Key Takeaways

• Preparing for a USGA championship requires resources beyond the reach of most golf facilities, but there are key components of championship preparation that apply to any event.
• Achieving peak playing conditions does not happen overnight, it needs to be a gradual process of increasing maintenance intensity.
• Investing in long-term agronomic programs and infrastructure improvements lays the foundation for a successful event.
• The skill set of the players and format of the competition should be key considerations when preparing for a competition.
• The long-term impact of weather and other factors on turf health should be prioritized over the short-term goals of preparing for a specific event.
  
  

How much lead time is available in advance of the competition?

Great golf conditions require healthy turf, and healthy turf is the result of long-term agronomic programs. These set the table to provide desired conditions for a big event. For example, excessive organic matter in fine turf areas will hold water at the surface and increase the likelihood of wet wilt, scalping and disruption from foot traffic. This negatively impacts surface quality and can lead to significant turfgrass decline. Monitoring organic matter levels over time and implementing aeration, topdressing and other cultural programs to prevent excessive organic matter accumulation pays dividends when an event calls for more-intense maintenance to meet course conditioning goals, especially when weather conditions are challenging. The same principle applies to fundamental agronomic practices such as improving growing environments, adding drainage infrastructure, and other strategies that allow a course to peak when necessary.

Long-term considerations do not end with fine turf areas. Addressing infrastructure problems such as bunker drainage may be the difference between having a big delay or rain-shortened event and being able to return the course to a playable state and completing the event on time. Bunkers that are prone to holding water or repeated washouts should be evaluated to determine mitigation strategies that will reduce or eliminate problems. I can tell you from many years of painful experience, damage to bunkers from heavy rain during an event is highly disruptive and requires a lot of labor to fix.

For USGA championships, basic agronomic plans and infrastructure requirements are reviewed two to three years in advance to discuss laying the foundation for practices that will be needed at the time of the championship. Sometimes, no amount of planning can overcome poor weather and Mother Nature wins. However, promoting healthy turf with solid long-term programs and investing in course infrastructure provides the best opportunity to be successful.

What is the skill set of the players and the format of the competition?

Player ability and the format of the competition are important factors that impact course maintenance at USGA championships. The same is true for events at your course. Rough height, green speed and firmness are variables that can make a golf course borderline unplayable or just right! It depends on the ability of the players.

For example, U.S. Open course setup is far different than the U.S. Senior Amateur. Elite professional golfers in the prime of their careers can navigate conditions that would be excessively difficult for older amateur golfers, even though they are highly skilled players. There should be similar adjustments when setting up for a pro-am invitational and a more casual event at your course. One group of players will likely handle more challenging conditions better than the other. Proceed accordingly.

Format is important too. Is the golf course being set up for stroke play or match play? In stroke play, each player must hole out to post a score for a hole. Hole locations should reflect this and potentially be more conservative. In match play, where strokes and holes can be conceded, more-challenging hole locations can be selected because a hole will usually be conceded before a proverbial “train wreck.” A stroke play round can be completely derailed by a borderline hole location. While in match play, one only suffers the loss of a hole, so there is more flexibility and less risk.

The nature of the event is also important. Is the event competitive or is it more of a fun, social round of golf? Championship setups are not meant to be fun. Rather, the goal is to identify the individuals that can compete best under difficult conditions to hoist a trophy at the end of the final round. Conversely, many recreational tournaments are played for fun and may not necessarily be highly competitive environments. Golf course maintenance and setup on any given day of an event should account for player ability, tournament format and what the reward is when the event is completed.

Who determines the setup philosophy for the competition?

When setting up for an event, golf courses should rely on the experts. The director of agronomy, superintendent, head golf professional, director of golf – whatever the titles might be – these are the people at the golf course who understand course conditions and setup best. Often, you want these experts working together to define the appropriate setup for an event. When preparing for a national championship, the USGA team relies heavily on the local knowledge of the head professional and superintendent. They know how fast is too fast, what hole locations to stay away from, and how length impacts different holes when selecting teeing areas. Taking advantage of the knowledge of the professionals who are on the course daily to set up an event is just smart. It can be tempting for owners, committees, and other well-meaning individuals to get overly involved in daily preparations during an event, but that can lead to problems. I have found that it works best when everyone agrees to common goals and allows the subject-matter experts to figure out the best way to reach the desired outcomes.

What data should you collect?

