Conditions in much of the West Region have been perfect for golf, and tournament season is in full swing. Just as conditions are reaching their peak, golfers get agitated when they learn that core aeration or other disruptive maintenance practices are scheduled to occur. Conversely, superintendents get frustrated when they miss a prime opportunity to aerate because of a conflict with the golf calendar. With some creative scheduling, Calabasas Country Club in Calabasas, Calif. found a way to balance golf and maintenance without compromising course conditions.
For many years, Calabasas Country Club set their tournament calendar first and scheduled maintenance around tournament dates. This scheduling pushed important maintenance practices, such as aeration and winter overseeding, into times of the year when recovery was slower and seed establishment took longer. The solution was to reverse the process and set the agronomic calendar first, scheduling tournaments around maintenance activities. This system allowed maintenance practices to take place during appropriate times and ensured excellent golf conditions for tournaments. A perfect example was the member-guest tournament that was traditionally scheduled during October and placed the tournament in conflict with the ideal time for putting green aeration and course overseeding. To resolve this conflict, the member-guest and other big events were moved to the spring when course conditions are at their peak. Now the greens are aerated in March, July and October when it takes less time for them to recover.
West Region Agronomists:
Patrick J. Gross, regional director – pgross@usga.org
Larry W. Gilhuly, agronomist – lgilhuly@usga.org
Brian S. Whitlark, agronomist – bwhitlark@usga.org
Blake Meentemeyer, agronomist – bmeentemeyer@usga.org
Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service