Who controls course conditioning and maintenance for professional events?

[Joe_Tucholski]

John Kavanaugh’s recent thread about being wrong about Victoria National has me wondering about some of the maintenance dynamics of hosting a professional event.  I’m sure there isn’t just one answer as each tournament is probably slightly different. 

From reading different threads and articles it seems the contract with many of the US Open venues essentially allows the USGA to run the show from the beginning and allows them to set not only the maintenance standards during the week of the tournament but also to make significant design changes prior to the tournament (new tees, new bunkers, new facilities…).

Other than the US Open does anyone know if it is primarily the host course leadership (owner, director of golf, super) who make decisions on when to water, cut and roll?  I also understand in an ideal relationship both organizers and host would be in agreement so the setup (determined by the tournament organizers) can match the course conditions.  I would also guess when the host maintains decision rights there are situations where there is significant pressure from the course organizers on the host course to deliver what the organizers want.

Last does anyone have an example of where maintenance practices during a pro tournament damaged the course conditions (significant or not)?

[Randy Thompson]

Everybody ideally tries to work together but the PGA or USGA cut the cake. They give you guidelines well in advance and targeted objectives on all playing sufaces. Normally they want the pump station shut off at all times to prevent breaks or heads suddenly coming on for example. Its rare when they will actually let you water during an event. Courses always suffer and sometimes it reaches the catagory of damage but usually nothing major that can´t be healed up in a couple of weeks. A course here in Chile just backed out of the new PGA South American Tour because they didn´t like being told, how, when and why, along with a lot of other financial responsibilities.

[JR Potts]

The USGA and PGA will ake as much leash as they are given.  It's up to the strength of the super very often.

[Randy Thompson]

The USGA and PGA will ake as much leash as they are given.  It's up to the strength of the super very often.

JR.
Can you expand on that or give examples. From my experience they dictate, fairway widths, all grass heights, speed of the greens, watering practices during the week, cup placements and tee marker locations. Want you to back off on fertilizers a couple of months before to create a fine blade, no aerifying three months before, cross cutitng all areas, verticutting and topdressing procedures to ensure grain is controlled. If they are dealing with a repeat superintendent and they know they will get all the above, then they seem to back off. But they still keep a close on things. I remember one year where they asked me to single cut on Tuesday and Wednesday and not roill because we were getting the greens to fast and the forcast was for windy conditions on Thursday and Friday.

[Joe_Tucholski]

Randy thanks for the info.  Exactly the sort of information I was wondering about.  It would be interested to see how the contracts are written up or if it really just an verbal agreement.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Joe,
  I worked at Colonial CC in Ft Worth, TX from 2007-2009 where the Crown Plaza Invitational is hosted. The event is normally held the week BEFORE Memorial Day when the bentgrass greens are sort of giving their last wind and the bermudagrass is ready to take off.
  We dryjected greens the first full week of March. We then would follow up the second full week of March with the 1/2" core aerification. This was about 2 months before the event. During the middle of the March, a PGA Tour agronomist would stop in for visit, usually the last visit before advance week in May.
  By the first of April, the approaches, tees and fairways had all be verticut once and topdressed. The would happen 3-4 more times with the last time being 13 days before tournament week. We would groom, verticut greens as needed, with the last being 6 days before tournament week. Greens were topdressed every week, with the last topping being Monday of advance week.
  Our irrigation system was never shut off. We handwatered greens in the mornings and evenings. Tees and approaches were handwatered, bunker faces, green surrounds and fairways were watered at night, as needed. IF fairways were watered, an Assistant stayed on property and made hourly runs throughout the property at night to make sure that nothing came on.
  During Advance week, we would use the very far edges of the greens for pin located to allow old cups to heal and take the stresses off the middle of the green. Also, 3 weeks before the event, the gallery ropes were installed and ONLY carts with handicap flags were allowed inside. Everyone else had to stay outside the ropes to minimize wear.
  We fertilized all bermudagrass 4-5x leading in the event, with the last being advance week. As thick, lush and dense we could make the turf, the better. We were never told heights on fairways, greens, tees, etc. In fact, it was different for all the tournaments I was there for. They told use a target speed on the greens and that dictated our height and growth regulation.
  My old boss ALWAYS kept the membership in the back of his mind, meaning that there were 51 other weeks out of the year that we had to grow grass for them where the Tour was not involved. There were things that he stuck his heels in on and we did not break. In that regard, I agree with JR 100%. A weak personality could be steamrolled.
  I think that so much of the prepartation are dictated on weather, timing and turf types.

[Wayne_Kozun]

I am guessing that once you get past the USGA and PGATour that the demands are much less.    John was talking about an event on the bid.com tour, correct?  My club is hosting a Canadian Tour event in 6 weeks and according to our super there haven't been any demands yet.