Data collection may not be for everyone, but it can be a big help when preparing for a golf event. At the elite level, putting green data like speed, firmness, and moisture content is collected before and after play each day to understand how conditions are changing throughout the day. The course conditions and setup have to work at the start of the day and the end of the day, so it’s important to understand how things change over time.

Moisture is correlated with firmness and turf health. Green speed is connected to how well hole locations are working each day. This data is used to inform decisions on water management, mowing, rolling and other practices in preparation for the next day. Without data, maintenance would involve a lot of trial and error, guesswork and “feel.” I have found that objective numbers in conjunction with feel and experience are a much better combination.

The GS3^™ ball, USGA Moisture Meter, and DEACON^® platform allow you to collect information on moisture, firmness, speed, smoothness and trueness, and analyze the data in different ways. We use these tools at every USGA championship to evaluate the impact of weather and maintenance programs on surface performance and playability. However, not all events need data collection to the extent required for a national championship. Starting small and consistently monitoring basic metrics such as moisture, green speed and clipping yield on just a few putting greens can provide information that will help you optimize management for any event at your course. This information is especially useful if you start collecting it well in advance so that you can adjust maintenance practices to peak for the event.

Monitoring performance with objective data also prevents the player that had a tough day from poisoning the water at the 19th hole with uninformed comments. Many of us have experienced a situation where a golfer (usually talking loudly for all to hear) exclaims that the greens were great yesterday, but too slow or not good today. If speed is not measured consistently, how do we know if this person is upset about a bad round or if their feelings are based in fact and adjustments should be made? With data, an informed and intelligent conversation can take place.

How much time do we need to get ready?

Event preparation is not done in a vacuum. When preparing for USGA championships, playability for customers or members must be maintained while progressing toward the start of a championship. The same is true when preparing for any type of golf event. Daily maintenance practices must continue, but their intensity may increase as the date of the event gets closer. Course conditions cannot be safely ramped up in a single day. It takes several days or longer to do the extra things to step up conditions.

Once the date is set on the calendar, work backward to figure out when specific maintenance practices should be performed to provide the best conditions during the event. Perhaps increased mowing and rolling needs to start seven days prior. The timing of the last growth regulator application to maintain steady clipping yield through the end of the event is important. Timing plant protectant applications to prevent pest issues must be considered. A spray application during an event can be difficult to squeeze in around the additional practices that are already filling the maintenance schedule.

Getting playing conditions to peak as an event gets started takes careful planning. A little luck with the weather can help, but the weather cannot be controlled. Plan for and focus on the factors that can be controlled to give yourself the best chance of success.

What can go wrong?

Plenty! The best-laid plans can be derailed by weather. Heat, rain, drought, wind and many other weather conditions can force adjustments whether it’s the U.S. Open or a weekend club tournament. After heavy rain, double cutting and rolling greens to achieve extra speed may not be possible without injuring the grass. Fairway and approach mowing may need to be skipped. Under hot and windy conditions, water inputs will be heavier regardless of the desired firmness, and the intensity of practices such as mowing and rolling on putting greens may need to be reduced to preserve turf health. Many find it hard to believe that maintenance practices are abandoned frequently because of weather at major golf events, but at times, the only goal is returning the course to playability as quickly as possible – forgoing many maintenance practices in the process.

Throughout my career as a USGA agronomist, the number of greens that have declined because a superintendent was pushed to promote speed for a member-guest or invitational when environmental stress was high is astounding. Ultimately, it just is not worth it. In this discussion, an important distinction to make is between turfgrass stress, which can be managed for short periods of time, and turfgrass health, which if pushed too far under the wrong conditions will lead to decline or even death.

Keep the weather in mind when scheduling marquee events. Certain times of the year allow the grass to be managed more aggressively to promote firm, fast conditions if desired with less risk of turf injury. It may not always be possible, but scheduling a big event when weather is generally favorable in your area provides a much better chance for success.

Summary

What qualifies for a big event at a golf course varies dramatically. For some, it could be a U.S. Open or a televised tournament. For others, it may be a local pro-am, a member-guest, an invitational or a fundraising event. Regardless of the specifics, most golf courses have events that are special to them each year. What I’ve learned by helping golf courses prepare for national championships doesn’t apply to all situations, but the pieces of the puzzle that go into championship preparation have a surprising amount of relevance for the big events at your course and even daily play. Who is playing that day, the nature of the event, weather, turfgrass health, resources available and desired playability are all critical considerations if you want the course to look and play its best when it matters most.