Golfdom, January 2012

Continued from page 25 Building a winner Construction of Deer Valley began in the spring of 2003 and we opened in May of 2005 I designed all the features of the course keeping in mind that everything had to be easy to maintain because I would not have a full time staff I also constantly reminded myself that if a project could go from planning and permitting to opening for less than 2 million the odds of it profiting for the owners even in a tight market increased It wont surprise you that the 10 persquare foot plus cost of building USGA or California greens was out of the question The only option was push up greens No material could be hauled out or hauled in We stripped the topsoil formed the features with the shaley subsoil then capped the shale with the topsoil Since the percolation rate of the soil is so low we allowed for sufficient pitch on the surface to accommodate water movement All the greens were elevated all free water was diverted from the features with surface swales Special attention was given to air circulation morning sun and fill requirements when deciding on a location Topdressing with a uniform mason sand began almost immediately The soil was neither sifted nor sterilized The greens were seeded to a blend of four bentgrasses and average over 7000 square feet The finished product does not have collars nor a mowed approach The first priority with the tees was size both length and width We have 25 tees averaging just under 4700 square feet One large tee was preferred to several small tees when possible to save mow time and for overall ease of maintenance The tees were seeded to a blend of 10 12 perennial ryegrasses We only moved soil in locations that couldnt possibly receive a golf shot Every effort was made to minimize the disruption to the natural soil profile realizing it would drain better and the seedlings would develop faster if left intact The site had previously been used to graze cattle so the fairways were sprayed with glyphosate then lightly disked graded and seeded Excessive organic material was moved into the rough and shaped into mounds We seeded the mounds to a blend of Kentucky bluegrasses and 20 percent perennial rye Our bunkers are all grass not sand I installed a single drain line to remove water and they are all large enough to be mowed with a triplex or similar machine We installed an 8 foot continuous asphalt cart path and the irrigation is a Toro LTC with 800S series heads with no central controller Fairways and tees are a single row system and the greens are looped with 4 6 heads Sprinklers are the same throughout but nozzle sizes vary as needed Employees and equipment I am the only full time employee at Deer Valley wearing both the hats of general manager and superintendent I outsource my skilled people such as irrigation tech and mechanic usually from other golf courses The remainder of my staff is composed of part time seasonal employees The size of the staff can vary from 3 in the winter to 40 in mid season Shifts are usually 5 to 6 hours in length and weekly hours rarely exceed 25 I make it clear to all that I need them more than they will ever need me and it is beneficial to all that they evolve into a job and shift that suits them best It took about three years for us to develop into an efficient staff Virtually all equipment is purchased used from vendors or other courses Operators must constantly be made aware of the potential for hydraulic leaks or other problems Many of my employees use the same machines regularly Eventually they may take responsibility for daily maintenance of those machines Greens and tees are mowed with triplexes fairways with 5 plex mowers primary rough with gang mowers and far rough with a 16 foot three deck rotary The cart fleet was purchased used and we expect to get 12 years of service before we begin replacement When removed from service carts and equipment are cannibalized for serviceable parts as needed then scrapped The pro shop is a barn circa 1790 It has been refurbished to accommodate the pro shop a small food and beverage operation and a dining area that seats 50 The second floor is used for cart storage An attached two car garage is our maintenance shop An open dining pavilion was Deer Valley Golf Course 26 Golfdom January 2012 PHOTOS COURTESY BILL WALL Greens are mowed daily and aerified once a year at Deer Valley