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Sean McCue

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Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« on: December 02, 2009, 11:41:29 AM »
With the recent changes in the Golf Digest criteria for golf course ratings it is nice to see recognition being given to Sagebrush for out of the box thinking.

From the beginning a philosophy was developed in that the golf course would be constructed and maintained in a minimalist manor.  The fast and firm conditions that are being achieved are largely due to proper foresight at the construction stage.  It all started with sound construction techniques and proper turfgrass selection.   With those pieces in place the original philosophy has been adhered to by all involved at Sagebrush.
 
The Agronomic plan that has been developed by Armen Suny is being beautifully executed by Golf Course Superintendent Norley Calder.  This plan emphasizes a back to basics in fertility and water management.  With the majority today’s Turfgrass managers so tethered to computerized programs that tell them everything from how much to water to how long fertilizer applications will last, a lot of the art of Greenkeeping has been lost.
 
It’s refreshing to see sound agronomic principles being embraced and the fruits of their labor being enjoyed by all that are fortunate to experience Sagebrush.
 


Quote
For Immediate Release

Sagebrush Recognized by Golf Digest and USGA for Leading-Edge Agronomy

Vancouver, B.C.: The Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club, in British Columbia’s Nicola
Valley, has been identified by the United States Golf Association [USGA] and Golf
Digest Magazine as one of five examples of top golf facilities in North America using
leading-edge agronomy practices for firm & fast playing conditions.

In preparing the keynote address to 2010 Golf Industry Show, USGA agronomist Brian
Whitlark consulted Ron Whitten, Golf Digest Architecture Editor, “for examples of
courses employing leading-edge agronomy.” Whitten named five golf facilities, including
Sagebrush.

“In fact, Sagebrush was at the top of my list,” said Whitten. “This is where the game is
evolving, and Sagebrush is one of the courses proving what is good for the game.”

The USGA’s Whitlark has been researching the new approach to golf course design and
maintenance to create firm & fast playing conditions and reached out to Whitten.
Whitten’s reply was, “At the urging of the American Society of Golf Course Architects,
Golf Digest has rewritten its Conditioning criterion used in determining the top courses in
its biennial ranking of the America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses and Best in each state.
The old definition dealt with playing quality of tees, fairways and greens. The new
definition reads, “How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways and how firm yet
receptive were the greens on the date you played the course.”

“Golf Digest is urging a movement away from industry standards of heavy watering
practices,” said Whitten. “Less water usage has many benefits, not the least of which is
that it improves playability in the game.”

The inclusion of Sagebrush, SCOREGolf Magazine’s Best New Course in Canada for
2009, further elevates the unique club on the shores of Nicola Lake and its
Superintendent Norley Calder, co-designers Richard Zokol, Rod Whitman and Armen
Suny into a very prestigious and select group of courses and designers. The four other
courses identified are Bandon Dunes, in Bandon, OR; Calusa Pines, in Naples, FL.;
Ballyhack, in Roanoke, VA; and The Club at Clear Creek, in Lake Tahoe, NV.

“Whether you like it or not, given where the costs of the game are going and taking into
consideration the decreasing availability of water, as well as the environment, everybody
will be forced to cut back on water,” added Whitten.

Sagebrush, the only course outside the US on the list, is the first minimalist design linksstyle
course of its kind in Canada. The minimalist approach to golf course construction
and maintenance has proved to be both innovative and ‘green’ in an era of heightened
environmental awareness.

“The philosophies we practice are not only good for golf and the environment, but as
importantly, the business model is cost-effective,” explained Sagebrush co-designer and
Chairman Richard Zokol. “The minimalist approach to construction and the firm & fast
approach to water use and maintenance are now keys to the success of every golf course.”
Firm & fast maintenance practices and reduced water applications mirror operating costs
of decades ago. And, the approach emulates the natural evolution of classic British Isles
courses that date back centuries. With ‘deep and infrequent’ watering, a more durable
grass develops that needs less fertilizer and pesticides.

“Norley Calder [Sagebrush’s Superintendent] has done a wonderful job establishing an
excellent root-base through the first year of operations at Sagebrush,” said agronomist
and Sagebrush co-designer Armen Suny. “The philosophy is to try to mimic natural rain
events with irrigation. Grass didn’t develop over all these hundreds of thousands of years
by getting the computer-generated perfect amount of water every night. The grasses went
through dry spells and through wet spells, a process that makes plants healthier, stronger,
and better equipped to stand off disease and stress.”

