Many golf courses around the country are currently planning and executing course renovations. After years of deferred infrastructure upgrades, courses are finally in a position to renovate key components like greens, bunkers and irrigation systems. While we can’t predict if the existing momentum in golf will continue, it would be safe to assume that the current labor challenges aren’t going away any time soon. Golf courses will no doubt overcome these challenges through innovative strategies, new technologies and hard work, but renovations are also a great opportunity to prepare your course for future labor shortages.
When planning a renovation, it’s important to think about what your course needs and what it doesn’t. Reducing maintained acreage of turfgrass or bunker square footage has the potential to save money and labor hours for decades to come. If planned properly, these adjustments can reduce maintenance without any negative impact on play. In fact, playability and conditions may even improve as more resources are focused where they matter most.
Evaluating opportunities to reduce maintained turf or the number of bunkers involves many complex considerations, so this work is best done with the help of a qualified golf course architect. A golf course can help the decision-making process by developing a good understanding of golfer traffic. Where are your players going and how often are they going there? This information can highlight areas that are good candidates for reduced maintenance. The USGA GPS Service is a great way to identify trends in golfer traffic to guide renovation decisions.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Chris Hartwiger, director, USGA Course Consulting Service – chartwiger@usga.org
Steve Kammerer, Ph.D., senior consulting agronomist – skammerer@usga.org
Jordan Booth, Ph.D., agronomist – jbooth@usga.org