Renovation and improvement efforts and other capital projects can run smoothly with teamwork and proper planning.
The criteria for successful completion of a golf course capital project sound simple in theory: See that it’s finished on time. Keep it within the budget. And make sure the owners and members are happy with the outcome.
Through careful planning and assembling the right management team to work with the professional consultants involved, capital plans can be relatively painless in practice as well. And in the case of properties such as Pelican Marsh Golf Club in Naples, Fla., and Old Tabby Links in Spring Island, S.C., which both received 2012 Renovation of the Year honors from Golf Inc. magazine, the results can also be award-winning.
SUMMING IT UP
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Timing is Everything
The United States Golf Association advises typical south Florida courses to evaluate the need to rebuild their greens complexes every 12 to 15 years—and by 2012, Pelican Marsh, which opened in 1994, had surpassed the recommended life span of healthy greens complexes.
“Soil tests showed that the greens were holding a lot of water because of insufficient drainage, and we needed to make the course more playable,” notes Director of Golf Course Operations Brook Maxwell.
As one of 91 golf courses in Collier County, the property also needed to remain viable in a competitive marketplace. According to a 2012 National Golf Foundation report, the Naples area ranked first in the nation in golf holes per person, with 212 people per hole, and it was the nation’s top-ranked spot for the most 18-hole private clubs per capita.
Economic conditions were right for the $1.8 million renovation project as well. “We were able to negotiate aggressively and get the pricing we needed in the down-turned economy,” says Kimberly Doerseln, Pelican Marsh’s Marketing Director.
Old Tabby Links was closed in 2012 from March 12 until October 27, and the objective of that property’s, $4.7 million project was to restore the natural beauty and rugged character of the course, which had diminished since it opened in 1992. However, the aging irrigation system and the decline of the grass on the greens were the driving forces behind the project.
“It was time to be done. If we waited any longer, the cost of maintaining the [existing] irrigation would increase,” notes Director of Golf Bill Sampson. “We had to consider what would happen if the irrigation went out, and if we could even get parts to fix it.”
In addition, Old Tabby Links’ grounds crew was spending more time maintaining the greens, including large-tine aerifications four times a summer. “It wasn’t a financial decision of when to do the renovation; it was a playability decision,” Sampson says. “We wanted to make it more enjoyable for our members. We shortened some holes and created extra tees.”
Grow-in was a factor in the timing of the project as well. “The greens had to be sprigged by the end of July, to grow in and be ready to open by the end of October,” reports Sampson.
In Maplewood, Minn., Keller Golf Course has been closed since the fall of 2012 for a $4.1 million renovation.
“She was starting to show her age. It needed to be done,” says Certified Golf Course Superintendent Paul Diegnau of the 1929 public course, which is under the direction of the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners through its Parks and Recreation Department. “We wanted to maintain the layout and the character of Keller, but give it a modern facelift.”
The Keller GC renovation includes new greens, tees, bunkers, drainage, cart paths and fairway regrassing. The project also includes total replacement of the existing irrigation system and pump station, as well as digging a new irrigation pond. In addition, the clubhouse and the pro shop buildings are being replaced. “The buildings got the whole project going,” reports Diegnau. “The clubhouse was built in 1931 and in desperate need of repair. From there, the course renovation followed.”
Capital Ideas
The capital project at Pelican Marsh included the complete reconstruction of all greens and a number of player-friendly improvements to the tees, bunkers and surrounds.
While the greens were planted with Tifeagle Bermuda grass, tees were planted with Celebration Bermuda grass. In addition, 22 acres surrounding the new greens were sodded with Celebration Bermuda. By enlarging the greens from 1.6 to 3 acres of total area and restoring them to their original configuration, the renovation recaptured about 40 percent of the green and tee playing areas that had been lost to invasive growth and previous renovations. Golfers can now enjoy a greater variety of tee positions and more challenging pin positions.
The renovation also included remolding the course’s mounds, or moguls, which provided more areas of ingress and egress for golf-car traffic. The new moguls are more aesthetically pleasing and playable. In addition, Maxwell reveals, “We softened the mounds to make them more maintainable.”
A new state-of-the-art greens irrigation system, converted from hydraulic to electric, has allowed Pelican Marsh to reduce its water usage. The system features 125 computer-controlled sprinkler heads, and 25 fairway satellite boxes were replaced.
The Old Tabby Links restoration included a new state-of-the-art irrigation system, re-grassing the greens and changing all of the greens complexes, reducing the number of bunkers and reworking the ones that remained, and restoring the course’s natural character with the addition of native plants.
The Tifdwarf Bermuda greens were replaced with MiniVerde, a strain of Ultradwarf Bermuda developed since the original construction of the South Carolina Lowcountry course. The MiniVerde has eliminated the need for annual overseeding, reduced the effect of the course on the surrounding ecosystem, and increased the lifespan of the putting surfaces.
Some greens were also repositioned to be in full sun. “We had to move some greens because of shade, rather than take down trees,” notes Sampson. “Some were live oak specimen trees that the homeowners wanted to save.”
The new greens also recapture the original intention of the putting surfaces by enhancing shot values and by increasing the variety of pin locations and the options of play on and around the greens. The state-of-the-art irrigation system has reduced the amount of water and time it takes to irrigate the course.
Some bunkers were eliminated in favor of the area’s natural sandy terrain, reducing Old Tabby Links’ hazards from 140,000 sq ft. to 70,000 sq. ft. Other bunkers were rebuilt or repositioned to renew their strategic and aesthetic value. The fairways were widened and the rough was decreased to bring back the ground game, promote more forgiving tee shots and incorporate the existing tree lines into the course strategy.
