Golfdom, July 2014

back in time From the Back Tees Maybe by going back in time Pinehurst can open the door to a less is more future Joel Jackson Senior Contributing Editor Keeping an Open mind W atching the back to back mens and womens U S Opens took me down memory lane to the days when I worked at Disney and we hosted the Oldsmobile Scramble and Disney Classic back to back Many challenges can pop up when hosting events backto back One positive for Pinehurst No 2 was that the mens U S Open and the womens U S Open played at different yardages The landing areas were different for the men and women thus minimizing divots that might otherwise affect the players in the second event At Disney that wasnt the case While the scramble event consisted of amateurs each group also had a pro player Thus using the best drive they all hit from the pro landing area So divot details were crucial in keeping those areas playable Like Pinehurst we did have several golf maintenance crews that could chip in along municators Association conference at Pinehurst a few years before the project started The sustainability factor of the new or should I say old design is certainly something to consider It saves water fuel and labor and those costs are very critical in todays touchy golf market One lesson we may learn from this major event golf marathon is that challenging playable and enjoyable golf courses dont have to be expansive manicured fields of turf With water use and availability regulations front and center these days will golfers accept some brownish offcolor scalloped edges that sometimes come with single row fairway irrigation Maybe by going back in time Pinehurst can open the door to a less is more future The general impression Ive seen is a mixed reaction to the look of the course Those who get it love it but those who dont wondered why the crew at Pinehurst didnt just crank up the water People are funny and most dont like change What works for Pinehurst a historic icon of early golf in America may not resonate with folks living in a NIMBY not in my backyard world But it still makes for a great opportunity to discuss these issues with golfers because theyre certainly not going away Joel Jackson CGCS Ret is senior contributing editor for Golfdom Email him at flrgn@ aol com with other departments to provide help cleaning up the course before and after each round so personnel numbers were not a big issue The biggest fear factor we dealt with was the weather In October Florida is still in hurricane season and it was too often we had to bail out bunkers and repair lots of washed out bunker faces The other negative was all of the trucks and other vehicles supporting the tournament infrastructure making huge ruts when servicing bathrooms and food stations on the course I know Bob Farrens crew at Pinehurst was amped up and eager to pull this history making event off in fine fashion as were our guys back then But when its over and the adrenaline wears off it seemed like everyone had a big letdown feeling We learned all about working under the mobile diesel powered lights early in the morning and late at night We had morning crews and night crews No days off until it was over Once the bright lights go away its a challenge to keep that same level of intensity Of course it is nice to get back to a more normal sleep schedule and actually see your loved ones at dinner in the evenings The other big factor in this hallmark event at Pinehurst of course is the retro design by the Coore and Crenshaw team I happened to meet them while attending a TOCA Turf and Ornamental Com 16 Golfdom July 2014 Golfdom com