Long sunrises and sunsets greeted 132 of the best senior women golfers in the world when they arrived at Anchorage Golf Course in Alaska for the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at the end of July. The championship represented a milestone for golf in Alaska and the USGA because Alaska was the only state to have not hosted a national golf championship, until now.
Views of Denali, our continent’s highest peak, and moose and eagle sightings were par for the course on this unique layout in the foothills above downtown Anchorage. In a state where winter damage to turf is as common as catching a salmon, all eyes were on superintendent Mike Stern and his staff to see if they could produce championship playing conditions in the harsh Alaskan climate. The overwhelming response from participants was that the maintenance team had hit a home run. In fact, many of the 200-plus volunteers and staff who worked at the championship said the course was in the best shape it had ever been in. This is even more remarkable because of the weather leading into the championship. Unseasonably dry conditions just prior to the event threatened to derail Stern’s efforts. Water had to be shut off to many key areas of the course while they were still trying to recover from normal winter damage. Luckily, a couple of weeks before USGA staff and the competitors arrived, the rains came and the turf recovered.
Local superintendents were gracious with their time and equipment, and they were kind enough to provide a few dedicated volunteers to help the cause. When the final match concluded and Shelly Stouffer was awarded the trophy, it was fitting that she recognized Stern and his team for all their hard work.
From my vantage point as the USGA agronomist assigned to the championship, it was fun to watch the maintenance staff be rock stars for the week. As many reading this will know, golf course maintenance crews generally work behind the scenes. Consequently, there is typically little fanfare or notoriety for these hard-working folks. Waking up early and working in the elements all day long is not for the faint of heart, especially in Alaska. So, to have players, staff and volunteers raving about what the maintenance team accomplished was very satisfying. Congratulations to them and all of the Alaskan golf community that supported this milestone championship.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, senior consulting agronomist – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, agronomist – cisom@usga.org