Doing the Homework
Because of weather and other unexpected issues that can arise during capital projects, superintendents agree that having a long-range plan, and adhering to it, is essential. “We planned and negotiated for three years, and stuck to our plan from day one,” Maxwell reports.
Sampson agrees. “It was something we looked at for two years at a minimum,” he says of the Old Tabby Links restoration. “We were educating members, going through plans, and looking at types of grass, irrigation systems, and which companies to use.” When selecting a contractor, he adds, “We were looking not just for the lowest bid, but someone we could work with and stay within our budget.”
While the project ultimately exceeded budget by about $10,000, Sampson says the property was prepared for the extra expenditures. “We had some rain at the end and had to use some sod we hadn’t planned on. But it wasn’t a surprise,” he explains. “The construction company gave us a budget update every week on what had been done and what was left. Any change order had to go through the committee. We had a contingency plan so if we went over budget, it would be covered.”
A golf committee determined 12 areas of improvement for the Old Tabby Links project, with the top priorities set as lowering maintenance costs, installing greens that didn’t require overseeding, and reducing the number of bunkers while enhancing those that remained. Doing their homework, Sampson says, was a key to reaching these goals. “We talked to people who had done renovations in the past few years, and researched what other facilities had done,” he reports.
Keller GC’s Diegnau also agrees it’s important to learn from others’ mistakes, and to be flexible as well. Ramsey County, he reports, did a pre-design study four years ago with a golf course architect who “put some numbers together for us.”
“We did a lot of preparation work on the front end,” he explains. “It’s a long, involved process working through government. We made quite a few cuts to make budget, but overall it’s going to be a huge improvement.”
Budget cuts included adjustments to the irrigation system; funds for chemical applications and a reseeding fumigant were eliminated from the plan as well.
While the superintendents generally served as the point persons on their capital projects, the full involvement of all staff members was needed to help form a strong, united front with architects and contractors. “Our superintendent was on the job seven days a week, 12 to 14 hours every day,” Sampson reveals. “My job with the architect was more about playability, [while] the superintendent’s [Jay Gratton] was to make sure he could maintain what was being built.”
The End Results
So far, the properties have been pleased with the end results of their efforts. Pelican Marsh has increased its pace of play by recapturing its original artistic design, reports Doerseln, and the property has seen significant revenue increases in all key areas of operation. “Not only did we improve our facility,” she adds, “we improved our profitability and secured the longevity and maintainability of our club for years to come.”
From January 2012 until January 2013, she reports, the number of active golf memberships at Pelican Marsh grew from 281 to 324. Even though prospective members could not play or see the golf course during the renovation, 28 golf memberships were sold in the six months the course was closed.
Diegnau expects maintenance costs to rise by 5 to 10 percent when Keller GC reopens, but the county government has factored the increases into its 2014-15 budget. He attributes the cost increases to several factors, including the addition of eight acres to the fairways, a larger driving range complex, changing from a three-tee to four-tee system, and more hand labor to maintain the newly constructed bunkers.
“We’re trying to go to the next level, and that usually costs money,” says Diegnau. “We’re also projecting an increase in revenues, because our rates will go up.”
At Old Tabby Links, Sampson says, it will take a couple of years for final figures on reduced maintenance costs to be known.
“We have more natural areas now, so we’re not maintaining some areas, and the bunkers have saved us money and man hours,” he explains. “We haven’t used as much irrigation this year, but we’ve had more rain. [The renovation] will save us some money in the long run.”
Usage, meanwhile, has remained at a pace of 10,000 to 12,000 annual rounds since the course reopened—once again enforcing, Sampson says, that “it was not a goal to increase play; we wanted to increase the fun factor, and we did a tournament a week after we opened. We were ready to go.”
Remember the Members
For a capital project, it’s important to keep owners and members satisfied through all phases. One of the best ways to keep them happy is by including them in the process from the beginning.
The Pelican Marsh staff solicited input from the club’s 300-person membership by holding three open forums during the 2011 golf season. According to Maxwell, 70 to 100 people attended each of the sessions, and the decision-makers relied on the general consensus to formulate their plan. “We didn’t cater to each personal request,” he says.
The Naples property also created a brochure, which explained the timing of the renovation project, the scope of the work and the goals of the project, to get members on board.
The course was closed in 2012 from mid-April to mid-October while reconstruction was underway, but Pelican Marsh members had reciprocal access to more than 70 local properties. They were able to return to their home course, which originally was slated to reopen in mid-November 2012, four weeks ahead of schedule. Pelican Marsh’s course renovation project, which came in at 10 percent under the original budget, also was completed without an assessment to the members.
The Old Tabby Links project was financed by an assessment to the membership, notes Sampson, “and they voted strongly in favor it.” As part of the education process about the project, the property held small-group breakout sessions and then one large group session. Sampson, Golf Course Superintendent Jay Gratton, General Manager Tom Noyes, and Greens Committee Chairman Gary Shimmin headed the breakout sessions. and made up the Construction Committee as well.
“The small breakout sessions were the best; that’s where people asked the best questions,” explains Sampson. “During the small group sessions, we were able to ask people what they liked and disliked about the golf course.”
In addition, Old Tabby Links paid the greens fees for members at two area clubs while the property was shuttered, and made arrangements for members to play at a reduced rate at 17 other golf courses.
Ramsey County also sought input from “user groups,” which were made up of golfing constituents, in the pre-design phase of the Keller GC project. In addition, Diegnau started a blog to keep golfers informed about the progress of the renovation, and posts photos and entries every couple of weeks.
Five golf courses within the county system give Keller golfers ample alternatives to tee it up until the golf course reopens in the summer of 2014. Of course, Diegnau is well aware that Mother Nature could dictate the schedule as well. “When we open all depends on how the grow-in goes and if the weather cooperates,” he says.
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