It has been a few weeks since the completion of the U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club (LACC) and it is a great time to reflect on the championship and all that was achieved. I would first like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Chris Wilson, director of golf courses and grounds; superintendents Dan Catterson, Brian Wolfand, and Shane Goulding; the entire LACC staff, and all the volunteers for a truly memorable U.S. Open experience. Also of note is the work of lead mechanic Humberto Sanchez and his team for maintaining the equipment at such a high level. Here are some behind-the-scenes highlights from preparing the course:
- The work in the barranca and naturalized areas garnered great attention during advance week. Shane Goulding and his team shined in their management of these areas. The goal of the course setup team was to present a formidable challenge for players, but not to the point that they would be discouraged from, for example, trying to drive the sixth green, which is nearly surrounded by tall grasses. Finding the balance between difficulty and playability in naturalized areas is never easy, but the team succeeded at LACC.
- The bunker sand was a part of the story, then it wasn’t. Early in advance week players provided feedback that “there’s no sand in the bunkers.” In truth, there was plenty of sand, but there was a compacted layer residing about 2 inches beneath the surface, likely from all the winter rain. Ultimately, the sand was rototilled to bust up the compacted layer. Not surprisingly, that left the sand very soft – so soft in fact that bunkers were difficult to rake immediately after and early practice round players complained of buried lies. Water was applied for a few evenings to settle the sand and firm the surface just enough to facilitate raking and achieve the desired playability.
- A double-bladed scythe tool was used to cut the tall fescue and fine fescues on bunker surrounds. The goal was to provide a stern test and consistent conditions but manage the fescue such that it was not so thick and tall that players had no shot or may potentially lose their ball. Rather than use a line trimmer, the LACC staff used the scythe to chop the fescue and it worked beautifully.
- Hand watering greens is one of the most impactful jobs during championship week and the stakes increase as the championship progresses. Chris Wilson compiled an experienced crew of four team members, each with a volunteer for assistance. Adam Kaye, Ryan Yost, Tom Appleton and Jon Greenwell were on the hoses, managing around six greens each, including practice greens. The greens could not have been better! These were the most consistently firm greens – both from green to green and within each green – that I have ever seen in my 15 years working championships with the USGA. Darin Bevard, senior director of championship agronomy for the USGA, noted that the greens were the firmest he has seen since the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.
- Years of preparation are required to produce firm, consistent greens. It is more than just turning off the water. Achieving conditions like we saw at LACC requires years of sound putting green management and managing surface organic matter levels is vitally important. If they are too high the greens will not dry down consistently, too low and the greens will be unstable.
- The collaboration between the LACC team and the USGA Green Section team was excellent. Open communication and calm heads during stressful times prevailed. Thank you to the LACC leadership team for their professionalism.
Preparing for and working the U.S. Open is always arduous, but it’s rewarding at the same time. It is even more rewarding when working with such a talented team of professionals. Thank you to the LACC team, all the volunteers and to my USGA teammates, Elliott Dowling and Darin Bevard, for a memorable experience.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, regional director – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, agronomist – cisom@usga.org