or four rows of lightweight, long-lasting plastic pipe allow watering wherever it is needed. But less water is used because each sprinkler head can be individually controlled by a computer and, through the use of moisture meters, only areas in need of water are sprinkled. But this isn't cheap. A new state-of-the-art sprinkler system for a 7,000-yard course is expensive – a 2025 estimate is $2.5 to more than $4 million depending on the complexity of the system. If the course digs a well, additional costs are assessed, which are offset over time by eliminating the necessity of purchasing municipal water.
Drainage
After discussing irrigation, it seems paradoxical to discuss drainage. But after a heavy rain in the Chicago District, it can take days for a poorly designed course to drain due to the prevalence of clay soils. But there are solutions. USGA spec greens drain quickly. There are also drainage systems that can be installed in "push up" greens, which are effective. Bunker liners, which promote quick drainage, are very effective, but can be expensive. Finally, superintendents and their crews often dig underground drainage systems which intercept and augment ground run-off, thus allowing a course to recover quickly after a heavy rain.
Equipment and Maintenance
Grass doesn’t cut itself. Aeration and other periodic tasks are not done by hand. Accordingly, every golf course has a maintenance building containing an extensive array of specialized equipment. Replacement cost for equipment is as much as $100,000 per piece and up to $4 million total. But those machines do not take care of themselves. Parts must be oiled, transmissions maintained and blades must be sharpened on a regular basis. The machines are used on an almost continuous basis during the season. Absent a talented and dedicated mechanic, the entire maintenance program would fail in a matter of days. Yet very few golfers know that the course has a mechanic in its employ, much less their importance. Su ice it to say that a good mechanic is the unsung hero of any well-maintained golf course.
Labor
Working on a golf course maintenance crew is hard work. Days start at dawn. Much of the work is physically challenging. There is a shortage of qualified workers. Even worse, landscaping firms compete for workers who have experience. Accordingly, a significant portion of a course’s operating budget is devoted to labor costs. This is another aspect of course maintenance that the average golfer often overlooks.
The next time you play a well-maintained golf course, give some thought to the time, effort and expense it takes to maintain our beloved playing fields. It pays to remember that there are many aspects of maintenance that are not visible to the naked eye. The expertise of the superintendent and their crew in utilizing these investments provides the wonderful playing conditions that we enjoy.
