[Carl Rogers]

This topic popped into my head from other threads.  ........... TOC?

[Ally Mcintosh]

All links courses could choose to be very low maintenance if they wished... most of the greatest (including TOC) choose not to be if they have the money.


Quite a few of the best links courses (Carne for instance) get by on next to nothing, full time greens crew of 2 or so...


Not sure which of the world top 100 courses gets by on least though... Lahinch could be close....

[Thomas Dai]

Depends on your definition of excellent but there are numerous terrific courses around, both links and moorland/upland/downland, where some of the usual maintenance practices are undertaken by grazing sheep, cattle and horses.
Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

Almost any courses in the north of Scotland outside the big boys. Golspie must be one of the poster boys for this and Boat of Garten.

[Sean_A]

The best courses I think are relatively low maintenance

Pennard
Carne
Kington
Perranporth
Welshpool
Cavendish

Narin & Portnoo, Aberdovey, Portsalon & Brora may be others.

Ciao

[Cal Seifert]

Any in America?


edit: Goat Hill

[Adam Lawrence]

Cavendish, back in 2014, had a greens team of two full timers, plus one or two summer casuals.

[Joe Hellrung]

I've got to think that the ones designed by some of the old masters are relatively low maintenance, or at least could be and still be considered great. Oak Hill West comes to mind for some reason. 

[Tom_Doak]

Maybe Oak Hill West could be, but it's budget would take care of between two and three of the other courses listed above.  That's true pretty much across the USA, unless you're in a snowy place like my home where maintenance costs only cover 6-8 months of staffing.


Arrowtown is a great course on a small budget.  So is Himalayan Golf Club in Nepal.  Teeth of the Dog probably has a small budget because labor costs are so much lower in the D.R.

[Tommy Williamsen]

When I played Woodhill Spa I asked Richard Latham the cost of maintenance. I do not recall the number but remember that the cost for both courses was less than the cost of my club's one course.

[Mark_F]

St Andrews Beach.  Always been maintained on a shoestring budget, and was all the better for it in those first few years (although probably a bit more stress than what was needed for the greens staff).

[Duncan Cheslett]

I've just received the annual accounts, and I see that the total expenditure on the course last year at Reddish Vale was £150k ($213k)

This includes all wages, materials, and the cost of machinery.

I would imagine that the majority of clubs in the UK exist on similarly meagre budgets.


Thankfully irrigation is not an issue in the Manchester area!

[Mike_Trenham]

Yale
Fishers Island
Scranton
Northland


All the above get a lot out of the modest amount of money they spend.

[Mike Sweeney]

Yale

Yale is definitely not low budget. It is a really complicated property, with complicated water restrictions, HUGE greens measured in acres, and a complicated relationship with the state, town and unions. $1.7 million as reported here:


http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,5219.175.html

[jeffwarne]

I've just received the annual accounts, and I see that the total expenditure on the course last year at Reddish Vale was £150k ($213k)

This includes all wages, materials, and the cost of machinery.

I would imagine that the majority of clubs in the UK exist on similarly meagre budgets.


Thankfully irrigation is not an issue in the Manchester area!

wow

[David Wuthrich]

Wolf Point

[Blake Conant]

Wild Horse


Sheep ranch


Kankakee Elks



Back 9 at pacific grove qualify?

[Blake Conant]

I’ve heard Brian Schneider talk about the maintenance at shinnecock 20 years ago when he worked there. Sounded like the crew was mostly from the local shinnecock tribe, and not much more than 8 guys.

[jeffwarne]

Quogue Field Club

[William_G]

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort

[Adam Lawrence]

I’ve heard Brian Schneider talk about the maintenance at shinnecock 20 years ago when he worked there. Sounded like the crew was mostly from the local shinnecock tribe, and not much more than 8 guys.

This exemplifies the difference between the States and the UK really. Over here, eight guys would be a pretty big crew. For comparison, Woking has nine.

[Jon Wiggett]

You need to define low maintenance. Having said that 8 workers is not low maintenance nor is $1.7m To me it is under £7'500 per hole on costs. No or absolute minimal irrigation (greens), zero spraying of pesticides.

[Sean_A]

Carl asked what excellent courses....

There are probably thousands of low maintenance courses, but very few could we say are excellent. Perhaps the point is maintenance is more important than design for many or most. Though my feeling is design and maintenance are hand in glove.  Excellent maintenance can make a very good course great, but does mediocre maintenance make a great course very good?  Depends on the course I guess, but I would think this is a rare situation.

Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

Take a courses Doak Scale rating and reference it to the number of people on the maintenance crew.......and you'll probably find that the likes of Cleeve Cloud, Pennard, Minchinhampton Old, Kington, Welshpool, Brora, Mulranny will do rather well whereas your super-plush, mega bucks, highly watered and manicured course will not.
In fact, I think I raised a thread along these lines a few months ago.
atb

[Tom_Doak]

Take a courses Doak Scale rating and reference it to the number of people on the maintenance crew.......and you'll probably find that the likes of Cleeve Cloud, Pennard, Minchinhampton Old, Kington, Welshpool, Brora, Mulranny will do rather well whereas your super-plush, mega bucks, highly watered and manicured course will not.
In fact, I think I raised a thread along these lines a few months ago.
atb

Agreed, but this is about climate as much as it is about design.  Most places in the world there is zero chance you could maintain a course in presentable shape with a crew of four or five, because you have to irrigate (at least occasionally), fertilize, etc.  And then there are lots of places where clubs compete for business  on the basis of high-cost conditioning, even if they could present reasonable conditions for much less $.

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