The benefits of minimalist golf course architecture and firm & fast agronomy practices
are many and far-reaching for the environment and golf course operations. And, they are
just as beneficial to golfers, introducing them to a variety of shots, club selections they
may never have thought of, and a chance to play golf the way the game has been played
for most of its 500-year history – firm and fast.
Be sure to visit my blog at www.cccpgcm.blogspot.com and follow me on twitter @skmqu

Ryan Admussen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2009, 05:21:49 PM »
yet another reason to try and play Sagebrush!

Yannick Pilon

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2009, 09:01:48 AM »
Great article Sean,

Thanks for sharing.  Jeff Mingay graciously gave me a tour of the site last year during the grow-in, and Sagebrush truly appears to be a great course.  I wish I can go back there one day and actually play it!

The fast and firm conditions that are being achieved are largely due to proper foresight at the construction stage.  It all started with sound construction techniques and proper turfgrass selection.

In my mind, an interesting, rolling site with good soils, combined with a proper turfgrass selection and agronomic program is pretty much all you need to have a chance at obtaining fast and firm conditions if that's what your looking for.

I would be interested to hear from the creators of the course what kind of "sound construction techniques" were used to achieve the desired effect they now have, and how do these techniques differ than what is generally done in the business.

Regardless of the answer, these techniques should sure be used more often if Sagebrush is a good example of the results they can provide!!

Jeff?

YP
www.yannickpilongolf.com - Golf Course Architecture, Quebec, Canada

Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2009, 10:07:59 AM »
Sound techniques ???

the grass selection is key, fescue fairways and greens... you can let fescue go brown, it will come back green if you give it water again it's a perrenial grass, annual grass go brown, they die. (I'm no expert but consult the R&A agronomics site)

the course is built on weak soil... white clay or rock capped with clay with in both case a final capping of topsoil (4 inches sometimes less)... therefore the soil is not too rich.

finally, for those thinking that Sagebrush has been built without water... there are 1400 or so sprinkler heads on the course !!!

It might also be a climate issue as for why it's green, since the summer temperature are hot and dry, the moisture on the soil go away faster, so they might put little water a little more often 2-3 times a day and have found just the right balance of firm and green.

Finally, it's important to have somebody on top, Dick Zokol and Friends, who don't mind if the course turn brown once in a while.


Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2009, 10:22:01 AM »
Yannick,

As Philippe has indicated, the soil at Sagebrush certainly wouldn't be considered ideal. This is proably a good thing for the combination of fescue grasses used for the fairways (along with some Colonial bent). The greens are 100% bent. No fescue.

We marked fairway parameters and stripped topsoil from these areas. This soil was simply screened then replaced (with some amendments added) following shaping. I guess this is "sound construction technique"  :)

Armen Suny selected soil amendments and grass types, and is dictating the maintenance program with Norley Calder. Whatever they're doing (I'll try to get some specifics from Armen) is producing a really firm and really fast golf course. We played at the end of September and conditions were (honestly) nearly ideal.   

There are indeed a lot of irrigation heads at Sagebrush. But, this allows for less watering through more control.

As Philippe says, it really helps when the man in-charge (Richard Zokol) is mandating firm and fast.
jeffmingay.com

Jim Colton

Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2009, 10:54:00 AM »
Hey Ron, how about Ballyneal?  Doesn't it epitomize exactly what he is talking about in the article?

Congrats to Sagebrush.  I hope to get up there soon.

Sean McCue

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2009, 03:05:02 PM »
Philippe, 
Sound techniques are choosing the right soil amendments to be incorporated into the existing topsoils as well as rootzone material selection for areas such as greens and tees.  You are correct about the grass selection being key, but I will take it one step further by saying that varietal choices within the species is even more so critical.  Like anything different varieties of the same grass will perform differently under different environmental conditions, so it is critical to choose the right one for the conditions that are present at the specific site.
Your making it sound like 1400 sprinkler heads is a lot for the acreage and climate found at Sagebrush, when in all actuality that number sounds low to me.  I just did a major irrigation renovation at our club in which the old system had 1600 heads that was replaced with one that has nearly 3700 heads.  I am in a similar climate and irrigate roughly the same acreage.  Jeff pointed out the fact that more heads gives you better control over the water, which is exactly the case.
Your comment about watering 2-3 times a day is not being done and that will definitely not get you firm and fast.
Be sure to visit my blog at www.cccpgcm.blogspot.com and follow me on twitter @skmqu

Kyle Harris

Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2009, 04:44:18 PM »
How does the climate of Vancouver assist with the firm and fast and how do the climatological challenges compare to say, Philadelphia?

