Every golfer’s delight is a course that is in perfect condition. Too often, superintendents and crews are held to impossibly high standards. Much of this stems from the “Augusta Syndrome,” where golfers compare their course to the television presentation of Augusta National every spring during the Masters.
The Augusta Advantage
All of this despite the fact that Augusta National was built on an old tree nursery, and it takes place during the prime season for the flowers and blossoms to bloom. Augusta National has an almost unlimited budget due, in large measure, to its TV revenue. It has installed a SubAir system under its greens, which allows moisture and temperature control, at great expense. Prior to the tournament, it receives a large amount of volunteer help to augment its greenskeeping staff.
Finally, it closes from late May until mid-October, thus protecting its greens from the summer heat and limiting the number of rounds played.
The Real World
The courses that most of us play do not have these advantages, but every golfer should know the cost of maintaining a top-flight golf course in excellent condition. For the purposes of this article, we have examined the costs for select 18-hole clubs throughout the Chicago District. Costs may vary greatly depending on location and the nature of the course. However, this data should suffice to serve as a guideline for well- conditioned courses. It may serve as an aid to a golfer’s understanding of what is required to provide great conditioning.
Costs may be classified using four categories: infrastructure, machinery and equipment, inputs and labor.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure largely consists of an irrigation system. In the past, piping had a useful life of 20–25 years. Current piping is advertised as having a 50-year useful life. Sprinkler heads continue to improve, and computerized controls have become the norm. All in, a new irrigation system should cost $3–4 million. If the course wants to dig a well to avoid purchasing city water, the additional cost will be significant. Pumps and motors alone cost more than $100,000, while replacement parts for existing wells may cost $25,000. Digging a new well could add at least $250,000, including permitting, depending on the depth of the well and the nature of the subsurface.
Machinery & Equipment
Machinery & Equipment (M & E) is a major sunk cost. All equipment used to maintain the course is included. If a course decides to use robotic mowers, the M & E cost goesup, and the net labor cost is reduced. A typical course will have equipment of varying ages. If purchased new, the current cost will approximate $3-6 million.
Inputs
Inputs include seed, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, growth regulators, etc. These may vary from season to season depending on weather and disease, but a typical budget will equal $200,000–$325,000.
Labor
Finally, there is labor. A point to note: golfers rarely really see the mechanic or equipment manager, but they play a critical role in the process. The investment in M & E does little good if the machinery won’t work or is in disrepair. The mechanic is the unsung hero in the maintenance process.
Continuing with labor, the payments to the crew are significant. Many of these workers are seasonal while a lesser number are year-round. In recent years, competition from landscaping companies and lawn care operators has led to a higher cost of labor. A typical crew could range in size from 20–30 people and costs vary from $1.2–1.7 million. Additionally, full-time staff roles for the superintendent ($100,000 –$200,000), the assistant superintendent ($50,000–$100,000) and the mechanic ($100,000) are to be considered.
You Get What You Pay For
Of course, all these costs are subject to inflation. Special circumstances may cause variance in specific items. And this does not include asset reserves, which are kept for long-term capital improvements necessary to keep up with peer golf courses – such as renovating bunkers, regrassing playing surfaces and establishing naturalized areas. However, this brief guide demonstrates the typical cost of great golfing conditions. What it does not demonstrate is the hard work and great skill of the superintendent and their crew in utilizing the tools they are given to provide the golfer with optimal playing conditions. In some ways, you get what you pay for. But absent the skill and dedication of those charged with maintaining a course, the investment goes for naught.
Sheldon L. Solow is a Past President of the CDGA and a longtime member of the CDGA Green Committee. He has been a CDGA Blue Coat since 1999.