Behind the scenes—on the grounds

The bunkers and turf at your course need specialized care

Behind the scenes at your course, on the grounds, there are many technical and scientific factors at work. From maintaining consistent sand particle size in the bunkers, to reducing compaction while mowing the greens, the maintenance staff at your course controls many aspects to keep your course looking and playing well. Kevin Schiefner, the course superintendent at the Cranbrook Golf and Country Club, discussed some of these details with GolfWest. With his diploma in turfgrass management from the University of Guelph, Schiefner has intensive knowledge of grass cultivars. h3. Bunkers—smooth, with uniform particles A good bunker is smoothly constructed and has a uniform depth of sand. While some courses prefer the pure white silica sand, the main issue is that whatever sand is used, it should have uniform particle size. The sand particles must also be large enough that the sand does not compact and also does not produce dust. The Cranbrook course replenishes its sand from the same location in southern Alberta as needed. This sand is screened and sifted so that the particles are uniform. “You want the sand to be very consistent,” said Schiefner. Schiefner recently wrote an article to assist members in knowing the correct way to rake their way out of a bunker. Since many golfers pull the rake behind them, the sand depth changes over the course of several weeks. The centre of the bunker may have a depth of only one inch, while the edges of the bunker may have a depth of five. The action of playing the ball in the bunker also displaces the sand. In order to offset this, it is recommended that the rake be pulled toward the edge of the bunker, then pushed toward the centre. This smooths the surface without moving too much sand to the edge. It is also important to enter the bunker at the lowest spot on the edge of the bunker. This will prevent leaving deep tracks and displacing unnecessary amounts of sand. Players should leave the bunker by the same route and carefully rake their way out. Periodically, maintenance workers will probe the sand to gauge its depth and will move the sand to even the depth. h3. Turf—you either love poa or you don’t At the Cranbrook course, the greens have a variety of turf species intermixed. Cranbrook’s greens include various cultivars of bentgrass as well as poa annual bluegrass. This grass reseeds itself and provides the velvety fine-grained texture required on the green. Not everyone loves poa, since its texture changes when it goes to seed, which affects the ball roll. The seeds also infiltrate other areas of the course. It also doesn’t handle cold weather as well as other species. “You’re definitely pampering it more,” Schiefner said. The fairways are mowed to the same length as the fringes or collars around the greens. If the grass length wasn’t uniform, it would affect the play of the ball. In order to reduce compaction on the greens, the outer edge is mowed one day and the inner part is mowed the other. Another tactic is to rotate the mowing direction every time. Good green construction reduces the risk of compaction. The best constructed greens are built on a sand base. Many courses that built greens on soil are now phasing them out and are upgrading to sand-constructed greens. “That also helps with water filtration and nutrient uptake,” said Schiefner. h3. Pine needles—a useful commodity The Cranbrook course is beautifully treed with mature ponderosa pine. The one drawback of these stately trees is that they drop an abundance of needles on the course. Schiefner’s crew uses backpack leafblowers to remove these needles from the fairways. “We do a heavy cleaning of needles in the spring,” said Schiefner. The needles are then carted away and stored, since they are very useful for mulching the cart paths. The result of mulching the paths with pine needles is a reduction of weeds and also a nice, attractive surface to drive on. “We just did an area on 14, and it looks fantastic,” said Schiefner. The Augusta, Georgia, course that hosts the Masters makes good use of its pine needles—it uses them as a pretty mulch around their azaleas, which love an acidic environment and the cool, moisture retaining insulation over their roots. Next time you are raking your way out of a bunker, or are appreciating the smooth roll of your ball as it heads into the cup, consider the work and knowledge that went into making your course so beautiful. There is a team of people with specialized knowledge who get up very early in the morning to create the fine conditions you enjoy. “We’re the unsung heroes,” said Schiefner.