Ryan Admussen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2009, 05:15:17 PM »
How does the climate of Vancouver assist with the firm and fast and how do the climatological challenges compare to say, Philadelphia?

Sagebrush is 3-4 hours away from Vancouver and a very different climate, don't know exactly what it would be classified as but it's definitely desert like in the summer, unless you were you just asking about Vancouver in general

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #9 on: December 03, 2009, 06:16:43 PM »
Kyle,

Ryan is right. Sagebrush is 3-4 hours drive from Vancouver; and, it is in a desert environment. No joke. A desert.
jeffmingay.com

JC Jones

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #10 on: December 03, 2009, 06:26:03 PM »
I find that top 5 very interesting for both its inclusions and its omissions.
I get it, you are mad at the world because you are an adult caddie and few people take you seriously.

Excellent spellers usually lack any vision or common sense.

I know plenty of courses that are in the red, and they are killing it.

Jason McNamara

Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #11 on: December 03, 2009, 07:14:08 PM »
Ryan is right. Sagebrush is 3-4 hours drive from Vancouver; and, it is in a desert environment. No joke. A desert.

Just because I am picky about these things... desert, or steppe?  IoW, BWk or (more likely) BSk?

(Not that either would be confused with Vancouver, so your point remains the same.)

Kyle Harris

Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #12 on: December 03, 2009, 07:55:50 PM »
Are we talking hot days, cool nights and little to no rain desert?

Will MacEwen

Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #13 on: December 03, 2009, 08:28:46 PM »
Are we talking hot days, cool nights and little to no rain desert?

I would say so - maybe similar to Eastern Washington?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merritt,_British_Columbia#Climate

Steve Okula

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2009, 12:57:45 AM »
I understand that more sprinkler heads means better control and more efficient use of water, but are 1400 heads "minimalist"?

I understand how soil amendments (mysterious as they are here) could improve soil structure, root develoment, and the resulting playing conditions, but amending all the fairway soil is not "minimalist".

"Firm and fast" and "minimalist" are not mutually inclusive.
The small wheel turns by the fire and rod,
the big wheel turns by the grace of God.

Steve Okula

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #15 on: December 04, 2009, 01:21:25 AM »
 
 With the majority today’s Turfgrass managers so tethered to computerized programs that tell them everything from how much to water to how long fertilizer applications will last, a lot of the art of Greenkeeping has been lost.
 
 “The philosophy is to try to mimic natural rain
events with irrigation. Grass didn’t develop over all these hundreds of thousands of years
by getting the computer-generated perfect amount of water every night. The grasses went
through dry spells and through wet spells, a process that makes plants healthier, stronger,
and better equipped to stand off disease and stress.”



I have yet to meet a GCS who depends on a computer program to tell him when to fertilize. Many of use computers to help program irrigation, but in that case we enter the data to tell the computer what to do, not the other way around.

Grass didn't evolve being mowed at a fraction of an inch either.

Golf course conditons are better today than at any time in history. The "art of greenkeeping" has not been lost, it has only evolved.
The small wheel turns by the fire and rod,
the big wheel turns by the grace of God.

Steve Okula

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #16 on: December 04, 2009, 01:30:59 AM »
I would like to know how they program 1400 heads at Sagebrush without a computer.
The small wheel turns by the fire and rod,
the big wheel turns by the grace of God.

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #17 on: December 04, 2009, 07:58:23 AM »
I was just reminded that Sagebrush is only about 2.5 hours drive from Vancouver (and, I've made this drive many times!).

Also, Will's right. The climate is similar to eastern Washington state; the course is located at the most northern tip of the Sonoran Desert that runs up from Arizona.
jeffmingay.com

Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #18 on: December 04, 2009, 10:33:19 AM »
Jeff, it just depends on the speed you're driving..???

Normally we don't mesure distance in hours...

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #19 on: December 04, 2009, 10:45:47 AM »
So then, how many beers is it between Vancouver and Sagebrush, Penguin  :o
jeffmingay.com

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #20 on: December 04, 2009, 11:04:55 AM »
"We did this road trip in our van last year, it was a 10 beer trip...'aye"  ;D


Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Sagebrush…Firm and Fast Doesn’t Mean Brown
« Reply #21 on: December 04, 2009, 11:05:26 PM »
drank too much the last time, don't remember

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