Planning For The Future

A well-designed golf course can be maintained properly with available resources.

Golf course maintenance programs must innovate to adjust to changing demographics and economic conditions.

As the golf industry evolves and course infrastructure deteriorates, golf facilities must be prepared to make the necessary changes to remain viable and sustainable.

Looking for a way to take the aesthetics and playability of your course up a notch but have a limited budget? Begin with grabbing low-hanging fruit by “fixing” mowing contours on putting greens.

But can the cost be absorbed?  

Ongoing economic challenges facing the game require creative ideas to reduce expenses by focusing on main playing areas.  

There are many small projects that may make your golf course more attractive to casual golfers.

There are hundreds of ways for course renovation programs to go awry. Here are a few tips to make your project a success. 

A tough economy is forcing most golf facilities to reduce their operating budgets. The top five mistakes to avoid when doing so have been identified by USGA Green Section agronomists.

Accurate accounting of labor hours can illustrate the impact of budget changes and identify staffing needs. 

A comprehensive time/labor study can help prioritize limited resources. 

Many factors must be considered before undertaking a putting green reconstruction project. 

A thorough analysis is a must when comparing operating costs between creeping bentgrass and ultradwarf bermudagrass putting greens.

Due to the high cost of maintaining them, bunkers are an obvious place to look for ways to save money.

A science-based approach for estimating landscape water requirements.

A guideline for reducing turf acreage while maintaining golf course quality. 

Preparing a turf assessment plan can help find ways to save. 

Low-maintenance and naturalized roughs can be a darling, the devil, or a little of both depending on their use, placement, and management.

Proper planning is essential for a successful drainage project. 

A basic knowledge of trees, golf course architecture, and a defined planting objective are critical to select new trees on the golf course.

Is your maintenance facility a liability? Is it costing your golf course money? Is it interfering with care of the course? These are questions golf facilities should ask themselves.

What I learned while serving on the green committee.

A superintendents’ perspective for a successful green committee.

Although the memo isn’t out, the industry is changing. 

Can our crew do that?

Don’t bite off more than you can chew to save a buck or two. 

Why short-term cutbacks now may ultimately cause problems later that are more costly to correct.

Expectations may be great, but standards should be reasonable. 

Know what it costs.